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Jack Vance's Forgotten Contributions to D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 7795325" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p>Renowned and influential fantasy author Jack Vance passed away at the age of 96 on May 26, 2013, but his books were highly influential on several aspects of <strong>Dungeons & Dragons </strong>in more ways than just spellcasting.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113436[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/halloween-occult-halloween-costume-1784559/" target="_blank">Picture courtesy of Pixabay</a>.</p><p></p><p>Co-creator of D&D, Gary Gygax, explained Vance's enormous influence on D&D in "<a href="http://www.dyingearth.com/files/GARY%20GYGAX%20JACK%20VANCE.pdf" target="_blank">Jack Vance & the D&D Game</a>":</p><p></p><h3><strong>'Vancian' Magic </strong></h3><p>The most indelible mark Vance left on D&D was his spell system, which would come to be known as Vancian Magic. I described how Gygax chose his spell system in <a href="https://amzn.to/2Zq4p21" target="_blank"><strong>The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games</strong></a>:</p><p></p><p>Jon Peterson explains in further detail in <a href="https://amzn.to/2ZsYhtH" target="_blank"><strong>Playing at the World</strong></a>:</p><p></p><p>Speaking of Cugel...</p><h3><strong>Thief Class</strong></h3><p>Vance was also influential in helping shape the nature of the <strong>Dungeons & Dragons</strong>-style thief. It all started when a dwarf tried to pick a lock with a dagger, according Shannon Appelcline in Designers & Dragons: Platinum Appendix:</p><p></p><p>Peterson shares how the Thief class came to be <a href="http://playingattheworld.blogspot.com/2012/08/gygaxs-thief-addition-1974.html" target="_blank">on his blog</a>, inspired by a fan's conversation with Gygax:</p><p></p><p>Appelcline puts this historic call in context:</p><p></p><p>The thief has some elements that seem out of context with a traditional sneaky (and presumably uneducated) rogue, like the ability to use magic items and read scrolls, but placed in the proper fantasy setting, that of Cugel the Clever in the Dying Earth setting.</p><h3><strong>Ioun Stones</strong></h3><p>Gygax <a href="http://www.dyingearth.com/files/GARY%20GYGAX%20JACK%20VANCE.pdf" target="_blank">explained how Vance gave permission</a> to use his ioun stones in the game:</p><p></p><p>Jonathan Drain further explains in "<a href="http://www.d20source.com/2010/06/the-history-of-the-ioun-stone" target="_blank">The History of the Ioun Stone</a>":</p><p></p><h3><strong>Vecna</strong></h3><p>Bart Carroll & Steve Winter <a href="http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4alum/20090121" target="_blank">explained in their D&D Alumni column</a> the true origin of Vecna, an infamous lich who would become a deity in <strong>Dungeons & Dragons:</strong></p><p></p><p>And now you know Vecna's secret: "Vecna" is an anagram of "Vance".</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 7795325, member: 3285"] Renowned and influential fantasy author Jack Vance passed away at the age of 96 on May 26, 2013, but his books were highly influential on several aspects of [B]Dungeons & Dragons [/B]in more ways than just spellcasting. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="halloween-1784559_960_720.jpg"]113436[/ATTACH] [URL='https://pixabay.com/photos/halloween-occult-halloween-costume-1784559/']Picture courtesy of Pixabay[/URL].[/CENTER] Co-creator of D&D, Gary Gygax, explained Vance's enormous influence on D&D in "[URL='http://www.dyingearth.com/files/GARY%20GYGAX%20JACK%20VANCE.pdf']Jack Vance & the D&D Game[/URL]": [HEADING=2][B]'Vancian' Magic [/B][/HEADING] The most indelible mark Vance left on D&D was his spell system, which would come to be known as Vancian Magic. I described how Gygax chose his spell system in [URL='https://amzn.to/2Zq4p21'][B]The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games[/B][/URL]: Jon Peterson explains in further detail in [URL='https://amzn.to/2ZsYhtH'][B]Playing at the World[/B][/URL]: Speaking of Cugel... [HEADING=2][B]Thief Class[/B][/HEADING] Vance was also influential in helping shape the nature of the [B]Dungeons & Dragons[/B]-style thief. It all started when a dwarf tried to pick a lock with a dagger, according Shannon Appelcline in Designers & Dragons: Platinum Appendix: Peterson shares how the Thief class came to be [URL='http://playingattheworld.blogspot.com/2012/08/gygaxs-thief-addition-1974.html']on his blog[/URL], inspired by a fan's conversation with Gygax: Appelcline puts this historic call in context: The thief has some elements that seem out of context with a traditional sneaky (and presumably uneducated) rogue, like the ability to use magic items and read scrolls, but placed in the proper fantasy setting, that of Cugel the Clever in the Dying Earth setting. [HEADING=2][B]Ioun Stones[/B][/HEADING] Gygax [URL='http://www.dyingearth.com/files/GARY%20GYGAX%20JACK%20VANCE.pdf']explained how Vance gave permission[/URL] to use his ioun stones in the game: Jonathan Drain further explains in "[URL='http://www.d20source.com/2010/06/the-history-of-the-ioun-stone']The History of the Ioun Stone[/URL]": [HEADING=2][B]Vecna[/B][/HEADING] Bart Carroll & Steve Winter [URL='http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4alum/20090121']explained in their D&D Alumni column[/URL] the true origin of Vecna, an infamous lich who would become a deity in [B]Dungeons & Dragons:[/B] And now you know Vecna's secret: "Vecna" is an anagram of "Vance". [/QUOTE]
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