By Glenn Dean, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine Rack
Sizing Up the Target
Arcane Mysteries: Tarot Magic, by Andrew Thompson, is a 96 page softcover supplement published by Mystic Eye Games. An introduction to Tarot cards and magic that provides a completely new d20 magic system, Tarot Magic retails for $16.99.
First Blood
Sitting in her darkened tent, the pungent smell of incense hanging thickly in the air, the tarot mage slowly reveals the cards of power that will reveal the web of fates spun before a band of hearty adventurers. Arcane Mysteries: Tarot Magic provides the means for players and GMs to “bring magic and spiritualism to a d20 campaign” by introducing the use of the tarot deck and tarot-based magic.
Chapter 1, Tarot Readings, introduces the tarot deck’s history and usage along with the game mechanics used to provide a reading of past, present, and future events for a party of characters. A number of tarot card spread are detailed, each with an associated Difficulty Class to perform a reading that will give insight. The actual insights are determined by a series of tables; using dice rolls the GM determines which cards are played, and what the implications of those cards may be. It is a fairly complicated process to do a full reading, so Tarot Magic also provides an abbreviated means of arriving at a similar result. The approach provides the GM with a much more detailed and flavorful means of providing game divinations – visiting the tarot seer instead of casting a commune spell!
Chapter 2 introduces the Tarot Mage as both a variant core class and as a Prestige Class. This is a useful approach, as it allows the GM to introduce tarot mechanics through two different class methods into the campaign. Both classes function similarly – the Tarot Mage is very similar to a wizard in basic statistics, but has a number of Charisma-based class skills appropriate to performing a tarot reading. The Tarot Mage’s magic is tied to the cards of the tarot deck. Each Tarot Mage begins play with a certain number of cards; each card (or combination) can be used to cast spells of a number of levels, depending upon the level of power the Tarot Mage has attained. The card acts as an arcane focus; the mage casts spells spontaneously. Mechanically, the mage falls somewhere between a wizard and a sorcerer – she has the spontaneous casting of a sorcerer, with a number of spells per day closer to a wizard, and the potential number of spells known depends upon the number and type of tarot cards the mage has been able to secure in her adventures. Several new feats appropriate to the Tarot Mage – such as the crafting of tarot cards – are provided in this chapter as well.
The next chapter provides the meat of the book – the mechanics of tarot magic and the full descriptions of all 194 Tarot Mage Spells. Again, Tarot Magic provides the GM a great deal of flexibility in the introduction of tarot-based magic, as there are two systems that can be used. System One gives the Tarot Mage a completely new spell list of 194 spells ranging from levels zero through nine, each of which is cast through a specific tarot card or combination of cards. The spell list is quite extensive, and is a blend of spell effects from the wizard, cleric, and druid spell lists, along with a number of unique effects ties to tarot readings, many of which provide skill enhancements not found in the traditional spell lists. If the full tarot magic system is too daunting, however, System Two can be used, which provides a list of the tarot combinations required for each spell on the wizard/sorcerer spell list. Using System Two, the Tarot Mage’s spell list would be the same as other wizards, with the different means of acquiring and casting spells.
Chapter 4 provides a wide range of tarot magic items for use in the tarot magic campaign. These range from items to create tarot cards, to unique cards and decks, to magic items whole effects are based upon tarot magic spells – potions, rings, wands, staves, and wondrous items. These items, with the appropriate spell descriptions, could work right along side core items in a more traditional game, should you choose to mine Tarot Magic for its component parts rather than implement the full tarot magic system.
The last chapter, Foul Locales, provides a single ready-to-adventure setting that incorporates Tarot Magic. The haunted farm in this locale includes maps, descriptions, and full-stated tarot magic NPCs that provide good examples of tarot classes in use in the campaign setting.
Critical Hits
Tarot Magic provides some tremendous flexibility to the GM by giving fully developed, balanced options for implementing tarot magic. The tarot system as a whole provides some great flavor and a wonderful twist on the traditional arcane magic system, but for a GM reluctant to add another entire set of spells to his campaign, the option to incorporate the tarot mage using the traditional wizard spell list is a very useful one. Providing the Tarot Mage class as both a variant class and Prestige Class is another great option for the DM – frankly, an approach other publishers could benefit from when introducing new mechanics that are different from the core mechanics.
The tarot magic system itself seems to work quite well, and isn’t so completely different from the core mechanics that one couldn’t simply take the new tarot spells and adapt them to a standard campaign, without adopting the tarot system. I would recommend against this, however – the tarot magic system gains its most exciting flavor from the combination of the mechanical spell list and the accompanying spell list. Using one without the other won’t fully capture the depth and subtle nature of Tarot Magic.
Critical Misses
Mystic Eye Games missed one opportunity with Tarot Magic that perhaps they can capitalize on with a pdf enhancement – the use of tarot cards provides a great opportunity for the GM to introduce props and visual aids into the game. The method of doing tarot readings using dice is a little complicated and clunky, even in the abbreviated version; it would be nice if a method was provided of doing the same with either a standard card deck, or a purpose-built tarot deck. Diagrams of each of the card spreads would be useful for this (and are not currently provided) – a cut-out or downloadable tarot deck even more so. While the dice-based option is useful, using good visual aids with Tarot Magic could make the game even more absorbing.
The GM, too, must be careful how he grants access to new tarot cards. The Tarot Mage has the potential to overshadow other casters, with a casting flexibility akin to the sorcerer but access to spells potentially as broad as a wizard’s, and with a spell list that incorporates clerical and druid spell effects as well as traditional arcane ones. The GM should decide the means and frequency at which the Tarot Mage gains new cards, before implementing the Tarot Mage class in his campaign.
Coup de Grace
Mystic Eye Games provides an extremely original addition to the d20 game that with the exception of some names, characters, and story elements is Open Content. The flexible system allows the GM to implement Tarot Magic in a number of ways, whether as plot devices or a magic system; players will find a uniquely flavored spell-casting class with its own brand of magic. Useful magic items and an adventuring locale top this product off. If you’ve been considering using tarot cards in your campaign, Tarot Magic will provide you with an excellent start.
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