I'm working up variations of how the Deck of Many Things is dealt. The idea is that the DM would roll a d12 and that is how the players have their cards dealt to them. Here's my first pass at it:
( 1 ) RANDOM: Player draws 1d4 cards. Cards may not be used to avoid the effects of other cards.
( 2 ) SPIRIT: Player draws 1 + Charisma modifier number of cards (or none, if they so choose). Cards may be used to avoid the effects of other cards.
( 3 ) CHOICE: Player chooses to draw from zero to five cards (no more than five). Cards may be used to avoid the effects of other cards.
( 4 ) FATE: Player is dealt three cards face-down. Each card is turn face-up one at a time and the results are read. The player may choose to discard it if they choose, but the card is reshuffled into the deck and a new card is dealt to the end of their fortune. Once a card is accepted and a new card is turned face-up, the player may not go back and discard any previous card. Once all three cards have been turned up, the results are then resolved, in order, one at a time. The player may only discard once. Cards may not be used to avoid the effects of other cards.
( 5 ) DESTINY: Player is dealt five cards face-down. Each card is turned face-up one at a time, but the results are not read. The player may discard it if they choose, but no new card is dealt at the end. A player may discard their Charisma modifier minus 1 (to a minimum of once) number of times. Once all five cards have been turned face-up, the results are then resolved, in order, one at a time. Cards may not be used to avoid the effects of other cards.
( 6 ) TRUE GRIT: Player draws from zero to five cards. These are turned up one at a time and their results are read. After each effect, the player may decide whether or not they wish to continue. There is no avoiding a card's effect. Cards may be used to avoid the effects of other cards.
( 7 ) THE PATH: The player is dealt two columns of four cards. The first row is then turned face-up. The player chooses which one they will keep and which one they will discard without having their effects read to them. The process is the same for the second, third, and fourth rows. Once a player has chosen their path, the cards are resolved in order, one at a time.
( 8 ) THE PASSAGE: The player is dealt three columns of four cards. The first row is then turned face-up. The results of the three cards in the row are read to the player. The player chooses which one they will accept. The DM is encouraged to remove one row of cards before the player makes their selection. Once the DM has wiped a row, s/he may not remove any other rows. Cards may not be used to avert the effects of other cards.
( 9 ) THE JOURNEY: The player is dealt two columns of twelve cards each. The first row is then turned face-up. The player chooses which one they will keep and which one they will discard without having their effects read. Once the player chooses a card, its effect is resolved. A player may choose to nullify the effect. Once an effect is nullified, the remaining cards are discarded.
( 10 ) MAKE A DEAL: Player selects any three positive cards they want. These are placed, face down in a pile. The DM places two other stacks of three cards before the player. The top card of one pile is the Skull and the top card of the other pile is Donjon. These three piles are then randomized for the player (not for the DM). Then the player plays Let's Make a Deal.
( 11 ) POKER: The Player chooses seven positive Major Arcana cards and shuffles them. The DM shuffles the seven negative Major Arcana cards and shuffles them as well. The player then chooses to play either Five Card Draw, Seven Card Stud, or Texas Hold 'Em (nothing is wild in any of these versions of poker). Each of the seven Major Arcana cards are the 'chips' used for betting. There is no ante. The maximum bet is three cards (there is no All In). If a Player wins a hand, then s/he wins the positive Major Arcana cards and discards the negative ones. If a Player loses a hand, s/he takes the effects of the negative cards and loses the positive cards. If either the player or the DM fold on the initial deal (before card exchange in Draw, first face-up card in Stud, or pre-flop in Hold 'Em), then it is a push and nothing happens. If the DM folds after initial deal, the Player wins the pot. If the Player folds after the initial deal, they do not take the effects of the negative cards in the pot, but the game stops at that point and there are no more hands.
( 12 ) TRADES: Players may draw up to three cards and know their results, but those effects are not resolved. Cards are not returned to the Deck. Once everyone has their cards, players may trade cards among themselves.
I have expanded the Deck of Many Things to include and effect for all 78 cards in a tarot deck (two-thirds good, one-third bad), but that's another post.
I'm just curious as to what people think about these ideas. Are there any tweaks you'd make? Any other drawing options that you'd suggest?
Personally I never determine these effects randomly...ever! Instead I work it out ahead of time for each player and based on the number of cards. IE; if Tom has Grognak the Orc Barbarian draw 1 card then X happens, if 2 cards then XX happens, etc.
They players never knew this however as I had them draw from a card deck to give the illusion that it was random, but in truth the results (regardless of what card was drawn) was already determined well in advance. Ironically this always worked out well as I used it as an easy DM intervention for correcting holes in the characters (such as given a bonus to a critically bad save, or applying a nerf I'd already discussed with the player previously). It also avoided campaign wrecking randomness such as a key player suddenly being stuck in the 9th ring of Hell by some pissed off devil.
Here is another idea for the Deck of Many Things that you may like:
Change it item from a card deck to something else...such as the Lament Configuration magic box from Hell Raiser. You can even state that such an item is demonic / extra-dimensional in nature and thus explaining its random nature. You will be amazing how much this changes the average players willingness to experiment with such an item, even those the effects from it are exactly the same as the card deck. They are simply been reskinned.
Interesting idea. Take a traditionally chaotic artifact and make it lawful.
Personally, that wouldn't work for me as I enjoy the chaos.
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You could have the deck deal 1d6 damage per card drawn as it takes your blood to fuel its magic.
Interesting idea. Take a traditionally chaotic artifact and make it lawful.
Personally, that wouldn't work for me as I enjoy the chaos.
If your referring to my idea of pre-generating the results, I'd point out that it is still 100% random...to your players. They never knew the difference, however as the DM it allows for greater creative freedom because you can now tailor other events around the results of the cards, or magic box from hell, or "gift" from the Ouija Board spirit, or whatever.
Personally I used the imagery of the "Magic Box from Hell" (MBH) to represent several items in my campaign, especially if the players where never meant to have the item. Or if they were meant to have, never truly master the item, and thus have it remain a perpetual mystery to them of exactly what they had their hands on. In this way each time they interacted with it, it could act as a different item while still being the box.