Line #80 TabletopGame/VecnaTrilogy


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/17483_28.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The Whispered One himself]]
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4	''Vecna Trilogy'' refers to three adventure modules for 2nd Edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', loosely connected by their central antagonist, the eponymous Vecna, whose schemes threaten the worlds of ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'', ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''.
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6	The name Vecna is nearly as old as ''D&D'' itself. At first, it would appear merely as a mention in ''Eldritch Wizardry'', one of the supplementary books for the original edition of the game, a name of a powerful lich who has perished but left behind him two powerful artifacts. The Hand and Eye of Vecna could grant the user immense power, as long as they were willing to sacrifice their corresponding body parts.
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8	With the dawn of the Second Edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', the story has been expanded. In the world of TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}} the name Vecna is shrouded in legend and whispered in fear. Vecna was a lich who created his own [[TheEmpire evil empire]] and sought not only to conquer the whole world but to ascend to godhood. He was, however, betrayed and destroyed by his right-hand, the vampire Kas. His artifacts were all that was left of him and without them, he cannot return to the material world. Vecna could be an evil influence, trying to corrupt wearers of his artifacts, but had not made an appearance in any of the official D&D supplements.
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10	That changed in 1990 with the publication of a high-level adventure ''Vecna Lives!'' by David "Zeb" Cook. In it the party was desperately trying to first stop Vecna (who had been elevated to a demigod status) from returning and, failing that, to find a way to defeat him. The adventure's intended ending is Vecna being banished from Greyhawk to an unknown world.
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12	In 1998 a sequel, written by Monte Cook (no relation), has been published under the title ''Vecna Reborn!''. In it turns out Vecna has been trapped in ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'', becoming a Darklord with his own domain. Or rather half of it, the other half being ruled by Kas, the two's punishment being to always be at war with one another but never able to gain an upper hand as neither can cross to the other's half. But Vecna schemes still and the party has to prevent him from escaping.
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14	In 2000 Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast, having acquired rights to ''Dungeons & Dragons'', has published the final adventure for its 2nd edition, written by Bruce R. Cordell and Steve Miller - ''Die Vecna Die!''. An adventure spanning worlds of Greyhawk, Ravenloft and ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' in which Vecna's ambitions threaten the entire Multiverse. His new plan is not to just escape Ravenloft but to achieve the power of a greater god, take over Sigil, and reshape the whole existence in his image.
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16	In 2024, as a part of D&D's 50th Anniversary, Wizards of the Coast announced a campaign ''Vecna: Eve of Ruin'', which serves as a sequel to the trilogy and the classic adventure ''Rod of the Seven Parts'', with Vecna now seeking to assemble the Rod in his plan to reshape the Multiverse once more. Aside from returning to Greyhawk, Planescape, and Ravenloft, the campaign promises Vecna's ambitions will also threaten worlds of ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}'', ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'', ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', and ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}''
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18	----
19	!!''Vecna Trilogy'' provides examples of:
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21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder: All three]]
24	* ActionSurvivor: Even the high-level party in ''Vecna Lives!'' and ''Die Vecna Die!'' is helplessly outclassed most of the time, while the party in ''Vecna Reborn!'' is better off avoiding dangers altogether and opting for stealth.
25	* AnArmAndALeg: Using the Hand of Vecna requires one to cut his own hand and insert the artifact in its place.
26	* AntagonistTitle: All 3 modules are named after the main villain.
27	* ArchEnemy: Kas and Vecna are this to each other, to the point Dark Powers decided the best way to mess with them would be to ensure they will always battle but never directly, so that their conflict will be eternal.
28	* TheArchmage: Vecna was this in life but has long since surpassed it. The Circle of Eight are all this but it means little.
29	* ArtifactOfDoom: Both the Hand and the Eye of Vecna are powerful artifacts, but their power comes at a price in two steps. First, you need to actually remove your own hand or eye and then every time you use their powers there is a possibility Vecna will push you towards evil or just hijacks your body.
30	** Sword of Kas, a magic sentient sword of evil, plays an important role in all 3 adventures. Ironically [[spoiler: the fake versions could be considered more dangerous, as Iuz found the hard way.]]
31	* AscendedExtra: Vecna went from being some backstory justifying the Hand and Eye of Vecna to a full-blown archvillain.
32	* BigBad: Vecna, obviously.
33	* BodyguardBetrayal: Vecna was ultimately undone by Kas's betrayal at the height of his power.
34	* BodyHorror: As mentioned all over this article, to use Hand and Eye of Vecna one has to ''mutilate themselves''.
35	* CardCarryingVillain: Vecna actually revels in his Dark Lord persona and doesn't hide his evil. How evil is he? Citadel Cavitius is an enormous ''skull shaped castle.''
36	* CosmicHorrorStory: All three books basically establish that the player characters, no matter how epic, are always bugs on windshields for Vecna.
37	* {{Cult}} No matter where Vecna is, he has a bunch of fanatical followers willing to do his bidding.
38	* DealWithTheDevil: Vecna became the first lich by making a pact with Orcus. Vecna later gets out of Ravenloft and screws with the Multiverse by his deal with the Serpent (implied to be [[{{Satan}} Asmodeus]].))
39	* TheDragon: Kas is one of these, serving as Vecna's chief enforcer.
40	* DramaticIrony: Vecna's citadel in Ravenloft is actually his magical prison that he sentenced his opponents to a FateWorseThanDeath in.
41	* EvilIsPetty: Vecna once had all of the people of a city executed except for the officials because the latter begged for the former's lives.
42	* EvilSorcerer: Vecna, obviously, is very evil and a sorcerer.
43	* EvilVersusEvil: Kas and Iuz can aid the party against Vecna in ''Vecna Lives!''. By the time of ''Vecna Reborn!'' both Vecna and Kas are each ruling his own domain of Ravenloft and each openly trying to destroy the other. The first part of Vecna's plan in ''Die Vecna Die!'' is to steal Iuz's power for himself.
44	* EyeScream: The Eye of Vecna has one condition to work - you need to gouge your own eye and insert it in your empty eye socket.
45	* FauxAffablyEvil: Vecna's got a wicked sense of humor. His avatar in "Vecna Lives!" is funny, but it's all an act to keep the heroes from guessing who he really is.
46	* HandicappedBadass: As befitting someone with the title of "The Maimed God," Vecna. While depicted as down a hand and eye, even his disguised avatar is missing a limb.
47	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Vecna's biggest enemy is Kas and Kas's sword. Notable because Kas became an undead horror and the sword capable of destroying him because ''Vecna gave him that power as well as the sword.''
48	* HumanoidAbomination: Vecna is a ''Lich God'' and is the worst elements of both.
49	* KarmaHoudini: Not only does Vecna end without any major punishment for nearly destroying the Multiverse, he even gets to be a god on both Greyhawk and ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''.
50	* TheManBehindTheMan: It is implied the Serpent is not just Vecna's imaginary friend but an old god who told him how to escape Ravenloft, protect himself from Lady of Pain, and threaten the entire multiverse. There's considerable evidence it's {{Satan}} himself, Asmodeus.
51	* TheOldGods: What both Lady of Pain and the Serpent, Vecna's imaginary friend, are implied to be.
52	* OurLichesAreDifferent: Vecna is rumored to be one of the first if not the first lich.
53	* PhysicalGod: Vecna is a demigod that is able to be interacted, which makes him not unique but still very uncommon.
54	* SorcerousOverlord: Vecna used to be one of these back in the day but lost it when Kas betrayed him. He becomes this again in Cavitus but considers it a major step down from where he was.
55	* PrecursorHeroes: ''Vecna Lives!'' is intended for a party of a higher level (12 to 15) than ''Vecna Reborn!'' (5 to 7) and ''Die Vecna Die!'' (10 to 12), meaning that player characters who have beaten him there are likely this to the party that faces him in the sequels. At least unless the DM throws time travel or LevelDrain at them.
56	* PredecessorVillain: Vecna himself is this for demi-lich Acererak, his student who would later create the infamous TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors.
57	* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Probably the most famous example in ''D&D'', as Vecna managed to jump from an iconic Greyhawk villain to one of the most iconic villains in the game as a whole, leaving his mark on both Ravenloft and Planescape and causing an in-universe move to 3rd Edition, in which he was part of a standard pantheon, allowing him to be a threat on Forgotten Realms and any other world it was used for.
58	* ShoutOut: Vecna's own name is a SignificantAnagram of Creator/JackVance, whose [[VancianMagic magic system]] D&D has been using since its conception. His Hand and Eye are based on similar artifacts that appear in works of Creator/MichaelMoorcock
59	* TheStarscream: Kas, whose betrayal is the main reason why Vecna is in need of a roundabout way to come back to life. By the time of ''Vecna Reborn!'' the two are bitter enemies.
60	* WiseSerpent: According to some legends, the lich-god Vecna received some of his [[TheArchmage magical mastery]] from an entity called the Serpent, which has been speculated to be a godlike embodiment of Magic itself or even something AboveTheGods. However, its nature (and existence) remain unconfirmed.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder: Vecna Lives]]
64	* ActionPrologue: ''Vecna Lives!'' starts with a battle between player-controlled Circle of Eighth wizards and avatar of Vecna. It will be a long time since something equally epic happens in the adventure proper, as it is more horror/investigation.
65	* CargoCult: A village of gnomes has created one around the Sword of Kas that they believe is an artifact of a BigGood and not the ArtifactOfDoom it is.
66	* CurbStompBattle: How much are Circle of Eighth outclassed against the avatar of Vecna? The DM is instructed to just each turn declare one of them to die, NoSavingThrow. [[spoiler: It's not even Vecna but one of the many imposters that managed to get hold of his hand and eye.]]
67	* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: The Circle of Eight receives their write-ups solely so the players can play them as they're killed.
68	* EnemyMine: In ''Vecna Lives!'' it is possible to gain the aid of both Kas and Iuz against Vecna.
69	* TheExtremistWasRight: The local kingdom comes down on cults with torture, arrests, and summary executions. Which is entirely justified by the fact that both the Cult of Iuz, Vecna, ''and'' the Temple of Elemental Evil are operating in the area.
70	* EvilPlan: Vecna plans to ascend himself to greater godhood by bringing back his long-destroyed kingdom and its millions of followers through a time portal.
71	* EvilVersusEvil: Vecna hates his "Imposter", Kas, and Iuz. Iuz and Kas hate Vecna too.
72	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: ''Vecna Lives!'' opens with an in-universe historical record describing one of Vecna's acts of petty cruelty, just to make it clear what kind of monster we're dealing here with.
73	* FateWorseThanDeath: Vecna sentences his enemies to dwell inside the Demiplane of Ash in a magical castle where they eventually become undead that never need to feed. They just...exist.
74	* HiddenDepths: A bit of a reversal of that but Vecna actually has his avatar be a tiny peg-legged riverboat captain who mocks people. The fact this is how Vecna spends his time says some very strange things about him.
75	* HopelessBossFight: A rare non-video game example, Vecna cannot be beaten by the Circle of Eight and will eventually kill them all. Notable because the players will be playing the Circle of Eight.
76	* KillerGameMaster: ''Vecna Lives!'' early on dedicates a few paragraphs to underline this adventure requires Dungeon Master to get over any fear of killing player characters. This is MetaphoricallyTrue as the only place where the player characters have no chance is the opening where they're playing the HeroOfAnotherStory.
77	* PreCharacterCustomizationGameplay: The players start with a group of premade characters and later switch to {{Player Character}}s of their own making.
78	* SummonBiggerFish: The best way to deal with Vecna in ''Vecna Lives!'' is to call for Iuz to battle him. Which is ironic considering Iuz being on the other end of this trope in ''TabletopGame/TheTempleOfElementalEvil''. [[spoiler: And is tricked into this in ''Die, Vecna, Die!'']]
79	* UngratefulBastard: The [=PCs=] will find Kas inside Vecna's prison of Cavitius on the Elemental Plane of Ash. If they give him back his sword, he uses its secret teleportation power to get away and forgets about them.
80	* WorfEffect: ''Vecna lives!'' starts with Circle of Eighth, some of the most powerful magic-users of Greyhawk, being slaughtered by an avatar of Vecna.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder: Vecna Reborn]]
84	* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Kas is theoretically this despite being a fascist dictator and vampire. Just because Vecna is that bad.
85	* AllForNothing: The players, even if successful, do not prevent the events of ''Die Vecna Die'' and only delay Vecna's release for a short while.
86	* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Soldiers of Tovag have a black sword on a red background symbol as well as run a eugenicist military dictatorship.
87	* BedlamHouse: The Madhouse in Tovag is one of these and it's oddly one of the nicer places in the region.
88	* BodyHorror: A pregnant woman is cursed with a ''Film/RosemarysBaby''-esque situation with Vecna's essence entering her body.
89	* BullyingADragon: The Dark Powers of Ravenloft actually may have bitten off more than they can chew with Vecna.
90	* ColdBloodedTorture: The [=PCs=] may be subjected to this for the crime of being foreigners.
91	* TheDictatorship: Oddly enough, not Vecna's land (which is more like Hell), but Tovag. Kas is a brutal military dictator who abuses his subjects horribly but leaves them alive.
92	* EvilUncle: Marit's uncle is the high priest of Vecna in Tovag who wants to rebirth his god through her.
93	* GenreRefugee: Vecna is a Sauron-esque overlord (an undead ''god'' basically) with his kingdom of the undead in the Gothic horror filled Demiplane of Dread.
94	* {{Mordor}}: Cavitus is an undead ridden hellhole that is wholly alien and monstrous.
95	* MysticalPregnancy: Marit is carrying a child infected with Vecna's essence.
96	* TheNecrocracy: Cavitus is a land that is literally ruled by the dead and mostly populated by the undead.
97	* NotWorthKilling: If Vecna successfully reincarnates himself, he doesn't bother killing the [=PCs=]. They are beneath his notice. He does eradicate Kas with a wave of his hand, though.
98	* OutsideContextProblem: Effectively for any Gothic Horror TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} campaign. The [=PCs=] find themselves in a land closer to some layers of the Nine Hells than ''Dracula'' or ''Frankenstein''.
99	* ReligionOfEvil: Not Vecna's, though that certainly qualifies, but the Temple of the Penetants that is wholly an opiate of the masses run by StateSecurity.
100	* {{Reincarnation}}: Effectively, Vecna's plan for escaping the Demiplane of Dread is to reincarnate himself in an unborn child outside of his domain.
101	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Vecna ''knows'' that Kas is beneath his notice and only there to draw his ire but he just can't ''help'' himself.
102	* SealedEvilInACan: Vecna is imprisoned inside the Demiplane of Dread and, like Azalin and Strahd, working to escape. However, he is ''magnitudes'' more powerful than both of them as a legendary archmage turned demigod.
103	* SenselessSacrifice: The people of Tovag throw themselves at Vecna's armies in hopes of keeping him contained but Vecna doesn't have any interest in Cavitius because he knows it's an illusion and his freedom won't be impeded by any mortal force of arms.
104	* StateSecurity: Tovag has a particularly brutal one of these. How brutal? ''Reading'' is banned.
105	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The biggest threat in the PoliceState of Tovag is the fact they don't speak the language and are strangers. If they can't communicate with the Daggers (the name of StateSecurity) they're screwed.
106	* UngratefulBastard: If Kas finds out the [=PCs=] prevented Vecna's reincarnation, he will interrogate them harshly and then forget about it.
107	* WouldHurtAChild: Vecna plans to be reborn in the body of a newborn he possesses.
108	* YoungerThanTheyLook: The people of Tovag age at twice the normal rate to become soldiers for Kas's regime faster. However, none of them are old enough to have lived a single generation since the entire Burning Peaks Cluster was made a couple of years ago.
109	[[/folder]]
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111	[[folder: Die Vecna Die]]
112	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Vecna's heard of the Head of Vecna joke, and thinks it's hilarious.
113	* AllYourPowersCombined: Vecna's plan to escape Ravenloft is to absorb the powers of Iuz and become a greater god, making him too powerful for the Dark Powers to contain him.
114	* AlwaysABiggerFish: It is this philosophy that allows Vecna to escape Ravenloft - he reasons Dark Powers cannot be strong enough to contain a Greater God and once he becomes one he can just brute force his way out.
115	* ArtifactOfDoom: ''Die Vecna, Die!'' introduced a total of ''twelve'' minor parts of Vecna
116	* AscendedMeme: The Head of Vecna appears in the trilogy.
117	* ATasteOfPower: ''Vecna Lives!'' opens with the players, whose own characters are at an early stage of higher levels, assuming control of endgame level wizards from the Circle of Eighth, who try to stop the avatar of Vecna.
118	* TheBadGuyWins: ''Vecna Lives!'' has an alternate ending in case the party fails to stop the titular villain. Some would argue ''Die Vecna Die!'' had him win in the end, due to the fact it caused a shift to 3rd Edition of ''D&D'' - an edition in which full casters, like Vecna himself, reigned supreme over everything else, at least mechanically.
119	** More directly, Vecna ascended to become one of the primary deities of D&D. While he didn't take Sigil as he'd hoped, he essentially achieved or advanced all his other goals.
120	* BeyondTheImpossible: Vecna manages this in the final adventure by escaping the Demiplane of Dread. Doing so had never been accomplished before, and never happened again until 5th Edition 20 years later.
121	* BigBadWannabe: Iuz thinks he's using obscure magicks to ascend to godhood. He is actually being manipulated by Vecna, the true BigBad of the story.
122	* CosmicRetcon: ''Die Vecna Die!'' serves as an explanation for the transition from 2nd to 3rd Edition of D&D by having all changes be a result of Vecna messing with time and reality.
123	-->Even with Vecna's removal, his time in the crux effected change in superspace. Though the Lady of Pain attempts to heal the damage, the turmoil spawned by Vecna's time in Sigil cannot be entirely erased. Some Outer Planes drift off and are forever lost, others collide and merge, while at least one Inner Plane runs "aground" on a distant world of the Prime. Moreover, the very nature of the Prime Material Plane itself is altered. Half-worlds like those attached to Tovag Baragu multiply a millionfold, taking on parallel realism in what was before a unified Prime Material Plane. The concept of alternate dimensions rears its metaphorical head, but doesn't yet solidify, and perhaps it never will. New realms, both near and far, are revealed and realms never previously imagined make themselves known. Entities long thought lost emerge once more, while other creatures, both great and small, are inexplicably eradicated. Some common spells begin to work differently. The changes do not occur immediately but instead are revealed during the subsequent months. However, one thing remains clear: Nothing will ever be the same again.
124	* DeadMansSwitch: Normally the Lady of Pain would not be kind to anyone trying to throw his weight around in Sigil or a god even as much as trying to enter it. Vecna ensured that if she destroys or mazes him, it will cause far worse damage.
125	* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Vecna is the first Darklord to ever escape Ravenloft, even [[Literature/{{Dragonlance}} Lord Soth]] was merely released by the Dark Powers once they grew bored of him. Only one other Darklord has succeeded since. Vecna is also the only god to ever set a foot in Sigil and not have Lady of Pain destroy him.
126	* ImaginaryFriend: Vecna acquires one in ''Die Vecna Die!'' in form of the Serpent. It may be an actual entity that is a true mastermind of his multiverse-threatening plan...or just proof of how insane the lich is.
127	* MultiversalConqueror: Vecna's final plan is to reshape the entire Multiverse in his image.
128	* MyRulesAreNotYourRules: Vecna pretty much breaks every sacred rule of D&D's settings in his rampage across the Multiverse.
129	* NearVillainVictory: Vecna almost wins the final adventure, but is defeated at the very last moment in ''Die, Vecna, Die!'' Even then, he survives and is in a far better place than he was before.
130	* PhysicalGod: Vecna, once he returns to physical form and assumes the title of a demigod. He then goes further up the divine rank.
131	* SchmuckBait: A very popular was inspired by Eye and Hand of Vecna - Head of Vecna. By the time of ''Die Vecna, Die!'' it has made it into the official game. In the module [[spoiler: just like on games that used it prior, it's just a normal skull. The trick is to convince a power-hungry player of its immense power and watch them make their character cut their own head]].
132	* TheWorfEffect: ''Die Vecna Die!'' has Iuz, a powerful and evil god in his own right, being outwitted and absorbed by Vecna, after which both the Dark Powers and Lady of Pain are rendered powerless to stop the lich from escaping Ravenloft and installing himself in Sigil.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder: Vecna: Eve of Ruin]]
136	* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Vecna's team-up with Lolth feels this way. In exchange for her help, Vecna promised to make her the second most powerful being in the Multiverse after him....but his plan would cause the death of all other gods, so he effectively told her she may either get DemotedToDragon or die.
137	* ArcVillain: While Vecna is the main antagonist, with Lolth as his ally [[spoiler: and Kas as a secret villain]], several other famous villains can challenge the player characters over pieces of the Rod, including Strahd von Zarovich, Lord Soth, Acererak, Lord of the Blades and Tiamat.
138	* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler: The Crown of Lies allows Kas to disguise himself as Mordekainen, making him immune to every way to reveal his identity, except for the Wish spell.]]
139	* ArtifactOfHope: Rod of the Seven Parts, also known as the Rod of Law, which was used to defeat and imprison Miska the Wolf-Spider, can now be used to defeat Vecna. [[spoiler: However, it doubles as ArtifactOfDoom, as it can also be used to free Miska.]]
140	* TheChosenMany: The party are the only ones who can save the Multiverse from Vecna, due to gaining a unique link to him in their previous adventures, that he is unaware of.
141	* DemotedToDragon: Lolth, who often plays the role of the BigBad or SatanicArchetype in other adventures, here is working with Vecna.
142	* DeathByIrony: The whole idea is that the party can challenge the God of Secrets because they're the ''only'' secret he doesn't have.
143	* DismantledMacguffin: The Rod of Seven Parts, also know as the Rod of Law, was used to seal away Miska the Wolf-Spider, but in the process was shattered into seven pieces that scattered across the multiverse. The party will have to reassemble it in order to use it against Vecna.
144	* DreamTeam: The module recommends that each player bring back their favorite PC from one of the previous campaigns, preferably from one of the worlds the party will be visiting in this adventure.
145	* EnemyMine: Mordenkainen and Tasha, who have a notoriously complicated but overall negative history, join forces against Vecna. [[spoiler: Except that's not the real Mordenkainen.]]
146	* EvilVersusEvil: [[spoiler:In the finale, Kas and Miska the Wolf-Spider join forces against Vecna and Lolth.]]
147	* ExpendableAlternateUniverse: [[spoiler: In the finale the [=PCs=] enter several demiplanes that show new versions of the Multiverse Vecna plans to create and overwrite the old one with. If they have Rod of the Seven parts with them, they can shatter every single one of them.]]
148	* ExperiencedProtagonist: The adventure starts with player characters at levels between 10 to 13, meaning they're halfway through their FromZeroToHero journey and probably have finished one of the previous Fifth Edition campaigns, which usually end in this level range.
149	* GiantSpider: A lot of such monsters, be it Lolth's spider-creatures or [[spoiler: Miska's.]]
150	* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: Kas has backing of the Dark Powers, that have their own score to settle with Vecna.]]
151	* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Vecna ''again'' - if the party defeats him, the worst they can do to him is banish him to Oerth and cut him off from other worlds. Which is a setback to his plans but ''nothing'' compared to what he deserves.]]
152	* LegendaryImpostor: [[spoiler:Kas impersonates Mordenkainen and does such a good job he fools even Tasha, former student and lover of the real deal.]]
153	* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler: Kas manages to accomplish so much in this adventure, thanks to the backing of the Dark Powers themselves.]]
154	* MixAndMatchCritters: There are a lot of monsters who are basically spider + x, where x could be anything from a wolf to a freaking dragon.
155	* MultiversalConqueror: Vecna once again seeks to rewrite all of the multiverse in his image.
156	* NearVillainVictory: [[spoiler:This time this is exploited - when Vecna is closest to achieving his goal, he is expending so much power to do so he can actually be fought and beaten by the [=PCs=] for the first time in the series. Meaning the [=PCs=] have one shot at taking him down, but if they fail, all is lost.]]
157	* NeverTrustATrailer: One of the promo images for the campaign shows Vecna opening a portal right into Wizard Three's hideout in Sigil, unleashing hordes of Miska's wolf-spider demons on Alustriel, Mordenkainen, and Tasha. Nothing like that happens in the adventure - the entire campaign hinges on Vecna not finding out the three and the party are working against him until the final confrontation, because he could annihilate them with a wave of his hand. [[spoiler: And once Miska is freed, his forces fight ''against'' Vecna]].
158	* OptionalBoss: A clever party can actually avoid duking it out with several of the villains competing with the [=PCs=] for pieces of the Rod.
159	* RoguesGalleryShowcase: The party can end up fighting several beloved and iconic villains from across D&D history -- Lord of Blades, Strahd, Lord Soth, Tiamat, Lolth, Vecna -- one after another. [[spoiler:Not to mention Kas and Miska the Wolf-Spider.]]
160	* SealedEvilInAnotherWorld:
161	** After Rod of the Seven Parts was used to defeat him, Miska the Wolf-Spider was trapped in a prison in Pandemonium. [[spoiler:Upon obtaining the Rod, Kas uses it to release him in exchange for aid against Vecna and Lolth.]]
162	** [[spoiler:The party defeats Vecna by banishing him to the realm of Oerth and cutting him off from the rest of the multiverse.]]
163	* SpiderPeople: Lolth, as usual, takes the form of a Drow woman from waist up and a giant spider from waist down. [[spoiler: Miska the Wolf-Spider takes a similar form, except he adds two wolf heads on both sides of the place where two halves meet.]]
164	* SpiderSwarm: Lolth the Spider-Goddess is involved, what else did you expect? [[spoiler: And it only gets worse once Miska throws in his own swarms.]]
165	* TreacherousQuestGiver: [[spoiler:After you deliver complete Rod to the Wizards Three, it turns out one of them is actually an impostor who set the whole thing up to steal the Rod for himself.]]
166	* TrilogyCreep: Fourth installment of Vecna Trilogy, published twenty-four years after the last one.
167	* UnexplainedRecovery: Mordenkainen is back to normal after [[spoiler:being driven insane in ''TabletopGame/CurseOfStrahd'']] with no explanation [[note]]Ed Greenwood claims Elminster and Storm Silverhand helped him recover, but even then he had a relapse after a failed possession attempt by Larloch[[/note]], which may probably confuse players who finished that campaign. [[spoiler: It's a first hint this is not actually Mordenkainen.]]
168	* VillainTeamUp: Lolth allies herself with Vecna. [[spoiler:Kas decided to get his own demonic spider ally.]]
169	* TheWorfEffect:
170	** More subtle than in classic modules, but Mordenkainen, Tasha, and Alustriel Silverhand team up to cast an ultrapowerful Wish to cause Vecna's defeat. A wish by a trio of such powerful mages would annihilate most villains, but against Vecna it can only summon [[TheChosenMany player characters.]]
171	** There is also the fact that Vecna managed to force ''Lolth'' -- a goddess and recurring GreaterScopeVillain -- into his service.
172	* WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler:In the finale, Vecna is so taxed by performing the ritual to remake the multiverse, he uses the same statblock as the one released for his pre-ascension self a year earlier. He is still extremely dangerous, but in this form can actually be beaten.]]
173	[[/folder]]

Context TabletopGame / VecnaTrilogy