Harrow Deck and Foreshadowing

[z28camaro90]

I read a thread were someone basically took the Harrow cards that they wanted to use in the reading, sat them off to the side, shuffled the Harrow deck and when the players were not looking put the cards they wanted on top. This allowed the players to think that the whole thing was random and the DM was able to foreshadow a lot of things that was coming up in the adventure.
I think that we should start a thread here were people pick the cards they would use a reading and explain what they would say for the meaning of each card. This would help out people, like me, who are not very good at foreshadowing.

[Cpt_kirstov]

I did the opposite, I wrote one sentence fragment for each 'set' of cards (if one of these is strongly implemented, this should be foreshadowed" with certain cards getting a sentence. I used data from the previews in PF#6, since, if something was wrong it could be easily accounted by the 'prophecy in the world has been broken for many years'

[Lilith]

Ooh ooh ooh! Pick me, the work day is slow!

*shuffles cards, enters into storyteller voice*

[GM Lilith]

Question: My performance at the Kendall Amphitheater debuts this eve. How shall it do?

Okay, since this relates to entertainment, we'll draw the Keys suit out of the deck, and have the questioner draw a card from those nine.

The aspiring artist draws the Demon's Lantern out of the deck. The card shows a hand reaching out of the swampy water towards dancing will-o-wisps, taunting with their hope.

This initial draw is the Role Card, which has particular meaning if it shows up in the Harrowing. The trick to Harrow reading is to generalize. Don't get too specific, or you'll paint yourself into a trap. Leave yourself some wiggle room.

"Ahh...the Demon's Lantern. Trickery and deceit, smoke and mirrors. A goal desired - but is it perhaps too far out of your grasp?" the fortune teller replies, taking the suit of Keys and reshuffling them back into the rest of the deck. Shuffling the deck thoroughly, she places nine cards, face down, in a 3 by 3 square. She turns over the cards in the first column on the left. From top to bottom, The Betrayal, The Carnival, and the Idiot; she turns The Betrayal upside down, the Carnival to the left, and the Idiot to the right.

The left column is the past column. I turned the Betrayal card upside down because it's misaligned: it's a neutral evil card, but showed up in the Good row. Misaligned cards are interpreted the opposite way of what they normally are. The Carnival, a chaotic neutral card, is in the lawful neutral position - its Opposite position, so I turn it to the left. The Idiot is a Partial match, meaning either its column or row position is right, so I turn it to the right.

For what cards to interpret, Role cards, True matches, and Opposites are your primary goals, so emphasize them. Next down is Partial matches, then "whatever." However, I have a Misaligned card (the Betrayal), so I'm going to combine The Carnival and The Betrayal to interpret the questioner's past.

"Whimsy and childish desires have ruled your past, and they have grated against society's laws because of it. Capriciousness may rule your actions, but it does not rule your heart - you have been a generous one."

The Carnival represents whimsy, illusions and false dreams. Since it's in the Lawful Neutral position (Opposite), I had those conflict with Society - Lawful Neutral. The Betrayal normally represents selfishness, but since it is misaligned, we'll have it represent generosity.

The artist bites her lower lip, stopping it from trembling. The fortune teller turns over the central column, that which represents the Present. The Courtesan, the Forge, and the Brass Dwarf are all displayed, but the fortune teller turns over the Courtesan and the Brass Dwarf.

I turn over cards that don't match in any way, so I don't interpret them.

"Ah, the Forge. Hard working, strength - see how the fire creatures taunt him so? You will need strength to make it through these unclear times." Slowly, the fortune teller flips over the final column, the column that represents the Future. The Eclipse, The Publican and the Mountain Man - the Publican and the Mountain Man are turned to the right, while the Eclipse is turned to the left. The fortune teller taps the Eclipse.

"Misaligned and Opposite...a good blessing indeed. Unknown abilities will come to the fore, leading you to new opportunities. I believe your Amphitheater performance will go quite well this evening, Ms. Sabor."

Wow, the Eclipse is normally a boner of a card, but because it's in the completely opposite position, it's actually darn good, particularly for the Positive Future position.

"Thank you Zellara," the artist says, sliding a handful of silver and copper to the fortune teller.

[Lilith]

One of the best suggestions I can offer at this point is really know your players' characters. The question/answers that were in the reading for Ms. Sabor were particularly revealing (considering we know what happens to Ms. Sabor in Curse of the Crimson Throne), but - and here is the trick - make it subtle. Just because there is a depiction of mephits attacking a guy at a forge doesn't mean that you have to do that literally. Harrowing is about interpretation, and as we all know, interpretations will vary from person to person.

[z28camaro90]

Wow I mean Wow! Thank you for the advice that is the best advice that I have gotten from a post. If I could I would bake you a cookie but the end up burnt mostly LOL. I do thank you that was very helpful and I feel a lot more confident in doing a Harrow reading for my group now. My hat is off to you.

[Lilith]

Not a problem! Anybody else need a Harrowing? :D

[Michael Kortes]

Lilith wrote:

Not a problem! Anybody else need a Harrowing? :D

Oh great wise Lilith, one with the Harrow:

"Will any playtesters survive the Pact Stone Pyramid"?

[GM Lilith]

Michael Kortes wrote:

"Will any playtesters survive the Pact Stone Pyramid"?

Oooh! A good one! The cards speak thusly...

A Shield! A Shield to protect you from the ills that may befall you within the Pyramid...

Role Cards: The Tangled Briar (Player 1), The Desert (Player 2), The Sickness (Player 3), and The Waxworks (Player 4). Assuming a standard four player group. :P

Spread:
The Vision - The Dance (Partial) - The Marriage
The Waxworks (ROLE) - The Cricket (Partial) - The Betrayal
The Queen Mother (Partial) - The Snakebite (Partial) - The Forge

The fourth player's past will come to the fore within the Pyramid - their inaction in the past opens up knowledge that they had previously hidden. The fourth player might need coercion to reveal the knowledge key to surviving.

A path well chosen leads to a treasure, but the treasure might be poisoned - beware a trap.

No clear presentation of the future exists - a diplomatic agreement between two parties is the best choice to survive, though deceit might prove a path with unforseen consequences. Greater ills could befall if the party chooses to survive through a rigorous trial by fire.

[Michael Kortes]

Thanks a ton Lilith!

I have sent this along. They have not been particularly comforted but they'll take all the guidance they can get. There's also a bit of a debate as to who is player four which should be fun.

-Michael

P.S. A Pre-Consult with "The Lilith" may become routine. Perhaps there should be a gp cost.

[GM Lilith]

Michael Kortes wrote:

A Pre-Consult with "The Lilith" may become routine. Perhaps there should be a gp cost.

Eeeexcellent...*rubs hands together, shuffles cards*

[Glan-Var Ov-Thur]

What if a card in the spread is upside down?

[Misroi]

Unlike the Tarot, the Harrow doesn't care about a card's orientation, only where any given card shows up with respect to the card's alignment. A LG card in the upper left spot has a True Match, while a CE card in that same spot is an Opposite, and should be interpreted in reverse.