Eye of Vecna
Encyclopedia
The Eye of Vecna is an artifact of great power in many campaign setting
s 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.
, 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 Eye, and its sister artifact, the Hand 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 in 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
.
As of 596 CY, the Hand has resurfaced, but the Eye's whereabouts remain unknown.
.
The abilities the Eye offered has varied with different editions of Dungeons & Dragons. In AD&D 2nd Edition, the Eye gave the "wearer" the ability to see through all illusions, lay curses on others, dominate the will of those the user made eye contact with, and three other random divination abilities. In D&D 3E/3.5, the Eye granted the user the ability to see through illusions, see in any darkness, dominate the will of others, kill subjects with a gaze and disintegrate their remains, and unhallow areas. In the 4th edition, the Eye grants a number of powers based on how pleased it is with the host. It defaults to granting the host a trio of vision-based Warlock
powers (Eyebite as an At Will, Mire the Mind as an Encounter and Eye of the Warlock as a Daily), as well as Darkvision and a bonus to Arcane, Insight and Perception skill checks. When satisfied with the host, it increases the skill bonus and grants the power to unleash a beam of necrotic energy from the eye, while a pleased eye grants an even greater skill bonus and the power to see into the souls of those around the host via an aura of clear sight. If displeased, however, the eye induces frightening visions and when truly angered it tries to take control of the host, as well as blasting allies on occasion.
, the Eye makes an appearance in a curiosity shop in the city of Sigil.
In the television series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, the Eye of Vecna is one of the items Billy tosses out of Grim's trunk in the episode "The Crawling Niceness."
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...
roleplaying game. 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 Eye appears as a small red pebble or shriveled grape.
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 eye 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 Eye, and its sister artifact, the Hand of Vecna
Hand of Vecna
The Hand of Vecna is a powerful artifact in many campaign settings 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.-Dungeons & Dragons...
, 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 in 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...
.
As of 596 CY, the Hand has resurfaced, but the Eye's whereabouts remain unknown.
Powers
The Eye is "used" by placing it into one's own empty eye socket—most would-be users must pluck out their own eye to "free up" the space. The Eye magically grafts itself into place and takes on the appearance of a shriveled eye, and glows with a foul crimson light. The user can see out of the Eye normally, and it grants an array of magical powers, such as the ability to see perfectly well in the dark or to see magical auras. Additional abilities become evident if the user also possesses the Hand of VecnaHand of Vecna
The Hand of Vecna is a powerful artifact in many campaign settings 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.-Dungeons & Dragons...
.
The abilities the Eye offered has varied with different editions of Dungeons & Dragons. In AD&D 2nd Edition, the Eye gave the "wearer" the ability to see through all illusions, lay curses on others, dominate the will of those the user made eye contact with, and three other random divination abilities. In D&D 3E/3.5, the Eye granted the user the ability to see through illusions, see in any darkness, dominate the will of others, kill subjects with a gaze and disintegrate their remains, and unhallow areas. In the 4th edition, the Eye grants a number of powers based on how pleased it is with the host. It defaults to granting the host a trio of vision-based Warlock
Warlock (Dungeons & Dragons)
The warlock is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was introduced as a non-core base class in the supplemental book Complete Arcane for the 3.5 edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
powers (Eyebite as an At Will, Mire the Mind as an Encounter and Eye of the Warlock as a Daily), as well as Darkvision and a bonus to Arcane, Insight and Perception skill checks. When satisfied with the host, it increases the skill bonus and grants the power to unleash a beam of necrotic energy from the eye, while a pleased eye grants an even greater skill bonus and the power to see into the souls of those around the host via an aura of clear sight. If displeased, however, the eye induces frightening visions and when truly angered it tries to take control of the host, as well as blasting allies on occasion.
In other media
In the CRPG Planescape: TormentPlanescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting...
, the Eye makes an appearance in a curiosity shop in the city of Sigil.
In the television series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, the Eye of Vecna is one of the items Billy tosses out of Grim's trunk in the episode "The Crawling Niceness."