5e Magic Item: Summoner's Deck
The Summoner's Deck is a strange device, used both in children's trading-card blood sports as well as high-stakes "decide the fate of the universe" kinds of real actual battles. Because reasons.
Summoner's Deck
Wondrous Item, very rare (requires attunement)
Summoner's Decks come in many forms, but the most common is some sort of wrist-mounted tray, for maximum style and portability.
As an action, the attuned creature may insert a Summoner's Token of CR 4 or lower into the deck, magically conjuring the token's associated creature into an unoccupied space within 15 feet of them. The summoned creature is considered an ally of its summoner, and takes its turn simultaneously with them. The creature remains summoned for 1 minute, or until it or its summoner is reduced to 0 hit points, or until it starts its turn more than 60 feet from its summoner, whereupon it vanishes and its Token is ejected from the deck. Summoned creatures cannot act outside of receiving commands below; but they may still take reactions independently.
The deck can support no more than three creatures at a time.
As a bonus action, the attuned creature may command one of its summoned creatures to move up to its speed and take an action and/or bonus action. These can come from the creature's stat block, or it can take the Dash, Dodge, Disengage, Help, or Hide action.
When you or one of your tokens could take an opportunity attack, they all share your reaction.
Summoner's Token
Wondrous Item, variable rarity
A Summoner's Token is a Tiny, handheld representation of a creature, magically containing all of the creature's power and essence. Most often takes the form of a flimsy piece of card.
This token bears the likeness of a particular creature, such as a skeleton or red dragon wyrmling.
The token can be inserted into a Summoner's Deck to conjure a magical replica of the creature under the control of a summoner.
Once ejected, the token loses its magic and cannot be used again until the next dawn.
The token's rarity is determined by the challenge rating of the creature it summons:
| Creature CR | Token Rarity |
|---|---|
| 1 or lower | Common |
| 2 | Uncommon |
| 3 | Uncommon |
| 4 | Rare |
| 5 | Rare |
| 6 | Very Rare |
| 7 | Very Rare |
| 8 | Legendary |
| 9 or higher | Artifact |
Variant Rule: Summoner's Duels
Two creatures attuned to their own Summoner's Decks may challenge one another to a duel. If both accept, the following rules apply:
- Play by the Rules. Both summoners, as well as any creatures they summon, gain resistance to all damage originating from outside the duel, but all attacks and spells made by the creatures or their summoners have no effect on non-participants. Duelists may not move more than 60 feet away from one another.
- Remember to Shuffle. Both summoners can choose any Tokens in their possession to be part of the duel. They begin the duel with three random Tokens in their hand, and "draw" one random token at the start of each of their turns thereafter. A summoner can only insert a token from their hand.
- Soul of the Tokens. For the duration of the duel, both creatures' Summoner's Decks can accept Tokens of any challenge rating.
- Guarded Hit Points. Both summoners have total cover from attacks and spells while they control at least one creature, regardless of physical positioning. If a summoner makes a melee attack, they lose this benefit until the start of their next turn.
- Spells and Traps. Both summoners may continue to make use of any spells, class features, and items in their possession. If they cast a spell which conjures one or more creatures, those creatures are still conjured and follow the duration of the spell, but they also follow the same rules as creatures summoned by Tokens, and can only act through commands as per the Time to Think.
- Bonded Souls. When a summoned creature is reduced to 0 hit points, any excess damage is automatically dealt to its summoner's hit points.
- Time to Think. During a duel, summoners may conjure and/or command their minions as an action and/or bonus action. This means that on a turn they can take actions or bonus actions of their own, summon two creatures, command two creatures to act, or some combination of any two.
The duel ends when one summoner yields, or falls to 0 hit points. All summoned creatures vanish and eject their Tokens at the end of the duel.
Extra Variant: Multiplayer Duels
If multiple duellists wish to engage in token-related buffoonery, who are we to stop them? If it's a free-for-all duel, any number of participants may agree to the duel, following the standard rules above, except a duel only ends when all other duelists have been defeated. In team duels, there must be an equal number of participants (or, in the case of boss battles, give the outnumbered side more turns in the initiative order to compensate), and the duel ends when all duellists on one team have been defeated.
Summoner's Duelling Deck
Wondrous Item, uncommon (requires attunement)
Looks like a regular Summoner's Deck, with brighter colours and friendlier designs!
This magic item functions like a Summoner's Deck, with the caveat that its magic cannot be used for any purpose other than a summoner's duel as described above.
These devices are much less regulated and more widely produced, owing to their lower propensity for collateral damage.
Sample Starter Packs
Anyone getting into summoning duels probably needs a collection of Summoner's Tokens to get started. The following starter packs are good loot to find alongside a Summoner's Deck at low levels.
Challenge Rating and Balance
I was going to put some advice about balancing in here, but to be perfectly honest if you're using these rules in your game you probably care more about memes than balance, and I thoroughly respect that. Just try to make any deaths resulting from shadowy realms or Chultaen God Tokens not as permanent as regular D&D I guess?
Beastmaster's Starter Pack
Those who want to command the power of the forests can call upon loyal animal companions to aid them.
- Wolf. x1
- Swarm of Rats. x2
- Giant Goat. x1
- Lion. x1
Elementalist's Starter Pack
The powers of earth, wind, flame, and water bend to your will! Or at least the will of your tokens.
- Mud Mephit. x1
- Smoke Mephit. x1
- Steam Mephit. x1
- Ice Mephit. x1
- Fire Snake. x1
Gardener's Starter Pack
For those who know that plants are the best defence against zombies.
- Vegepygmy. x1
- Needle Blight. x2
- Vine Blight. x1
- Thorny Vegepygmy. x1
Larper's Starter Pack
No starter pack is better for pretending to be on grand adventures in your local forest.
- Apprentice Wizard. x1
- Goblin. x2
- Hobgoblin. x1
- Spy. x1
Necrolord's Starter Pack
The loyalty of the dead is both eternal and unflinching.
- Zombie. x1
- Skeleton. x2
- Warhorse Skeleton. x1
- Ghoul. x1