Unless you have not read all your blog roll today you know that Jack Vance has died.
http://www.jackvance.com/
Vance was one of the Godfaters of D&D to be honest. The "cast and forget" spell system D&D has used since day one is called a "Vancian Spell system". The Lich Vecna is an anagram of Vance. Ioun stones and a whole host of other things I am not thinking of too.
To me though the great contribution of Jack Vance to D&D is his Dying Earth series. There is a feel to those books are are so D&D. Even more so than say the worlds of Connan or Elric.
If you want another good source of inspiration, try his Lyonesse trilogy. I remember these from the 80s and thought they had a style and sophistication above and beyond the dross I was reading then.
Indeed we mark the passing of another giant.
Aspects of the Lich King Vecna were often in our old gaming campaign
ReplyDeletesorry to hear that this creative talent has passed