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The Fragments of Vecna[

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Since /tg/ is awesome and gets shit done, here's the rules for Vecna's various missing bits in AD&D, just so you know what kind of crap you had to put up with. To use any fragment, you had to empty a space for it on your body, unless you already had it - this cost you 2D6 damage for the smaller parts (finger, scalp, eye), 10D10 damage for a whole limb or organ, and instant death for a vital organ. This means that you needed somebody else to install Vecna's Heart, after which it'd bring you back to life at 1 hitpoint. Cutting the artifact free causes you to take the same level of damage, but permanently; only a Regenerate spell would restore the missing part and thus its associated health.

All Vecna's Fragments have a Curse causing you to need to make a Save Vs. Spell once per month; failure causes you to be Charmed by Vecna for 4d4+4 hours. Additionally, a Fragment can be temporarily destroyed by any attack that inflicts at least 33 points of damage (except for the Heart), but only being eaten by someone using the Molar of Vecna can permanently destroy them.

Ironically, having even one part of Vecna's Fragments installed makes you immune to Vecna's direct powers (though he can still hurt you indirectly; hitting you with a weapon, commanding a follower to kill you, indirect consequences of spells, that charm effect from tbe curse, etc), invisible to his scrying effects, and better able to fuck his shit up. Vecna can't heal damage inflicted by someone bearing one of his Fragments, nor can he teleport if grappled by such a host - if someone bearing one of his Fragments was to kill him, Vecna would also be "ejected from the Outer Planes and returned to Oerth", which depending on how you read it, would mean you'd end his divinity and reduce him back to just being a lich again.

Scalp of Vecna: Gives the bearer a white streak of hair as a physical indication of its presence. The bearer gains +2% magic resistance and can, twice per day, cause their hair to animate; growing 30 feet longer and becoming a tendril that can grapple & immobilize a single victim.

First Digit of Vecna: Replaces the bearer's right thumb with an overlarge digit sporting a blackened, clawlike nail. The bearer gains +2% magic resistance and can, 4 times per day, either bless (heal 3D6 damage, +4 to all saving throws or attack rolls for 1 hour) or curse (victim must save vs spell or take 3D6 damage (save again to halve damage) and suffer -4 to all saving throws or attack rolls for 1 hour) a single victim by giving a thumb's up or a thumb's down. This power can be used 4 times in total per day, so you have to choose your combination of blessings and curses.

Second Digit of Vecna: Replaces the bearer's right index finger with an overlarge digit sporting a blackened, clawlike nail. The bearer gains +2% magic resistance and can Charm a single victim for 1 hour once per day by pointing at the target with the finger (palm up) and then crooking it in a beckoning gesture. Targets of this power suffer a -4 penalty to their save vs. spell.

Third Digit of Vecna: Replaces the bearer's right medial finger with one sporting a massive, dagger-like nail, making them slightly clumsier with that hand. The bearer gains +1% magic resistance and can stab & slash victims with the nail, treating it as a dagger +4 (1d6+4 damage) that secretes a necrotic poison (save vs. poison or take a further 1d4+4 damage). Additionally, the bearer can shoot their nail out as a crossbow bolt +10 (adds +10 to Ranged THAC0) with 3D6+4 base damage and the same poison as a melee attack; this can only be done once per day, as it removes the nail for 12 hours until it grows back.

Last Digit of Vecna: Replaces the bearer's right pinky finger with one sporting a jagged, fungus-eaten nail. It grans +3% magic resistance, can be used to cast a free "double" of a memorized spell once per 4 hours, and means the bearer no longer requires somatic components when spellcasting.

Right Eye of Vecna: Replaces the bearer's right eye with a hazed, milky-white orb that makes them look as if blind. It grants +3% magic resistance and the ability to see in mundane and magical darkness. Additionally, thrice per day it can be used to inflict blindness on a single target who meets the bearer's eyes (Save vs. Spell with -5 penalty to avoid).

Molar of Vecna: Replaces one of the bearer's teeth, giving them +3% magic resistance and a +4 bonus to saves vs. poison. Additionally, 3 times per day, the power of the molar can augment the bearer's mouth; the user can devour any nonmagical material in bite-sized chunks, which can be used for (among other imaginative shenanigans) burrowing through earth/stone/metal at a rate of 1 square foot per 5 rounds. Or the bearer can turn their maw on living victims, gaining a +4 bite attack that inflicts 2D6+4 damage. Each time it's activated, the Molar's power remains active for 20 rounds.

Incisors of Vecna: Replaces the bearer's upper canines with black vampire-like fangs. In addition to giving +1% magic resistance for each fang installed, if both are installed, then the bearer may transform into a vampire version of themselves for an 8-hour stretch twice per month. They cannot create spawn vampires by using their blood drain in this form - and drinking somebody of good or neutral alignment to death will wrack a good bearer with guilt, causing them to suffer a -5 penalty to all actions, attack rolls and saving throws for the following week. If such a host makes three kills in this manner, then their alignment will change and they probably become an NPC, because DMs in that edition are dicks.

Foot of Vecna: Replaces the bearer's left foot, without a visible trace but causing a strange hitch in their step. It grants +1% magic resistance and a +3 bonus to attack rolls & damage rolls when making kick attacks. Additionally, it has an array of spell-like abilities that the bearer can trigger, although only 4 such spells can be cast per day, and all are cast as a 20th level caster: Jump, Spider Climb, Free Action, Water Walk, Feather Fall and Levitation.

Heart of Vecna: Replaces the bearer's heart, obviously, leaving a nasty scar in the process. Grants +1% magic resistance and all the bonuses of a Ring of Regeneration. Additionally, once per month, the bearer can inflict a heart attack by making a called shot touch attack to the chest; the victim must succeed a saving throw vs. death magic or die instantly.

Skin of Vecna: Replaces a huge swathe of the bearer's skin, covering the left side of their face, neck and torso with dark, scabarous skin that causes them to lower their Charisma score by 5 points. It grants +4% magic resistance and the permanent effects of Resist Fire and Resist Cold. Additionally, it has an array of spell-like abilities that the bearer can trigger, although only 4 such spells can be cast per day, and all are cast as a 20th level caster: Mirror Image, Polymorph Self, Stoneskin and Protection from Lightning. Using its Polymorph Self power does not cause the trademark disfiguration to go away.

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Civil war just recently ended has left a huge gap in the population reduced.

immigration is recommencing, outside the walled city beyond the suburbs there is a sea of tents belonging to immigrants, awaiting their applications for citizenship

as pretty much anyone has access to roam around the suburbs, it’s a festival atmosphere, pubs are full by night, people scattered about during the day.

security is tight within the walls as the rush of immigrants has become a security issue. town guard at checkpoint entries at the walls are only allowing very few non citizens to enter the city, and are placed on temporary visitor status, required to check in at guard outposts and have a card stamped every two days or risk being placed on a bounty list.

merchants from within the walls are frustrated as the tighter security is slowing down business, so caravans are moving out to the suburbs, and public space is turning into a never ending marketplace by day, some higher end vendors packing up for the night and heading back to the city

applications for citizenship are harder to get than you’d think

requires: skill to contribute to society, personal references from current upstanding citizens, proof of income, maybe something else. this will be the first kinda quest for the group.

they would be drawn to the city from finding a body in wherever they start, containing enough id/info to tempt someone into stealing the identity, as well as a receipt for picking something up which will introduce them to a fence type.

the kingdom? or whatever it is, country i guess, is made up of many smaller towns too, but dont want players to want to check them all out, fill city with enough intrigue to keep them busy.

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Detectives Miller and Ford follow the leads from the unbelievably atrocious murder scene that the newspapers have dubbed as "the vanity murders," to a series of unexplained disappearances in the wealthy business district. Further investigations take the detectives to the old sewers where they find an old garbage incinerator with a severe rat infestation and a nest of some kind built into a collapsed cavity. It is filled with human bones gnawed bare, and a filthy pile of clothes made into a makeshift bed of sorts. 

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judge judy

a huge sphinx who lives in an area of the city surrounded by worshippers camping. literally a minor god. people present cases/arguments and an offering which represents a personal sacrifice in pursuit of the truth and justice. judy knows if it isn’t and takes this into consideration. 

she is tended by a small army and staff who are paid using some of the offerings. the sphinx cannot speak but will possess a speakerhead - human body to inhabit for an amount of time. pilgrims come from the world over to become speakerheads, although after the speaking they are left weak and usually die within weeks, a blissful and honest death. the dead speakerheads are then prepared as meals for judy. some cases are incredibly short, each party might only have one turn to speak and judgment will pass. some take weeks. a

maybe as party enter, a huge case is ongoing AHHH FUCK HOW ABOUT ITS BEEN SO LONG THAT ONE OF THE PARTIES HAS DIED BUT IS STILL BEING JUDGED!!!!

the rulings are final, and the guard ensure they are carried out. often lagging rulings are sold on to assassins/thieves guilds where the rulings may change, and still sanctioned.

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The Humans tend to build graveyards and mausoleums, the Pig-men mulch their dead for fertilizer.

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You start out as a refugee who just got off a boat in the water district. You arrive just as the island had been closed off by the Supreme Chancellor after the murder of Emperor Titus Meade. The entire Elder Council is gathered and he won't let anyone leave until a new Lord Protector is chosen (which he thinks will be him). The initial part of the game is trying to get out of the waterfront slum and into the city proper by acquiring official documents. You can get these legit or by other means. During this time, you will also have access to the non-city parts of the Isle as well. A perfectly legit way to complete this part is to sneak in through the sewers though this requires a specific build. Once you actually get into the city, circumstances find you in the service of one of the candidates for Lord Protector. You can be a double or triple agent if you want and play the candidates off of eachother (I'm not a good enough writer to explain how this could be done). One of the candidates you can choose is, of course, the Chancellor. He is not a straight villain. Instead of a bunch of one-off dungeons that have nothing to do with each-other, there is only one large "dungeon" with two different parts. The Imperial City sewers are massive and home to all sorts of things, human and otherwise. Go deep enough into the sewers and you'll come upon the remains of the ancient Alyied city that the IC was build on. This is by far the most dangerous and rewarding area in the whole game to get to in terms of loot.