Difference between revisions of "The Hand of Vecna (SLASH'EM)"

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m (Umbire the Phantom moved page The Hand of Vecna to The Hand of Vecna (SLASH'EM) without leaving a redirect: Prepare to split by variant)
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{{wikipedia|Hand of Vecna}}
 
 
{{artifact
 
{{artifact
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|color=brown
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|color=brown
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|base=severed hand
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|base=severed hand
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|glyph=%
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|glyph=%
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|affiliation=[[chaotic]]
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|affiliation=[[chaotic]]
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|whencarried=<ul><li>[[cold resistance]]</li><li>[[half physical damage]]</li><li>hungerless [[regeneration]]</li></ul>
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|whencarried=<ul><li>[[cold resistance]]</li><li>[[half physical damage]]</li><li>hungerless [[regeneration]]</li></ul>
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|used=wielded
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|used=wielded
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|whenused=[[drain resistance]]
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|whenused=[[drain resistance]]
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|wheninvoked=see text
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|wheninvoked=<ul><li>raise the dead<br>(-3 [[luck]] and -3 to [[alignment record]])</li><li>damages you at -9 luck or lower</li></ul>
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|cost=700
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|cost=700
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|weight=1 or 300, depending on variant
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|weight=1 or 300, depending on variant
 
}}
 
}}
  
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'''The Hand of Vecna''' is one of the most powerful [[artifact]]s in [[SLASH'EM]]. It can be obtained by killing [[Vecna]] in the [[Chaotic Quest]], provided you don't [[digest]] or [[disintegrate]] him. Although it is guarded by an army of {{mcsl|L}}, {{mcsl|Z}}, {{mcsl|V}}, and [[Vecna]] himself, most players go through the trouble of killing them to acquire it. Like the other two [[alignment quest]] artifacts, you can't [[wish]] for it ("For a moment, you feel something in your hands, but it disappears!"), and in a bones file, it will revert to a [[severed hand]].
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'''The Hand of Vecna''' is an [[artifact]] that appears in [[SLASH'EM]], [[SlashTHEM]] and [[Hack'EM]]. It is the disembodied [[severed hand]] of [[Vecna]] and one of the rewards for completing the [[Chaotic Quest]].
  
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If you [[eat]] the hand, you will take 150&ndash;199 damage, so this is a [[Bad Idea]]. The game will have the courtesy to ask if you're sure you want to eat a severed hand, though ("Are you sure you want to eat that? [ynq] (n)"). If you survive the Hand scrabbling around inside you, you gain all of 40 nutrition points ("This Hand of Vecna is delicious!  You feel the hand scrabbling around inside of you!") You can [[sacrifice]] the Hand ("You offer this evil thing to <your god>..."); this gets rid of it permanently, and thus is also a (somewhat less, admittedly) [[Bad Idea]].
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==Generation==
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The Hand of Vecna is only generated upon killing Vecna in a way that would normally leave a [[corpse]] (i.e. any method minus [[disintegration]] or [[digest]]ing). Since Vecna is always generated in the Chaotic Quest, his Hand cannot be [[wish]]ed for and will always revert to its base item if left in [[bones]].
  
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==Effects==
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==Description==
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===Carrying===
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While carried, the Hand of Vecna provides [[cold resistance]], [[half physical damage]], and hungerless [[regeneration]]; while wielded, it additionally confers [[drain resistance]]. [[Invoking]] The Hand of Vecna has different effects dependent on your current [[luck]]: if invoked at -9 luck or lower, you take 5-24 damage, and otherwise you generate 4-7 tame non-[[Lich (monster class)|lich]] [[undead]], with a -3 penalty to luck and [[alignment record]] applied after.
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When carried, the Hand provides [[cold resistance]], [[half physical damage]], and hungerless [[regeneration]]. Given that for many characters it will be the only possible source of the latter two properties, it is extremely desirable simply to have in one's inventory. Be sure not to eat or sacrifice it&mdash;a good idea is to set it to an inventory letter you are unlikely to accidentally press.
 
  
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===Wielding===
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Attempting to [[eat]] The Hand of Vecna (or any severed hand) will bring up a prompt asking if you are sure you want to do so. If a character eats The Hand of Vecna, they take 150-199 damage. You can also [[sacrifice]] The Hand of Vecna at an altar, with no other effect beyond destroying the item.
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While the Hand is certainly no weapon, for those who lack a source of [[drain resistance]], it provides a handy way to gain it at the snap of a finger. It is quicker, in fact, than carrying an [[amulet of drain resistance]], since you don't lose a turn (and thus possibly a level) taking anything off. While wielding it, you can then select an appropriate wand or other means to dispatch whatever monster is zapping a [[wand of draining]] at you.
 
  
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===Invoking===
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In Hack'EM, the hand of Vecna weighs 300 [[aum]] unless it is carried by a [[Necromancer]].
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If your [[Luck]] is lower than &minus;9, you get the following message:
 
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; "The Hand claws you with its icy nails!"
 
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and receive 5&ndash;24 damage.
 
  
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Otherwise,  
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==Strategy==
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; "Creatures from the grave surround you!"
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The Hand of Vecna is easily one of the most powerful artifacts in its appearances, and is generally considered worth the trouble of braving the Chaotic Quest and its nasty undead inhabitants: this includes various spellcasters such as [[Master lich|master]] and [[arch-liches]], [[ghoul mage]]s, [[Vampire mage (SLASH'EM)|vampire mages]] (the latter of whom are even more dangerous [[Vampire mage (EvilHack)|in Hack'EM]]), and Vecna himself.
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and you summon 4&ndash;7 tame [[graveyard]] creatures. You also take a &minus;3 penalty to both [[Luck]] and [[alignment record]].
 
  
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==EvilHack==
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Eating the Hand of Vecna is a potentially fatal [[Bad Idea]], and is generally only likely to happen by mistake; sacrificing it is similarly unwise unless you truly do not want the artifact, though doing so does not endanger you. Be mindful of the inventory letter you use for the item, and avoid speeding through text prompts where possible.
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In [[EvilHack]], the Hand of Vecna is a mummified hand, which is treated as armor worn in the gloves slot. When "worn", it permanently attaches itself to your left arm and can never be removed, preventing you from wearing other gloves. It is immune to erosion and can't be destroyed by any means. It can be easily enchanted to +7, but failed attempts to enchant it further will simply have no effect.
 
  
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When the Hand is attached to your arm, it provides hungerless [[regeneration]], [[half physical damage]], and [[immunity to sickness]]. Your [[strength]] is set to 25, just like [[gauntlets of power]]. Your melee attacks, with and without weapons, deal 7 + 1d5 additional cold damage to non-resistant targets. You can put on or remove [[ring]]s without issue, even if the Hand is cursed, and you can handle [[cockatrice]] corpses as if you were wearing ordinary gloves.
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==History==
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In [[SLASH 6]], an ancestor of SLASH'EM, killing Vecna produces either the Hand of Vecna or [[the Eye of Vecna]] with an equal probability of each - the Hand's carry and invoke effects are carried over from this version.
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When [[invoke]]d, if your Luck is &minus;10 or lower, the Hand turns on you and causes [[instadeath]]. Otherwise, if the Hand is attached to you, it evokes death magic upon all monsters you can see. Unless resistant, each one has a 15% chance of being killed instantly and a 75% chance of losing {{frac|2|3}} of its current hit points. Regardless of what happens, your Luck is reduced by 3, your wisdom is [[abuse]]d, and you take an [[Alignment record|alignment]] penalty (&minus;7 if lawful, &minus;3 if neutral or chaotic).
 
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==Hack'EM==
 
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In [[Hack'EM]] up until version 1.1.4, the Hand worked as it did in EvilHack. After 1.1.4 however, the Hand of Vecna was reverted to being a severed hand again and behaving as in SLASH'EM, granting hungerless regeneration, cold resistance, and half physical damage while carried and drain resistance when wielded.
 
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Note that the weight of the Hand will be 300 if the player is a Giant, Centaur, or Tortle and 1 if the player is a Necromancer.
 
  
 
==Origin==
 
==Origin==
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{{wikipedia|Hand of Vecna}}
 
The hand is an important artifact from ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''. There too, is the severed hand of defeated [[Vecna]]. It's an original creation of ''D&D''.
 
The hand is an important artifact from ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''. There too, is the severed hand of defeated [[Vecna]]. It's an original creation of ''D&D''.
  
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==History==
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==Messages==
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In [[SLASH 6]], a precursor to SLASH'EM, killing Vecna could produce either the Hand of Vecna or the Eye of Vecna, with an equal chance of each.  As in SLASH'EM, the Hand conferred regeneration, cold resistance, and half physical damage, and could summon the undead when invoked. 
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{{message|You feel the hand scrabbling around inside of you!|You took damage from eating The Hand of Vecna.}}
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{{message|You offer this evil thing to <your god>...|You sacrificed The Hand of Vecna}}.
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The Eye of Vecna was an artifact [[eyeball]] that conferred [[ESP]], cold resistance, and [[half spell damage]] when carried. Invoking it would turn its [[The Eye of the Beholder#Invoke|icy gaze]] on all monsters within the player's line of sight, reducing their health to a fraction of its current amount.  Just like the Hand, the Eye's invocation effect came with a &minus;3 penalty to both Luck and alignment record. Attempting to invoke it with a Luck of &minus;9 or less would kill the player instantly.
 
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The Eye of Vecna was not carried over into SLASH'EM; however, its icy gaze was retained as the invocation effect of [[the Eye of the Beholder]], the prize for completing the [[Neutral Quest]].
 
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The Eye of Vecna was later added to [[EvilHack]] as a possible drop after killing Vecna (50% chance).
 
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
 
*[[The Eye of the Beholder]]
 
*[[The Eye of the Beholder]]
 
*[[Nighthorn]]
 
*[[Nighthorn]]
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*[[severed hand]]
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{{slashem-7E7|offset=1}}
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{{variant-343}}
 
[[Category:SLASH'EM artifacts|Hand of Vecna]]
 
[[Category:SLASH'EM artifacts|Hand of Vecna]]
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[[Category:SLASH'EM items]]
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[[Category:SlashTHEM artifacts|Hand of Vecna]]
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[[Category:SLASH'EM]]
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[[Category:Hack'EM artifacts|Hand of Vecna]]
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{{slashem-7E7}}
 

Revision as of 09:29, 4 March 2024

%   The Hand of Vecna (SLASH'EM)   Severed hand.png
Base item severed hand
Affiliation chaotic
When carried
When wielded drain resistance
When invoked
Base price 700 zm
Weight 1 or 300, depending on variant

The Hand of Vecna is an artifact that appears in SLASH'EM, SlashTHEM and Hack'EM. It is the disembodied severed hand of Vecna and one of the rewards for completing the Chaotic Quest.

Generation

The Hand of Vecna is only generated upon killing Vecna in a way that would normally leave a corpse (i.e. any method minus disintegration or digesting). Since Vecna is always generated in the Chaotic Quest, his Hand cannot be wished for and will always revert to its base item if left in bones.

Description

While carried, the Hand of Vecna provides cold resistance, half physical damage, and hungerless regeneration; while wielded, it additionally confers drain resistance. Invoking The Hand of Vecna has different effects dependent on your current luck: if invoked at -9 luck or lower, you take 5-24 damage, and otherwise you generate 4-7 tame non-lich undead, with a -3 penalty to luck and alignment record applied after.

Attempting to eat The Hand of Vecna (or any severed hand) will bring up a prompt asking if you are sure you want to do so. If a character eats The Hand of Vecna, they take 150-199 damage. You can also sacrifice The Hand of Vecna at an altar, with no other effect beyond destroying the item.

In Hack'EM, the hand of Vecna weighs 300 aum unless it is carried by a Necromancer.

Strategy

The Hand of Vecna is easily one of the most powerful artifacts in its appearances, and is generally considered worth the trouble of braving the Chaotic Quest and its nasty undead inhabitants: this includes various spellcasters such as master and arch-liches, ghoul mages, vampire mages (the latter of whom are even more dangerous in Hack'EM), and Vecna himself.

Eating the Hand of Vecna is a potentially fatal Bad Idea, and is generally only likely to happen by mistake; sacrificing it is similarly unwise unless you truly do not want the artifact, though doing so does not endanger you. Be mindful of the inventory letter you use for the item, and avoid speeding through text prompts where possible.

History

In SLASH 6, an ancestor of SLASH'EM, killing Vecna produces either the Hand of Vecna or the Eye of Vecna with an equal probability of each - the Hand's carry and invoke effects are carried over from this version.

Origin

Wikipedia
Wikipedia has an article about:

The hand is an important artifact from Dungeons & Dragons. There too, is the severed hand of defeated Vecna. It's an original creation of D&D.

Messages

You feel the hand scrabbling around inside of you!
You took damage from eating The Hand of Vecna.
You offer this evil thing to <your god>...
You sacrificed The Hand of Vecna.

See also

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