I just bought the Harrow deck and the Harrow Handbook. However, I am finding the instructions to be difficult to grasp.
Could someone please explain how to use the deck?
And, how do I use it in game? See, I bought the Harrow deck because I am running the Carrion Crown adventures, and I recall there were a few usages of the deck in it.
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That's kind of a big question.
There are some resources that you should check out first.
The Harrow Handbook has a lot of good stuff in it.
The Inner Sea World Guide has a lot of info on Harrowing as well as the Harrower PrC.
Those are the primary sources of Harrow Deck stuff.
Some players have used the Harrow Deck for in-character 'fortune telling' and have had a lot of luck with it.
As GM you can be as creative as you want with it. Make up your own harrowing rules (or look to ISWG for suggestions).
The most important thing is that you make sure it helps everyone have more fun.
EDIT: also search these boards for 'harrow' and you'll find a bunch of threads on characters people have made, rules discussions, and creative uses of the deck.
Well, I checked out the Harrow Handbook, and returned it because it didn't explain the cards any better.
What I am wanting to look into is some means of including the cards in my Carrion Crown adventures. We just finished the first one, Haunting at Harrowstone, today.
What I have problems with are how the position of the cards affect how they are interpreted. Are there any better descriptions on how to do the standard spread than what's in the little booklet that comes with the cards?
Also, what other adventure paths would feature the Harrow deck? I read something about a Crimson Throne (?) series that might, but I know nothing about it.
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My answer isn't really a "Rules" forum answer, but is rather an "Advice" forum answer. I have therefore spoilered it. Please ignore it if you feel that non-RAW answers don't belong on the "Rules" forum.
All of this stuff is intentionally vague. It adds to the theatre of a tarot/Harrow reading. If anyone could do it by referencing a guide, where would the fun be? You have to be able to spin meaningful stories based off of archetypal clues.
I would suggest checking out some books on tarot and trying to apply that, or just let your players use the deck and then give them vague semi-correct semi-helpful information when they do a reading. Nothing earth shattering, just hints. It's especially helpful when the players didn't notice the clue-by-four you hit them with earlier.
It wasn't a useful answer. See, in the spread, the position of the card alters the meaning of the card. That's what I am having difficulty with. A few additional examples of how to read a spread than what's in the booklet would be most helpful.
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That's why I said to check with tarot books. I think that Harrow is a bit more complex in its layout than tarot, but the card being dealt right-side-up or up-side-down make a huge difference.
It's a novelty product - not a reliable rules product.
Anyhow, that's what I had. I wish you good luck in getting more clear answers. :-)
*Edit*
Sorry, I missed the last line in your second post. Pretty much any of the APs in Varisia at least tangentially feature Harrow. There is a Harrow reader in Sandpoint, so RotRL has some. But nothing that will help in rules knowledge.
There are also secondary objectives, awarding either a bonus card with a Group-wide ability or awarding a second drawing of cards for the book. The secondary objectives are noted in side-panels starting at the beginning of the second book.
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I do believe the first book of Curse of the Crimson Throne did have a listing of "misaligned" readings for each card, rather than the vague explanation in the Harrow booklet. Other than that, alot of it is left to vague interpretation and the uses of the Harrow cards in Carrion Crown don't carry any meaning unless you give the cards meaning. They can't be misaligned in terms of bonuses or the boons they grant.
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Ok, how to read the standard 3x3 harrow spread.
Thats a square with 3 cards in each row. Notice there are nine cards. Notice there are nine alignments. This is not coinicidence. Each card has its own alignment, as does each square in a harrow spread.
For the spread, top row is Good, middle row is Neutral, and bottom row is Evil, like so.
GGG
NNN
EEE
Also, left column is Law, middle column is Neutral and right column is Chaos. which Gives you:
LG-NG-CG
LN-TN-CN
LE-NE-CE
For the cards, if you look at the border arouund the picture you will notice 8 circles. One of these 8 circles is likely different than the others, instead of being blank it will have a little mini picture in it of a crown or a key or something. The position of where that little different circle is tells you the alignment of the card, which are the same as the alignment positions as the spread. So if you draw a card with a picture in the upper left circle, its a lawful good card, and if its in the middle far right card its chaotic neutral. And if there is NO different circle, all the circles are the same, that's because thats a true neutral card.
With me so far?
When you lay the cards in the spread you don't read every card. You must read one from each column, and ther eis an order of precidence for how you read them, based on alignment. You MUST read either perfect matches or complete opposite matches, if there are none you should read partial matches, and of there are none of those then just pick whichever you want.
So lets explain card matches. A perfect match is when the alignment of a card and the alignment of the place in the spread are identicle. So a card in the upper right itself has it's little icon in the upper right circle. They match perfectly. You look up in the little book what the meaning of the card is and you interperate as closely to the way its written in the booklet as possible.
Now there are opposite matches, or 'misaligned cards'. This is when the position of the card and its alignment are competely opposite. You have a lawful evil card in a chaotic good spot, or vice versa. This you look up in the little book and interperate as completley opposite to its definition as you can.
Then you have partial matches. This is where the card matches on of the alignments in the position, but not both. Like say you have a neutral good card in the true neutral position (law-chaos match but not good-evil), or the lawful evil card in the chaotic evil position (good-evil match but not law-chaos). These you interperate like the booklet definition, but not exactly.
But wait! There's more! Once you decide which cards you are going to interpereate on a spread, WHERE they are also influences how you interperate them outside of the card alignment. Cards that landed in the good row you interperate as possitively as possible (even if its a card that says you're about to get eaten by a dragon, figure out how it could have a positive spin). Cards that are in the evil row you interperate as negatively as possible.
Now this is just all for actually 'reading' the cards. For purely mechanical uses, which ever spell or ability you are using will tell you what bonuses you get for perfect or partial matches and penalties for misaligned matches.
How that's helpful, and not jsut more confusing!
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Just lay down the cards in whatever pattern you feel like (cross, bridge, five-in-a-row, etc.) and make something up. That's how every telephone and roadside psychic out there in the "real" world operates!
Seriously, the cards' illustrations are pretty cool and are wide open to interpretation for adventure plot purposes. All the DM/GM has to do is use some bogus dice rolls and some storytelling mojo to dish out some vague foreshadowing of events to come in the plotline and, voila, what the cards have foretold will come to pass!
And I must say that Paizo's Harrowing Deck is a lot cooler for game use than the comparatively voluminous standard Tarot deck; at least you don't have to pound your head trying to "memorize" both the major AND minor arcana sections!
Any clear rule about how to interpret an upside down harrow card? Misaligned?
Any clear rule about how to interpret an upside down harrow card? Misaligned?
I remember the booklet specifically saying that upside-down cards should just be turned right side up. The position based on alignment deals with misaligned and modified interpretations.
If you want unofficial suggestions, a not-uncommon method of reading misaligned tarot cards is to change the perspective. Upright cards are things the outside world is doing, while inverted cards are inner thoughts and challenges that you may be facing.