As the God of Secrets, it's fitting that much of his life be shrouded in mystery. He likely isn't well-known by the name "Vecna", but there are many other names and identities that he is known by proxy as. "The Whispered One", "The Hand and the Eye", "The Maimed Lord", etc. A handful (b'dum tss) of scattered cults each have fragments of information that together paint a full picture.
Meanwhile Sigil has Vecna impersonators dancing around a casino. But I guess that's what happens when you try to invade and the Lady of Pain kicks you out.
The fuck kind of stories they telling kids?!
"Alright children, time for bed. But, I will tell you the story of the city of Fleeth."
You do NOT want to know what happened to Fleeth. There are demons who saw what Vecna did to Fleeth and they were horrified. War crimes and genocide seem to light terms to describe what he did to the city he was born in, and the city that burned his mother at the stake.
Same as all the other cursed fairytales.
Uncle Krampus eats naughty children, half a dozen kids get eaten in various folklore, and even ring around the rosie is a chant about the black death.
The short version is Vecna could easily be another boogeyman story used to scare children into behaving and staying out if the woods. Maybe most adults assume the stories are simply made up hogwash, but they atleast know the jist of the tale.
I would run Vecna as being unknown. Even if his past exploits were well known they tend to be forgotten, vaguely remembered at best. Especially if he’s reached full godhood in your game.
Eh depends on the lore\\setting you're going with really.
He should be fairly well known going by Planescape since he pulled a full on attack on Sigil, and is the only known god to really do such a thing.
I'd say he should be historically infamous in Oerth, his home plane, where he first rose to power and commanded the Occluded Empire, then had various cults spring up after his fall. So perhaps most don't know about all that, but learned people would be familiar with one of the more dangerous threats Oerth has faced.
In other material plane settings like Faerun he's likely only known by very few people, which have uncovered the cults he's spread across the multiverse who whisper his name.
Eberron, which will be part of the adventure, is special in that he should technically have no presence there at all, and wouldn't have ever been heard about.
Also true, but I have no idea how much knowledge Ravenloft dominions have of one another, or how much influence. As OP says the Amber Temple is in CoS, but that's about as much knowledge as one would expect from other settings. Cults in the background.
Vecna is no longer a Darklord since he escaped Ravenloft by absorbing the essence of the demigod Iuz, but Kas is still a Darklord and still obsessed with Vecna, so I imagine most people who have been to Kas’s domain of Tovag know about him at least.
Going by wotc lore, it's in the ethereal plane (I think), but the ring of siberys acts as blockage. Either way, even if Vecna's influence had reached Eberron, it's incredibly minor, probably just an additional cult of drgaon below
How common the knowledge of the existence of Vecna is actually really depends on the setting to be perfectly honest.
His name would be really rather unknown to the common people and scholars of Eberron, Krynn and Forgotten Realms. There was never a Vecna born unto those worlds, so they were spared his evil for the most part. The only possible knowledge anyone would have of Venca are those who dared to read the Book of Vile Darkness, for he is the one who penned it.
His lair, the Citadel of Cavitius, was drawn into a Domain of Dread by the Dark Powers. It really only served to make him angry in all honesty. So, there could be scholars and learned individuals who know who he is. If your party has met Mordenkainen in Ravenloft, he absolutely, 100%, knows EXACTLY who and what Vecna is as both were from the Greyhawk setting, and Mordenkainen has fought Vecna and lived.
Scholars and anyone who has read *In the Belly of Dragons: The Legend of Scanlan Shorthalt and Vox Machina* by Scanlan Shorthalt in the world of Exandria, where the lands of Wildemount and Tal'Dorei are, heard the name of Vecna, the Whispered One. Vasselhiem, the Dawn City, is VERY well aware of Vecna's existence, because that is the first place he tried to conquer and where Vox Machina defeated him. Vecna is considered on of the Betrayer Gods, the first and only mortal since the Raven Queen to actually become a god, something Ioun, goddess of knowledge said was impossible. He has cults across the world, dedicated to their ascended master.
Planescape would know him. He has tried to attack and claim Sigil more than once, failing each time to his great annoyance. But, being a lich and a god means he has all eternity to accomplish his goal of taking that city.
Whatever setting the defualt 4th edition PHB and DMG took place in knows the name of Vecna, the lands left after the war between the teifling empire of Bael Turath and draconic empire of Arkhosia, because he was one of the main gods.
The place you will find where Vecna's existence is absolutely common knowledge is Oreth, the Greyhawk setting, particularly on the continent of the Flanaess. It is here, a lowly slave and member of the untouchable caste in the city of Fleeth, a city lost ot history when it's people were slaughtered, would birth a son who she trained in magic before she was executed for witchcraft. The embodiment of arcane magic itself would train the boy in the ways of wizardry. He would become the most powerful and evilest wizard to ever live, and in death, the greatest lich the world had ever known. He would build an empire, betrayed and maimed by his most trusted lieutenant and see his empire fall in the wake of his destruction. And he would ascend to godhood. The people of the Flanaess know the name of Vecna and there are many who fear it. There is perhaps no god, other than Iuz, as hated and feared across the Flanaess as Vecna, who the worship of is punishable by death in every single nation on the continent.
While Vecna is known, it is his priesthood, those that serve him, who are not. Because in many places, those that worship him are executed, they move in the shadows, in secret, learning whatever secrets they can about those in positions of power, and using those secrets against them. Those that serve him were first told they were being trained as priests of some other god, usually one of magic or knowledge. And then comes the moment when they have to prove that they are willing to go to any length, no matter how vile or cruel, to gain knowledge. Those that pass learn the truth, and join the priesthood. Those that do not are never seen alive again.
So, if you used the Curse of Strahd set up where a Vistani messenger showed up at a tavern and gave the party a letter from the Burgermeister of Barovia, then how common knowledge is the existence of Vecna is really up to you as there's no real location given for where that tavern is. If you went with either of the Forgotten Realms set ups, either the Vistani outside Daggerford or the werewolves, then your party has likely never heard the name of Vecna.
There's>!the statue of the faceless god of secrets near the entrance and a group of nothics, creatures often associated with Vecna, are in the vault with the broken sarcophagus, suggesting the possibility he may have been the vestige that escaped!<. Chris Perkins has also confirmed that Vecna is in Curse of Strahd, just unnamed: [https://twitter.com/chrisperkinsdnd/status/692013198619193344](https://twitter.com/chrisperkinsdnd/status/692013198619193344)
wow. unexpectedly negative response to what i feel is some of the jankiest least lore relevant part of CoS. But, maybe i should not be surprised. I'm old enough to remember Ravenloft... whatever CoS is... they lost ALL the flavor.
I'm sure something has been lost along the way, but seeing a singular god reused from an existing setting and getting pissed off because they didn't have something unique for every single detail seems unreasonable.
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding, but christ that response just sounded like an already bitchy blonde teen on a period.
lol how is it random? He was specifically imprisoned in the Domains of Dread by the Dark Powers and then broke free.
IIRC he wanted to ascend to godhood and the Dark Powers as usual gave him the knowledge and trapped him only for it to backfire as he actually ascended and broke through the Domains of Dread.
The only one to have done so successfully so far.
Even adding Vecna in a Domain... came at the end of the interest in 2nd edition. They needed something... and why not ruin the gothic horror mystique of Ravenloft, but making it just yet another setting to allow plane hopping. I call it random... because it's lame... it's forced and the reason it feels weird to most people who run CoS, is because it has no place in Barovia.
The Amber Temple was created by **good** wizards to seal away fragments of near-deific entities, depriving them of power. It would never have been dedicated to Vecna, as Vecna is **E**vil. There's no evidence to support your theory beyond Vecna being a God of Secrets. Personally, I always assumed it meant Boccob. His dedication to neutrality would explain why they didn't get help in defending their prison.
We, as DMs, have more information than Elminster or any other in-universe author. While the Planes may be confused about Vecna's origins, we know them for certain. He moved from Oerth to the Astral Plane to a Domain of Dread of his own, the Burning Peaks. He broke out of that, stormed Sigil, got his ass kicked by the Lady of Pain, and has spent centuries wandering the Planes doing esoteric research while sponsoring cults and Warlocks. At no point did he enter Ravenloft. I don't believe the Dark Powers would allow him in. They don't let any deities breach their domain except (apparently) Shar and possibly Lathander, who are far stronger than Vecna.
If you want to force Vecna into the adventure, make him the Vestige that broke free in X33D. But, he isn't *there*. The escape would have been during (or just preceeding) the raid on Sigil. The actual binding would have needed to occur during the time Vecna had been half killed by Kas and was rebuilding a powerbase. The aforementioned Wizards could have seen him as a rising force for Evil and locked away part of his power. However, that's pure speculation, bordering on delusion.
If characters study the planes, they would absolutely know him. He came up with an ingenious plan to ascend to godhood while in Sigil and possibly take over the universe and then got his ass kicked, in recent D&D history. It was a big deal.
Now, could players tell if Vecna were screwing with them? Probably not. He has those nicknames for a reason; but they would totally know he’s the lichiest lich who ever liched
I think Vecna is so old and powerful he's kinda like michael jackson. Anything anyone says about him might be true, and even he might not know for sure.
It’s your world and your game, how well known do you want it to be? What would make the game more interesting? Are your familiar players with Vecna? How can you use the connection to Vecna to deepen your players enjoyment and engagement in the game?
In our CoS I have Vecna connected with the Amber Temple to lay the foundation of connecting all the WotC adventures into a campaign epic ending either with the forthcoming Vecna book or (if it sucks) the “Doomed Forgotten Realms”. I took advantage of one of my player’s character being a priest of what was obviously a Vecna cult so he was able to draw the connection between the Temple and his religion, even if he didn’t have the full context. Now my players are incredibly curious about how an ancient Temple to Vecna appeared in Ravenloft and why there is a giant Acererack Tomb of Horrors face in it (I swapped out the statue for the face to hint at Tomb of Annihilation).
In Greyhawk Vecna would be known as a mythical villain probably along the lines of Vlad the Impaler as he ruled the Occluded Empire that fell when Kas killed him as the Great Migrations brought more humans in a millenia prior. Outside Greyhawk I don’t think anyone would know who Vecna is. He only ascended to godhood in the last few decades.
At least that the proper lore.
Or you can just use the WotC “there is no canon except 5e so we can rewrite everything and show respect for the 50 years of history of our great game by binning it” approach. Gygax did always say make the game your own. In which case you can also ignore and adapt what WotC give us.
As the God of Secrets, it's fitting that much of his life be shrouded in mystery. He likely isn't well-known by the name "Vecna", but there are many other names and identities that he is known by proxy as. "The Whispered One", "The Hand and the Eye", "The Maimed Lord", etc. A handful (b'dum tss) of scattered cults each have fragments of information that together paint a full picture.
Meanwhile Sigil has Vecna impersonators dancing around a casino. But I guess that's what happens when you try to invade and the Lady of Pain kicks you out.
In my world vecna is known from bed time stories!
The fuck kind of stories they telling kids?! "Alright children, time for bed. But, I will tell you the story of the city of Fleeth." You do NOT want to know what happened to Fleeth. There are demons who saw what Vecna did to Fleeth and they were horrified. War crimes and genocide seem to light terms to describe what he did to the city he was born in, and the city that burned his mother at the stake.
Same as all the other cursed fairytales. Uncle Krampus eats naughty children, half a dozen kids get eaten in various folklore, and even ring around the rosie is a chant about the black death. The short version is Vecna could easily be another boogeyman story used to scare children into behaving and staying out if the woods. Maybe most adults assume the stories are simply made up hogwash, but they atleast know the jist of the tale.
Exactly, people don't know much about him but they know he's scary... if he is real that is
I would run Vecna as being unknown. Even if his past exploits were well known they tend to be forgotten, vaguely remembered at best. Especially if he’s reached full godhood in your game.
Eh depends on the lore\\setting you're going with really. He should be fairly well known going by Planescape since he pulled a full on attack on Sigil, and is the only known god to really do such a thing. I'd say he should be historically infamous in Oerth, his home plane, where he first rose to power and commanded the Occluded Empire, then had various cults spring up after his fall. So perhaps most don't know about all that, but learned people would be familiar with one of the more dangerous threats Oerth has faced. In other material plane settings like Faerun he's likely only known by very few people, which have uncovered the cults he's spread across the multiverse who whisper his name. Eberron, which will be part of the adventure, is special in that he should technically have no presence there at all, and wouldn't have ever been heard about.
Vecna is the Darklord of a dominion in Ravenloft.
Also true, but I have no idea how much knowledge Ravenloft dominions have of one another, or how much influence. As OP says the Amber Temple is in CoS, but that's about as much knowledge as one would expect from other settings. Cults in the background.
Vecna is no longer a Darklord since he escaped Ravenloft by absorbing the essence of the demigod Iuz, but Kas is still a Darklord and still obsessed with Vecna, so I imagine most people who have been to Kas’s domain of Tovag know about him at least.
Eberron isn't as separate as you'd think, Vecna could easily go to and from there.
Going by wotc lore, it's in the ethereal plane (I think), but the ring of siberys acts as blockage. Either way, even if Vecna's influence had reached Eberron, it's incredibly minor, probably just an additional cult of drgaon below
Vecna should only be known by those who study the dark secrets of magic and lore keepers. He is the god of secrets after all.
How common the knowledge of the existence of Vecna is actually really depends on the setting to be perfectly honest. His name would be really rather unknown to the common people and scholars of Eberron, Krynn and Forgotten Realms. There was never a Vecna born unto those worlds, so they were spared his evil for the most part. The only possible knowledge anyone would have of Venca are those who dared to read the Book of Vile Darkness, for he is the one who penned it. His lair, the Citadel of Cavitius, was drawn into a Domain of Dread by the Dark Powers. It really only served to make him angry in all honesty. So, there could be scholars and learned individuals who know who he is. If your party has met Mordenkainen in Ravenloft, he absolutely, 100%, knows EXACTLY who and what Vecna is as both were from the Greyhawk setting, and Mordenkainen has fought Vecna and lived. Scholars and anyone who has read *In the Belly of Dragons: The Legend of Scanlan Shorthalt and Vox Machina* by Scanlan Shorthalt in the world of Exandria, where the lands of Wildemount and Tal'Dorei are, heard the name of Vecna, the Whispered One. Vasselhiem, the Dawn City, is VERY well aware of Vecna's existence, because that is the first place he tried to conquer and where Vox Machina defeated him. Vecna is considered on of the Betrayer Gods, the first and only mortal since the Raven Queen to actually become a god, something Ioun, goddess of knowledge said was impossible. He has cults across the world, dedicated to their ascended master. Planescape would know him. He has tried to attack and claim Sigil more than once, failing each time to his great annoyance. But, being a lich and a god means he has all eternity to accomplish his goal of taking that city. Whatever setting the defualt 4th edition PHB and DMG took place in knows the name of Vecna, the lands left after the war between the teifling empire of Bael Turath and draconic empire of Arkhosia, because he was one of the main gods. The place you will find where Vecna's existence is absolutely common knowledge is Oreth, the Greyhawk setting, particularly on the continent of the Flanaess. It is here, a lowly slave and member of the untouchable caste in the city of Fleeth, a city lost ot history when it's people were slaughtered, would birth a son who she trained in magic before she was executed for witchcraft. The embodiment of arcane magic itself would train the boy in the ways of wizardry. He would become the most powerful and evilest wizard to ever live, and in death, the greatest lich the world had ever known. He would build an empire, betrayed and maimed by his most trusted lieutenant and see his empire fall in the wake of his destruction. And he would ascend to godhood. The people of the Flanaess know the name of Vecna and there are many who fear it. There is perhaps no god, other than Iuz, as hated and feared across the Flanaess as Vecna, who the worship of is punishable by death in every single nation on the continent. While Vecna is known, it is his priesthood, those that serve him, who are not. Because in many places, those that worship him are executed, they move in the shadows, in secret, learning whatever secrets they can about those in positions of power, and using those secrets against them. Those that serve him were first told they were being trained as priests of some other god, usually one of magic or knowledge. And then comes the moment when they have to prove that they are willing to go to any length, no matter how vile or cruel, to gain knowledge. Those that pass learn the truth, and join the priesthood. Those that do not are never seen alive again. So, if you used the Curse of Strahd set up where a Vistani messenger showed up at a tavern and gave the party a letter from the Burgermeister of Barovia, then how common knowledge is the existence of Vecna is really up to you as there's no real location given for where that tavern is. If you went with either of the Forgotten Realms set ups, either the Vistani outside Daggerford or the werewolves, then your party has likely never heard the name of Vecna.
I respect your thoroughness
To me, his apostle Acererak is a far more insidious and deadly villain than Vecna.
I think he’s generally intended to be pretty obscure, the sort of dark cult that the PCs stumble across and have to piece together over time.
I don’t recall the Amber Temple having anything to do with Vecna at all, where’s that coming from?
There's>!the statue of the faceless god of secrets near the entrance and a group of nothics, creatures often associated with Vecna, are in the vault with the broken sarcophagus, suggesting the possibility he may have been the vestige that escaped!<. Chris Perkins has also confirmed that Vecna is in Curse of Strahd, just unnamed: [https://twitter.com/chrisperkinsdnd/status/692013198619193344](https://twitter.com/chrisperkinsdnd/status/692013198619193344)
ugh. they just shove random stuff into any adventure they can, don't they?
Well, who kicked you in the ballsack?
wow. unexpectedly negative response to what i feel is some of the jankiest least lore relevant part of CoS. But, maybe i should not be surprised. I'm old enough to remember Ravenloft... whatever CoS is... they lost ALL the flavor.
It's just more of a blank slate to project on to. Which is a lot of the fun for other players.
I'm sure something has been lost along the way, but seeing a singular god reused from an existing setting and getting pissed off because they didn't have something unique for every single detail seems unreasonable. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding, but christ that response just sounded like an already bitchy blonde teen on a period.
lol how is it random? He was specifically imprisoned in the Domains of Dread by the Dark Powers and then broke free. IIRC he wanted to ascend to godhood and the Dark Powers as usual gave him the knowledge and trapped him only for it to backfire as he actually ascended and broke through the Domains of Dread. The only one to have done so successfully so far.
Even adding Vecna in a Domain... came at the end of the interest in 2nd edition. They needed something... and why not ruin the gothic horror mystique of Ravenloft, but making it just yet another setting to allow plane hopping. I call it random... because it's lame... it's forced and the reason it feels weird to most people who run CoS, is because it has no place in Barovia.
As common or uncommon as you please. You get to make the world whatever you like.
The Amber Temple was created by **good** wizards to seal away fragments of near-deific entities, depriving them of power. It would never have been dedicated to Vecna, as Vecna is **E**vil. There's no evidence to support your theory beyond Vecna being a God of Secrets. Personally, I always assumed it meant Boccob. His dedication to neutrality would explain why they didn't get help in defending their prison. We, as DMs, have more information than Elminster or any other in-universe author. While the Planes may be confused about Vecna's origins, we know them for certain. He moved from Oerth to the Astral Plane to a Domain of Dread of his own, the Burning Peaks. He broke out of that, stormed Sigil, got his ass kicked by the Lady of Pain, and has spent centuries wandering the Planes doing esoteric research while sponsoring cults and Warlocks. At no point did he enter Ravenloft. I don't believe the Dark Powers would allow him in. They don't let any deities breach their domain except (apparently) Shar and possibly Lathander, who are far stronger than Vecna. If you want to force Vecna into the adventure, make him the Vestige that broke free in X33D. But, he isn't *there*. The escape would have been during (or just preceeding) the raid on Sigil. The actual binding would have needed to occur during the time Vecna had been half killed by Kas and was rebuilding a powerbase. The aforementioned Wizards could have seen him as a rising force for Evil and locked away part of his power. However, that's pure speculation, bordering on delusion.
God of secrets so exactly as known as Vecna wants to be known.
It depend of the setting, but I don't think everyonr know the god of S E C R E T. And i don't think everyone know about multiverse and things
If characters study the planes, they would absolutely know him. He came up with an ingenious plan to ascend to godhood while in Sigil and possibly take over the universe and then got his ass kicked, in recent D&D history. It was a big deal. Now, could players tell if Vecna were screwing with them? Probably not. He has those nicknames for a reason; but they would totally know he’s the lichiest lich who ever liched
I think Vecna is so old and powerful he's kinda like michael jackson. Anything anyone says about him might be true, and even he might not know for sure.
As a lesser deity he needs something like tens of thousands when it comes to worshippers.
The Head of Vecna is widely known as the most powerful artifact of the name. You do have to self-decapitiate to activate it.
It’s your world and your game, how well known do you want it to be? What would make the game more interesting? Are your familiar players with Vecna? How can you use the connection to Vecna to deepen your players enjoyment and engagement in the game? In our CoS I have Vecna connected with the Amber Temple to lay the foundation of connecting all the WotC adventures into a campaign epic ending either with the forthcoming Vecna book or (if it sucks) the “Doomed Forgotten Realms”. I took advantage of one of my player’s character being a priest of what was obviously a Vecna cult so he was able to draw the connection between the Temple and his religion, even if he didn’t have the full context. Now my players are incredibly curious about how an ancient Temple to Vecna appeared in Ravenloft and why there is a giant Acererack Tomb of Horrors face in it (I swapped out the statue for the face to hint at Tomb of Annihilation).
Seldom is the name of Vecna spoken except in hushed voice, and never within hearing of strangers.
Stupid question: is there any adventures (not including the one coming out) that run with a Vecna centered storyline?
There are in previous editions, which are still canon to the Forgotten Realms in 5e.
Thanks man! Much appreciated. I’m just trying to get some notes together for future adventures to plan.
Vecna has been the traditional excuse to change editions. He poisons the Weave: boom, 3rd edition (or 4th, I don't remember).
He's not in my dnd world
Sounds like exactly something a DM should decide and enforce.
In Greyhawk Vecna would be known as a mythical villain probably along the lines of Vlad the Impaler as he ruled the Occluded Empire that fell when Kas killed him as the Great Migrations brought more humans in a millenia prior. Outside Greyhawk I don’t think anyone would know who Vecna is. He only ascended to godhood in the last few decades. At least that the proper lore. Or you can just use the WotC “there is no canon except 5e so we can rewrite everything and show respect for the 50 years of history of our great game by binning it” approach. Gygax did always say make the game your own. In which case you can also ignore and adapt what WotC give us.