Sword of Kas

In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Sword of Kas was the mighty blade used by Kas the Bloody-Handed, the dreaded lieutenant of Vecna. It was by this blade, some say, that Vecna lost his Hand and Eye.

Publication history

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The Sword of Kas first appeared in the Original D&D supplement, Eldritch Wizardry.[1] It was one of the first artifacts detailed for the Dungeons & Dragons game.[2]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The Sword of Kas was also mentioned in the original 1979 Dungeon Master's Guide.[3]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

The Sword has been updated many times, such as with the 1993 Book of Artifacts,[4] and has even been the object of quests as in the adventure Vecna Lives!.[5][6]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The Sword of Kas appears in the Dungeon Master's Guide (2000) for this edition.[7]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

The Sword of Kas appears in the Dungeon Master's Guide (2003) for this edition.[8]

Dungeons & Dragons 5.0 edition (2014-)

The Sword of Kas appears again in the Dungeon Master's Guide (2014) for this edition.[9]

Description

The sword, variously described as a short sword, longsword, or greatsword, was crafted by Vecna (or just procured by him for his lieutenant, if one follows the first edition Dungeon Master's Guide). Other false Swords of Kas have also been created as decoys by Vecna's minions. The actual blade is said to have been magically honed to a razor's edge, enhanced the wielder's strength, and could be used to call down lightning bolts from any stormclouds that might be overhead. The sword itself is intelligent, possessing a vile and murderous spirit. It is also said to be the only thing that can truly wound Vecna, though only if the user wields it with the Hand of Vecna.

In 4th edition, the Sword of Kas is described in supplement Open Grave, is a short sword suitable for Epic level characters (Level 20 or more). The Sword also gains a property if the character wields it with the Hand of Vecna.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Gygax, Gary; Blume, Brian (1976). "Eldritch Wizardry" (1 ed.). Lake Geneva, WI: TSR.
  2. ↑ Mortdred (2001-02-05). "Review of Eldritch Wizardry". RPGnet. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  3. ↑ Gygax, Gary (1979), Dungeon Masters Guide, Lake Geneva WI: TSR
  4. ↑ Cook, David (1993). "Book of Artifacts" (2 ed.). Lake Geneva, WI: TSR.
  5. ↑ Christopher Page (1999-11-15). "Review of Vecna Lives". RPGnet. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  6. ↑ Cook, David. Vecna Lives!. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1990
  7. ↑ Cook, Monte, Skip Williams, and Jonathan Tweet. Dungeon Master's Guide (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
  8. ↑ Cook, Monte, Skip Williams, and Jonathan Tweet. Dungeon Master's Guide (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)
  9. ↑ James Wyatt, Jeremy Crawford, and Christopher Perkins. Dungeon Master's Guide (Wizards of the Coast, 2014)
  10. ↑ Cordell, Bruce, et al. Open Grave. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2009

Additional reading