Deck of Minor Things
Wondrous item, Very Rare
Usually found in a box or pouch, this deck contains a number of cards made of paper or parchment.
Before you draw a card, you must declare how many cards you intend to draw and then draw them randomly (you can use an altered deck of playing cards to simulate the deck). Any cards drawn in excess of this number have no effect. Otherwise, as soon as you draw a card from the deck, its magic takes effect. You must draw each card no more than 1 hour after the previous draw. If you fail to draw the chosen number, the remaining number of cards fly from the deck on their own and take effect all at once.
Once a card is drawn, it fades from existence. Unless the card is the Fool or the Jester, the card reappears in the deck, making it possible to draw the same card twice.
| Playing Card | Minor Card |
|---|---|
| Ace of diamonds | Geezer |
| King of diamonds | The Sun |
| Queen of diamonds | Moondust |
| Jack of diamonds | Starlight |
| Two of diamonds | Come At |
| Ace of hearts | It Fades |
| King of hearts | Inn |
| Queen of hearts | Key |
| Jack of hearts | Knave |
| Two of hearts | Gum |
| Ace of clubs | Talon |
| King of clubs | The Void |
| Queen of clubs | Flame |
| Jack of clubs | Skull |
| Two of clubs | Dolt |
| Ace of spades | Donjon |
| King of spades | Ruin |
| Queen of spades | Euryale |
| Jack of spades | Rouge |
| Two of spades | A Fence |
| Joker (with TM) | Fool |
| Joker (without TM) | Jester |
A Fence. Your mind suffers a neutralising alteration, causing your alignment to change. Lawful becomes neutral, good becomes neutral, chaotic becomes neutral and evil becomes neutral. If you are true neutral or unaligned, this card has no effect on you. You have no strong feelings about this one way or the other.
Come At. The next hostile monster or group of monsters you encounter will focus their attacks on you, until your are knocked unconcious, if you do not fall unconcious your party gain twice the experience for that encounter. If not, this card has no further effect.
Dolt. Permanently reduce your Intelligence by 1d2+1 (to a minimum score of 1). You can draw one additional card beyond your declared draws.
Donjon. You are suddenly imprisoned in a cage of adamantine. The bars are 1 inch apart and both vertical and horizontal.
Euryale. The card's medusa-like visage curses you, how rude. Such a terrible and offensive word you are shaken to the core. You take a -1 penalty on saving throws while shaken in this way. Only a good nights sleep and some calming tea can soothe your nerves.
Flame. A mediocre devil becomes your enemy. The devil seeks your ruin and plagues your life, often with hackneyed plans that are both poorly thought out and too complicated to actually work. They mostly just result in a visit from a delivery imp with a letter, complaining about how you didn't stand on the big X. This enmity lasts until either you or the devil dies.
Fool. You lose 1000 XP, discard this card, and draw from the deck again, counting both draws as one of your declared draws. If losing that much XP would cause you to lose a level, you instead lose an amount that leaves you with just enough XP to keep your level.
Geezer. At any time you choose within one year of drawing this card, you can ask a question while drinking and mentally receive a rambling anecdote in response to that question. Besides information, the answer is tangental to solving a puzzling problem or other dilemma. In other words, the knowledge is only minorly useful and may only work if you had been in that specifc situation.
Gum. Twenty-five pieces of gum worth 20 gp each or fifty worth 10 gp each appear packaged at your feet.
Inn. You gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill, if you already had proficiency you double your proficiency bonus on checks made with that skill. In addition, you gain rightful ownership of a roasdside tavern somewhere in the world. However, the tavern is currently in the hands of bandits, which you must clear out before you can claim the inn as yours.
It Fades. Your minds fabric unravels and spins anew, allowing you to fully forget one event as if it never happened. You can use the card's magic as soon as you draw the card or at any other time before you die.
Jester. You gain 1000 XP, you can draw two more cards, but if you do you must choose one of these two to place back on top of the deck, where it will be the next card drawn.
Key. A mystery key appears in your hands (XGE p.138)
Knave. You gain the service of a 1st-level bard who appears in a space you choose within 30 feet of you. The bard is of the same race as you and serves your hype man until death, believing that you're totally awesome. Your DM controls this character, who will typically announce your presence wherever you go.
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Moondust. You gain 1d3 oz of a potent magic drug that can be sold for 250gp an oz or snorted as an action to use one of the following effects:
- Regain all hit points.
- Gain Resistance to a damage type you choose, until your next long rest.
- Cast up to a 5th level spell without needing any components.
Rouge. You are curse so that you and anything you wear becomes an enraging shade of red, charging creatures become especially hostile toward you. Anything with a "charge" ability gains advantage on attacks against you when it charges. This effect can be removed by Dispel Magic or Remove Curse.
Ruin. You are sued for all your wealth. Numerous lawsuits of varying validity are made against you and any businesses you own. You can either fight them, taking time, effort, and some of your wealth, settle out of court for approximatley half your wealth, or ignore them, your businesses and any assets you have are seized and you are persued by debt collectors.
Skull. 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 challenges you to a game, of your choice, for your life. This may either be an ability check or use any skill or tool proficiency, up to a best of five. The avatar of death has a +3 in any ability score and is proficient in any game where it can apply. It is considered to have an equal proficiency bonus to you. If you win the avatar vanishes. The first time you lose, the avatar takes pity on you, and leaves after informing you you get one more chance. The next and any subsequent time you lose, it attacks you. Use the Avatar of Death stats present in the DMG p164.
Starlight. Increase one of your ability scores by 1. The score can't exceed 20.
Talon. The next magic item you touch disintegrates, if the deck is the next thing you touch any remaining cards you have to draw fly from the deck on their own and take effect all at once as the deck disintegrates. Artifacts you touch aren't destroyed but do vanish.
The Sun. A red top tabloid writes a sensationalist article on you. While the truthfulness is suspect it stains your reputation. You may sue for libel, and given the frivolous nature of the reporting the encounter is easily won after a short court case. This encounter is worth 5000XP (split with any lawyers you may have hired) and you recive a Rare Wonderous item as compensation, however your reputation is still tarnished.
The Void. This black card spells disaster, out loud.
D I S A S T E R, disaster. The DM then chooses a word for you to spell (Either the player may do this or the character may make a DC 13 Intellegence check). If you fail the card calls you a loser and vanishes. If you suceed the DM chooses a word for the card, but it cannot spell it. The card then dispenses a small commemerative plaque, featuring your misspelled name over the words "speeling be chanpeon". This card can only spell disaster.