So you managed to draw not-Vecna's attention in a bad way. Now what?

[PhoenixPhyre]

So the party in one of my games has managed to interrupt the schemes of the setting equivalent of Vecna (more precisely what you'd get if you crossed Vecna with Orcus and threw in some cold-blooded businessman genes to boot). So far, they've

interrupted a ritual that was feeding him tortured souls.
Drawn attention by participating in a ritual that ended up actually injuring an avatar of another Demon Prince-equivalent
started a quest to interrupt one of his major sources of power--a ritual that has fed him the worship and souls of a nation for 800 years.


How should this powerful being respond? How much knowledge/power/influence does such a being have in the prime material? If you answer for any of the canon settings, I can translate to my (slightly-different) setting. I assume no-(reasonable)-save scrying would not be a problem, is that true?

Some stipulations:

Not-Vecna will not intervene directly in the prime material plane. No gating in squads of balors, no dropping large rocks on people.
Not-Vecna's modus operandi is to make contracts. He's lawful--he'll keep his contracts but words them tricky so he always profits.
He has a powerful lieutenant in the area (the one who's schemes they've been messing with directly).
His interests are sophont sacrifice, magic, and undeath.
All his interventions have a price attached and require the petitioner to make a contract.


Thanks for ideas. If it matters, the party is level 9 but due to magic items and stupidly-high stat rolls punches more like level 10-11.

[ThurlRavenscrof]

I'd probably have the lieutenant send a Death Knight after the party first - underestimating them as just an annoyance. When the party defeats the knight, I'd have the lieutenant send larger and more dangerous forces after them until the party if forced to find and defeat the lieutenant. Once the lieutenant is gone, non-vecna can recognize the party as a threat but instead of just attacking them, he could try to manipulate the situation so the party is no longer a threat. Maybe he turns an important NPC against them or frames them for a crime or causes the party to ruin their own reputation in some way

[ATHATH]

Red Fel, Red Fel, Red Fel.

[Dappershire]

Red Fel, Red Fel, Red Fel.

Demmit, he said 'not-Vecna's' attention. Why'd you go and summon worse?


Anyways, id say the party should be running into all sorts of magic types. Warlocks. Witches. Sorcerers. He might not gate in some demon types, but putting a bounty on the Party's heads is in order. Nothing says 'Oh crap' like the promise of power for your demise.
Maybe after the first hit fails, have them get accosted by an old blind sage, fortelling their doom (and why) so at least they know to prepare for more incoming.

[Saeviomage]

He sends them an ally.

An ally that can help them out in big, big ways, but requires some minor price each time. Keep it small, keep it simple, keep it something the PCs can part with and won't regret.

But eventually that ally requests something... innocuous... But that innocuous thing turns out to be much, much more than they had bargained for.

Read up on stories about the fey, take a look at Qurabin from China Mieville's Iron Council (he's a monk of a god of secrets: his god will let him know any secret in exchange for making something new into a secret, which could be an interesting ability if you project it to someone else), various devil's bargains, Take a read of pact (https://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/), which is all about supernatural bargains but beware it's really long.

Don't just try to kill them. That's an adventurer's bread and butter, and it's not going to be memorable. Try to TAKE from them.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

I'd have N!Vecna order his lieutenant after them. He's a God, afterall. His info's gonna be quite accurate.

Once the Lieutenant goes after them, I assume they'll eventually be drawn into a life-or-death struggle. If they actually look like they're about to win, DON'T help the Lieutenant. Have him try to call down N!Vecna's wrath...only to be answered with silence. Once he's dead though, a powerful chill sweeps through the party's bones.

N!Vecna appears before them, sets up a stereotypical laweyer's desk, lights up a cigar, offers them brandy, and then gets down to brass tax. He then offers them power and employment under him. I mean, they are apparently absurdly powerful characters. Why would he NOT want them working for him? He'll try to word it in such a way that prevents them from ever crossing him or threatening his power again, but will otherwise give them whatever they want in exchange.

If they take the deal and abide by it, well done! N!Vecna is now a prime questgiver! If they take the deal, but then try to double cross him in some way he can claim is breaking the contract, BOOM! Soul gets eaten, dead characters, no save.

If they refuse, he makes it clear the Lieutenant only didn't get help because N!Vecna WILLED it be so. He is a GOD, and they will either stay out of his business, or pay the ultimate price for their interference. Any attempt on their part to continue screwing with N!Vecna WILL ABSOLUTELY call for Balors to be called in. A soft hand against PCs is the sign of a degenerate, weak-willed DM.

TPK is sometimes an acceptable option, especially if the PCs continue to screw with powers beyond their ken.

[arrowed]

Knowledge is power. That safehouse the party has been using? An enemy finds out about it. They've got to face some sub-boss? That one knows how they fight, and has prepared accordingly. Interestingly, all these people with information they shouldn't have seem to have made sapient sacrifices...
I mean, giving away information for free? That's just bad business. But giving it at a substantial discount, even initiating the trade yourself? That's fair, if it helps remove that thorn in your side.
If undeath is his thing, he might want to create new servants, i.e. necromancers, to get raising armies. Even if they're not specifically targeted at the party, this is exactly the sort of thing which will distract such goody-goodies from messing more vital plans.
Hope this helps :smallsmile:

[Battlebooze]

N'Vecna has just made some new and disposable allies. Don't fight them, redirect them. Help them, in ways to help yourself.

N'Vecna surely has evil rivals. A few clues left behind on a dead cultist, and off the hero's go to stop N'vecna's rival's plots. Don't try to stop their Karmic destiny, just aim it where you want it to go.

Then, after some adventures, have an angelic being pop up in a dream and accuse the characters of being in N'vecna's employ, especially if they are a good cleric or paladin. :)

"We were doing what he wanted?"