Hand of Vecna
Encyclopedia
The Hand of Vecna is a powerful artifact in many campaign setting
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. Originating in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
, the Hand appears as a severed left human hand, blackened and charred, with long, claw-like fingernails.
, Brian Blume
invented two artifacts he called the Hand and Eye of Vecna. These were supposedly the only remnants of an evil lich
, Vecna
, who had been destroyed long ago.
.
.
, Vecna
, the Hand, and its sister artifact, the Eye of Vecna
, were all that remained of the lich-king after his battle with his renegade lieutenant, Kas the Bloody-Handed
.
In the fifth century CY, both the Hand and the Eye fell into possession of a Shield Lands warlord known as Halmadar the Cruel, who terrorized the region from 420-455 CY. Halmadar was defeated only after being drugged and interred alive in a tomb the Kron Hills
.
In 581 CY, Halmadar escaped with the help of Vecna himself, who had by this time become a god, and sought to become even more powerful with the aid of the artifacts, which he reclaimed after destroying Halmadar. Vecna's plans were thwarted by adventurers, and the artifacts once more became separated from his body, vanishing into the Flanaess
.
The Hand resurfaced in 595 CY in the possession of a man named Darl Quethos, a powerful cleric of the Whispered One who used the artifact to take control of a Vecnan cult known as the Disciples of Darkness. Darl now seeks knowledge leading to the recovery of the Eye of Vecna.
campaign, the Hand resurfaced in 594 CY, in the possession of a cultist of Vecna known as Pacanan. Pacanan performed an ancient Ur-Flan ritual and proclaimed himself the Voice of Vecna.
Pacanan, in 594-595 CY acquired the Eye of Vecna. He then sent one of his servitors to reclaim the dread Sword of Kas
from an ancient Baklunish fortress. During a ceremony at Tovag Baragu, Pacanan completed a ritual whereby he seemed to call forth and become the Ruler of the Spider Throne. This ceremony was overseen by Wilf Hewitt (a Thought of Vecna), and Diraq Malcinex, the Heart of Vecna. Those cultists who survived the ceremony accompanied Pacanan/Vecna through one of Tovag Baragu's dimensional portals.
.
The abilities the hand bestowed on its user has varied with different editions
of Dungeons & Dragons. In the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the hand gave the user superhuman strength, the ability to damage plant-based creatures by touch, and fifteen other spell-like abilities, each being activated by a unique gesture. In Dungeons & Dragons third and 3.5 edition, the hand dealt cold damage to whomever it touched, could drain the abilities of others and transfer them to the user, and could be used to daze, weaken, paralyze, or kill non-evil creatures. In the 4th edition, the Hand grants a number of powers based on how pleased it is with the host. It defaults with a bonus to checks made with the Athletics skill, as well as a trinity of Warlock powers (Diabolic Grasp as an At Will, Sign of Ill Omen as an Encounter and Spider Climb as a Daily), as well as greater competence in battle. When satisfied, it increases the Athletics boon and can hurl explosive globes of necrotic energy, and when pleased it can create an aura of death around the host. A displeased Hand will occasionally try to throttle the host, while an angry one will also attempt to attack the host's allies.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. Originating in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, the Hand appears as a severed left human hand, blackened and charred, with long, claw-like fingernails.
Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
In the fourth supplement to the original D&D rules, Eldritch WizardryEldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game.-Contents:...
, Brian Blume
Brian Blume
Brian J. Blume is noted for being a business partner of Gary Gygax in TSR, Inc., producers of the fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons.-Biography:...
invented two artifacts he called the Hand and Eye of Vecna. These were supposedly the only remnants of an evil lich
Lich (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lich is an undead creature; a spellcaster who seeks to defy death by magical means.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, Vecna
Vecna
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Vecna was a powerful wizard who became a lich. He was eventually destroyed, and his left hand and left eye were the only parts of his body to survive...
, who had been destroyed long ago.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The Hand and Eye of Vecna were also mentioned in 1979's Dungeon Master's GuideDungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
Ten years later, in the second edition Dungeon Master's Guide (1989), Vecna's history was expanded under the description of his Hand and Eye. This information was further developed in 1993's Book of ArtifactsBook of Artifacts
The Book of Artifacts is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This book, published by TSR, Inc. in 1993, details 50 different artifacts, special magic items found within the game at the Dungeon Master's...
.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The Hand and Eye of Vecna appear in the Dungeon Master's Guide (2000) for this edition.Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The Hand and Eye of Vecna appear in the Dungeon Master's Guide (2003) for this edition.Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The Hand and Eye of Vecna appear in the Dungeon Master's Guide (2008) for this edition.In-game history
Once the left hand of the arch-lichLich (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lich is an undead creature; a spellcaster who seeks to defy death by magical means.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, Vecna
Vecna
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Vecna was a powerful wizard who became a lich. He was eventually destroyed, and his left hand and left eye were the only parts of his body to survive...
, the Hand, and its sister artifact, the Eye of Vecna
Eye of Vecna
The Eye of Vecna is an artifact of great power in many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Originating in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, the Eye appears as a small red pebble or shriveled grape....
, were all that remained of the lich-king after his battle with his renegade lieutenant, Kas the Bloody-Handed
Kas the Bloody-Handed
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Kas the Bloody-Handed was the most trusted lieutenant of the despotic arch-lich Vecna, who wielded the Sword of Kas in his master's name.-Kas the Betrayer:...
.
In the fifth century CY, both the Hand and the Eye fell into possession of a Shield Lands warlord known as Halmadar the Cruel, who terrorized the region from 420-455 CY. Halmadar was defeated only after being drugged and interred alive in a tomb the Kron Hills
Kron Hills
In fictional world of the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Kron Hills are a range of mineral-rich hills spilling from the eastern side of the Lortmil Mountains and onward into the western Gnarley...
.
In 581 CY, Halmadar escaped with the help of Vecna himself, who had by this time become a god, and sought to become even more powerful with the aid of the artifacts, which he reclaimed after destroying Halmadar. Vecna's plans were thwarted by adventurers, and the artifacts once more became separated from his body, vanishing into the Flanaess
Flanaess
The Flanaess is the eastern part of the continent of Oerik, one of the four continents of the fictional world of Oerth in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. The Flanaess has been the setting of dozens of adventures published between the 1970s...
.
The Hand resurfaced in 595 CY in the possession of a man named Darl Quethos, a powerful cleric of the Whispered One who used the artifact to take control of a Vecnan cult known as the Disciples of Darkness. Darl now seeks knowledge leading to the recovery of the Eye of Vecna.
The Hand of Vecna in Living Greyhawk
In the Living GreyhawkLiving Greyhawk
Living Greyhawk was a massively shared Dungeons and Dragons living campaign administered by RPGA that ran from 2000 to 2008. The campaign setting and storyline were based on Gary Gygax's World of Greyhawk setting, and used the Dungeons and Dragons Third Edition rules...
campaign, the Hand resurfaced in 594 CY, in the possession of a cultist of Vecna known as Pacanan. Pacanan performed an ancient Ur-Flan ritual and proclaimed himself the Voice of Vecna.
Pacanan, in 594-595 CY acquired the Eye of Vecna. He then sent one of his servitors to reclaim the dread Sword of Kas
Sword of Kas
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Sword of Kas was the mighty blade used by Kas the Bloody-Handed, the dreaded lieutenant of Vecna. It was by this blade, some say, that Vecna lost his Hand and Eye.- Publication history :The Sword of Kas...
from an ancient Baklunish fortress. During a ceremony at Tovag Baragu, Pacanan completed a ritual whereby he seemed to call forth and become the Ruler of the Spider Throne. This ceremony was overseen by Wilf Hewitt (a Thought of Vecna), and Diraq Malcinex, the Heart of Vecna. Those cultists who survived the ceremony accompanied Pacanan/Vecna through one of Tovag Baragu's dimensional portals.
Powers
To use the hand, it must be touched to the stump of one's own left forearm — most would-be users must chop off their own left hand to do so. The hand magically grafts itself to the person's stump, and from then on can be used as a normal hand, though it retains its charred and rotting appearance. It grants an array of magical powers, such as the ability to conjure forth missiles of magical force. Additional abilities become evident if the user also possesses the Eye of VecnaEye of Vecna
The Eye of Vecna is an artifact of great power in many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Originating in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, the Eye appears as a small red pebble or shriveled grape....
.
The abilities the hand bestowed on its user has varied with different editions
Editions of Dungeons & Dragons
Several different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of Dungeons & Dragons , Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the game...
of Dungeons & Dragons. In the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the hand gave the user superhuman strength, the ability to damage plant-based creatures by touch, and fifteen other spell-like abilities, each being activated by a unique gesture. In Dungeons & Dragons third and 3.5 edition, the hand dealt cold damage to whomever it touched, could drain the abilities of others and transfer them to the user, and could be used to daze, weaken, paralyze, or kill non-evil creatures. In the 4th edition, the Hand grants a number of powers based on how pleased it is with the host. It defaults with a bonus to checks made with the Athletics skill, as well as a trinity of Warlock powers (Diabolic Grasp as an At Will, Sign of Ill Omen as an Encounter and Spider Climb as a Daily), as well as greater competence in battle. When satisfied, it increases the Athletics boon and can hurl explosive globes of necrotic energy, and when pleased it can create an aura of death around the host. A displeased Hand will occasionally try to throttle the host, while an angry one will also attempt to attack the host's allies.
Additional reading
- Cook, David. Vecna Lives!Vecna Lives!Vecna Lives! is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting.-Plot summary:...
(TSR, 1990). - Cook, MonteMonte CookMonte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game designer and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook.-Roleplaying:Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer...
. Vecna Reborn (TSR, 1998). - Cordell, Bruce, and Steve MillerSteve Miller (game designer)Steve Miller is a game designer and editor who has worked on a number of products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast, and other role-playing games.-Early life and education:...
. Die Vecna Die!Die Vecna Die!Die Vecna Die! is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons module released in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.. The module is divided into three sections, each taking part in a different campaign setting: Greyhawk, Ravenloft, and Planescape...
(Wizards of the Coast, 2000). - Hinds, R. Michael. Immortal Longings. (Wizards of the CoastWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, 2005).- Hinds, R. Michael. A Wretched Soul. (Wizards of the CoastWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, 2004).
- Hinds, R. Michael. A Wretched Soul. (Wizards of the Coast
- Henson, Dale, and Doug Stewart, eds. Encyclopedia MagicaEncyclopedia MagicaThe Encyclopedia Magica is a series of four volumes of accessories for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1994-1995....
Vol 2. (TSR, 1995). - Holian, GaryGary HolianGary Holian is an American author of several products and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, especially for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting...
, Erik MonaErik Mona-Career:Erik Mona served as the editor-in-chief of Dragon magazine since 2004 and Dungeon magazine from 2004 to 2006; at the time, both magazines were published by Paizo Publishing, until the license through Wizards of the Coast expired in September 2007...
, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick WeiningFrederick WeiningFrederick Weining is among those credited for design of the Dungeons & Dragons Gazetteer and the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, both published by Wizards of the Coast. He has also authored or co-authored a number of Greyhawk articles for the Living Greyhawk Journal, the Oerth Journal, and...
. Living Greyhawk GazetteerLiving Greyhawk GazetteerThe Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Despite the title, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is not exclusive to the Living Greyhawk Campaign...
(Wizards of the CoastWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, 2000). - Logue, Nicholas. "The Library of Last Resort." DungeonDungeon (magazine)Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
#132 (Paizo PublishingPaizo PublishingPaizo Publishing is an American publishing company in Redmond, Washington that specializes in game aids and adventures for "the world's oldest fantasy roleplaying game" and its flagship spin-off game and setting, Pathfinder...
, 2006). - Mona, Erik. "Ancient History: Vecna's Realm." http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=220
- Thorsson, Modi, and Kevin McCann. Vecna: Hand of the Revenant (Iron Hammer Graphics, 2002).
- Weiss, Samuel. "Grand Sheldomar Timeline, Part I." http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=506
- Weiss, Samuel. "The Yaheetes and Tyrus: The Wars Against the Hand and the Eye in the Sheldomar." http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=733
- Weiss, Samuel, and Gary Holian. "The Hand and Eye of Vecna." http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=398