The Whispered One, the Undying King, the lich-god. Even saying his name can draw his notice and, therefore, his wrath. He is Vecna, one of the baddest D&D baddies, and on May 21, you can witness the fruition of his plots in Vecna: Eve of Ruin.

But who is this scheming villain? This article examines Vecna’s past and how he’s gotten to a point where he’s planning to remake the whole multiverse. Let’s dive into the lore behind Vecna!

• Vecna’s First Appearance in Dungeons & Dragons
• Vecna’s Legend, from Birth to Godhood
• Where Is Vecna Now?
• Can Vecna Even Die?

Vecna Lore From Across Editions

The enduring impact of this iconic villain can be traced back to the early days of D&D's history, thus this article pulls lore from various sources across the game's editions. Certain events that have not been made canonical in fifth edition lore are discussed in an attempt to provide a more complete tapestry of Vecna's unerring plight for power across the D&D multiverse.

Vecna’s First Appearance in Dungeons & Dragons

In 1976, Gary Gygax and Brian Blume released the Eldritch Wizardry supplement for the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In this rulebook, a number of classic D&D elements were introduced, including the druid class, psionic monsters, and the Rod of Seven Parts. This book also contained the first mention of Vecna.

This isn’t a particularly glamorous start for our infamous lich because all that we see are two artifacts: the Eye and Hand of Vecna. The Hand of Vecna is described as a "dried, shriveled and blackened hand" that, along with the Eye, are the sole remains of a lich so powerful that these disembodied relics are still magically potent.

How did these disembodied objects become so magically potent? And who is this Vecna guy?

Well, as D&D evolved, so did the tale of Vecna. He has appeared in every edition of D&D, meaning his legendary exploits have transcended time and, in the case of the events of Die Vecna Die!, even caused the transition between editions.

Artist: Aaron Hübrich

Vecna’s Legend, from Birth to Godhood

Artist: Kieran Yanner

Vecna is a figure of mystery; the actual account of his life isn’t known. All that’s been uncovered is a collection of legends that are prone to exaggerations, distortions, and contradictions.

Within the glimpses offered by these legends, it's apparent that Vecna's tenaciousness, resiliency, craving for power, and willingness to go to whatever lengths are needed to achieve it are unmatched. Below, you’ll see these aspects firsthand as we lay out Vecna’s rise from an orphan to one of the prime deities of the Greyhawk setting.

Vecna’s Early Life on Oerth

Artist: Kieran Yanner

Vecna was born to a hedge witch on the world of Oerth in the Greyhawk setting. His mother, accused of practicing forbidden necromancy, was exiled by an order of wizards, leaving Vecna orphaned and bound into their servitude.

Swearing revenge against the wizard order, Vecna studied in secret in an attempt to amass enough power to kill every last mage responsible for his mother’s exile. As he studied, he was encouraged by a disembodied voice, reassuring him that his goals were just and to follow the hatred festering inside of him.

When his skills were ready, he massacred the wizard order and, at the voice’s behest, began scribing the Book of Vile Darkness.

Vecna’s Empire in Greyhawk

Vecna’s power grew, and with it, he forged an empire on Oerth. He commanded his legions from his obsidian tower, which rose from the black waters of the Nyr Dyv, and managed to claim large swathes of Oerth under his tyrannical rule.

For years, he conquered and expanded his territory until his physical body began to fail him, causing him to turn his sights to a loftier goal: immortality.

His Turn to Lichdom

Artist: Kieran Yanner

As powerful as he had become, Vecna grew old. The thought of death didn’t scare the tyrannical wizard, it only filled him with rage.

Just as he was determined to exact revenge on the order of wizards and forge an empire on Oerth, he was determined not to die. In his arrogance, he believed that immortality was not merely possible but was his right.

How Vecna accomplished his task isn’t known for sure. According to some tales, Vecna amassed enough power to confront his own death and forever imprison it, thus escaping his doom.

According to others, Vecna's pride and arrogance so offended the deities of the Outer Planes that they cursed him to dwell forever on the border between life and death, never again to fully live or rest in tranquil death.

What is known is that Vecna achieved immortality by becoming a lich—an Undead, and thus, an immortal being made by performing a profoundly vile ritual. His physical body continued to wither away, yet his soul and power only strengthened.

Betrayal by Kas the Bloody-Handed

Once he achieved his goal of becoming immortal, Vecna’s interest in his kingdom began to lessen. He traveled to other worlds where he wreaked havoc, coerced a greater following, and expanded his arsenal of powerful secrets.

Kas the Bloody-Handed was a fallen paladin who rose through the ranks of Vecna’s army because of his ruthlessness and cruelty. Eventually, he became Vecna’s foremost lieutenant and was tasked with presiding over Vecna’s judgments and directing his army.

As a sign of Kas’s authority, Vecna forged him a blade that empowered the fallen paladin even further. Legend says that the iron for the blade was taken from the heart of a frozen star, and no man could withstand Kas when he wielded it.

Unbeknownst to Vecna, the sword grew a malicious sentience that began to whisper to Kas, urging him to usurp Vecna’s throne. At last, Kas gave into the sword’s urges and struck at Vecna. The resulting battle shattered Vecna’s fortress and saw both Vecna and Kas vanquished. The only remanents of the combatants were the Eye and Hand of Vecna, and the Sword of Kas.

Vecna Across the Multiverse

It’s said that Vecna’s physical form was destroyed by his treacherous lieutenant. But before he succumbed, he flung Kas to the far reaches of the multiverse, where he landed in Tovag, a Domain of Dread in Ravenloft.

Though defeated, Vecna was too evil and hateful to be fully destroyed. Instead, his incorporeal spirit traversed the multiverse. Vecna’s followers still worshiped the lich, and his following grew due to the notoriety of the Eye and Hand of Vecna, which became legendary artifacts in their own right. As he drifted across the cosmos, the power of their worship fueled him, and he eventually gathered enough power to form again—this time, as a demigod on Oerth.

Vecna’s First Attempt at Godhood

Though wrought with immortality and power, Vecna, as always, set his sights on his next goal: true godhood.

He sought to achieve this by performing a ritual that would nullify the divine power granted to gods by their worshippers on Oerth. However, he intended to exempt the power he received from his own followers. This would allow him to humble his rival deities and ascend to greater godhood, if not become the sole deity of the pantheon.

These machinations were foiled, but due to his semi-divine status, Vecna could not be permanently defeated.

Vecna’s Second Attempt at Godhood

Though his first attempt failed, Vecna crafted another method of ascension: He tempted another demigod to link himself to the Eye of Vecna, allowing Vecna to absorb the being’s power and transform himself into a true god.

Acting on his newfound divinity, Vecna created an interdimensional gateway and traveled to Sigil, the City of Doors. While the center of the multiverse is normally warded against gods entering its many-doored expanse, Vecna was able to bypass the Lady of Pain’s countermeasures and appear on Sigil, ready to put the final step of his plan in place: become the supreme deity of the multiverse.

With the help of the Lady of Pain, heroic agents foiled Vecna’s plots at the last moment. His attempt to remake existence and place himself above all others was defeated. But, even so, Vecna is now a greater deity and continues his plots and schemes for more power.

Where Is Vecna Now?

Artist: Kieran Yanner

Having ascended to true godhood, Vecna is now outside the reach of most mortal adventurers. Gods in D&D are figures beyond comprehension. They may take the form of avatars to enact their will upon the Material Plane, but they are beings of space, time, thought, and will rather than flesh and bone.

As for where Vecna went after his attempt to remake the multiverse on Sigil, no one really knows. He's listed as the god of evil secrets among Greyhawk's Dawn War Deities in the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide, but no attempt to impose his will as he did on Sigil has been seen since.

That said, there have been mysterious sightings of cultists in the catacombs under Neverwinter. These cultists are suspects in a string of suspicious deaths and mysterious disappearances throughout the city and seem to be worshipping under the symbol of an emaciated hand with one eyeball in its palm.

Vecna Returns for Fifth Edition D&D

These whispers of Vecna's return can be explored in Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye, which is available as a bonus adventure when you preorder a digital copy of Vecna: Eve of Ruin or the Vecna: Eve of Ruin Digital + Physical Bundle. Nest of the Eldritch Eye is a one-shot for 3rd-level characters that introduces your party to the city of Neverwinter and the cult of Vecna's plans in preparation for the epic adventure in Vecna: Eve of Ruin—a high-level adventure that sets up a 20th-level clash with the infamous archlich!

Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye releases on April 16 for those that have preordered, and can be purchased separately after Eve of Ruin drops on May 21! 

Can Vecna Even Die?

Liches are hard to kill. The ritual they undertake to achieve immortality places their soul inside a spirit jar, which they must feed with sentient souls in order to maintain. Unfortunately for their enemies, while their spirit jar remains topped up with fresh souls, a lich can reconstitute their body even if it has been thoroughly destroyed.

Even before he achieved godhood, Vecna overcame Kas's attempt to destroy him. The Undying trait on Vecna's archlich stat block specifies that Vecna's soul persists beyond death, refusing to accept its demise. After 1d100 years, his soul constructs a new body, even if its previous form was utterly obliterated. Upon completion, Vecna revives with full hit points (and a grudge against his would-be slayer).

While liches can be vanquished by finding their spirit jar and destroying it, deities are a whole other ballgame. If you think a lich is hard to kill, just wait until you try to kill a lich-god.

In his god form, Vecna would simply be beyond the capabilities of any mortal trying to do him harm. So, what's keeping him in check from simply snapping his fingers and remaking existence? 

The gods of the multiverse exist in a state of balance. They're each immensely powerful and can hold each other in check. Breaking this balance would require a massive amount of power and a well-thought-out ritual, which sounds pretty spot-on to Vecna's modus operandi if you ask me...

What Will Vecna Do Next?

As always, Vecna has spent his time patiently ploying and calculating his next move. On May 21, you can witness his devious workings firsthand in Vecna: Eve of Ruin! This adventure for 10th- to 20th-level characters follows an epic race against time—and across the multiverse—to stop Vecna’s latest schemes.

If you preorder a digital copy of Vecna: Eve of Ruin or the Vecna: Eve of Ruin Digital + Physical Bundle, you’ll also receive an introductory one-shot adventure, Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye, for free! Upon release, these adventures will have all of their tokens and maps integrated into D&D Beyond Maps, allowing Master-tier subscribers to easily prep and run their sessions with the help of this VTT.

Will you be able to foil Vecna once and for all? Only one way to find out!

Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his partner, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.