D&D 5E How would YOU build Vecna?
the Jester
Legend
My take on Vecna is absurdly overpowered, so fair warning.
I'd have spell-like action options, like in the new monster stat blocks, while also keeping a large number of utility and divination spells available. His go-to, at will, cantrip-equivalent power ought to target multiple enemies and do buttloads of damage.
He would have lots of hps, but not ridiculous amounts- but lots of ways to self-heal (generally by absorbing life from enemies), soak or avoid damage, and end conditions and effects on him. He'd counterspell like crazy.
He would be very tricky. His wouldn't be a stat block for beginners. You'd need to spend some time with it to really use him right.
I'd probably also take something from 4e and give him some action points that he can use to take an extra action on his turn.
Finally, and here's the one that makes him truly, irreparably broken, he would roll a d30 instead of a d20 on attacks, checks, and saves. This was one of the main features he had back in my 2e campaign, and it makes him a terrifyingly competent foe.
I'd have spell-like action options, like in the new monster stat blocks, while also keeping a large number of utility and divination spells available. His go-to, at will, cantrip-equivalent power ought to target multiple enemies and do buttloads of damage.
He would have lots of hps, but not ridiculous amounts- but lots of ways to self-heal (generally by absorbing life from enemies), soak or avoid damage, and end conditions and effects on him. He'd counterspell like crazy.
He would be very tricky. His wouldn't be a stat block for beginners. You'd need to spend some time with it to really use him right.
I'd probably also take something from 4e and give him some action points that he can use to take an extra action on his turn.
Finally, and here's the one that makes him truly, irreparably broken, he would roll a d30 instead of a d20 on attacks, checks, and saves. This was one of the main features he had back in my 2e campaign, and it makes him a terrifyingly competent foe.
CleverNickName
Limit Break Dancing
Cool, thanks. 
So I guess I would stat out Vecna as:
∞
I know that the "godkiller" thing is a fantasy trope (hat tip to @Uni-the-Unicorn! ), and that it's a key premise in many excellent stories like Princess Mononoke and so forth, but that's not how I do things at my D&D table. In my game, the gods are distant and all-powerful, utterly beyond the reach of mortals, and only other gods could ever fight them. (shrug)
These stats for Vecna are amazing, though. I can definitely see this being an excellent major villain in a story, the Big Bad of a 20-level campaign that spans years. Looking at the stats, I can understand how such an entity would be worshipped as a god by others, maybe even fancy itself as a god. But the other gods, the real gods in my multiverse, probably don't even know he exists...and if they do, they aren't impressed.
So I guess I would stat out Vecna as:∞
I know that the "godkiller" thing is a fantasy trope (hat tip to @Uni-the-Unicorn! ), and that it's a key premise in many excellent stories like Princess Mononoke and so forth, but that's not how I do things at my D&D table. In my game, the gods are distant and all-powerful, utterly beyond the reach of mortals, and only other gods could ever fight them. (shrug)
These stats for Vecna are amazing, though. I can definitely see this being an excellent major villain in a story, the Big Bad of a 20-level campaign that spans years. Looking at the stats, I can understand how such an entity would be worshipped as a god by others, maybe even fancy itself as a god. But the other gods, the real gods in my multiverse, probably don't even know he exists...and if they do, they aren't impressed.
Stoutstien
lunk
More like a goth teenage lich stage.
dave2008
Legend
No need to stat something to infinity to make it out of mortal reach / understanding.
cbwjm
Seb-wejem
I would probably just take the recently released Vecna and replace his spellcasting with the slots and spells of a 20th level wizard. He'd still have his various actions, bonus actions, and reactions in his stat block, maybe I'd add the extra line for flight of the damned which says "Vecna can use a spell slot of 6th level or higher to cast this again if it hasn't recharged."
Even if I used the current version, I'd probably change up a lot of his spells anyway, it's what I do for every spellcaster.
Even if I used the current version, I'd probably change up a lot of his spells anyway, it's what I do for every spellcaster.
dave2008
Legend
I already did that for you: Vecna the Archlich (standard, CR 26)
cbwjm
Seb-wejem
Haha, yep, already seen it
Benjamin Olson
Hero
See while I feel slotless design makes sense for the "only there for one fight npcs", I would argue that a Big Bad spellcaster is not that. They are more like a super high level antagonist PC opposing the PCs all day long. They are not just about the one fight (even if that ends up being their whole appearance), they need to be ready to use magic even when they are offscreen to scry on the PCs, haunt their dreams, set traps, create pocket dimensions, etc. I think it's more fair (and probably more intuitive by the time you are running a game with high enough PCs to fight Vecna) to manage his spellcasting as you would that of a 20th level Wizard, with maybe some extra spell slots, rather than create sui generis spellcasting rules for him to be able to do what he needs to do.
Basically my Vecna design would be 20th level Wizard, plus all the elements of a Lich, plus mythic actions, plus anything a baseline Demon Prince can do if not already covered. I might go for a simpler design if I'm damned sure he will only become aware of the group and fight them in one encounter, but otherwise I anticipate he's going to be a busy boy making their lives hell and pursuing his other villainous endeavors, and his spellcasting will be a key part of that. The new paradigm of NPCs just having the few spells they need for their one encounter doesn't make sense for that sort of character.
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