Vecna really IS insane:
Edena_of_Neith said:
And your Seers are able to deduce what it is Vecna is going to do.
Vecna is going to open a Gate, and let the Elder Ones into Greyspace.
He is also going to use his 10th level magic to stab a poisoned knife into the very vitals of Oerth, creating a 10th level plague that will cause all that grows - tree, brush, and grass - upon Oerth to become poisoned, twisted, and / or evil.
He also is going to attack, with all his Legions, in order to stop you from researching any way to save yourselves from Acererak's plague. And he will strengthen that plague, so that it cannot be cured by anything short of a Wish or Miracle spell.
He also intends to storm the City of the Gods, with the specific intent of awakening it, so that it will bring it's weapons of superscience to bear upon you all.
He intends to escape into his pocket dimension, while your world dies, and watch it all from a safe distance.
When it all is over, he intends to return, with 11th level magic, subdue the Elder Ones, and rule over a world of the Living Dead.
1) Let the Elder Ones into Greyspace.
I call your attention to the rules regarding what can be done with 10th level magic:
"You can create permanent Gates, from your land to other places on Oerth, in Greyspace, or to other Planes of existence.
Your PCs, NPCs, and army (
but not the armies of other Powers or any kind of Planar Armies) can freely use these Gates."
10th level magic is powerful, but not THAT powerful. Can't bring the Elder Races in with such gates.
Which frankly, makes sense. We've had 10th level magic for awhile now on Toril, and no one was able to bring in the Elder ones. The complexity and TIME it takes to perform such a ritual is simply tremendous. It probably would take 11th level magic, at least. The idea that with a snap of one's fingers one can bring in the Elder Races with 10th level magic is ludicrous.
What's next? Can an Illithid with 10th level magic decide to extinguish the sun within a month's time? Because that's the level of task we're talking about here.
2) 10th level plague over Oerth to kill/twist all plant life
Again, I bring your attention to the rules:
"You can alter the flora and fauna of your land, by one level of change (from the flora and fauna of the warm temperate lands, to the flora and fauna of the subtropics) per turn."
That's of YOUR land. One level. With 10th level magic. This kind of magic -- an Oerthian-extending plague that kills all fauna -- is the kind of thing that MIGHT be done with 11th level magic. Maybe. Maybe it could be done with 10th level magic over the course of a few months. But no -- he threatens that with a snap of the fingers, all plant life is dead/evil, unless we stop him immediately? With 10th level magic? 10th level magic is good, but it ain't that f'ing good.
3) He also is going to attack, with all his Legions, in order to stop you from researching any way to save yourselves from Acererak's plague.
Bring it.
4) He will strengthen that plague, so that it cannot be cured by anything short of a Wish or Miracle spell.
So with 9th level magic + 10th level magic someone can cause a plague that can kill everyone on Oerth within 3 weeks if they can't get Wish cast on them.
Again, I think we're getting into 11th level magic territory here. Before, 10th level magic could be used to cause (for instance) earthquakes or storms or whatnot that could hurt large countries, and devastate small countries. ONCE a turn.
How convenient for Mr. V. that now he can just kill everyone, everywhere, in one turn, using magic with the same power.
Maybe he could use his 10th level magic so that it affected elves (if that's the way he wanted to go

), or -- and this is still a bit of a stretch -- so that Remove Disease didn't give immunity in the future -- everyone would have to get the cure every three or four weeks, or die.
5) He also intends to storm the City of the Gods.
This, he can do. The City will attack him back, of course -- they will go after whoever breached their defenses first. And it seems likely that they know that Vecna is out there, and if WE know what Vecna is threatening, then they do as well.
But yes, he could do this, and cause a huge huge amount of trouble. I was wondering when he was going to try this. Unfortunately it turned out to be sooner, not later.
6) When it all is over, he intends to return, with 11th level magic, subdue the Elder Ones, and rule over a world of the Living Dead.
Subdue the elder ones with 11th level magic? Good f'ing luck. I suppose he's insane enough to believe he might be able to do it -- but the Angels on Toril fear the coming of the Elder Ones, and we've got 11th level magic out the ying-yang there.
I'm guessing that you really aren't in "stasis" when in a pocket dimension, and I'm guessing that he COULD -- very very slowly -- get 11th level magic if he brought the Shade and the Dark Union with him. He could force them to work for him, and force them to do "Industrialization" as well, so that their PLs rose and fell as they worked on 11th level magic. It would probably take years, though.
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In conclusion, Vecna is insane if he thinks he can do, within one month's time, ANY of the above (with the exception of attacking us/attacking the City of the Gods) with mere 10th level magic.
But hey, he's insane, so there you go.
But I'm going to confirm all this, Edena.
Unlike everyone on Oerth, I'm used to 10th level magic.
I'm used to ELEVENTH level magic.
And I know what it can do, and what it can't do.
I talk to my seers and confirm that what Vecna intends to do, he cannot, not within a months time. Except attack, of course.
Lord Forrester