Vecna Dossier Now Available for Free on D&D Beyond
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The legendary arch-lich Vecna has been terrorizing Dungeons & Dragons players for decades, earning a top spot as one of the ultimate Big Bad Evil Guys. Most recently, he reared his undead head in the pages of Vecna: Eve of Ruin, a high-level campaign that involves players journeying across the multiverse to stop his latest machinations.
Now, the year of Vecna continues, with Wizards of the Coast recently releasing a free D&D Beyond product known as the Vecna Dossier. This short but sweet product includes a full breakdown of the history of Vecna, along with his stat block for use with the new DnD 2024 rules. If you’re a subscriber, you can grab your copy now on D&D Beyond.
So just what terrifying new secrets lurk in the vile pages of the Vecna Dossier? Below, we uncover all the dark details.
What’s included in the “Vecna Dossier”?
The Vecna Dossier was originally released several years ago by Wizards of the Coast for DnD 5e. The free version included on D&D Beyond in 2024 is exactly the same in terms of content and includes:
- A brief history of Vecna’s character lore
- Vecna’s full DnD 5e stat block
- The Book of Vile Darkness magic item
One big advantage of this latest digital version, however, is the ability to quickly to use the content directly in D&D Beyond, including character sheets, the encounter builder and game compendium. It’s also worthing noting that it works with the DnD 2024 rules presented in the new Player’s Handbook.
Who is Vecna?
Vecna is one of the most iconic villains in Dungeons & Dragons. In the lore of the game, Vecna was once a mortal wizard who delved deep into necromancy, amassing incredible power through dark magic. Seeking eternal life and ultimate control over magic, Vecna eventually transformed himself into a lich. His thirst for power also led him to create the Book of Vile Darkness, a tome of unspeakable evil. His reign was marked by cruelty and domination until he was betrayed by his trusted lieutenant, Kas the Bloody-Handed. Despite this, Vecna continued to exert influence through two remaining body parts: the Hand of Vecna and the Eye of Vecna—both of which became known as legendary artifacts that granted immense power to those brave or foolish enough to use them.
In the real world, Vecna first appeared in the 1976 Eldritch Wizardry supplement for original DnD, where he was introduced alongside the two infamous artifacts that bear his name. Since then, Vecna has appeared in every edition of the game and across multiple campaign settings, including Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms. He has also been the antagonist in numerous DnD adventures, including Vecna Lives! and Die Vecna Die!, as well as the more recent 2024 campaign supplement Vecna: Eve of Ruin and its associated prequel adventure Venca: Nest of the Eldritch Eye.
Final Thoughts
While there isn’t a ton of content in the Vecna Dossier, what is included is definitely solid and worth having, particularly if you’re planning on using the legendary arch-lich in any materials going forward.
You can snag your copy of the dossier now for free on D&D Beyond.
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Ollie Delano is a Staff Writer who lives in Chicago, Illinois where he majored in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He’s been playing Dungeons & Dragons for over 10 years and currently plays in a weekly game group where he rolls way too many natural 1s and chugs way too much Mountain Dew. His favorite D&D campaign setting is Eberron and his favorite character to play was a Tiefling rogue named Draxiss who enjoys both literal and figurative backstabbing.
