—Mark Steuer, recounting the tale. Funny D&D Story: The Head of Vecna Uploaded by the Desert Bus Video Strike Team. I mean, I skimmed it once or twice when I saw it in the game store years ago, but it never grabbed me enough to buy it. Well, of course, the Head simply fell off the lifeless body. TSR found this absolutely hilarious, and so the Head of Vecna actually appeared in their final 2e module, Die, Vecna, Die! Well, Group One thought up The Head of Vecna. [4] Third Edition further raised Vecna's profile in the game, making him a member of the game's "core pantheon". They are considered classic items in D&D,[23] with Mordicai Knode of Tor.com commenting "We all agree that the Hand and Eye of Vecna are the best artifacts, right? The Un-Men Ever read GURPS Fantasy II: The Mad Lands? head off. They offered up the entire city and her wealth if only Vecna would spare the lives of her citizens. In 4th edition, the Open Grave book shows the leader of the cult of Vecna is a lich named Mauthereign. This interpretation is relatively recent. Vecna, causing chaos from beyond the grave. Many years ago (back when we all were still playing D & D), I ran a game where I pitted two groups against each other. On the verge of conquering Fleeth, the officials of the city came before him to beg for mercy. Well, Group One thought up The Head of Vecna. Additionally, both his hand and eye are listed as artifacts. Vecna appears as one of the deities described in the 2008 Dungeon Master's Guide for Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition. Only his left hand and his eye survived the battle, perhaps because of the previous events in Fleeth. The magician was selected and one of them promptly cut his head off. Exploding into little bits didn't slow Vecna down -- he became a lich to gain power , and it worked -- but the acolytes who … [15] According to Shannon Appelcline, the adventure "touched upon the oldest locales and the most ancient myths of the D&D game" by playing the Eye and Hand of Vecna against the cambion demigod Iuz. ", Living Greyhawk Journal no. [23] Vecna is given a set of statistics in Open Grave (2008). [16], Wizards of the Coast continued the character's theme of ascending godhood in Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition (2000–2002) with the Player's Handbook (2000) listing him as a Lesser deity. "Vox Machina had been traveling for a means of stopping the ascension of the Whispered One, Vecna, the lich, seeking ascension to godhood. It's an old story about a Dungeons & Dragons game, where one group of players tricked another group of players into killing themselves. He was initially trained by his mother, Mazzel, in the art of magic, before she was executed by the government of Fleeth for practicing witchcraft. in 1990, written in support of The City of Greyhawk boxed set, Vecna finally appeared in person, re-imagined as a demigod, and the chief antagonist of the adventure. Then, finally, they put the Head onto the character. Vecna was rescued and brought to safety by one of his wizard generals, a cambion named Acererak (who would one day himself become a mighty demilich). The last known Heart of Vecna was Diraq Malcinex of Ket, who was slain by adventurers in 581 CY. The Head of Vecna by Mark F. Steuer. ", Mullin, Robert S. "Campaign Classics: Three Greyhawk Grimoires. "[29], For the American information technology and robotics companies, see, "Gygax's Greyhawk Anagrams, Puns, and Homages", "GeekDad Review: D&D 4th Edition (part 3 of 3)", http://www.tor.com/2013/05/23/adad-the-old-firm/, The Head of Vecna: A D&D Adventure for Characters Levels 1–12, "10 Must-Have NPCs In Dungeons & Dragons Lore To Make Your Campaigns Awesome", "Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting (5E)", "The Yaheetes and Tyrus: The Wars Against the Hand and the Eye in the Sheldomar. The Hand and Eye of Vecna were also mentioned in the 1979 Dungeon Master's Guide of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons's first edition (1977–1988), on page 124. The story was memed all over the place; Knights of the Dinner Table included an homage in its "Head of Vectra". [21] Vecna and his priesthood were expanded upon in Dragon #348, in the "Core Beliefs" column. (Of course, while that was a joke, the Heart of Vecna, which appeared in the module Die, Vecna Die, was a real Minor Relic of Vecna. Head of Vecna Lyrics: Place this and perceive, fulfilled this need crossed this line. Each organ is led by a Thought of Vecna. Vecna's holy symbol is an eye in the palm of a left hand. The Hand of Vecna is a withered, blackened, mummified human hand. Sometimes he is depicted with withered, mummified flesh; other times he is depicted as a being of bare bone, with not a trace of skin remaining. His first mention in an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons product was in 1979's Dungeon Master's Guide. Some time later, Group one decided to find the Druid and to check on the trap. The name Vecna was an anagram of Vance, the surname of Jack Vance,[3][7][8] the fantasy author whose "fire-and-forget" magic system is used in Dungeons & Dragons. [3] He was eventually destroyed, and his left hand and left eye were the only parts of his body to survive. For all his power, Vecna couldn't escape his own mortality. Well, of course, the Head simply fell off the lifeless body. The Compendium Maleficarum is a book of spells, doctrines, and secrets crafted entirely from bone (even the pages) and penned in blood, that is on par with the Fragments of Vecna. Group One spread rumors all over the countryside (even paying Bards to spread the word about this artifact rumored to exist nearby). The tale of the Head of Vecna is considered a touchstone cautionary tale to players about taking everything you hear in-game as gospel truth, and is an excellent example of Players using the promise of Untold Power to destroy each other. You remember the Hand of Vecna and the Eye of Vecna that were artifacts in the old D&D world where if you cut off your hand (or your eye) and replaced it with the Hand of Vecna (or the Eye) you'd get new awesome powers? Vecna was born as a human, centuries ago as a member of the untouchable caste in the Flan city of Fleeth on Oerth. The Head of Vecna Sometimes amusement requires a little too much sacrifice. 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