Enc.:	IS:		XP: ---	GP: 10k
Miscellaneous Magic	-	Magic Items	-	DMG

<^13, 22^>
A deck of many things (beneficial and baneful)
usually is found contained within a box or leather pouch. Each deck contains
a number of thin plaques or plates.

These sheets are usually of ivory
or vellum. Each is engraved and/or inscribed with glyphs, characters, and
magical sigils. As soon as one of these sheets is drawn forth from the pack,
its magic is bestowed upon the person who drew it, for better or worse. The
character gaining a deck of many things may announce that only 1 will be
drawn from the pack, or he or she may opt to draw forth 2, 3, or even 4, but
the number must be announced prior to the first plaque withdrawn. Note
that if the jester is drawn, the possessor of the deck may elect to draw 2
additional cards. Each time a plaque is taken from the deck i t is replaced
unless the draw is a jester or fool, in which case the plaque is discarded
from the pack. The deck will contain either 13 or 22 plaques, 75% / 25%
chance. Additional plaques in a 22 card deck are indicated by an asterisk
(*) before their names. To simulate the plaques you may use the normal
playing card indicated:
 
 

Sun (KD)	Gain beneficial miscellaneous magic item and  50,000 experience points
Moon (QD)	You are granted 1-4 wishes
Star (JD)	Immediately gain 2 points on your major ability
*Comet (2D)	Defeat the next monster you meet to gain 1 level
Throne (KH)	Gain charisma of 18 and small keep
Key (QH)	Gain a treasure map plus 1 magic weapon
Knight (JH)	Gain the service of a 4th level fighter  <cavalier>
*Gem (2H)	Gain your choice of 20 jewelry or 50 gems
The Void (KC)	Body functions, but soul is trapped elsewhere
Flames (OC)	Enmity between you and a devil
Skull (JC)	Defeat Death or be forever destroyed
*Talons (2C)	All magic items you possess are torn from you
Ruin (KS)	Immediately lose all wealth and real property
Euryale (QS)	Minus 3 on all saving throws vs. petrification
Rogue (JS)	One of your henchmen turns against you
*Balance (2S)	Change alignment or be judged
Jester (J)	Gain 10,000 experience points or 2 more draws from the deck
*Fool (J with Trademark)	Lose 10,000 experience points; draw again
*Vizier (AD)	Know the answer to your next dilemma
*ldiot (AC)	Lose 1-4 points of intelligence, you may draw again
*Fates (AH)	Avoid any situation you choose. . . once
*Donjon (AS)	You are imprisoned

<underline and color suits>
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Upon drawing the last plaque possible, or immediately upon drawing the
plaques in bold face (The Void, Donjon), the deck disappears. The plaques
are explained below:

Sun (KD): "Gain beneficial miscellaneous magic item and 50,000 experience points"
    Roll on the MISCELLANEOUS MAGIC TABLE (III.E., 1.-5.) until a useful
item (other than artifacts or relics) is indicated. The player gets experience
points for this as well.

Moon (QD): "You are granted 1-4 wishes"
    This is best represented by a moonstone gem with the appropriate
number of wishes shown as gleams therein. These wishes are the
same as the ninth level magic-user spell (q.v.) and must be used in a
number of turns equal to the number received.

Star (JD): "Immediately gain 2 points on your major ability"
If the 2 points would place the character's score at 19, use 1 or both
in any of the other abilities in this order: constitution, charisma, wisdom,
dexterity, intelligence, strength.

* Comet: "Defeat the next monster you meet to gain 1 level"
The player must single-handedly defeat the next monster -
singular or plural - of hostile nature or the benefit is lost. If successful,
the character moves to the mid-point of the next experience level.

Throne (KH): "Gain charisma of 18 and small keep"
If charisma is 18 already, the individual still gains +25% on encounter
and loyalty reactions. He or she becomes a real leader in
people’s eyes. The castle gained will be near to any stronghold already
possessed.

Key (QH): "Gain a treasure map plus 1 magic weapon"
    Roll a treasure map with +20% on the dice. The weapon with it
must be one usable by the character, so use the table for SWORDS
(III,G.), MISCELLANEOUS WEAPONS (III.H.), or RODS, et al. (1II.D.) as
needed.

Knight (JH): "Gain the service of a 4th level fighter <cavalier>"
The hero will join as the character’s henchman and loyally serve
until death. The hero has + 1 per die (18 maximum) on each ability roll.

* Gem: "Gain your choice of 20 jewelry or 50 gems"
This indicates wealth. The jewelry will all be gold set with gems,
the gems all of 1,000 g.p. base value. With this wealth should come XP equal in value, but never more than sufficient for 1
level rise in experience.

The Void: "Body functions, but soul is trapped elsewhere"
This lightless black plaque spells instant disaster. The character’s
body functions, and he or she speaks like an automaton, but the
psyche is trapped in a prison somewhere - in an object on a far planet
or plane, possibly in the possession of a demon. A wish will not bring
the character back, but the plane of entrapment might be revealed.

Q: Would an Amulet of Life Protection
guard against "The Void" in a Deck of
Many Things?

A: NO. The power of the Deck far exceeds
that of the Amulet. The Void
would do two things: Place the psyche
into the Amulet normally, and then
place the Amulet on "a far planet or
plane" (as per the DMG).
(Polyhedron #2)

ADQ: If a soul is taken from a thief by a
Deck of Many Things (The Void card) and
trapped somewhere, could a magic-user's
Wish spell put the thief's soul back into the
original body or another body?

ADA: The Void Card's effects are not
negated by a Wish spell.
(Polyhedron #14)

Flames: "Enmity between you and a devil"
Hot anger, jealousy, envy, are but a few of the possible motivational
forces for the enmity. The devil is usually of the Greater sort,
possibly even an Arch-devil. The enmity can never be satisfied, save
one or the other is slain.

Skull: "Defeat Death or be forever destroyed"

A minor Death appears (AC -4; 33 hit points; strikes with a scythe
for 2-16 hit points, never missing, always striking first in a round) and
the character must fight it alone- if others help, they get minor Deaths
to fight as well. If the character is slain he or she is slain forever. Treat
the Death as undead with respect to spells. Cold or fire do not harm it,
neither does electrical energy.

* Talons (2C): "All magic items you possess are torn from you"
When this plaque is drawn each and every magic item owned or
possessed by the character drawing are irrevocably gone. This happens
instantly.

Ruin (KS): "Immediately lose all wealth and real property"
As implied, when this plaque is drawn every bit of money (including
all gems, jewelry, and like previous and valuable treasure and art)
and all real property and buildings thereon currently owned are lost forever.

Euryale: "Minus 3 on all saving throws vs. petrification"
The Medusa-like visage of this plaque brings a curse which
only the Fates card or gad-like beings can remove. The -3 is permanent
otherwise.

Rogue: "One of your henchmen turns against you"
When this plaque is drawn, 1 of the character’s henchmen will
be totally alienated and forever hostile henceforward. If the character
has no henchmen, the enmity of some powerful personage - community
or religious - can be substituted. The hatred will be secret until
the time is ripe for devastating effect.

* Balance: "Change alignment or be judged"
As ”weighed in the balance and found wanting”, the character
must change, and perform accordingly, to a radically different alignment,
i.e. lawful-chaotic, good-evil, neutral-non-neutral. Failure brings
judgment, and if there is substantial deviation from professed alignment,
the character will be destroyed permanently.

Jester: "Gain 10,000 experience points or 2 more draws from the deck"
This plaque actually makes either pack more beneficial if the experience
point award is taken. It is always discarded when drawn,
unlike all others except the Fool.

* Fool: "Lose 10,000 XP; draw again"
The payment and draw are mandatory!

* Vizier (AD): "Know the answer to your next dilemma"
This plaque empowers the character drawing i t with theability to
call upon supernatural wisdom to solve any single problem or answer
fully any question whenever he or she so requests. Whether the information
gained can be successfully acted upon is another question
entirely .

* Idiot: "Lose 1-4 points of intelligence, you may draw again"
As indicated, the mongoloid countenance causes loss of 1-4 (d4) points of intelligence immediately.
They are lost and cannot be regained (although points can be restored by other means).
The additional draw i s optional.

* Fates (AH): "Avoid any situation you choose. . . once"
This plaque enables the character to avoid even an instantaneous
occurrence if so desired, for the fabric of reality is unraveled and
respun, so to speak. Note that i t does not allow something to happen,
only not to take place. This reversal is for the individual character only,
and the party must still endure the confrontation.

* Donjon: "You are imprisoned"
This signifies imprisonment - either by spell or by some creature/
being at your option. All gear and spells will be stripped from the
victim in any case.

Q: How many different characters
can draw cards from one deck of
many things?

A: Up to four cards may be drawn from the
deck; a party may divide these draws
among PCs in any way seen fit, except that
card draws and results may not be shared.
Any potential drawer must state how
many cards he plans to draw before the
first card is drawn, and he must stick to
the decision once drawing begins (see the
DMG, pages 142-143).
(147.103)

Lunamancer wrote:
Col_Pladoh wrote:
Mislead the players, or stop them from metagaming.
 

Would you believe this group actually used a hearts desire to bring a flunkh back to life because they wanted to "gamble" a bit more.

Indeed, and the odds with that silly monster are better than those of a Deck of Many Things...
something my players and many other like groups seem to have loved messing around with 

Cheers,
Gary