Dungeons and Dragons' archlich-turned-deity supervillain Vecna recently made his way into Dead by Daylight, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with icons like Freddy Krueger and the Xenomorph. For veteran fans of the dark god, this guest appearance has many fun references to his and Dungeons and Dragons' shared history.
Vecna's cameo in Dead by Daylight is coming at the zenith of the TTRPG's popularity, with 2024 being D&D's 50th anniversary. This occasion coincides with a massive rules update to the game's current ruleset of D&D 5e—undoubtedly the biggest edition of the game in terms of reach and notoriety. Interestingly, the show that helped D&D reach this peak, Stranger Things, is also featured in Dead by Daylight. Not only that, but the form its inclusion takes is with the Demogorgon killer, itself one of that show's D&D references.
Every Major D&D Reference In Vecna's Dead By Daylight DLC
The Whispering One has been no slouch in terms of popularity, with the lich god also getting a namedrop in Stranger Things. Moreover, he also featured in the live-play show Critical Role, which also accelerated the mainstream appeal of D&D. Vecna's proliferation was further proven with the star role he was given in the module Vecna: Eve of Ruin, the epic-level finale to the last ten years of D&D. As such, it's no wonder that his appearance in Dead by Daylight bends over backwards to pay tribute to Vecna's legacy.
Vecna's Voice Actor Is A D&D Legend
The VA for Vecna's Dead by Daylight appearance is very fitting. Here Vecna is played by prolific voice actor Matthew Mercer, known for his roles in series like Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Overwatch and many more. He's also the dungeon master for the aforementioned Critical Role, where he naturally played Vecna back when the lich was the first campaign's main villain. His reprise in Dead by Daylight is as deliciously malevolent as ever.
The Book Of Vile Darkness
The Book of Vile Darkness gives Vecna a variety of spell abilities in Dead by Daylight, sitting proudly in his chest cavity as he hunts down Survivors. The tome itself is also a magical item within D&D, one that dates back to 1979. In its current D&D 5e form, it retains the customizable list of properties—with examples available on random tables in the Dungeon Master's Guide. This foul almanac is said to be a record of incredible evil, from formulae on becoming a lich to descriptions of horrific acts and ideas.
What may not be known by newer fans is that The Book of Vile Darkness is a real handbook, albeit not in the form of a magical item. The Book of Vile Darkness is a supplement for D&D 3.5e, one that contains rules on playing evil characters, running evil creatures, the mechanics of desecration and torture devices, and much more. That book stands as one of the most controversial to ever come out of the IP's 50-year history, going into incredibly gruesome subject matter to an extent that many find distasteful. In that sense, it certainly reflects the maddening evil of the arcane tome that shares its name.
Cues From 5e Vecna
The Vecna of Dead by Daylight is very much the one found throughout D&D 5e, sharing the design that was released back in 2022 with The Vecna Dossier and used partially throughout Eve of Ruin. Both that dossier and the 2024 module use the same statblock for Vecna, one referenced in Dead by Daylight. The biggest references are the Afterthought dagger, a magical weapon put front-and-center by D&D 5e's Vecna, and the Flight of the Damned ability.
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974
Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson