Vecna Threatens the Multiverse in “Eve of Ruin”

Dungeons & Dragons is reintroducing an iconic villain in its latest adventure Vecna: Eve of Ruin. A legendary figure throughout the entirety of the game’s history (and the namesake of a villain in a certain popular Netflix show) makes a triumphant return in this new adventure for characters level 10 to 20.

Available today on D&D Beyond, and in local game stores, and everywhere on May 21, Vecna: Eve of Ruin promises to be a delight for fans craving the nostalgia of the characters and places they grew up with.

In Eve of Ruin, it turns out that the notorious Lich, has, in the back of his mind, always imagined remaking existence (of course). His status as a god is not enough for him, no, his deepest desire is to become the most powerful being in the multiverse…and he’s turned to the deepest of arcane rituals in an attempt to make his dreams a reality.

Who, praytell, has the power to stop him?

The player characters, of course, with the support of three of the multiverse’s most powerful archmages.

If this isn’t enough to pique your interest, play characters will start in The Forgotten Realms, but make stops in other memorable D&D settings including Planescape, Spelljammer, Eberron, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and for the first time in 5e, GREYHAWK!

They’ll encounter terrifying new monsters (more than 30, to be less than exact) and with every monster they defeat, they’ll come one step closer to facing down The Arch-Lich himself.

If you pre-order Vecna: Eve of Ruin before May 21, you’ll also get access to a one-shot prequel adventure called Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye. It serves as a prequel that will introduce players to the cult of Vecna and see what evil lurks in the hearts of creatures. Otherwise, the one-shot will be available for purchase after the book drops widely.

What you’re getting:

The book includes:

• The adventure, which spans levels 10-20
• A bestiary that includes more than 30 new monsters
• An NPC codex which includes some iconic and legendary characters from the complete canon of D&D lore

It’s a robust offering, and similar to previous adventure books, each chapter contains a “running this chapter” primer to make prep easier on the Dungeon Master.

Should you buy it?

As always, it depends.

If you’re a Dungeon Master, or someone who’s planning to run your own campaign, this is a great book to pick up. Not only does it include a host of legendary NPCs, but it also includes snippets of multiple different settings like Dragonlance, Spelljammer, and Greyhawk. It will give you a brief insight into these worlds so you can determine if they’re ones you’d like to explore more deeply in your own campaign.

Additionally, this book goes from level 10 to level 20. It’s the first, since Dungeon of the Mad Mage that is offering players the highest tier play.

If you’re a player, you might not have as much use for this book, but the codex of NPCs is well worth thumbing through. If you’re like me and spent a lot of time DD&Ding (Daydreaming about D&D) in your youth, you’ve probably thought about some of these characters more than a small amount. The nostalgia of reviewing the codex is real. But don’t do it before you’ve played the adventure if you’re planning to do so! You don’t want to ruin the surprise, I promise.

If you’re a collector, the Hydro74 cover will look great on your shelf (as they all do).

I am very passionate about Vecna: Eve of Ruin for a couple reasons.

First, it’s 10-20, and I’m a sucker for high-level play. I know the sales numbers show books that start at lower levels do better, but I love the challenge of facing off against the meanest monsters in the multiverse and coming out on top…or dying, heroically. Either way.

Second, the fact that this book brings back some icons of Greyhawk, including a jaunt to Oerth itself, is enough for me. Also, revisiting some of the lost worlds like Planescape, will also be a lot of fun.

Third, it says what you’re doing on the back cover, so no spoilers here, but if finding the pieces of a broken artifact to forestall an evil god from remaking the universe in his corrupted image isn’t the very essence of Dungeons & Dragons, I don’t know what is.

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A review copy of Vecna: Eve of Ruin was provided.