Releasing May 21, Vecna: Eve of Ruin will take your party on a race across the multiverse to foil Vecna the god-lich's plot! As you attempt to stop one of D&D's most infamous villains from enacting a multiverse-shaking ritual, your party will visit iconic locations and encounter a cast of legendary characters steeped in D&D history.
While Vecna may be the big bad of this adventure, there are other infamous villains who will be making an appearance. Let's take a look at some of the bad guys included in Vecna: Eve of Ruin.
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Curse of Strahd, Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen, and Tomb of Annihilation. If you don't want to spoil any surprises for these adventures, I suggest avoiding content hidden behind the "Spoiler" buttons.
Get Your Adventure Started With Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye
Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye is a prequel adventure to Vecna: Eve of Ruin for 3rd-level characters. This one-shot sets up Eve of Ruin by introducing your party to Neverwinter and the Whispered One's cultists.
To get your introductory adventure, preorder a digital copy of Vecna: Eve of Ruin. Nest of the Eldritch Eye is now available for those that have preordered, and can be purchased separately after Eve of Ruin drops on May 21!
- A Vast Villainous Venture
- Acererak, the Insidious Architect
- Kas, the Betrayer
- Lord Soth, the Cursed Knight
- Miska the Wolf-Spider
- Strahd von Zarovich, the Tyrannical Vampire
A Vast Villainous Venture
Vecna: Eve of Ruin commemorates 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons with an epic adventure that brings players face-to-face with fan-favorite characters and locations across the multiverse.
We've already done a deep dive on Vecna and covered the archmages who will be lending their magical might to your party's cause, so now it's time to unveil which of the infamous villains from D&D's past will be making an appearance as multiversal calamity looms. While your party won't necessarily confront these villains in direct combat, their iniquitous influence will be felt throughout the realms you traverse.
Acererak, the Insidious Architect
Acererak is a lich with a fondness for trapping adventurers in danger-filled dungeons and harvesting their souls to feed his spirit jar. He's been the insidious architect behind dozens of tombs throughout the multiverse, but his most famous work is recognized as D&D's deadliest dungeon: the Tomb of Horrors.
When he's not constructing dungeons filled with death traps, Acererak ventures across the planes in search of powerful magical artifacts to place into his tombs as a lure for adventurers.
It is said that Acererak was born as a Cambion in the Greyhawk setting of Oerth. At a young age, he was rescued from an angry mob by the one and only Vecna and became one of the few spellcasters to have studied directly under the archlich's tutelage.
Eventually, Acererak followed his master on the path to undeath. As with most liches, Acererak is cruel, power-hungry, and vindictive. But, unlike his former master, Vecna's ex-apprentice doesn't crave godhood. Instead, he's more than happy to fill his immortal life tormenting adventurers in his carefully constructed tombs.
What Has Acererak Been Up To?
Acererak was most recently seen in the adventure Tomb of Annihilation and is the architect behind the meatgrinder dungeon, the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
He tried to create an evil god by using a necromantic device called a Soulmonger to feed souls to an Atropal he found adrift in the Negative Plane. Acererak stashed the Soulmonger in the Tomb of the Nine Gods, which placed a death curse across Toril and started collecting the souls of those who succumbed to it.
If the Soulmonger had collected enough souls to transform the Atropal into a god, Acererak would have unleashed it on the mortals and immortals who opposed him. Luckily, the device was destroyed, and Acererak was defeated—though, as a lich, he'll inevitably be back.
Kas, the Betrayer
Kas was a fallen paladin who worked his way up through the ranks of Vecna's armies during his campaign to conquer Oerth. Eventually, Kas's cruelty, malice, and loyalty led Vecna to appoint him regent of his forces. When Vecna turned his gaze toward the multiverse, it was Kas who enacted the will of Vecna across his Oerdian kingdom.
To demonstrate Kas's authority, Vecna forged him a sword that was as ruthless and cruel as its master. It was said that so long as Kas wielded this dark blade, he could not be defeated in battle.
But without Vecna's knowledge, the blade urged Kas to supplant his master, leading to Kas's legendary betrayal at Vecna's fortress. The ensuing battle saw both Kas and Vecna defeated; all that was left of the combatants were the Eye and Hand of Vecna, and the Sword of Kas.
Though Vecna's body was destroyed, his consciousness lived on, traveling the multiverse until he was powerful enough to reconstitute his form. Kas, on the other hand, was trapped in Tovag, a Domain of Dread, and has become its Darklord.
What Has Kas Been Up To?
Lord Soth, the Cursed Knight
Lord Soth is one of the most evil forces you'll find in the Dragonlance setting.
Long ago, he was a Knight of Solamnia—a valiant knight in gleaming armor who had vowed to protect the realm. He was given a chance to prevent the devastation of Krynn in an event that became known as the Cataclysm, but his pride and vanity got in the way.
He failed his task to confront the Kingpriest of Istar, and the gods smote a fiery mountain down on Krynn, causing destruction on a calamitous scale.
When the fires from the Cataclysm finally died, Lord Soth arose as a Death Knight—an Undead creature forsaken to wander the world, immortal, angry, and alone.
Since the Cataclysm, Lord Soth has operated on his own agenda. He has amassed an army of living and Undead followers and commands them from his fortress, Dargaard Keep.
What Has Lord Soth Been Up To?
In Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen, war has come to Krynn once more. Takhisis, the Dragon Queen, sought to conquer the realm and gathered her forces of dragons, draconians, humans, and dark powers—chief among them was Lord Soth.
Though her attempt to destroy the city of Kalaman was thwarted, the conflict still rages on. Lord Soth, while sometimes an ally of Takhisis, isn't sworn to her command. Instead, he pursues his own goals and only joins the Dragon Queen when their interests align.
Miska the Wolf-Spider
Eons ago, primal beings of Chaos and gods of Law warred for control of the cosmos. One of the primordials, the Queen of Chaos, had a lieutenant who commanded Chaos' troops to numerous victories. This lieutenant was a demon lord known as Miska the Wolf-Spider.
When you're a Huge demon with armored spider legs, four clawed arms, and two wolf heads that drip poison, it can safely be assumed that you'll be a dangerous foe. But, the deadliest thing about Miska is his cunning mind. As the commander of the primordial armies, Miska led the forces of Chaos on a successful campaign and had the forces of Law on the brink of destruction.
In a last-ditch effort to prevent catastrophe, seven Wind Dukes of Aaqa wove their power into a magical artifact called the Rod of Law and used the item to imprison Miska in the plane of Pandemonium. Though it completed its task, the rod shattered into seven parts, which were flung across the multiverse. The histories now speak of this item as the legendary Rod of Seven Parts. It can bestow powerful abilities to those who wield even a single piece.
What Has Miska Been Up To?
Miska has been trapped in Pandemonium for eons and continues to bide his time and build his army of spyder-fiends for the day he is released upon the multiverse once again.
Strahd von Zarovich, the Tyrannical Vampire
In life, Strahd von Zarovich was a formidable figure who became known as a conqueror. After the demise of his father, King Barov, Strahd led his army through bloody conflicts, ultimately defeating his family's enemies and establishing the valley of Barovia.
He became fearful of dying the way his father did, so he made a pact with dark forces in exchange for immortality. But as the years passed, his soul grew twisted and corrupted. Eventually, he killed his brother Sergei in a fit of jealous rage when a young Barovian woman chose the warmer Sergei over him.
This act sealed Strahd's pact with the Dark Powers, and he transformed into a vampire. Realizing Strahd had become a monster, his people turned against him, but Strahd slew them all before they could escape. His vile acts doomed all of Barovia, which was swept away to the far corners of the multiverse, where it became a Domain of Dread.
Now immortal and trapped within the borders of his own domain, Strahd preys upon the souls of travelers who find themselves lost in the Mists that surround Barovia. Sometimes, he's able to lure in a formidable party of adventurers with whom he distracts himself from his unending imprisonment.
What Has Strahd Been Up To?
Curse of Strahd details the vampire's cyclical plight. He is trapped in Barovia, forever tormented by his inability to escape.
While he may come off as an edge lord with a flair for the dramatic, Strahd is not a foe to be trifled with. He defeated the legendary archmage Mordenkainen and cannot truly be vanquished as long as the Dark Powers continue to torture him.
The End Is Nigh!
In Vecna: Eve of Ruin, your party will have to wade through some pretty dangerous foes to even reach their final showdown with the all-powerful lich-god Vecna. They'll be lucky to get through any of these conflicts in one piece—let alone all of them. Do they have what it takes to save the multiverse?
The book releases on May 21. You can preorder the digital and physical copy of Vecna: Eve of Ruin in the D&D Beyond marketplace today! Or get your copy early by visiting select stores participating in the Local Game Store Early Access Program.
When Vecna: Eve of Ruin releases on D&D Beyond, Master-tier subscribers will be able to access the book's monster tokens and maps in D&D Beyond Maps. This official virtual tabletop only requires the DM to have a subscription, and it allows you to prep and run your sessions with a couple of clicks, so you can focus on the fun!
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.
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Posted May 5, 2024There are lots of one shots and things out there on the net. Dmsguild has thousands. Personally I love the bigger campaigns. If you wanted to run something to do with Vecna they released a free one shot I think last year that deals with him. The majority of people would most likely be furious if a high level campaign dealing with probably the most iconic villian in the game was 40 pages. As for the distractions if you and your players really want to play you will make time. Streaming and games wouldn't just go away because if the books got smaller.
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Posted May 5, 2024Oh yes, they came out with a Vecna prequel: Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye, though posted on the site, it leads to the Vecna: Eve of Ruin, now.
I do have the earlier publications that were released around 25 to 35 years ago:
Die Vecna Die!
Vecna Lives (Greyhawk Adventures)
Vecna Reborn (Ravenloft)
Oh, interesting...oh berry, berry interesting: It seems they got inspiration from Die Vecna Die! that was released 24 years ago by Bruce R. Cordell and Steve Miller.
Both are about:
I can't find an author's name for Vecna: Eve of Ruin.
Ooooo!!!!!!!!!! Probably because it was produced by a team and Ai. Like the artwork too - which make sense these days, even I can produce Ai artwork - and with a little Photoshop, production ready.
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Posted May 5, 2024The artists are credited for the artwork here.
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Posted May 5, 2024We have the names of the artists for the pieces of artwork featured in this article (which are brand new for the book), you can look at their backlog to see if they have a history of using AI for their artwork.
And while that piece of art is passable, on closer inspection the skeleton seems to have a mangled pinkie on the hand holding the green orb. But that's just a generic lich, I'd like to see you get similar results if you specifically asked for Strahd von Zarovich (who has an iconic design in 5th edition), or Vecna for that matter, over several pieces of artwork.
As for not seeing an author for the book. Name one WOTC published 5e book that mentioned the author in promotion. I am unaware of one, but if there is one that'd be great to learn how they changed their marketing tactics.
There is a lot to be mad at Hasbro and WOTC for, you don't need to make things up.
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Posted May 5, 2024Excellent. Now, give us NPC art of Vecna to be used as a handout without any variations from the one you have on the cover. I'm genuinely interested to see if you can.
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Posted May 5, 2024Oh also, where's his missing eye and hand? This Vecna also has no eyes, which is confusing considering an eye is a key symbol of Vecna due to his missing one- which implies he has another one.
Much like how every piece of Venca art we've seen thus far has had a glowing fake eye and hand. Something the AI you used doesn't seem to understand.
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Posted May 5, 2024Yes, all you need is to produce some images, have design lead agree to the "seed" that image, and go from there.
I didn't not save this image for seeding, I just created and used for this demo image. But your curiosity can be fulfilled all the same ;)
Example:
Let's say I produce 30 images because my boss said to, and boss man sees my production output, stating, "By George! That's awesome. You pick one, I'm too busy playing Apex Legends."
So, I pick one, anyone of dozens to choose from, created in a matter of minutes... . Boss now has time these days to relax without micro-managing.
I go back to my computer and think of the many techniques to re-produce character seed knowing current technologies are still in its infancy, but in a matter of another year, by 2025, it'll just be a big'O button waiting for end-user.
I don't recreate poses, but there are lessons online to expedite this, if that is what you really want, though it's rare (if ever) to see the same art or characters in D&D adventure book recreatd, reused or "without any variations."
But since you asked... yes it can be done, but again, Ai is in its infancy, give it another year and everyone, with a click of a button, will be able to produce such requests.
Here are examples, no Photoshop:
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Posted May 5, 2024When I said 'without any variations' I meant 'The same character, with the same design, in a new situation'.
For example, we have your Vecna there for the cover art. Now we need a handout of your Vecna, who preferably will have a new pose in a different environment or even a transparent background, to show the players when Vecna appears. I wanted you to provide that handout, where the pose changes, but the character design does not.
Your example of the three dragons isn't what I had in mind, because they're all mostly in the same enviroment with the same pose.
Because the art we have in this book does what I am asking for- we see the same design for Vecna over and over again with the biggest variation being Vecna's body plan (he's usually frail but one artist decided to draw him hench) and each time we see Vecna he's in a completely new pose with a different facial expression.
You are accusing WOTC of using AI art in this book. Prove it by delivering the above results. Otherwise you're just making shit up to be mad about, while there's plenty of things to still be quite angry about that actually happened- like the last time they actually published a book with AI assisted (not generated) art.
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Posted May 5, 2024You seem upset. But to pacify the situation, let me show you when WotC first used Ai art, then 3 months later fired over 1,000+ creators.
I noticed this in the Glory of the Giants, but nobody else did and why we will see MTG and D&D books being created with Ai.
It's not anyone's fault - it's the dawn of Ai - writing, music, video, art, math, sciences, coding, businesses operations will evolve to incorporate it.
On a personal note - though the computer is better at art than I am and it's better at playing chess than I am, I still do these for fun, for myself, to relax.
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Posted May 5, 2024The Troll Amalgum isn't AI art. It's very obviously not AI art. It may well seem to be a random blob, every detail is intentional- which is clear if you actually compare the two images you posted. All the goblin heads have very different shapes, while the Troll Amalgum's heads are all recognizably the same design stretched in grotesque ways. The hands all have the correct number of fingers in all the right places. The eyes all look correct and aren't random eyes of various different creatures. The perspective on the jaw of the Amalgum's leg where we see the other leg behind it and they don't blend into one like the arm and leg in the AI generated image.
It does annoy me, because when you make up things to be mad about it dilutes the entire conversation and draws attention away from the things you actually should be mad about. Like the time they actually used AI art and everyone made such a big stink they changed it. Compare the old art of the Frost Shaper with wolves in the background that have human ******* feet to the new art which is vastly improved.
Or indeed the time they laid of an ungodly number of workers right before Christmas!
By proclaiming AI where it simply doesn't exist, you are getting in the way of serious conversations and obscuring the real issue, which yes, gets on my nerves a tad.
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Posted May 5, 2024Nothing is made up.
I already explained it as serious as it gets:
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Posted May 6, 2024If you're having such a hard time with all this... guess what?
You don't have to buy it. You don't have to troll. You don't have to be a crappy grognard. You can just dislike the concept and go your own way, instead of hijacking a forum with your wistful dreams of things going back to the "good ol' days" and godawful text-prompt images that require zero artistic ability, and will always be recognizable as such.
Also:
"Probably because it was produced by a team and Ai."*
*citation needed
Personally, I'm looking forward to the adventure and sourcebook, because of Vecna and his fanatical obsession of control (which spans multiple stories, modules, and magic items over nearly 50 years) and constant failure to become the most powerful entity in existence, and again some of the most iconic villains to ever grace the pages of other sourcebooks and adventures are brought into the fray, as they always are, because evil begets evil, and Vecna has very few friends and a LOT of enemies.
And Miska? Hell yeah.
I'm also really glad that the Head of Vecna is back, and still hanging out in Sigil.
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Posted May 6, 2024I'm going to buy it for the monster manual - 30+ new monsters - always a fan of new monsters.
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Posted May 6, 2024So, there are 6 iconic villains (including Vecna (and some have already had full length book campaign dedicated to them)) and at least 3 iconic wizards. In 256 pages. (of which approximately, say 35-ish (35 new monsters and 3 new magical items) pages are appendices (and you would assume, maybe, I don't know, that the iconic villains' stat blocks and blurb might even be a double page spread to do them justice and include some of that beautiful artwork we see above in the article)).
Whist I AM excited for this one (the modules another commenter mentioned earlier from previous editions were great to be involved in back in the day), I'm also a little fearful that some iconic NPCs might be like flyby cameos rather than full-developed characters in this adventure just because of the page count (parts of the Planescape books, imho, had a formulaic 4-page, one map, one piece of artwork for each location kind-ah feel about them). I could, for example, easily imaging a "chapter" on bringing all these great characters to life, giving background and doing them justice being bigger than this entire module.
Whilst I know you could end up with spoilers for players who watch them, perhaps the DM's advice video [4:28] could be expanded to a series of videos, one on each of prominent NPCs as they are now currently imagined within the DnD multiverse. That would be cool. (i.e., more DM advice, please!)
Also, I know this would be a total TPK but imagine if the epic end battle was the PC vs. all six of them...!
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Posted May 6, 2024I think it's extremely likely that they are just a presence/etc. because they mentioned it in the description.
"While your party won't necessarily confront these villains in direct combat, their iniquitous influence will be felt throughout the realms you traverse."
Which is actually more exciting to me. It's a chance to be REALLY over the top as a tragic and very angry vampire, a doomed knight who's failures haunt him, a very serious demon lord biding his time, etc.
Hell, two of these villains (Vecna and Lord Soth) escaped the Domains of Dread. That leaves an echo (and maybe a story hook to why this adventure deals with the DoD) that the Mists won't forget. And of course, you have Kas in Torvag, Morty being previously trapped in Barovia, etc.
Personally, sometimes the overwhelming evidence of or remote presence of a super-powerful entity is better than a stat block. It gives a DM that moment of "evil monologuing Bond Villain" without fear of the spy movie moment of the absurd escape and defeat.
A great example is The Lady of Pain. You encounter Dabus, etc. but very very rarely (with extreme exception) the Lady herself, but she is always there.
Beyond that, there's nothing stopping a DM on expanding those roles if they are cameos. Tweaking things has been a standard since 1974!
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Posted May 8, 2024I was actually looking forward to buying the monsters and magic items from this adventure but you've taken away a la Carte purchases so I guess I won't be able to
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Posted May 8, 2024I honestly never knew anyone actually bought the individual items of a book, excluding adventures, like buying Yawning Portals' "Dead in Thay," but not actual individual magic items, monster, etc. I always thought that was just a strange offering, versus just buying the book. I stand corrected.
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Posted May 8, 2024Man this campaigns got its own sinister 6 to throw at the players lol
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Posted May 8, 2024******* AI art on Soth dude this ******* sucks! he’s so cool and this bullshit company can’t even spend the money on a real artist. all your profits for no soul left in dnd
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Posted May 8, 2024Odd. The real artist for Soth is credited here and in the actual book. The design is consistent with the previous art we got of him in Dragonlance, despite being brand new. The old art we got in Shadow of the Dragon Queen was made by Kieran Yanner, who's been making 5e art for years, and doesn't seem to be AI art either.
What makes you think either is AI? There's no mangled hands, feet where there shouldn't be, armor clipping into itself, the sword's blade bending in unnatural ways. If it is AI it's pretty damn advanced, which would be terrifying.