Deck of Many Things Experiences

[Barendd Nobeard]

You'd think Asmodeus, Demogorgon, and all the rest would finally say ENOUGH.

That would be a fun campaign to run--Asmodeus et al. attempting to destroy all the Decks of Many Things that exist in the universe. Or playing the PCs trying to figure out what they're up to....

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

That would be a fun campaign to run--Asmodeus et al. attempting to destroy all the Decks of Many Things that exist in the universe. Or playing the PCs trying to figure out what they're up to....

In our old Birthright game, towards the end, we ran across a Deck-Bomb.

It's a box. When opened, every creature within a certain radius has to draw from a Deck, with most of the good cards removed. Four cards/round. Eventually, once everything was down, Graz'zt came to collect it.

The priest *gladly* paid the XP for the Miracle to retcon it.

Brad

 

[sfgiants]

Used it once. Ended the campaign pretty quick. The best part was we used a real deck of cards and the only one we could find was the US military deck that had pictures such as Saddam. Strange stuff

PS: I hope that doesn't count as political

 

[wingsandsword]

Well, the best thing I ever saw about the Deck of Many Things was the way a DM integrated it into the setting.

In a Forgotten Realms game, the DM had the backstory that Decks of Many Things were created when Tyche was infected by Moander and was split into Tymora and Beshaba, and that the split left a few shards of pure fate lying around Faerun, and this pure fate took material form as Decks of Many Things.

 

[Shemeska]

Well, I'll have to see if I can get Clueless to post her experience in one game in which they played blackjack with a Deck of Many Things.

I've had two experiences with the Deck of Many Things: once as DM, once as a player.

As a DM: The PCs were inside one of the towers on the border of the positive touched quasielemental planes with the positive energy plane. Inside, within a section of one of these towers that was normally inaccessable, they had to each draw a single card at random from the deck in a test of bravery (or foolhardiness). Nothing super big happened from their draws.

As a player: I was playing in a RttToEE game under the worlds worst DM. He hadn't read the module at all, so a new room to us was a new room to him. He'd briefly read ahead and explain 'OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!' loudly when he read about what monsters would presumably come try to kill us. Pure hack and slash campaign, despite our attempts to talk to one another and give it more depth, the DM simply would have none of it. Well, this was going nowhere, so we said to hell with the game and decided to go out in grand fashion or go so over the top that the campaign would be even further in hell than it already was. So, during a chance to draw from said lovely artifact deck o' cards, we drew. And oh Lord did we draw. I think the lowest number of cards drawn by any PC was 4. One of us drew 8.

And yes, that game died shortly thereafter as I started my 3e Planescape campaign to take its place like a stake pounded into the heart of a screaming vampire that up to that point refused to realize it was not long for the world.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Here's a modified Deck:

Ace of Spades: 30th level plus character appears and attacks drawer
King of Spades: 20th level plus character hates drawer, plots against him/her
Queen of Spades: Entire party of adventurers levels 5 through 10 appear, attack drawer
Jack of Spades: Wizard infuriated against drawer, casts Wish against him
Ten of Spades: King of nearby country orders execution of drawer, sends adventurers to do the job
Nine of Spades: Nearest character above 10th level enraged at drawer, come to attack.
Eight of Spades: Nearest group of characters levels 1 through 5 enraged at drawer, come to attack.
Seven of Spades: Paladin appears, demands Deck. If not given Deck, attacks.
Six of Spades: Cleric appears, demands Deck. If not given Deck, hurls Curse on drawer (automatic, no save)
Five of Spades: Wanted signs posted for Drawer in nearest country (for major offense.)
Four of Spades: Attention of all monsters within 50 miles drawn: they will eventually show up at the locale. If the party is still there, they may be hostile.
Three of Spades: Nymph appears and takes Deck. If party resists, must save versus Blindness. If party still resists, must save or die.
Two of Spades: Nearest Dryad aroused, charms Drawer (no saving throw.) Party may attempt to reclaim victim of Dryad.

The point being, would you draw from this Deck, even if it had a lot of good things in it?
If you did, and a lot of such Decks were laying around, eventually Mordenkainen, Elminster, and Dalamar would get tired of being subjected to summonings (with no save), forced combats (no save), mind altering effects on them (no save), and so on. They would put an injunction on these Decks.

(imagines a group of kender with a Deck of Many Things, gets horrified look)

Eventually, all these Demon Lords and Archdevils and whatnot, are going to say: Well, that's it. Too much interference from Toril (or Oerth, or Krynn) with these Decks. Time to take an army and OBLITERATE a country or two, to make a point.

 

[The Edge]

I would like to see a lesser deck, one that won't throw a campain in a totaly diferent direction but still with interesting efects good and bad, just nothing severe. Shake things up without spilling the glass. With emphasis on 'interesting' encounters rather than dull ability gains etc. Infact im going to start writing one right now.

Another idea is discovering a second hand deck. One laying on the floor with various strange things surounding it, a skeleton, and certain cards already taken.

 

[sjmiller]

I am currently working on creating a less chaotic and lower powered version of the Deck. I am going to base the benefits/banes on the more common meanings of the tarot cards they suggest using for the deck. I am hoping to include it in an adventure for players in the 5th-9th level range. My players are working their way to that level, so I want to see their faces (all old time gamers) when the think they know what they have found. As soon as I have a rough draft, I will post it and get suggestions on alterations.

 

[Stalker0]

Last character I had draw from the deck kept getting the draw more cards. She was blinded, given 50000 xp, lost a level, some emnity, given a big keep, then killed

 

[Crothian]

If you did, and a lot of such Decks were laying around, eventually Mordenkainen, Elminster, and Dalamar would get tired of being subjected to summonings (with no save), forced combats (no save), mind altering effects on them (no save), and so on. They would put an injunction on these Decks.

(imagines a group of kender with a Deck of Many Things, gets horrified look)

Eventually, all these Demon Lords and Archdevils and whatnot, are going to say: Well, that's it. Too much interference from Toril (or Oerth, or Krynn) with these Decks. Time to take an army and OBLITERATE a country or two, to make a point.

Huh?? This makes no sense. The deck doesn't summon demons and edevils, well except the dread wraith, it doesn't effect high level NPCs from the world unless they are drawing from the deck.