D&D 5E My players just drew from the Deck of Many Things - and Holy Crap!

[Helldritch]

My favorite version of the deck is the Tarot Deck of Many Things. There are 77 or 78 Tarot cards and the deck had two powers per card. One for when drawn with a normal facing and one for the inverse. 156 different possible effects. I've never seen duplicate draws with it. I have it in my Encylopedia Magica from 2e, but it first appeared in Dragon Magazine 77.

Remember that... I had bought a Tarot deck just for this. It was unfortunate that all the description were separated all over the magazine.

 

[Maxperson]

Remember that... I had bought a Tarot deck just for this. It was unfortunate that all the description were separated all over the magazine.

If you can find the Encyclopedia Magica Volume 1, the descriptions are condensed.

 

[Vaalingrade]

The DoMT is the reason I hate alignment.

In my very first game, I played a CG Elf wizard who was told to draw from the deck by freaking Paladine. I picked three and got: a dwarf fighter buddy, a keep... and Balance, which instantly made me LN and I was told I had to play LN from then on. Except lawful anything sucks, so I lobbed him directly into one of those acid explosive draconians and played the dwarf instead.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I assume this is the chance that a specific combination of 4 cards occurs over 3 repetitions?

Aka the probability that these exact 12 cards are drawn? (hehe of course technically its 13 as there was a bonus draw)

It's something of an approximation. It does not account for the two cards that don't go back into the deck, or cards that make you draw again.

The chance of NOT getting one specific card: 21/22

The chance of that happening 4 times in a row: (21/22)^4

The chance, therefore, of getting that card: 1 - (21/22)^4

The chance of that happening 3 times in row: (1 - 21/22)^4)^3

 

[ART!]

Are there modified versions of the DoMT, that replace the game-wrecking cards with less game-wrecking cards?

 

[Helldritch]

Are there modified versions of the DoMT, that replace the game-wrecking cards with less game-wrecking cards?

Not to my knowledge. But the wrecking cards are what makes pulling cards from the deck so tense. My players found a deck about what? 5 or 6 times in 37 years of DMing... If they are willing to take their chance, why not?

Edit: And in the end, remember this: The house always win.

 

[Lanefan]

Whenever, I've reached for the Deck of Many Things as a DM, it's meant the campaign was over with.

Totally disagree.

When the Deck comes out arond here, it means things are just starting to get good.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

I'm currently running a campaign that's basically Dragon Heist + The Deck of Many Things. To open the treasure vault, you must collect the scattered cards of the deck, then draw at least one. The vault doors open and you claim the treasure hoard...if you're still alive!

 

[Lanefan]

Are there modified versions of the DoMT, that replace the game-wrecking cards with less game-wrecking cards?

In the 3e era there was the Harrow Deck, which as written is very specific to 3e rules and needs considerable modification to use in 1e (and, likely, in 4e or 5e). That said, I've modified it for 1e and it works pretty well. 52 cards rather than 22, and the way I worked it some of the cards do affect everyone present.

Example: in my version of Harrow there's a pair of cards with reverse effects: each other PC present gains (or loses) 5000 xp and the drawer loses (or gains) the sum total of what everyone else just gained (or lost).

Another fun Deck story from my current campaign: a player drew three cards. The first got her a castle (of course). The second called a Djinni who proposed marriage to her. The third called a major Demon as her sworn enemy. Demon and Djinni fought over her in a plane-spanning brawl that only ended when the Djinni quietly wished a clone of the PC into existence and gave it to the Demon. Djinni then returned, duly married the PC, and they still live happily in their castle on the coast.