Deck of Many things: Your best and worst moments

[sckeener]

I was playing a sexless mongrelman psionicist/thief in 2nd ed in Sigil and decided to try the deck. I drew two cards and I had a rough day...first I changed sexes...a flip of the die determined that one since I was sexless......I was now female....then I got an 18 charisma plus a keep on some random prime....

Needless to say that first month with the crimson tide was difficult for my now female character.....ah the RPing of the week prior was fun.

 

[Kmart Kommando]

My epic Bladesinger's party came into contact with a set of stones that worked like the Deck. He ended up with a -3 to all saves, a double-sized kingdom to rule over, and a curse that wouldn't let me own anything for my own benefit.

I started joking that I would pick up some of the treasure and think "hmm, this would look good over the mantle.." and poof! it would vanish. I started thinking of making slaves of my enemies, so they too would just go poof! That was the theory, anyway.

 

[Plane Sailing]

We came across a deck of many things at about party level 11/12. I think this is what happened.

player 1: gain 50,000xp and two enmities from outsiders
player 2: void
player 3: fates, lose all nonmagical gear (a trivial loss), something else
player 4: fates, a keep, fates
player 5: change alignment (CE to LE)
me: fight a dread wraith. Luckily I was a druid and buffed myself up fully before drawing the card - being a shambling mound who could buff his constitution by call lightning was the only thing that kept him alive. Cursed incorporeality meant that it dodged my first set of fire seed berries...
(player 5 the psychic warrior had also prepared for the eventuality of the dread wraith by purchasing a ghost touch undead bane greataxe or similar. He decided to join in the action, got a dread wraith of his own and killed it in two full attacks...)

 

[Doug McCrae]

We had a highly modified Deck of Many Things. We drew from a tarot deck and the GM would interpret the results. The only consequence I can recall was my PC, a female necromancer, magically falling in love with an NPC pastry chef.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Now I've seen the Green Ronin DoMT again, I gotta get one. It's so purty!

I've been known to use (for RPGs) playing cards, tarot cards, and other cards besides, but this thing's just classic. Darn these alluring items cropping up everywhere. . . or resurfacing anyway.

 

[an_idol_mind]

The deck of many things drove an entire campaign for me once. When the game began to drag, some bored players started drawing from the deck. Things started off well, with them getting gems and bonus experience. One of the PCs got her own keep, which slightly rewrote the history of my campaign setting. That same player drew another card, but nothing happened. She thought nothing of it, and the group continued on with the game.

She had drawn the "your closest friend betrays you" card. Her lover of 15 years suddenly usurped her power and took the keep for herself. The campaign became a quest to serve vengeance to the traitor and win back the miraculously gained land. The game culminated with the group breaking into the castle while guards surrounded the area. The PC who got betrayed cut off her ex-lover's head and, in an act of defiance, tossed it out the window at the guards. The guards began storming the castle. In desperation, the group turned back to the deck of many things. (The deck had proven so interesting that I ignored the rule that prevented characters from drawing from it multiple times.)

This time, the PCs didn't have the same luck. One had to fight death. Another lost levels. One lost all of his equipment and was then imprisoned. Another earned the emnity of a powerful outsider, which would later kill him. Finally, one of the players got three wishes. His first wish got rid of the guards outside the castle and saved the day. Then, much to the anger of the player who had been imprisoned, his second wish was for immortality. That wish transformed him into an undead monster, so his final wish was to undo said immortality.

The PC who owned the deck was subsequently killed, and it wasn't until several decades later (campaign time) that the deck was recovered. It now lies buried in a place that only two characters know about. They have vowed never to use it.

 

[Tharen the Damned]

I used the Red Jester from Tome of Horrors III in a big fight against the PCs. One of its abilities is to throw a card from a Deck of Many Things Set at a PC.

Well first throw (don't remember the card name): Gain Major Magic Item

Second Throw (dito): Gain 10.000 EP

After that my Pcs called him "their best ally" and I let him used his mace instead of flinging cards...

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

Whilst in the Navy, I was running the original adventure path (The Sunless Citadel, etc) and we had just finished The Standing Stone. The players (well, a couple of them) begged and pleaded for a Deck of Many Things, so, in one of my worst DM moments, gave in and placed it in the treasure of the Tiefling bad guy at the end of the module.

My wife's 2nd PC in as many sessions got his soul imprisoned. The players who begged and pleaded ended up with new characters after unlucky draws. The only one who got decent draws (boatloads of XP) was now about 5 levels higher than the rest and had has his alignment switched from CN to LN. So, that character retired, and we started Heart of Nightfang Spire with an almost entirely new party.

From my own example and some of the ones I've seen above, I think the Deck's major problem is bad DMing or just not planning for the implications beforehand and just throwing it in.

If I ever use it again, it's going to be exceedingly planned and thought out, including the possibility of an effective TPK, which the Deck can generate.

 

[Zendragon]

The party had just cleared out the room and was starting to check for treasure. Me and the other DM (we each know the overarching storyline, but each DM for 2-3 levels) and we had been talking about including a deck but dismissed it. So I was very much surprised when a magic deck was in the treasure pile. He had us all state the number of cards that would be pulled. We pulled cards, but he did not tell the results. Had us all on the edge of our seat. After the last draw, he said that it wasn't a deck of many things, just a deck of cards that was enchanted. Probably to discourage cheating he said. That was a great game moment and perfect with a group that has experienced players.

 

[Boss]

You know, this thread has given me an idea for a campaign (many thanks to an_idle_mind for this as he started the process). In my next campaign, I am going to ask the players to each pick a number from 1 - 3. This will be the number of draws I will make from a deck for them, the difference being they will not know what the number means, and the effects will take place over time. Some may become backstory events (you start as a noble, with ownership of a castle) or happen later down the road (a secret admirer sends you a gift of jewelry, valued at 10,000 GP or A hooded man - death - appears and challenges you to a duel). I think this may have some potential, thanks.