Dark Speech. Vance can speak the foul language known as Dark Speech. When Vance speaks only in Dark Speech on his turn, each non-evil creature within 15 feet of him (excluding deities) takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage.
Inscrutable. Vance is immune to any effect that would sense his emotions or read his thoughts, as well as any divination spell that he refuses. Wisdom (Insight) checks made to ascertain Vance’s intentions or sincerity have disadvantage.
Legendary Resistance (5/Day). If Vance fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Lesser Deity. Vance can’t be surprised and has advantage on ability checks and saving throws, and he can't be affected or detected by spells of 6th level or lower unless he wishes to be. In addition, Vance is permanently under the effects of the detect evil and good and detect magic spells, always lands on target when casting the teleport spell, and is unaffected by difficult terrain.
Rejuvenation. Vance can create a phylactery by imbuing a piece of jewelery with a tiny sliver of his divine essence through an 8-hour ritual. He can have any number of phylacteries. If Vance has a phylactery and dies, he gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all his hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of a phylactery of his choosing. If Vance doesn’t have a phylactery, but either his left eye or left hand remain in the world, Vance will reform with a new body at a place of his choosing in 1d100 years. Unless reunited with his lost eye and hand, whenever Vance gains a new body, his new body is missing those body parts.
Special Equipment. Vance wields Afterthought, a magical +4 dagger that paralyzes and drains the life force of its victims. He cannot be disarmed of this weapon.
Spellcasting. Vance is a 30th-level spellcaster. He knows all wizard cantrips and has all wizard spells prepared as well as the following cleric spells: command, dispel evil and good, divine word, forbiddance, hallow, silence, spirit guardians, true resurrection, and word of recall. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 27, +19 to hit with spell attacks).
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mind sliver, ray of frost, shocking grasp, toll the dead
1st level (at will): mage armor, magic missile, shield, Tasha's hideous laughter
2nd level (at will): darkness, hold person, mirror image, misty step
3rd level (at will): blink, counterspell, dispel magic, fireball, sleet storm
4th level (at will): blight, [spell[dimension door[/spell], fire shield, greater invisibility, Otiluke's resilient sphere, polymorph
5th level (4 slots): Bigby's hand, dominate person, mislead, wall of force
6th level (4 slots): chain lightning, disintegrate, Otto's irresistible dance, globe of invulnerability, mass suggestion
7th level (3 slots): forcecage, plane shift, prismatic spray, simulacrum
8th level (3 slots): antimagic field, feeblemind, maze, power word stun
9th level (3 slots): foresight, meteor swarm, power word kill, prismatic wall, true polymorph, wish
Spellshaper. Vance can change the shape of his spells. If a spell is cast as a cone, cube, sphere, or square, he can change the shape to any other of those shapes.
The Maimed God. If Vance is reunited with his left eye and left hand, his Challenge Rating increases to 40 (400,000 XP). He can then cast three spells as part of his Multicast action and he gains a +1 bonus to his AC, saving throws, and save DCs, as well as 1 additional legendary action each round. In addition, he loses the Vance's Weakness trait.
Turn Immunity. Vance is immune to effects that turn undead.
Vance’s Weakness. Vance is vulnerable to all damage dealt to him by the Sword of Kas.
X-Ray Vision. Vance's vision penetrates 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, or up to 3 feet of wood or dirt. Thicker substances block the vision, as does a thin sheet of lead.
Multicast. Vance casts two spells.
Afterthought. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 51 (4d20 + 9) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) cold damage. If the target is a creature, it must make a DC 26 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target also takes necrotic damage equal to the piercing damage done, has its Constitution score reduced by 1d4, and is paralyzed for 1 minute. On a successful save, the target takes half the necrotic damage, doesn’t have its Constitution score reduced, and doesn’t become paralyzed. The target dies if this reduces its Constitution to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the paralyzed condition on itself on a success.
Touch of Vance. Melee Spell Attack: +19 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (6d6) cold damage. If the target has a skeleton, it must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or drop to 0 hit points as its bones turn to jelly.
Change Shape. Vance magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating equal to or less than his own, into an object small enough to be carried or worn, or back into his true form. Any equipment he is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (Vance’s choice). In a new form, Vance retains all of his statistics and gains the features of the new form that she doesn’t have already (except class features, legendary actions, and lair actions).
Change Size. Vance magically changes his size, choosing between Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, and Gargantuan. His statistics remain the same. Any equipment he is wearing or carrying transforms with him.
Vance can take 5 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Vance regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Attack (Costs 2 Actions). Vance makes an attack with Afterthought.
Cantrip. Vance casts a cantrip.
Cast At-Will Spell (Costs 2 Actions). Vance casts one of his at-will spells.
Cast a Spell (Costs 3 Actions). Vance casts a spell he has prepared, expending a spell slot as normal.
Change Form. Vance uses his Change Shape or Change Size action.
Disrupt Life (Costs 3 Actions). Each living creature within 20 feet of Vance must make a DC 27 Constitution saving throw against this magic, taking 70 (20d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Frightening Gaze (Costs 2 Actions). Vance fixes his gaze on one creature he can see within 10 feet of him. The target must succeed on a DC 26 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to Vance’s Frightening gaze for the next 24 hours.
Positive Energy Repellent (Costs 2 Actions). Vance magically targets a creature within 120 feet of him that he can see. The target cannot regain hit points until the end of Vance’s next turn.
Description
Vance, God of Evil Secrets
Where should I begin with the tale of Vance, forever intertwined with that of his former lieutenant Kas as it is? I suppose the beginning is as good a place to start as any. Of course, the true beginnings of Vance are long forgotten, if indeed they were ever known. I tend to doubt that any of those who personally witnessed his rise to power survived long enough to tell the tale. As you might guess, Vance is ancient by mortal standards, at least centuries if not millennia old. Legend has it that he ruled mercilessly over a vast empire from his dark tower, though even scholars have been unable to prove this quintessential part of the story as true, let alone locate his long lost empire. One would think that an empire touted as vast would be easy to find, but that does not seem to be the case here. Either Vance's rise to power while still mortal was so incredibly long ago that it has truly been crushed to dust by the unforgiving march of time, or he comes from a land so far away that only myths and legends have reached us here in Faerûn. In either case, his origins likely mirror those of many who pursue lichdom. Vance would have delved into dark and forbidden arcane arts early on, mastered them to a startling degree, surprising and unsettling his teachers and peers, and subsequently terrorized and dominated every nearby kingdom or people that he could find. In time, as old age approached, and death raised its head, it would have been trivial for someone as skilled as Vance to shed his mortality, embrace the cold kiss of death and become a lich.
Vance's empire survived and thrived as never before, spreading fear and misery throughout the land. Eventually, a skilled and ruthless warrior named Kas rose through the ranks of Vance's army to claim the post of chief lieutenant, second in command to the arch-lich himself. Known as Kas the Bloody-Handed at the time, Vance rewarded his unquestioning loyalty with the now legendary Sword of Kas. Now nearly unstoppable, the master and his lieutenant drove all of their enemies to the brink of extinction, enslaved their peoples, and sacrificed countless thousands of innocents in the name of Vance's experimental rituals.
Nothing lasts forever though, and unbeknownst to even Vance the Sword of Kas had a will of its own. It spoke to Kas, filled his mind with doubts and secret desires. It subverted his loyalty and filled his heart with greed and jealousy instead. Kas turned on his master, attacked him in an open bid to dethrone the lich and take the mantle of rulership for himself. The resulting battle destroyed Vance's black tower, reduced it to rubble and ash, and killed both Kas and his master in the process. All that survived were the Sword of Kas and the Eye and Hand of Vance each of them now powerful relics in their own right.
This is where things get a bit muddy. Many now believe that Vance was unable to defeat his lieutenant, so instead hurled him through a dimensional tear and imprisoned him in the Citadel Cavitius, Vance's personal fortress on the border of the quasi-elemental Plane of Ash and the Negative Energy Plane. There Kas, now dubbed the Betrayer, languished for centuries in his prison. Over time, the constant exposure to the negative energy ate away at his body and then his soul, not relenting until Kas had turned into a vampire lord.
Unholy Ascension
During this time, Vance was actually gaining in power. Though truly destroyed in the battle with Kas, Vance developed a following among those who do evil deeds, vile beings who prayed to his spirit and eventually reinstated him, now as a demigod. More powerful than ever before, Vance moved swiftly. He began to reestablish his empire, with the new ultimate goal of spreading himself as the only allowed religion, quickly raising his number of followers by the hundreds of thousands and catapulting his powers to that of a greater god. But this plan, equally impressive for how ambitious and reckless it was, caught the attention of dark and ancient powers, far older and more potent than Vance was aware even existed, or knew enough to be afraid of. They tricked and humiliated Vance, stole away his Citadel Cavitius (with Kas and Vance inside), and transported it to the Burning Peaks, deep within the mysterious Mists, as a demiplane somewhere in the Shadowfell.
Furious, Vance was trapped within the Mists, darklord of his citadel but never again to rule an empire. Kas awoke elsewhere in the Burning Peaks, released from his imprisonment and a darklord in his own right, determined to make Vance pay for what he had done to him, even if it took him the rest of eternity to do so.
Captive though he was, Vance was still able to slowly gain followers on the Material Plane, thanks to the efforts of his clergy, and therefore divine power as well. He inched closer and closer, year by year, until the day when he would be powerful enough to escape his prison. He feared, however, that it could take centuries to gain the power he required. Until that is, he lured an unsuspecting demigod into his realm. Vance masterfully trapped the demigod and siphoned off his essence. The sudden influx of divinity swelled within Arch-Lich, catapulting him at long last to the level of a greater god. Without hesitation, he broke free of the Mists, and from the control of the Dark Powers that had bound him for so long.
Now unrestricted and more powerful than ever, Vance swiftly set into motion one of his most diabolical and ambitious plans. He traveled directly to the Outlands, where he was able to enter Sigil, the City of Doors. Here, he sought to rearrange our very existence, to alter the structure of the planes with a planar keystone, reforming reality in order to place himself in position as the new supreme god. The Lady of Pain, the ruler of Sigil, was unable to kill him or cast him out, lest she destroyed the entire multiverse in the process. So, in the end, it was up to a band of adventurers to do the task. These foolhardy souls somehow managed to force Vance from the city, an act that also split apart the divine essence of the demigod he had tricked from his own, leaving Vance a lesser god. However, his actions had already scrambled the organization of the planes and sent the multiverse as it was then known into disarray.
Vance, though stinging from his defeat, was able to keep his freedom. He would never again return to the Burning Peaks as a prisoner. No, not only that but as he still holds the title of Darklord of Cavitus, he is able to enter or leave his citadel as often as he pleases. Terrifying though that thought may be, that Vance is once more free to roam the planes, I believe we should all consider ourselves lucky. You see, Vance is now so obsessively focused on hunting down Kas to enact his vengeance upon him that the destruction or enslavement of the Material Plane has become a much lower priority. This is a small comfort, I know, but one that I will gladly take.
Immortal Nature. Vance doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Vance's Followers
While the Whispered One has many followers, he lacks a proper church. This is not to say that his followers are all unorganized, however, as the Cult of Vance, is in many ways, much more rigid and hierarchical than most clergies.
The Cult of Vance
This cult operates in secretive cells which they refer to as Organs. No two Organs know what the other is doing, ensuring secrets never travel far. An Organ often has a unique name and they rarely, if ever, refer to themselves as a cult.
The cult is said to indeed be so secretive that new acolytes often can't tell what cult they are being trained for until they've proven, beyond any doubt, that they're willing to do anything and everything for knowledge and power.
Members of the cult are broadly called Vecnites, though they have a strict hierarchy within each Organ.
Organ Hierarchy
The following hierarchy applies to all organizations dedicated to Vance. Such an organization, whether a cult or a church, is commonly referred to as an Organ. Each Organ functions as an independent organization and rarely has direct ties to other Organs.
Spawn. The lowest rank afforded to mortal followers of the Lich-God, Spawn are primarily neutral evil commoners.
Blood. This rank is reserved for warriors. They are the second lowest, as their skills are utilized the least. A Blood of Vance the statistics of a neutral evil thug.
Finger. Fingers of Vance are higher than Bloods. They specialize in acquiring new secrets (which can be used by the clergy or cult to blackmail people in positions of power). A Finger has the statistics of a neutral evil spy.
Tooth. A Tooth of Vance is a specialist, capable of solving problems that only arcane magic can solve. A Finger has the statistics of a neutral evil mage.
Memory. A Memory of Vance is a high priest, unmatched in his or her devotion to The Maimed God. A Memory leads a multitude of Spawn, Bloods, Fingers, and Teeth. A Memory has the statistics of a neutral evil war priest (as found in Volo’s Guide to Monsters).
Thought. A Thought of Vance is an Organ’s absolute authority, answering only to Osterneth, the Heart of Vance, as well as Vance himself. During cult meetings, the Thought wears robes emblazoned with lightning bolts, symbolizing the power of Thought. Each Thought is blessed by Vance, gaining special powers and is gifted a secret eater as a personal guard.
The Thought of the Eye has the statistics of a war priest (as found in Volo’s Guide to Monsters) with the following modifications:
• A Wisdom score of 18 (+4) and a Charisma score of 17 (+3).
• A +7 bonus to Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Intimidation) checks.
• Resistance to necrotic and psychic damage.
• Telepathy out to a range of 120 feet.
The Ebon Triad
This sinister organization seems to be completely absent on Toril, belonging to a world far from our own. My knowledge on this lot is quite sparse, as I've only read a few notes (of questionable reliability) and this is a long time ago. From what I can recall, I believe they aim to fuse Vance with two other dark deities, merging them into a malevolent amalgamation of divine evil, capable of plunging all of existence into darkness.
Keepers of the Forbidden Lore
Evil as he may be, Vance is still a god and thus worthy of admiration. The Keepers of Forbidden Lore hold this viewpoint, rejecting the evil that usually accompanies worship of the Arch-Lich and instead prey to him as the God of Secrets. They believe that some knowledge is too evil or destructive to ever be known; they hunt for this knowledge so they may keep it safe. A noble endeavor for sure, though I question whether their worship of Vance isn't misplaced - or even necessary.
Powerful Individuals
Several exceptionally powerful individuals are devout followers of the Lich-God, often owing their very existence to him.
The Eye and The Hand
The Eye and The Hand are the only two golems known to have been crafted by Vance. The Eye consists of thousands of eyeballs grafted together, while The Hand is the animated result of hundreds of hands fused together.
Osterneth, the Bronze Lich
Osterneth, Vance's mightiest servant, is such a peculiarity that I have devoted an entire section to her later in this book.
Roleplaying Vance
Vance is evil, cunning, and ruthless beyond understanding, wanting only to end all life and destroy all other deities so he can assume the mantle of a supreme Overgod. His talent for scheming is unrivaled throughout the multiverse, expertly manipulating individuals, groups, and entire nations to carry out his desires.
His voice is like a coarse and hollow whisper, accompanied by faint gasps, like a dying man taking his last breath, and distant, nearly inaudible screams and yawns. Yet every word rings clearly and is full of determination and commanding will. Such is the voice of the Undying King.
Vance's every decision is cold and calculated, driven exclusively by cunning and purest logic. Calculating the odds of every foreseeable outcome comes as naturally to him as not breathing. The only subject that can bring even a hint of emotion to the Arch-Lich is Kas; the one who betrayed him and severed his eye and hand.
Fighting Vance
Vance has an extensive arcane arsenal at his disposal, which he is happy to unleash his on anyone who poses a threat to him or seeks to hinder the fruition of his schemes. Other times, he is content to simply toy around with his opponents, using more bamboozling spells and laughing at his enemies’ frustrations. However, being exceptionally cunning and intelligent, even for a deity, he knows how to turn a situation to his favor, and when escape is the best course of action.
Vance's Traits
Ideal. “I will turn the multiverse into my empire of dust.”
Bond. “I must reacquire my eye and hand. With them returned to me, my potential will be limitless.”
Flaw. “I hate the vampire lord, Kas. He must pay for his betrayal.”
Vance's Names and Powers
Names. Vance is known as the Arch-Lich, the Maimed God, the Whispered One, the Dying King, the Lich-God, the Lord of the Rotted Tower, and the Undying King.
Godly Senses. Using an action, Vance can perceive anything within twenty miles of his worshipers, objects and sites dedicated to his worship, or any location where one of his names was spoken in the last hour. He can perceive from any number of locations at once while remaining fully aware of his surroundings.
Portfolio Senses. Vance can sense when new knowledge is uncovered and he knows all secrets of any creature he lays his eyes upon.
Lair and Lair Actions
Vance's Lair
Vance has many secret lairs throughout the planes. Most take the shape of a tower, at least on the inside. Vancea has a challenge rating of 40 (400,000 XP) if he is encountered in his lair.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Vance can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
• Vance conjures forth 2d8 skeletons, 2d4 wraiths, or 1 secret eater.
• Vance curses his enemies. Until initiative count 20 on the next round, creatures hostile to Vance with resistance to necrotic damage lose that resistance.
• Spectral hands extend from the ground, clawing at creatures hostile to Vance. Until initiative count 20 on the next round, the ground is difficult terrain for affected creatures, and an affected creature must make a DC 28 Dexterity saving throw at the start of its turn, taking 22 (4d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
• Vance hurls the lair into the Astral Sea and causes four massive fissures to break apart the lair into four pieces, hovering in place. Each fissure is 10 feet wide. While on the Astral Plane, a creature’s walking speed is a number of feet equal to 3 x its Intelligence score, and all creatures hover through the air. If Vance uses this Lair Action again, he can choose to move all pieces of the lair 10 feet further apart or 10 feet closer. If all parts are brought back together, the lair is hurled back to the plane it originated in. Any creatures in the Astral Plane that are outside of the lair are left behind if this happens.
Previous Versions
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