Necromancy has led many characters in Dungeons and Dragons lore down dark paths, with certain artifacts of that school of magic often facilitating that descent. The Hand and Eye of Vecna are notorious corrupted pieces of the god Vecna, whose powers over death allow those items to corrupt whoever they come into contact with. However, despite the power of Vecna’s remains, another tool holds an even greater power over undeath.
Undead creatures are definitely some of D&D‘s most terrifying monsters, but the necromancers who create them are just as scary. A necromancer can be a variety of figures, from a human mage turned lich to an unholy demon who has wielded evil magic for their whole existence. Artifacts that help channel necromancy for these spellcasters are extremely dangerous, holding a power coveted by only the worst of the worst.
The Demon Prince’s Weapon Holds Absolute Dominion Over Undead
Arguably the strongest necromancy artifact in D&D is the Wand of Orcus, a magical mace wielded by a prince of the Abyss. Orcus is a Demon Prince, one of the strongest of demonkind whose thirst for chaos and violence manifests into power over the undead. Orcus desires nothing more than the complete annihilation of all life in the Material Plane, turning all organic creatures into undead to do his bidding.
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The Wand of Orcus acts as a weapon, spellcasting focus, and magic item that can cast necromancy magic at will. Similar to the Hand and Eye of Vecna, the Wand is imbued with charges that can be spent on casting some of the strongest spells in D&D. Circle of Death, Animate Dead, Finger of Death, Blight, and even the infamous Power Word Kill are all available to wielders of the Wand, spreading death at an unprecedented pace.
The only way to destroy the Wand of Orcus is to resurrect the hero whose skull sits fixed in it, then have that hero go to the Positive Energy Plane. Since Orcus keeps that hero’s soul under lock and key, you likely won’t see the Wand destroyed any time soon.
As for its appearance, the Wand of Orcus is a rod of metal with a skull atop it, the last heirloom of an ancient hero who once tried to slay the Demon Prince. The Wand deals high amounts of necrotic damage when used as a melee weapon, but its main draw comes from the pure necromancy magic that flows through it. The Wand has multiple properties to it, including a +3 buff to a character’s AC if they manage to equip it.
Unlike Vecna’s Hand or Eye, the Wand of Orcus is designed around necromancy alone, rather than domination or clairvoyance. The Wand has passed into the hands of necromancers in the past, as Orcus is amused by how mortals tend to use it to accomplish heinous goals. Each time risks a figure with absolute dominance over the undead, rather than a mastery of more general magic.
Orcus’ Artifact Comes With An Evil Intelligence
Cruel Sentience Only Obeys One True Master
No matter who manages to wield the Wand in Orcus’ favor, the weapon always remains loyal to its Prince. The Wand of Orcus is completely sentient, possessing an Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma ability score whenever it is encountered in a setting for a D&D game. Any creature who tries to attune to the Wand who isn’t Orcus feels the full wrath of the weapon, dying instantly if they fail a Wisdom saving throw and rising as a zombie afterward.
The Wand can speak to its wielder, provided that Orcus approves of them using it in the first place. As a chaotic evil entity, the Wand has a cruel, cold intelligence that only desires the complete destruction of life like its master. As a being that can understand the Common language and the demonic Abyssal tongue, it can spread its nihilistic beliefs to whoever comes in contact with it.
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I’ve found that one of the most fascinating elements of the Wand is how it deliberately tries to feign devotion to whoever wields it. It makes great promises to anyone who tries to use it, stocking their ego and promising delusions of grandeur that it has no intention of fulfilling. It will even vow to help someone overthrow Orcus, until it inevitably betrays them in the end to return to the hands of the Demon Prince once again.
Anyone Wielding The Demon Prince’s Weapon Gains An Undead Army
The Wand Summons The Dead On A Massive Scale
What truly separates the Wand of Orcus from the Hand of Vecna is the sheer scale of necromancy it can unleash. Whoever wields the Wand of Orcus can use the ability Call Dead to summon an undead army of zombies and skeletons equal to 500 Hit Points, with each rising from the ground in a single action. Unlike Animate Dead, where you have to cast the spell over and over to get a group of undead, this gives you a huge group of loyal corpses at once.
When Orcus wields the Wand, the undead he summons can be of any type, not just limited to zombies and skeletons. Furthermore, they do not disappear until Orcus commands them to.
This army lasts for an entire day, without the wielder ever having to dismiss them until that time runs out. Creating an undead army in a single action is a necromancer’s dream, and something I desperately wish my own Necromancer Wizard character could do. However, gaining this power will likely rob that character of their freedom, as only those willing to spread Orcus’ destructive desires will ever get the chance to wield the weapon.
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The temptation of such power, though, is what makes magic items in D&D so fascinating sometimes. As a legendary item, the Wand of Orcus rarely leaves its master’s side, but that doesn’t mean it never will throughout the course of your game. Like all corrupted artifacts, the Wand could be a tool for great character development, whether that be a trial of resistance against power or a dark fall of an otherwise noble soul.
Without much initial interest in the Demon Princes due to their simple, chaotic nature, I failed to notice this artifact in comparison to the shady dealings of devils instead. With everyone using the Hand or Eye of Vecna in their Dungeons and Dragons games, the Wand of Orcus might be the next one to include for its presence as likely the strongest necromancy artifact in the game.
- Original Release Date
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1974
- Publisher
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TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Player Count
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2-7 Players
