D&D’s massive Vecna adventure gets a new trailer voiced by Astarion’s actor in Baldur’s Gate 3

A new trailer for Vecna: Eve of Evil tempts Dungeons & Dragons players with a whistle stop tour of the popular tabletop RPG’s many worlds, along with the powerful and evil threats that call them home. The voice of Astarion from Baldur’s Gate 3, actor Neil Newbon, given Vecna a voice in the trailer and charts his pride, corruption and rise to lichdom across a mere 54 seconds of monologue.

If you haven’t yet heard about D&D 5E’s final hurrah before the launch of the new core rulebooks later this year, Vecna: Eve of Evil is an adventure module that will send a group of adventurers across the multiverse as they search for a method of interrupting the lich’s ritual to bend all worlds to his megalomaniacal will. Slated for May 21st, the chunky book will visit tons of settings and spotlight both heroes and less savoury characters from throughout the tabletop RPG’s history.

Much of the adventure follows the group as they seek out every piece of the fabled Rod of Seven Parts, perhaps the only artefact capable of obstructing Vecna’s schemes. One problem, though: the disparate sections have scattered across the multiverse, from Krynn to the Shadowfell. If the party can successfully acquire one, it is magically drawn to all the rest, but that task is easier said than done.

Vecna: Eve of Ruin’s six chapters cover the major adventures within Planescape, Krnn, Greyhawk, Eberron, Ravenloft, Spelljammer and, of course, The Forgotten Realms. Each chapter will have its own batch of monsters - some new and others updated from older editions of D&D - and all require a different style of play to come out successful.

For example, one piece rests within Death House amongst the malevolent spirits and minions of the great vampire lord Strahd, and the party will need to navigate the cross interests of cults, grifters, thieves and Barovia’s law to come out successful. Another piece is held inside a demon casino within the depths of Avernus. Being lawful creatures at their core, demons won’t want to deal with those who don’t follow the rules - their rules.

Once in the Astral Sea, players will need to rescue one piece from a shipwreck that has skewered itself on the dying body of an asteroid-sized god named Havok. While on Greyhawk, they’ll brave Acererak’s Tomb of Wayward Souls, which is intentionally evoking the challenge and design of the classic Tomb of Annihilation. Wizards of the Coast’s designers said that Vecna: Eve of Ruin is written to make the player-characters feel powerful and give them a lot of agency while travelling the multiverse. Whether or not they use that influence for good depends on the group.

A safehouse located within the depths of Sigil will provide the players with a home base of sorts where they will come to recuperate, plan and invest in the famous wizards residing within - namely a younger version of Tasha and Alustriel Silverhand. The full book will carry a party from levels 10 all the way to the top of their potential, and apparently there’s plenty for them to do once that experience pool is fully maxed out.

Vecna: Eve of Evil will release a digital and physical hardcover edition on May 21st, along with a small introduction adventure called Nest of the Evil Eye that serves to introduce the legacy and impending threat of Vecna’s all-powerful magic. The 256-page victory lap for D&D 5E is currently available to pre-order through D&D Beyond and will hit hobby shops and websites on the same day.