{"id":571,"date":"2024-05-07T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dulcipass.net\/?p=571"},"modified":"2024-05-08T23:47:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T23:47:38","slug":"vecna-eve-of-ruin-dds-final-5th-edition-campaign-delivers-the-high-level-combat-fans-have-been-asking-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dulcipass.net\/index.php\/2024\/05\/07\/vecna-eve-of-ruin-dds-final-5th-edition-campaign-delivers-the-high-level-combat-fans-have-been-asking-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Vecna: Eve of Ruin, D&D\u2019s final 5th edition campaign, delivers the high-level combat fans have been asking for"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Admittedly, lots of them have eight legs<\/p>\n

Vecna: Eve of Ruin<\/em><\/a> is unlike anything yet published for the modern incarnation of Dungeons & Dragons<\/a>. The final campaign for the original 5th edition<\/a> rule set begins<\/em> at level 10, far higher than some other published adventures reach over the course of their entire run. It then proceeds to top out at the system\u2019s hard level cap of 20. That much experience will convert you and your party into magically infused, professionally trained killing machines. Trust me when I say that there will be plenty of opportunities to put those skills to work.<\/p>\n

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The campaign as a whole is excellent, and that\u2019s because Vecna: Eve of Ruin<\/em> leans into 5th edition D&D\u2019s most successful format: the adventure anthology. Like Wizards of the Coast\u2019s critically acclaimed Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel<\/em><\/a>, Candlekeep Mysteries<\/em><\/a>, Keys From The Golden Vault<\/em><\/a>, and Tales from the Yawning Portal<\/em><\/a>, the campaign could have easily been sold as a collection of disparate yet unrelated adventures. But it takes that variety of experience and welds it to a singular, compelling storyline. The result is a master-crafted set of encounters assembled into a 256-page product that reads just about as well as it runs at the table.<\/p>\n

Be aware, however, that even for a game of D&D, this is very much a collection of exceedingly violent encounters. The campaign features dozens of high-level, endgame-quality battles, so everyone involved should be prepared for lengthy, combat-heavy sessions on the way to saving the multiverse.<\/p>\n

But gosh, are they ever worth the trouble.<\/p>\n

[Ed. note:<\/strong> This review contains spoilers of key elements in Vecna: Eve of Ruin<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

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\n Image: Bastien Lecouffe Deharme<\/a>\/Wizards of the Coast<\/cite>
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The central conceit of Vecna: Eve of Ruin<\/em> focuses on the nearly 50-year-old legend<\/a> of an avaricious undead wizard who ascends to godhood, only to desire even more power. From his throne on Oerth, one of D&D\u2019s original settings from the 1970s, Vecna (not the one from Stranger Things<\/em><\/a>, mind you) has hatched a plan to destroy the entire multiverse, then reboot it with himself as its singular ruler. But an early miscalculation irrevocably links the characters at the table to his nefarious plan via magical ties that transcend time and space.<\/p>\n

The opening chapter of the book <\/em>is the quintessential introductory D&D adventure, but elevated for the capabilities of 10th-level characters. A focused set of encounters that can easily be run in two sessions, it\u2019s a classic dungeon crawl with several memorable characters, including a bespectacled gnome historian keen to deliver some necessary backstory. But the opening also has its own internal narrative that makes it a satisfying romp in its own right.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, that\u2019s something that can be said of virtually every other chapter in the book.<\/p>\n

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The cartography in Vecna: Eve of Ruin<\/em> is exceptional, with several particularly inspired maps by Francesca Baerald<\/a> and Dyson Logos<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Characters will travel to every plane of the multiverse yet introduced by previously published 5th edition adventures. That includes The Forgotten Realms<\/a> and its mirror, known as the Underdark; Gary Gygax\u2019s own plane of Oerth; Spelljammer<\/a>\u2019s mystical Astral Plane; the war-torn lands of Eberron<\/a>; the clinging, gothic mists of Barovia<\/a>; and Krynn, where the mighty Dragonlances<\/a> were forged. Each adventure has its own setting-specific flavor and internal logic, and for the most part, lead designer Amanda Hamon uses them all to great effect.<\/p>\n

My favorite adventure by far is in chapter 4, \u201cThe Ruined Colossus.\u201d In it, players attempt to scavenge a necessary part from an ancient bipedal war machine, as it\u2019s needed to defeat Vecna. The adventure contains both a nuanced moral dilemma and<\/em> a running battle against skilled assassins. Both take place inside<\/em> the giant robot, a setting that feels more like an exotic spaceship than anything yet revealed in modern D&D. It\u2019s a standout series of encounters that everyone should find an opportunity to play through, regardless of whether or not they commit to running the entire campaign from start to finish.<\/p>\n

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\n Image: Martin Mottet<\/a>\/Wizards of the Coast<\/cite>
Strahd Von Zarovich arrives late in the chapter set in Barovia, and your party will most likely need to kill him to move the story along.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

There are some low points as well. Fans of Curse of Strahd<\/em> will likely be the most disappointed. Not only does the campaign reuse a map, called Death House, from that 2016 book, but also the setting\u2019s main character, the legendary vampire Strahd Von Zarovich, is used as little more than a particularly nasty sack of hit points. It\u2019s amazing to me that one of D&D\u2019s most charismatic villains was given so little stage time, but you can\u2019t have everything, I guess.<\/p>\n

What fans can<\/em> have is a triumphant multi-chapter climax that puts the players at the forefront of a demonic war with thousands of frantic combatants. In this titanic struggle, players must cut a wide swathe through the enemies\u2019 forces on their way to defeating Vecna himself. These final few battles, including one that is the result of a very personal betrayal, are a fitting end for the most successful edition in D&D history.<\/p>\n