Class Features

As a Cartomancer, you gain the following class features.

Cards Added Per Level

Card Number to Spell Level

Spellcasting

As a harborer of esoteric knowledge gathered through your study of the constellations and divine, you cast your spells through your tarot cards.

Card Casting

Starting at 2nd level, you've gained a knack for your sleight of hand with cards and casting. When you cast a spell with a range of touch, you can empower your card through magic and sleight of hand, making the range of the spell 30 feet, as the card is thrown to its target. A card thrown in this way returns to you after being thrown.

Deck Style

When you reach 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of card playing, taking the form of your deck style and empowering your card magic. Your deck style takes the form of the Death Dealer Deck, Fortune Deck, Strategist Deck, or Gamble Deck. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Influx Power

Beginning at 3rd level, you've studied the way of the cards and uncovered hidden power that laid within them. Whenever you cast a 1st level spell with your card, you may cast it at 2nd level instead. When you reach later levels in this class, your lower level spells are able to be cast at a higher level as well.

At 7th level, your 1st and 2nd level spells may be cast at 3rd level.

At 11th level, your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level spells may be cast at 4th level.

At 15th level, your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th level spells may be cast at 5th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two Ability Scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Niche Play

When you reach 18th level, you can make an incredible play after taking a decisive blow to turn the tide of battle with a single stroke of the cards. If you take damage when you are below half your hit point maximum, you can immediately draw a card from your deck. If you have no cards in your deck, draw a random card from those discarded. You may play that card and cast it at 9th level.

Once you use this ability, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

God Card

At 20th level, you've reached the pinnacle of card magic, bending the will of the cards to the magic of your draw. When you draw cards for your hand after a long rest, you may draw XXI - The World from your deck, in replacement of a card you would draw. This choice can be made after drawing a card and seeing it.

Deck Style

A cartomancer is nothing without the style of one's deck. It must be carefully chosen, and strategically built to both fit the card caster's personality, and provide cunning strategy able to topple one's enemies. A cartomancer's deck fits the tenets and ideals that he or she upholds in life, projecting one's knowledge of the cards onto the enemies on the chessboard. However many decks have been constructed, four main types stand out above all: Death Dealer Deck, Fortune Deck, Strategist Deck, and Duelist Deck.

Ricochet

At 6th level, you can ricochet your thrown cards at enemies, causing them to bounce and hit unknowing foes. Whenever you successfully hit a creature with your thrown cards, you may make another attack against a creature with 30 feet of it.

Blood Storm

Starting at 10th level, you can erupt a harrowing display of razor sharp cards from an enemy effected by your bloodletting curse. As an action, you can choose to end the effect of your bloodletting curse. Immediately after the curse is lifted, a whirlwind of sharp cards erupt from the flesh of your previously cursed target. All creatures within 30 feet of the target, and the target, must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, with a DC equal to your spell save DC. On a failure, a creature takes 10d4 slashing damage, as whipping razor like cards whirl through the air.

For the next 1 minute, the target maintains a 30 foot blood storm aura of razor sharp cards. The area within the aura counts as rough terrain, as blood falls and drizzles from the flying cards. Creatures you designate that start their turns in the aura take 2d4 points of slashing damage.

Death Card

At 14th level, whenever you draw XIII - death, you can choose to set the card aside, and draw another card. At any point in time, you can use your action to show the death card to a creature within 5 feet of you. The target creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes an amount of necrotic damage equal to the combined card numbers of cards you have discarded. On a success, a creature takes half damage.

When you use the death card in this way, you take an amount of necrotic damage equal to half the damage done to your target. Damage done to you in this way is unaffected by resistance or immunities.

Fortune Deck

The art of reading tarots has been a long lived tradition of fortune telling and truth seeing. The cartomancer who wields the fortune deck becomes incredibly well versed in this art, honing it into the fabric of their hand. The fortune deck reveals acute insight into the world.

Strategist Deck

To some cartomancers, their deck is perfected for anything and everything. These strategist serve as leaders both in combat and outside of it, standing stalwart amongst a crowd, analyzing every instance of it. To a strategist, the world is a chess board, and thus forth, simply a game. Their role in it is a player, and the wielder of the strategist deck will be a winner in that game.

Careful Eye

Starting at 2nd level, You gain proficiency in insight and investigation. If you are already proficient in either skill, you instead gain double proficiency in that skill.

Opening Play

Beginning at 6th level, your prowess and steeled mind allows you to strategize before conflict ensues. When you are asked to roll for Initiative, you get a single action before initiative starts.

En Passant

At 6th level, you can give insight into an enemy whenever an ally would pass them. Choose an ally within 30 feet of you that is within 5 feet of a hostile creature. If the ally of your choice moves 5 feet while still being within 5 feet of the hostile creature, you can use your reaction to have the ally make a single weapon attack against the hostile creature. If the attack hits, the hostile creature's speed becomes 0 until the end of your next turn, as magical pawns appear from the air, locking the target creature in place.

You can use this ability three times. You regain all expended uses upon completing a short or long rest.

Castle

Starting at 10th level, your brilliant strategy can aid you in escape, substituting yourself for one of your allies in a pinch. As an action, choose an ally within 20 feet of you. You and that target move towards each other, 5 feet at a time, until you and the target are within 5 feet of each other. You and the target then switch spaces. Creatures you choose that come within 5 feet of you and your ally when both of you move must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw with a DC equal to your spell save DC, or be knocked prone. While moving, an arcane crown appears above your head, and large rooks circle around your target ally.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Check Mate

Starting at 14th level, You can end match in a single stroke. Choose a target within 60 feet of you that has two of your allies within 5 feet of it. If both of those allies hit at least one melee weapon attack against the target within the last round, you may use your action to check mate that opponent. An incredibly tall queen piece arises above the head of the target and follows it wherever it moves. At the end of your next turn, the queen finally falls, dealing 10d10 force damage to the target.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Gamble

For some, a life of risk drives ambition. Whether it be from the thrill of a bet or a roll of the dice, the gamble deck aims to let the dice fall and decide fate themselves. Mostly seen from sheer luck, gamblers seem to be able to bend fate to their own ways.

Card Counter

At 10th level, the combined power of your discarded cards can strike good luck amongst your allies. As an action, you can make a bet with the cards. Check your discard pile. If the combined card numbers in your discard pile equal 21, you and up to three creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you gain 21 temporary hit points. You can then return one of the cards in your discard pile to the bottom of your deck.

If the cards in your discard pile do not add up to 21, you discard your entire hand.

Once you use this ability, you must complete a long rest before using it again.

Destiny Gambler

Starting at 14th level, your relation with your cards has reached a deep bond, which transfers to you an uncanny ability to draw just the right card at just the right time. Whenever you have the ability to draw a card, you can instead draw a card of your choice from the deck in place of drawing a card.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Cartomancer Spell List