The Head of Vecna

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You remember the Hand of Vecna and the Eye of Vecna that were artifacts in the old D&D world where if you cut off your hand (or your eye) and replaced it with the Hand of Vecna (or the Eye) you'd get new awesome powers? Well, Group One thought up The Head of Vecna. —Mark Steuer, recounting the tale

Two of the best-known artifacts in Dungeons & Dragons are the Eye of Vecna and the Hand of Vecna. These were the remaining body parts of the Maimed God after the betrayal of his most trusted lieutenant, Kas. In order to make use of the Hand of Vecna, a character must be touch it to the stump on his left arm were his missing left hand would be. The Eye of Vecna is less picky, either empty eye socket will do. In either case, you get some of Vecna's powers (at a price). Now imagine what powers a larger body part would grant... and ignore the obvious problems you'd have after decapitation. So many of the people in the tale did.

This gameplay report, as recounted by Mark Steuer, was first published in Steve Jackson Games' Daily Illuminator on December 6, 1996, and can be found here.

Tropes used in The Head of Vecna include:

• Accidental Aesop / Broken Aesop / Fantastic Aesop: As added by the SJGames staff, "don't let your head get cut off unless you really know what you're doing."
• Corpsing: The DM started laughing after the second character in group 2 was decapitated. It's seems like it wasn't completely involuntary, his will simply broke after taking so much abuse.
• Crowning Moment of Funny: "SO THEY DID IT AGAIN!"
• Laugh Themselves Sick: While the DM was able to hold his laughter remarkably well until after the the second person in group 2 was decapitated, it didn't stop the pain.
• Player Versus Player: Group One versus Group Two.
• Schmuck Bait: The Head itself. It worked.
• Too Dumb to Live: The Druid from Group One and the characters in Group Two.
• Undistributed Middle: Artifacts do not radiate magic. The Head of Vecna does not radiate magic.
• What an Idiot!: The players playing the Druid from Group One and all of the players in Group Two.