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As Dungeons & Dragons continues to grow and update, the characters and items within its universe also change. The 2024 ruleset introduces some adjustments to magic items and updates a few famous Non-Player Characters (NPCs).
Vecna is one of those recurring villains that players generally avoid unless they’re prepared for a dangerous end. Even without him, the artifacts he possesses are just as threatening as the lich himself. One such artifact is the Book of Vile Darkness, which is well-known for serving as a manual to guide others down Vecna’s evil path. Here’s how you can include it in your game.
Determine the Contents of the Book
The Book of Vile Darkness is usually bound to Vecna. Removing him from it is a tough task. The details inside are so horrifying that the book isn’t meant for casual reading. Keep this in mind when deciding if your players will get access to it, and what information they might uncover.
Remember, any good-aligned character who opens and reads the book must make a Charisma saving throw. If they fail, their alignment shifts to neutral evil.
If you want to introduce a specific evil theme into your campaign, the book is a great place to start. It could contain information on devastating plagues, rituals to summon dark entities, or heinous spells you create. Keep the content appropriate so players feel comfortable opening and exploring the book — include triggers or warnings if needed.
The book might suggest including items such as true names of fiends or a vile ritual to become a lich, along with other dark spells the Dungeon Master invents. When creating your version of the book, consider what kind of evil details fit your story and where to place triggers so players aren’t caught off guard.
Discuss the Consequences
Using the Book of Vile Darkness comes with serious risks. Here’s what happens to a character who ends up with the book:
- Their strength increases by two, but they lose two points in another ability score.
- They develop a disfigurement, which you and the player can decide on. This disfigurement grants advantage on Persuasion checks with evil creatures and intimidation with good ones.
- They can recall twice as much evil information from the book than usual.
- They gain a weapon-like power called Dark Speech, which damages both them and nearby non-evil creatures when they speak it.
- They will be compelled to commit an evil act within ten days of gaining the book; if they don’t, the book disappears.
- If they die while attuned to the book, their soul is taken by an evil entity, making revival impossible until it’s freed.
If your players are okay with these consequences, you can then add specific properties or effects to the book to make it even more unpredictable and dangerous.
Add Your Own Content
This is the fun part—customizing the book for your campaign. You can modify it to work with fifth edition rules or add new evil effects, such as the classic Vile Damage from the 3.5 edition. Vile Damage is so sinister that it can only be healed on sacred ground, adding a layer of challenge.
Consider including properties like:
- Three minor beneficial effects
- One major beneficial effect
- Three minor harmful effects
- Two major harmful effects
The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide offers several artifact options with these kinds of properties. For example, some effects might prevent the user from healing hit points or reduce their ability scores, or prevent them from attuning to other magic items. Use these guidelines to customize the book’s properties and make it a truly unique and dangerous artifact for your game.
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