Take a Chance With The Deck of Many Things

You step into a rickety old shack on the side of the road. You’ve been told the old woman who dwells here has answers and, perhaps, something more. The old woman emerges from the shadows into the dim light of a single low lantern and laughs a slow breathy laugh.

I see you have come seeking Fortune.” You can hear the capital F in Fortune when she says it. “Unwise, child, unwise. I have served my lady Fortune for most of my life and all my pitiful belongings are arrayed around you. I see you will not be dissuaded, as is the nature of youth. Well, I have a special treat…”

And with that, she pulls out an incredibly old looking box, opens it and pulls out an even older looking bag from which she draws a deck of cards. She shudders as she holds them, caressing the back of the top card as if she wants to draw it and then, with a sign, sets them on the table.

“Do you dare draw three cards from the fabled Deck of Many Things?**

Permanently reduce your Intelligence by 1d4 + 1 (to a minimum score of 1). You can draw one additional card beyond your declared draws.

You are granted the ability to cast the wish spell 1d3 times.

You summon an avatar of death-a ghostly Humanoid Skeleton clad in a tattered black robe and carrying a spectral scythe. It appears in a space of the DM’s choice within 10 feet of you and attacks you, warning all others that you must win the battle alone. The avatar fights until you die or it drops to 0 Hit Points, whereupon it disappears. If anyone tries to help you, the helper summons its own Avatar of Death. A creature slain by an Avatar of Death can’t be restored to life.

Shuffle

Flip All Cards

Click on a card back to reveal each card on the effect each has upon your poor, foolhardy soul.

“Ahhhh, but you are always foolhardy. You always believe you will be the lucky one, you will gain the riches and power and avoid… those other nasty things.”

“So, yes, of course you will draw a card. The only question is, will you dare to draw all three?”

[out of character] Seriously, you really shouldn’t. It’s a terrible idea. If you do the math you’ll see that the numbers do not favor the player- the house wins more often than not and when the player wins it’s usually something either you could get on your own with a bit of patience, or something that will break the game and make your DM find a way to take it away anyway. [/out of character].

**These cards are my variations based on a deck I found on Reddit. Since then, I have found the original artist, Tobias Vyseri. Please visit the store on Etsy to see the deck in print as well as other seriously amazing art. For example, definitely check out the Deck of Illusions, also for D&D 5E, a Sabacc Deck for Star Wars, a beautiful Gothic Tarot Deck, and other great items.