Die! Vecna! Die! - Vecna wins ideas?

[Napftor]

I'm going to be running an adventure where the PCs travel to an alternate reality this Sunday. They are part of a larger organization based in Sigil and have ben exploring different worlds with an ancient gate the organization discovered in the sands of FR's Anauroch. In the last adventure, a chaos-infused piece was in possession of the item which opens the gateway. Upon returning to Sigil, the PCs observed a different effect to the gating experience. When they emerged at their base, Sigil was found to be in ruins and their gate key melting. That is where the last adventure ended.

So, I've decided that this place will be a multiverse where Vecna won his gambit for absolute power. I plan on the PCs heading to their organization's power base in the Realms. My question to you fine folks is: How do you suppose Vecna would reshape the cosmos with his ultimate powers? Also, I'm looking for minion/creature ideas I can throw at my level 4-6 PCs.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Offhand, he's the god of Secrets, right? I'd imagine people would become a lot more insular and guarded than is generally the case. Secrets would become a valuable commodity- perhaps even currency of a sort.

Also, since magic and intrigue are elements of his portfolio, I'd try and incorporate that. Magic and secrets- maybe magic is even more rare than usual. No schools of wizardry, no apprenticeships. "Natural" spellcasters would be more the norm than the exception, and perhaps they would even be rare. Spellcasters would guard their tricks closely.

On the intrigue side, plotting and treachery would be the main methods of dealing with others.

Other than that, nothing comes immediately to mind.

 

[KrazyHades]

With this, I'm thinking that the Drow become his chosen people, or some such. After all, the drow epitomize secrets, magic, and intrigue. In opposition to Cthulhudrew's idea, I say let there be LOTS of schools of magic, each one full of factions fighting for power. If you are publicly PROVEN to be participating in intrigue, you are either executed by the law or killed by fellow intriguers who want to prevent you from selling them out in exchange for life. So, people try to gain power by exposing the secrets/intrigue of the people they know. Marriage becomes not a union of love, but either two people trying to root one one another's secrets, or a partnership of two people working together for power (the closest to true love a marriage can get in this world). I'll post later with more, if this is what you're looking for.

 

[Napftor]

These are all good food for thought. I should also have mentioned that the PCs will likely only be spending one or two adventures in Vecna-verse." Thus, they won't be getting too much into the nitty-gritty of life there.

 

[Oryan77]

So you're assuming Vecna is triumphant at the end of Die Vecna Die and he took control of Sigil and destroyed the Lady of Pain?

If so, I wouldn't say that Vecna himself really changes the planes, but his actions have really screwed things up. He probably doesn't have the power to keep gods out of Sigil like the Lady of Pain did. So that could explain why Sigil is upside down. Vecna may also have been destroyed once other deities start coming into the city trying to lay claim to it.

Probably the biggest affect this would have on the planes is the planar economy going downhill. This could even affect the Blood War since supplies wouldn't make it to the armies as easily & often. So more fiends may focus their attention on things other than the war...like, destroying Toril. There could be a sudden surge of fiendish attacks in the Realms.

 

[howandwhy99]

Vecna is not a god in my Greyhawk. If he is one though, I feel bad for his worshippers. I'd expect his churches to be full of assassins and spies. Cleric/Rogues would be fun.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

These are all good food for thought. I should also have mentioned that the PCs will likely only be spending one or two adventures in Vecna-verse." Thus, they won't be getting too much into the nitty-gritty of life there.

In that case, how about some kind of murder mystery or something, where there are constant surprises? Something like a Shyamalan movie, or, perhaps more like 24 or Prison Break, with constant turnarounds and surprises? Allies turning out to be enemies, turning out to be allies.

I know they're pretty cliche, but I could see Doppelgangers playing a part in things.

 

[KrazyHades]

For fun and roleplay, you could have the PCs solve a murder by Tarantino-ing it.

 

[Relique du Madde]

Hmm... Considering that Vecna's defeat lead to the edition jump, what would his winning really mean in terms of game mechanics.... Thats a scary question to ponder.

Anyways, I agree that Vecna winning would be a small victory compaired to the beat down he would get afterwards when other dieties (and maybe the dark powers) start sectioning off Sigil. That is assuming he doesn't decide to use his secrets for his own benifit by starting to blackmail other deities to leave him alone.

Think how cool that would be? Venca would become the ultimate diety for evil rogues, he would be the god of secrets, hidden knowledge, and blackmail.

 

[Napftor]

Thanks all for your thoughts. Since Vecna pretty much had carte blanche if he won (according to the adventure), I think he is going to unseat all other gods from their divine lairs and power. After appearing on their worlds of worship (I'll only be dealing with Toril, naturally), the gods find they have a but a tiny bit of their divine power left. Still unable to locate his Eye and Hand on his own, Vecna then creates a special "Fingers" police force to track down the deities so he might torture information from them. Also in the New Order, use of divine spells by non-Vecnans not only must be accomplished with a caster level check but leaves the user's left hand glowing for a short time.

On Toril, a massive inquisition sweeps the world where the Fingers are in control and hunting down the deities. The PCs are part of an organization that was close to Lathander and after they arrive it will be theorized that only one of the refugee gods might be able to get them back to their reality. Unfortunately, by the time the party fights their way to the magic dead area that some of the fallen gods are gathering to hide in, the Fingers are ready to strike (thanks to a tip off from no less than Bane himself who hopes for immunity from Vecna's inquisition).

That will be the first adventure. The second will deal with getting to a place called Gate that I found in the North box set (FR 2e) on the advice of Lathander. The info in the box set says a portal there is capable of transport to alternate material planes. The PCs still have an untainted portal key from their own reality which, they'll discover, can be used to specifically program the gate to take them home. Of course, they'll have to deal with a lesser beholder gatekeeper and his minions.