D&D 5E Enhancing Vecna: Eve of Ruin *SPOILERS*

[dave2008]

That’s just mechanics. It the bit that the player supplies for PCs that Kas is lacking.

I have no idea what your talking about. For me, story and mechanics go together ideally. Not sure what that has to with the PCs in terms of Kas though.

 

[Distracted DM]

I have no idea what your talking about. For me, story and mechanics go together ideally. Not sure what that has to with the PCs in terms of Kas though.

I've heard somewhere that the intelligence stat is for recall and mathematics. Judgement and common sense would fall under Wi-
looks at Kas' 19 wisdom
Stats aren't indicative of a character's real-life abilities, only their in-game abilities.
Whatever that means.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I have no idea what your talking about. For me, story and mechanics go together ideally. Not sure what that has to with the PCs in terms of Kas though.

I've heard somewhere that the intelligence stat is for recall and mathematics. Judgement and common sense would fall under Wi-
looks at Kas' 19 wisdom
Stats aren't indicative of a character's real-life abilities, only their in-game abilities.
Whatever that means.

Player characters do not have their actions dictated by their ability scores. Players are not prevented from making stupid decisions because their character has a high intelligence, or foolish ones because they have a high wisdom. I'm suggesting that NPCs should be afforded the same freedom.

 

[dave2008]

Player characters do not have their actions dictated by their ability scores. Players are not prevented from making stupid decisions because their character has a high intelligence, or foolish ones because they have a high wisdom. I'm suggesting that NPCs should be afforded the same freedom.

Then I feel like a fool as a DM. No thanks. I would rather the NPC be able to do what its story (fluff and mechanics) say it should do. Better, IMO, to enhance the adventure than to feel like a fool.

Of course, NPCs can do foolish things too, but in this case it doesn't feel right to me. And for my game, that is more important than the text of the adventure.

 

[Eric V]

Vecna "mental" stats: Int 22, Wis 24, Cha 16.
Kas "mental" stats: Int 24, Wis 19, Cha 26

Kas is smarter than Vecna...?

 

[pukunui]

Kas is smarter than Vecna...?

Unless it's a mistake, then my guess would be that it's to do with Vecna being weakened by his ritual.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Then I feel like a fool as a DM. No thanks. I would rather the NPC be able to do what its story (fluff and mechanics) say it should do. Better, IMO, to enhance the adventure than to feel like a fool.

But even going back to Kas's earliest appearances in D&D, he isn't smart. The lore says, he is dumb (or at least a gullible fool who is easily manipulated by others, and doesn't think through the consequences of his actions). If you feel ability scores need to line up with the fiction, then you need to change his ability scores.

 

[dave2008]

If you feel ability scores need to line up with the fiction, then you need to change his ability scores.

Or change his story. Either option works for me.

 

[dave2008]

Kas is smarter than Vecna...?

Unless it's a mistake, then my guess would be that it's to do with Vecna being weakened by his ritual.

Those are the stats from the adventure, yes. There are two issues:

1. They likely made Kas too smart. As @Paul Farquhar pointed out, his lore doesn't exactly fit his mental stats. I dropped him down to 20 and moved Vecna up to 29 intelligence in my Apostles of Ruin supplement.
2. They reused the Vena, Archlich stat block from before he became a god in this adventure. They didn't make a new bespoke stat block for this adventure. Now it can be rationalized that he is weakened by the ritual, but reducing his intelligence score doesn't seem to me the best way to represent that.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Or change his story. Either option works for me.

It makes for a lot of changes. As written, his masquerade has a bunch of errors (e.g. handwriting) that someone with superhuman intellect simply would not make.

One thing BG3 does well is have a foe who actually feels smart.