D&D's most powerful villains of all time, and can tear adventurers apart with a single word.
Vecna has reached mainstream attention, as he inspired the villain of the same name from the latest season of Stranger Things. The version of Vecna from D&D is a lot different, as he was an incredibly powerful wizard, who transformed himself into a lich, before becoming a demigod, and then a true deity. Vecna hails from the world of Oerth from the Greyhawk campaign setting, where he once brought nations to their knees with his magical prowess. The most famous aspect of Vecna is his two missing limbs, which became incredibly powerful artifacts on their own. The Eye of Vecna and the Hand of Vecna are two of the strongest magic items in D&D, yet using them will inevitably cause the wielder to lose their soul to Vecna.
Vecna is currently a god, which puts him out of the reach of most D&D parties, but players can now face him at his peak before he lost his eye and hand. D&D Beyond has added the Vecna Dossier as a free , providing a stat block for the lich at a time when it was feasible to take him down. The Vecna Dossier also includes a brief history of his time on Oerth, the growth of his empire, and his ascension to godhood.
Vecna has a Challenge Rating of 26 in D&D 5e, which means that even a party of level 20 characters will struggle against him. This version of Vecna isn't loaded down with spells, but he does possess some incredibly powerful abilities, including Flight of the Damned (creatures in a 120ft cone must a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or take 8d8 damage and be frightened of Vecna for one minute), Rotten Fate (one creature in a 120ft range must a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or take 8d8 damage, with death resulting in them turning into a zombie), and Vile Teleport (teleport within 30ft as a Bonus Action, hitting enemies in a 15ft square for 3d6 psychic damage, which restores 80 of Vecna's hit points). Vecna also has Legendary Actions, including Dread Counterspell, which instantly fizzles a level 4 or lower spell, with 5th level or higher receiving a saving throw. If the spell fizzles, then the caster takes 3d6 psychic on top.
It's unlikely that a group will survive an encounter with Vecna, but the Vecna Dossier does create a framework for using him as the villain in a campaign. He might be a deity in one campaign setting, but the D&D multiverse is a big place, and manifestations of Vecna might be trying to create a foothold in another world, where he would face opposition from adventurers. The Dungeons & Dragons players with a spare $262 could also buy a massive, creepy Vecna resin statue, in order to scare the players when it's dropped on the map.
Source: D&D Beyond
