Dungeons & Dragons: Who is Vecna?

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Over the years, Dungeons & Dragons has built up one of the largest and most iconic rosters of the villains and monsters in gaming. From basic goblins and kobolds to fearsome dragons and the bizarre beholders, the amount of antagonists and threats a Dungeon Master can set before their party is practically infinite. While the classic tabletop role-playing game took inspiration for these creatures from many old stories and myths, other properties have themselves been inspired by D&D’s rogues' gallery. Series like Final Fantasy and The Elder Scrolls would likely not have as rich a tapestry of monsters without Dungeons & Dragons.

The overarching meta plots for each addition and setting of Dungeons & Dragons are not terribly important at most players' tables, but a lot of good stories and challenges can be gleaned from them. One of the most famous is Vecna the Arch-Lich, a character who has been referenced since before Dungeons & Dragons' popularity took off. Over the years, Vecna has gained so much recognition that multiple works using or referencing D&D have included his name, the most recent being Stranger Things. While Vecna is shrouded in mystery, his real-life path to recognition is better documented.

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The first time Vecna was referenced in Dungeons & Dragons came two years after the 1974 release of the original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set. In Eldritch Wizardry, D&D’s third supplement, co-writer Brian Blume introduced two magical artifacts called the Hand of Vecna and the Eye of Vecna. Vecna’s name was an anagram of “Vance,” referencing the works of Jack Vance thatinspired D&D’s magic system and setting, and the artifacts themselves were inspired by