New Vecna Lore and Secret Updates | D&D 5e

[@williamtorres4140]

The Vecna art isn't used because That Vecna is a Type God Card. Meaning that is after ascension and the one in the Dossier is Pre ascension Pre Kas' betrayal.

[@cthrion_uroniziir]

think that has nothing to do with it. i mean yes true but WotC probably just wanted new art for one of their most iconic characters and they knew there would be some buzz around him beforhand

[@Lego8613]

@@cthrion_uroniziir Actually if you read the text below the new stat block, it mentions that the stat block is from before the betrayal by Kas. If you read the page 5 minutes into the video it even says so there.

[@cthrion_uroniziir]

​@@Lego8613 I know that wasn't the point. what I was saying was that the Choice by WotC to use new art has probably nothing to do with any Lore but with promotion.

[@TalkativeHands]

@@cthrion_uroniziir MTG artwork of vecna is only a year old. The new stat block calls him an arch lich. Applied is right, one is God Vecna and the stat block with two hands and eyes is before. Doesn't make much sense to revamp the artwork in less than a few months.

[@cthrion_uroniziir]

@@TalkativeHands sure it does. it would actually make less sense to have a single random piece of artwork, that was comissioned for a completly differens game and that you had nothin to do with (and didn't have to pay for btw), dictate the look of probably one of your greatest villians going forward in all promotianal material, cover and in book artwork (assuming that WofC is planing to use Vecna in a dedicated campaign of some kind). if you were on the d&d team you would want to decide yourself what Vecna was going to look like in 5th edition going forward and not have that decision made for you by some token card from another game.

[@r4z0rv1n3]

Cavitius was actually originally on the Plane of Ash literally on the border between Ash and the Negative Energy Plane. It was Vecna's main stronghold when he became a god. Ravenloft grabbed him and created a copy of Cavitius as a Domain of Dread and that's why there is some confusion about where it is in the lore. The Cavitius in Ravenloft is basically just a copy which is something the Dark Powers seem to do a lot of.. (Most likely in whichever world Strahd orginally came from there's probably a Castle Ravenloft that was left after he and the people of Barovia were spirited away by the Dark Powers on the fateful night he was pulled into Demiplane of Dread.) If you read the Planescape lore at the time, since Vecna is caught and trapped in Ravenloft, the Doomguard faction from Sigil, actually co opt the still existing citadel and make it one of their four planar headquarters each one on the borders of the negative elemental quasi planes, Ash, Salt, Dust, and Vacuum.

[@viktord2025]

The weird thing about the Dark Powers of Ravenloft is that sometimes they create replicas of locations, and sometimes they just take the whole place and stick it in Ravenloft. The Darklord called Meredoth was a wizard who poisoned his subjects because he wanted to focus on his research rather than governing a colony, and the Dark Powers came in and literally removed the island Meredoth was living on from the world he was from (that world being Mystara) and just plopping it in the middle of the Nocturnal Sea.

[@44Kokoloko]

In the interview with chris perkins, it was told that the new art and look depicts vecna before his godly status. Before he got his hand and eye severed... so the new art doesnt necessarily overwrite the previous...

[@johncollins7631]

Earlier editions have said that not every book of vile darkness is the real one. This might be then retroactively identifying a fake cover form the “true” book of vile darkness which Vecna has kept for himself.

[@kaemonbonet4931]

If I'm vecna, the time traveling lich god, I'm probably out to trick some humans to set the clock back to before the troubles so I can steal some portfolios. If I set the clock far enough back I can snatch magic from mystra as she revives during karsus' folly.

[@IgorFaria]

I'm convinced Vecna will be tied to the "multiverse change" that happens when 5E becomes the "next D&D experience", in 2024. Hopefully in the form of an epic 20 levels adventure.

[@SomeGuy-qh6rw]

Wouldn't be surprised. He was already responsible for the change between 2.0 and 3.0.

[@Pluto137]

Hmm I'm inclined to agree. I do like that the edition changes have lore reasons

[@IgorFaria]

@@faselfasel2864 that one is a one-shot for level 20. I meant a campaign from level 1 to 20.

[@donniehoffman4738]

@@IgorFaria it's not from 1-20 like dungeon of the mad mage, it's a short adventure for characters that are already 20th level

[@IgorFaria]

@@donniehoffman4738 did you READ my comments?!?!?

[@steampunkxrskull5204]

I think Wizards is secretly working on an adventure centered around Vecna returning to the Forgotten Realms and the players will have to Time Travel back to before Kas betrayed Vecna to stop him in the present time.

[@llewelynshingler2173]

Would that stop him or empower him?

[@MarshaunLugo]

@@faselfasel2864 what’s the name of that adventure?

[@O4C209]

Can we get a DM Round-table with you, AJ Pickett, and MrRhexx talking about this?

[@auronvi]

It literally says in the sentence before that the statblock (and I assume accompanying art) is Vecna BEFORE he lost his hand and eye to Kas. That's why he's only CR 26 because he hasn't become a God yet but apparently can travel through time. So he can appear anywhere in forgotten realms lore at any time.

[@chris4238]

I think his point is that it's interesting that they used a Vecna before he lost his hand and eye, as opposed to giving us one afterwards. Especially since chasing after his missing parts could easily be an adventuring hook

[@Gangrel442003]

Actually in Oerth

[@auronvi]

@@chris4238 I think they did after because it seems like WotC doesn't want to publish anything with an CR higher than 30 because their whole bounded accuracy probably breaks past that. Same reason they only give us avatar stat blocks for deities and other outer world beings. Once you go past level 20 or cr 30 you're basically on your own as a GM.

[@chris4238]

@@auronvi that makes sense. Trying to keep the game balanced while fighting literal gods is probably difficult. So saying this is from when he was not all powerful, but MOSTLY all powerful (to be read in a Miracle Max voice) would still allow you to face the incredible characters they've developed without breaking the game.

[@chris4238]

@D. L. or you could excuse it away by saying like that's not the real one, or maybe it was stolen or lost from him and that's why everyone is going after it now

[@drewforchic9083]

5:37 No, the previous sentence states that this stat block, and therefore art, of Vecna is from BEFORE he lost his hand and eye to Kas in the first place. That's why he has both in the art. He's time traveling from before he was betrayed. He isn't even a god yet in this stat block. Everyone seems so confused about this point, because somehow everyone (including this video?!) just skips this one line that explains it.

[@LukasBradley]

I still like the clean shaven look. Looks good!

[@bodhixzx]

The stat block and art is him before he was betrayed so it’s him before his hand and eye were cut off/out

[@brochogan3579]

Vecna has some good updated looks. I want them to update the look of Acserak and other characters tied to him.

[@thesaviourtube]

Awesome, thanks a lot! I've been using Vecna as BBEG for about 3 years now. All this lore dump looks super timely to me as my PCs are now getting closer to higher levels and confronting Vecna directly. I am now getting into the heads of my players saying that Vecna is currently working his ways to our own world through this different mediums, so their PCs must stop it by all means

[@letopizdetz]

I'm pretty sure this is 'young' Vecna, before the kerfuffle with Kas. *Strictly aspect wise.

[@chucklebean]

If you want to see some art of the newly designed Hand and Eye, go to the backgrounds on one of your D&D Beyond character sheets and look at the subscriber perks. If you zoom out on I think the third one, you can see an adventurer attuned to both of them.

[@daffyduck76]

Not sure if you saw this? This is from Rime of the Frost Maiden: Secret of the Obelisks p255 [-] In this adventure, we learn the secret of the obelisks that have appeared in other fifth edition adventures published by Wizards of the Coast, including Tomb of Annihilation and Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage. The first group of these magical obelisks was crafted by a secret society of spellcasters called the Weavers. These obelisks could alter reality on a grand scale, sending a region or an entire world back to an earlier time (effectively erasing part of history). The obelisks were constructed to counteract the effects of calamitous spells and cataclysmic events. An evil wizard named Vecna stole one such obelisk and used it to erase the obelisk's creators from existence. Vecna also stole the knowledge needed to create new ones. That knowledge later came into the possession of Netherese wizards, who built similar obelisks of their own. They believed that if some catastrophe destroyed their empire, these obelisks could help restore it. Unfortunately for them, most of the obelisks built to protect Netheril were stolen or otherwise lost over time, as were records of their purpose and information about how to activate them.

[@rootyful]

I'm not sure how much of this has to do with Stranger things... If anything, rather than suggesting Vecna to Stranger Things, I can imagine they rather sensed an opportunity to make some marketing and PR on Vecna once they heard Stranger Things trying to license that name for the new season. But they're definitely offering this statblock for free to have it be advertising content for DnDBeyond, the Vecna Dice on there, and both Funko figure and the detailed Vecna figurine they're releasing (as showcased on some of their recent videos, which are both using the same design as in the statblock).

[@fistimusmaximus6576]

agreed, most likely just wizards capitalizing on name recognition of stranger things. Never a fan of them changing lore.

[@PetofPerversion]

At the bottom of the description text it does say that this version of Vecna is from before Kas betrayal. So Vecna hasn’t lost his hand or eye yet and is at his most powerful.

[@obsidiansiriusblackheart]

Not most powerful, he is an arch lich in that stat block, but later in the lore he literally ascends to godhood

[@WallyDM]

Hey Jorphdan, great coverage on Vecna, I'm really digging your takes on this. I've been trying to familiarize myself with as much about Vecna as a I can. I have a puzzle coming out in about 2 weeks that will be about finding the "Eye of Vecna". What was weird, is that I was going to include an obelisk in my puzzle, before I knew that there might be an obelisk connection to Vecna. Holy smokes! But yeah, now I know what color it should be, lol. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to more Conspiracy Vecna Lore from you. Cheers!

[@WallyDM]

Going to go watch the Obelisk video now....!

[@Sir_Lorekeep]

The image and stat-block provided is of Vecna prior to his battle with Kas

[@darjr]

The artist of the new art came out and said it was a collaboration between WoTC and the Stranger Things producers. ST later decided to go a different direction. Note the artist was a Magic artist. Note he has prints for sale of this art. Also the book kinda looks like it has a relief that looks like an obelisk.

[@genghisgalahad8465]

The Black Obelisks! Jorphdan! You’re excellently ahead of the curve!!

[@blurootz]

Since they are going into the multiverse it is possible there are different versions or "variants" of Vecna. Fizban's mentions that there are multiple versions of the same dragon. So, it's not that far fetched that other beings have multiple versions of themselves. Especially if you consider Vecna's time magic it would make a lot of since.

[@videogollumer]

I think there would have to be. Critical Role is canonized now; so, it's the best explanation for how he could have origins of his ascent in both the older Greyhawk setting AND the newer Exandria setting.

[@SomeGuy-qh6rw]

While I don't know if this is the reason for the art change, I can say that the lore already confirms that all Gods have multiple version. They've been pan-dimensional since D&D started.

[@Blextine]

well the reason why he have his eye and hand in the art is because the stat block is of him before Kas betrays him as it is stated in the text, makes complete sense and is probably a singe that they have some sort of plane to use this pre-betrayal Vecna in a upcoming book.

[@heathharris2545]

Cavitus is in the new Ravenloft book. It's the city of skulls mentioned in the domain of Klorr.

[@corberus3119]

thats not the original, its a copy. the original is still on the plane of ash

[@limolnar]

6:00 Jorphdan pushing his long hair behind his ears is relatable. 😂 Also I'd love to see your take on the Dead By Daylight introduction of 5e Vecna.

[@pitchforksdragon1252]

The clean shaven look works for the silent PH one.

[@drewforchic9083]

In regards to the Book of Vile Darkness looking different lorewise, the description of the book states that when it destroyed, it reforms after a time, much like a lich. It's not unreasonable to assume that when it reforms, it might take a different look. And given that this is the book from ages past (since this version of Vecna is pre-betrayal and pre-amputation) the book has probably been destroyed since then, giving it opportunities to reform and redesign itself.

[@mrsidorax8623]

There are multiple perfect copies of the Book. The one in Vecna's chest might be the original one that he created. It quite fits the original description of being made of human flesh and transmuted demon bones.

[@kirkbrown1267]

@Jorphdan Hey. did you know that the idea for Vecna came from the Eternal Champion series by Michael Moorcock. Funny thing... there is a tower that exists in multiple times and realities. Wiz is probably sticking with the original inspiration. If you have never read any of these I suggest the Elric series. Have fun researching.

[@michaelnesci6677]

What if Vecna’s version of the book go vile darkness is a “first edition” one ring to rule them all sort of thing. Since the multiverse is a thing again there could be multiple versions of the book like one for every sphere (I know spheres aren’t a thing anymore but go with it). And his book is like a trans dimensional master copy. Also can’t remember doesnt each obilesk radiate a different school of magic, cause I only counted 7 adventures with obelisks so that’s 7 schools of the 8 schools of magic, and if conjuration hasn’t been used test that’s the obilesk to show up in the spell jammer adventures and they will be a form of ritualistic gateway to bring him into this realm of existence or universal weapon to end this realm thus leaving a blank slate to give us dnd 6th edition. Ok word vomit done now lol

[@Kooster69]

Thanks for doing this. I now need to read through the Rime of the Frostmaiden.

[@Ocaisionallysane]

I thought the implication of the article is that this vecna is pre-betrayal vecna. He hasn’t had his hand and eye severed and he doesn’t have those powers yet either.

[@blueperry5409]

Small clue to forgotten Realms in 1d&d in playtest, under orcs it refers to king obould of many-arrows, which could imply mid to late 1300s DR. Since in current timeline he has become a part of orc pantheon. Could be a descendent...

[@justingentry7458]

He has his hand and eye in tact because he lost them to Kas when he was betrayed. As this is pre-betrayal Vecna his hand and eye are still where they are supposed to be.

[@HAOSxy]

coming back to this video to announce that there is indeed an Obelisk in SPELLJAMMER. Specifically in the Astral Plane encounter table.

[@koboldmartian4063]

I thought there was an obelisk in Tomb of Annihilation. I haven't seen you obelisk video in quite some timeso you may have mentioned it there and I just cannot remember.

[@ether4211]

Funny story... I've been running a BBEG Ravenloft campaign where the party included Strahd and Vecna. A few sessions back he returned to the remains of his Domain of Cavitius and on reaching Citadel Cavitius found that the head of the Cult of Vecna had hired a 3rd party expert in cults to do a complete rebranding effort to make Vecna more popular. This is because in my game fame and how many people worship or fear you is directly tied to how powerful you are and the cult of Vecna in Ravenloft had been dying out in popularity ever since the events of Die Vecna Die. Likewise Vecna's own power had been deminished since the events in Critical Roll and our ongoing homebrew campaign. In return for two epic boons and a lot of gold Vecna was given a complete makeover and a branding strategy was put in place. Within a week the Stranger Things trailer dropped along with the Animated Critical Roll also mentioning him. Interestingly his head cultist betrayed him which is why it's funny that the DNDBeyond guide to running Vecna both has some very clear digs at Strahd and mentions that he no longer trusts his servants NOT to betray him lol. So there's your answer, Vecna is responsible for his recent rebranding efforts. :D

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Whoa! I also have an obelisk-Vecna video scheduled that’s partially based on your original! Mine leans into the connections with Stranger Things. Maybe we should do some kind of collaboration as a follow up as things progress? 🧐

[@Jorphdan]

For sure!

[@letopizdetz]

2:12 -> 4:17 It literally says "The accompanying stat block depicts Vecna in his archlich form prior to Kas’s betrayal." Only noticed when I downloaded the file.

[@randalthor741]

I wouldn't exactly say the Nyr Dyv is *just* a lake in Oerth. The Nyr Dyv has played a huge role in Greyhawk lore since the setting was first published, and it's central to a lot of Oerth's historical mysteries and legends.

[@michaelb.3994]

Since the D&D Direct yesterday, I think your wild theories are kind of confirmed! 😮

[@YngolSonofYsgramor]

HAIL THE WHISPERED ONE

[@RioluBlue]

BoVD is included as a part of Vecna due to the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set for Magic. You need the Hand, Eye, and Book to make him

[@KnicKnac]

Vecna is now a timelord. I'm wondering if a big module will drop for the 50th anniversary. Yeah it is two years away, but slow hype might be what they are doing. Who knows!? Just my five silver pieces.

[@agustinvenegas5238]

That would be cool as fuck if they did a huge vecna adventure for the 50th anniversary

[@donniehoffman4738]

Here's my guess: an obelisk for each school of magic will show up. I believe that means one more should appear in an upcoming adventure. There may be a final "master obelisk" that appears as well. The final published adventure before the new edition will string together seemingly disparate factions that have appeared through Forgotten Realms adventures. They have been, knowingly or unknowingly, orchestrated by Vecna or one of his lieutenants (Acererak? Maybe a Ssaz Tam reveal?) to allow him to shift the whole of Toril back to an age more advantageous to him. There may be a race against time plot, where PCs return to the obelisks scattered throughout various adventures to prevent their activation, tying them together as a single arc. If they succeed and defeat Vecnas lieutenant they may still be thrown back in time (instead of a hard reset of the whole world). I imagine the adventure will have a supplement to more directly tie the previous obelisk adventures together while running them. It may even be a segment of the book itself. The first 5.5/6 E adventure will pick up where this adventure left off. Perhaps with converted characters, perhaps with characters stripped of most of their powers but keeping some vestige of their previous self. It's also possible the adventure will be released in 2 parts, ala Tyranny of Dragons. In that case its possible it will be written to be playable with either edition.

[@jamesbrannen204]

Good call!!!!

[@orandor6249]

At least for the hand - it clearly shows that his left one is prosthetic unlike his right one. Like a merged gauntlet of sort. It is interesting about the eye though. Regardless, the text explains plainly why we see him like that. My speculation is that we are (hopefully) going to get a new campaign revolving around Vecna (perhaps for the 5.5E), or a re-write of the old Vecna campaigns (which would also be cool).

[@orandor6249]

@@J.capybara That is also correct. I don't remember if in the original campaigns you also encountered Vecna before Kas's betrayal, but if so then it's more evidence that we'll get a 5E version of them. On the other hand, the fact that they specified how he can time travel which is why we can encounter him in this form before the betrayal would probably point more towards new content involving him. Regardless, I just hope it will be good.

[@Grayhammer]

However if he can time travel it would make sense to travel back in time and kill his betrayer thus his eye and hand would not be removed and become Artifacts….

[@ven1568]

Stranger Thing S4 was filmed years ago. Release was delayed by the pandemic. I’m sure WotC was aware that they’d be using the name Vecna well in advance.

[@Deefry]

I had to go re-read that sidebar in Rime of the Frostmaiden and sure enough Vecna's mentioned. I wonder if we get to go save the Weavers from him in the past?

[@FoxMonkey]

Can you publish/share your Obelisk's notion please! Love your work!

[@brettrichards4048]

To answer the little mention of Obelisks in CR, in Campaign 2 it was pretty explicitly tied to Tharizdun and had something to do with that and his imprisonment as the chained oblivion. I wouldn't expect it to be related. They used Vecna in C1 years ago but he was a freshly ascended God and one of secrets, not really with a time theme or time magic. CR is doing it's own thing I believe with no real direct tie ins to greater D&D lore.

[@Nemo12417]

For what it's worth, I don't think the one from Tomb of Annihilation was made by Vecna. I think Acererak created that one, inspired by his knowledge of the others.

[@74gould]

I thought I’d heard in an interview with Chris Perkins that this new art was originally created to be concept art for Vecna’s appearance in Stranger Things… But the show ended up going in a different direction with Vecna’s look, so WotC is just utilizing the concept art in the game now… might as well put it to use, right? :)

[@honganos]

It would be crazy if they commissioned the art to be closer to Jamie Campbell Bower as the basis of the art

[@ChAoTiC_DwArF]

There is mention of an obelisk in nightstone in STK but it was gone and seemed like an odd mention in the book when thenl lvl 1 characters arrive....not sure that is the same thing though 🤔

[@morrigankasa570]

If you think of it this way all universes/events exist at the same time. However, depending on which event result happened it causes the different "Universes" to develop. Sort of like the Real Life Butterfly Effect/Multiverse Theory. So then you add in magic existing you can have theoretically Vecna the Deity, Vecna the Lich, Vecna the Mortal King, and Vecna the Demi-Deity all existing at once. Therefore all lore is both true & false at the same time.

[@EZ-Bake420]

Return of the king 🙌

[@DoinItforNewCommTech]

I noticed in a lot of the Vecna videos, WotC/Beyond shows screenshots of what looks a lot like a pdf version of the Vecna Dossier--which doesn't exist on our end, AFAIK It's possible they're releasing this now because they're scrambling to have something they can tie into Stranger Things to snap up new players (Vecna trending on Twitter for the first time ever and all) but I think it's possible there's a print version incoming. It's a level 20 adventure, so maybe they're doing a new Epic Level Handbook? Or maybe they're doing an evil player's book, in the form of a 5e Book of Vile Darkness? The new BoVD artwork would look GREAT as an alternate collector's cover, and fits the style of those books

[@TheRedneckGamer1979]

Hmmmm. My hot take on the connection between Vecna and the obelisks, at least as it concerns the end of rime of the frost maiden is that the rewind of the world was part of his plan to pull him to a previous era where magic exists for him to usurp the portfolio's of other gods for his own, that's my take on it and probably how I would run it at the table.

[@BrokenShale]

Can we talk about your beardless update? Looking good bro!

[@Jorphdan]

Thanks!

[@dustyfox6511]

... The entry specifies the stat block and image are for Vecna before Kas betrayed him, cuts off his hand and removed his eye. I don't understand how that's confusing. Also yes this is in response to Stranger Things. WotC has been in closer contact with them since season 1 caused a surge in interest for D&D content.

[@xaoc6084]

Didn’t Stranger Things just do a mini one shot/two shot with the actors from the Hellfire Club. The book gets blasted from Vecna at the end so it definitely seems linked

[@nigelhirth2181]

I'm sure that the new Vecna is going to be revealed to be some kind if ascended or empowered version from a future timeline, come back to ensure his ascension; kind of a DnD version of Roko's Basilisk. Same with his version if the BoVE, it will be revealed to be some kind of greater version, possbily compiled from various imperect flversions he has gathered from across the multiverse.

[@kyj6283]

This stat block of vecna is before he was betrayed by Kas I believe, which is why he still has both his eyes and hands.

[@nickr1818]

shaved Jorphdan lookin fresh as hell

[@horizon241]

What I love about that MTG Vecna card is that the book he's holding looks like the 3rd edition Dungeon Master's Guide.

[@milanmarkovic2721]

Could you review the Spelljammer beastiary sneak leak in DnD Beyond?

[@Jorphdan]

ooo good idea

[@yesitsRookie]

We're gonna need some more red yarn

[@Baraborn]

There should be an "ultimate lich" per Forgotten Realms continent. Every culture has a different understanding of death. And maybe they all have different body parts and a unified death cult are assembling all these parts into a Frankenstein pure lich Lord. Or maybe a bunch of Vecna "variants" are all over the place. But that would be less interesting to me.

[@parthmishra5942]

Thanks Jorph, Dan this is cool...

[@bayardmartins]

I think they had the agreement with netflix and the use of Vecna. And that's why they are releasing all these stuff. The time traveling is just a silver bullet ret con. I really love easter eggs and theory. Hope wotc have plans, but I guess it wont be more than seeds for imagination.

[@Mat23]

Well… them keeping it on the down low… He is the god of secrets… 😊 great video!

[@cheayunju]

This might be an already answered question, but do you think Vecna's lost parts might have been inspired Michael Moorcock's Corum Jhaelen Irsei and his replaced magical prosthetics? Just it's a hand and eye thing that predates Vecna as an idea so might have been an influence.

[@jaredeschweiler3505]

@jorphdan Isn't there an obelisk in Prismeer in Wild Beyond the Witchlight?

[@AndICanTalk2]

Great stuff.

[@Rezan01]

The Obsidian Tower, was the Tower of the Seven maybe?

[@noahdavid9867]

He looks a little sci fi -ish. Maybe he appears in spelljammer but they wanted to release this for free on dnd beyond to get more people to download and use it.

[@obsidiansiriusblackheart]

I'm wondering if we'll get a bunch of dnd ~2e reprints "updated for 5e" with all this prep work they're doing

[@GladeRiven]

Doomed Forgotten Realms: Sword Coast Gazetteer decided to answer some of these questions, but while it's DMGuild content, it isn't official WotC content.

[@MinscFromBaldursGate92]

Why Vecna doesn't have spell slots here?

[@Banefane]

Maybe it has something to do with the PC game Baldur's Gate 3? I mean, didn't the illithid empire retreat from the past into the future? Maybe this time travel thing is some sort of loose connection between the new Vecan and the illithids? Just a thought.

[@ReapTheWhirlwind]

I feel like the Netherese knew that someone not Vecna isn't so much stopped as survived and that's why they created the obelisks. So many things happened that they didn't account for, like the theft of the Nether scrolls and Karsus, and time travelling to before at least some of that occurred creates some interesting possibilities. Since Vecna is a lich time traveling to before he arrived is ideal...provided the right people are time traveling. I'm concerned about how exactly time travel could be used in upcoming storylines because I don't think people really understand the scope of time in Realmslore. Imagine knowing that the lore you need for part of the mission is at Candlekeep but when you arrive there's just a roadside inn there. So many major events have shaped the lives of even the most ordinary peasant and I feel like players and DMs who don't know lore outside of the campaigns are gonna have some growing pains. Related to this is the question of whether the time travel will be in response to Vecna appearing in the past or in the present. Each possibility has it's own merits. If it's the past then you get to help shape the future and there are some very hard choices for the players. If it's the present...why is past Vecna coming to the future?! That's honestly scarier to me and could give the campaign a kind of mystery or thriller edge to it. In the present we at least have a grasp on the tone of world politics and we know many of the major players. Tbh I could see Vecna tempting Szass Tam, the lich ruler of Thay and zulkir of necromancy, with some forbidden knowledge in exchange for...whatever it is Vecna wants. Starting a cult in the future would be very meta of him! 😂 There are liches who, while being as evil and selfish as you would expect, would not welcome Vecna's presence and once they heard of Szass Tam's involvement might finally move against him or at least give the players some insight into solving Faerun's lich population boom.

[@garryame4008]

The MTG vecna is a person who is possessed by vecna after grafting the hand and eye onto themselves

[@cameronpearce5943]

Looking for ways to tie the new stuff to Doomed forgotten realms

[@Jorphdan]

Ooo yeah!

[@rollersoffatednd5280]

I am sure he dominated a Cleric or Druid to cast regenerate or his eye and hand …😉

[@TalkativeHands]

I like the new vile book of darkness art. The older feels a little silly.

[@Mr_Welch]

GREYHAWK CONFIRMED

[@rustyyamate5888]

Eeeh, I doubt it. I wish it was the case, Greyhawkmaking a comeback would give hope to us Mystara fans, but we will see.

[@osirisgem]

Oh and think that you answered your own question, he has two hands and two eyes because he can refashion a body for him 1d100 years. I wonder if that means he can repair his own body or replace it? Maybe.

[@trogaf]

Also Arkhan has his hand from Critical Role / in Avernus

[@Spoopball]

In my understanding, Vecna being used in stranger things, and the new game material coming out is all a planned collaboration. In fact since season #1 of stranger things the DnD references were all done legally with permission

[@flowmingo7522]

Have you done a video on Pale Night yet?

[@Jorphdan]

Not yet, but I think I talk about Pale Night in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5SplGOLhch3a8U

[@Casey-jn3ib]

It didn’t look like he had his hand in the new art, it looked like he made the new one. I personally don’t think it is just a gauntlet.

[@Sepiriel]

Just went back to your Obelisk video, how does it feel to have called the new 5.5/6 edition coming out in 2024 a full year ago?

[@takai223]

#Jorphdan this new Vecna, is in - my - oppenion not(!) the original Vecne. I would belive that, it is a time traveling/perralel traveling Vecna. Therefore his hand and eye not missing. I did not get cut down in the time he comes from. The new look as well, it all sums up to be a whole other Vecna. :D But that is just pure speculations ofcourse.

[@trinhyoungman866]

When you're undead, just get a new eye and hand

[@theGhoulman]

@11:27 ... From this new dossier: "Because Vecna is said to have mastered magic allowing him to travel through time, he can appear in this form even on worlds where his severed hand and eye are already known artifacts." Can't tell you how this seems to break the character. No hand or eye missing, no soul held in some secret jar on another plane. Is this Vecna???

[@Crazor2000]

While i don't mind the lore too much, i'm kinda underwelmed with his statblock, it's not that he is weak (although he could be stronger), but it just doesn't feel like an lich. While i can blame this on them wanting to experiment with statblocks, i feel that he has too little spells for an archlich (he doesn't even have 9th level spells), and that his intelligence at least should be higher than hiss wisdom. also, i can attack multiple times with his dagger, but that seems off for a spellcaster. also the teleport heal thing is kinda weird, instead of giving him like a regenation ability. it's also kinda weird with the 3 reactions per turn, but i assume they did that to replace legendary actions. I think while interesting, the statblock should feel more like a wizard, now it feels more pulled together, and some of the abilities don't feel right for a lich. maybe give him a couple more spells, and change the teleport thing into a legendary action where he could either heal or teleport, but at least make him feal more like the archlich he is, and not some monster with spellcasting tagged on.

[@agentchaos9332]

I very much agree that he needs more spells, but the dagger and reactions thing makes sense for me. Mostly because those reactions are probably going to the Dread counterspell feature, which gives Vecna an excellent chance of shutting down a parties spellcasting. Being able to essentially cast counterspell 3 times per round means that almost every spell the party Casts has a chance of failing, and the psychic damage inflicted will add up over time without being immediately overwhelming. The knife is just a way to not rely completely on spellcasting himself. While preventing the party from healing. And the teleport healing trick is a nice variation. If used all the time he can potentially heal faster then most creatures regenerate, and get a little damage in while he does, plus it keeps him mobile. Overall he feels like he's designed to be a perfect counter for the style of play showcased on Dungeon dudes, where it's all about forcecages and counterspelling everything, and martial characters are massively overshadowed by casters. Between dread counterspell and his teleport, most of the instant win combo's won't work on him, and he's one of a few Legendary monsters that will be significantly harder without a solid Martial character, since they can get past his Dread counterspell feature.

[@Crazor2000]

​@@agentchaos9332 well yes it has some backups against spellcasters, i don't think this was the way to do it. so i disagree with some points due to not making it a really fun fight for most players. by the way he is designed it's more that he shuts down any spellcasters nearly entirely, and since he doesn't have any limit aside from reactions with his counterspell and healing isn't really an option due to his dagger, meaning if you play a spellcaster of anykind, you are kinda screwed since it 3 times counterspell is usually the majority if not all the casters in the party, meaning that most spellcasters aren't gonna have a fun fight due to his reactions, and barely gonna do anything in the fight. yes this empowers the martials, but it isn't really fun to play against if you are one of the casters in the party and every other spell you do is gonna get counterspelled. i get that spellcasters are kinda strong, but this is kinda like using only flying enemies even though you have people at your table with no ranged weapons, it kinda sucks for those players, and isn't really fun to play against. and even if he doesn't use his counterspell, with the amount of legendary resistances he has, any spell that does go through his counterspells can be reduced. maybe i would town it down to magic resistance, since this at least gives caster more of a chance The teleport heal is kinda a neat trick, but it's kinda weird thematically, since why would he heal everytime he teleports close to a creature? wouldn't it just been easier to give him like an 80 hitpoint regeneration and for his mobility, a free teleport ability everytime he damages a creature or something or give him like a flyspeed? Why does teleporting heal him? it seems like a cool ability, but not something that i would says is thematically makes sense. i could imagine them saying that necrotic energy substaning him could heal him contstantly, but the teleporting thing feels weird. the dagger is a neat magic item, but i just thought it was weird that a lich would spent more time stabbing people with a dagger, then just casting spells. I don't think it's a weak statblock, but i find it kinda weird with someways it is designed, and kinda mean against casters.

[@tb4495]

Wow, what was time magic used? You look so much younger. You look great!

[@Jorphdan]

haha thank you :)

[@reshawnfacey6953]

With respect your upload speed is killing me

[@oldwolflogan4224]

Vecna is a known god in the CR world of Exandria, though instead of obelisks, Matt uses full ziggurats in reference to Vecna.

[@MCEvans66]

The ziggurats can also be identified with other Exandrian Deities but co-opted by Veccna, Whitestone used to be dedicated to Ioun (The Knowing Mistress).

[@dwers4311]

There are several books of vile darkness.