Although the deck of many things in
the AD&D game is a powerful and interesting
device, it is but half a reflection
(the other being ordinary playing cards)
of the original on which all such objects
are based -- the Tarot. This article describes
the nature and meaning of the
Tarot, and of that most potent and
hazardous artifact known as the Tarot of
many things.

The 78-card Tarot deck consists of two
parts. The Major Arcana include the card
known as the Fool, which is unnumbered,
and the twenty-one numbered
cards I (The Magician) through XXI
(The World); these twenty-two cards are
also known as the Greater Trumps. The
Minor Arcana, or Lesser Trumps, are
divided into the four suits of Wands,
Cups, Swords, and Pentacles; each suit
includes the ?pip? cards (Ace through
Ten) and the court cards (Page, Knight,
Queen, and King).

If a Tarot of many things exists in a
given AD&D universe, it will be the only
one of its kind. Such a deck is normally
the creation and/or the property of the
most powerful deity of Fate in that universe,
and will certainly expose a user of
the deck to more than the usual amount
of scrutiny from such beings. Under no
circumstances will the deck be left
unguarded, carried around in an orc?s
knapsack, or used for sheepshead games
between high-level wizards. It is a most
awesome and puissant object, and will be
treated as such.

The deck itself is a series of plaques or
cards, fashioned of precious and rare substances:
ivory, gold, vellum made from
dragon skin, carved bulette scales, or the
like, painted with costly pigments,
gilded, or even jeweled. These will be
wrapped in silk or other simple but costly
cloth, and placed within an elaborate box
or coffer of at least 5,000 gp value, expensively
decorated with Tarot symbols, and
with the holy symbol(s) of the deity who
is the master of the deck. It could be sold
unused for 39,000 gp plus the value of the
box or coffer, but if anyone does more
than look upon the backs of the cards, he
will be compelled (no saving throw for
any being below a lesser god) to draw
from it.

A person who wishes or is compelled to
draw from the deck will be allowed to
announce an intention of drawing one,
two, three, or four cards; when the last
member of the party who wishes to do so
has drawn, or if one hour elapses without
any draw, the deck will disappear ?
unless the party is on the plane of the
Tarot?s master deity, which is not the party
?s own home plane.

It is suggested that if PCs
are at all likely to encounter the Tarot,
the DM obtain a real deck which has
symbolism and imagery that harmonize
with his campaign's cultures, familiarize
himself with it, and shuffle it thoroughly.

The person making draws, hereafter
called the ?drawer,? should shuffle the
cards well, in such a manner that the
images on almost one-half of the cards
are inverted or ?reversed? in relation to
the others (which are termed ?upright?).
Each card is then turned over along the
long axis of the card, and presented to the
DM (from whose viewpoint ?upright?
and ?reversed? are judged). After each
person finishes drawing, the drawn cards
are returned to the deck, and it is
reshuffled by the next drawer (if any).

[In case the DM cannot obtain a real
Tarot deck, each card has been given a
number for the use of percentile dice; a
card will be reversed or upright on a 50%
chance. No card can be received more
than once by the same drawer.]

The effects of the Tarot are instantaneous
unless noted otherwise, and should be
noted immediately by the DM (to himself);
characters will not notice any
change until they perceive it in terms of
how it alters their abilities or activities.
The effects are irrevocable unless otherwise
stated, short of a full wish for the
Major Arcana, or a limited wish for the
Lesser Arcana.

If the effects of a card would raise or
reduce a characteristic score to a level outside
racial limitations, the change will
affect another characteristic if possible
within those same limits, in this order:
constitution, charisma, wisdom, dexterity,
intelligence, strength. If a character
loses 1 point or more from an ability
score and is therefore no longer qualified
to be a member of the class he was pursuing,
then the character loses the right to
be in that class and (if not multi-classed
to begin with) must begin anew as a firstlevel
character in some other class. Even
if the lost points are replaced later by
some other means, the character cannot
resume study in the class that he was
forced to abandon; but he may re-enter
that class at first level if, and only if, restoration
of the lost point(s) takes place
within 24 hours of the loss.

[If a player declares that his character is
performing an action whose only conceivable
motivation is the exploitation of
a card effect which the characters have no
way of knowing about, the DM should
ask for an explanation; and if it becomes
clear that the player has information
which the character should not have, the
DM must exercise his right and duty (as
always in such cases) to veto character
actions based on illicit player knowledge
(this is colloquially called a ?mindbar?).
Tricks, traps, and variations, designed to
deceive players who remember things
their characters shouldn?t ?know,? must
be a part of every DM?s arsenal.]

Above all, bear in mind that this is an
artifact, not the tool of a chaotic game for
foolhardy or suicidal characters; it should
be handled with respect and gravity.
(Whether the random aspects of the Tarot
make its use an act of chaotic nature is a
matter decided between lawful characters,
their deities, and the DM.)

The effects and values of the individual
cards in AD&D terms, given in the following
text, are based on their divinatory
and symbolic meanings. (The effects of
draws made by characters are printed in
italic type, with ?upright? effects always
given first.) Space does not allow for
fuller explanation of details; the interested
reader is referred to the bibliography
at the end of this article.

THE MAJOR ARCANA

0: The Fool	1:	2:

 

THE MINOR ARCANA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A note on effects and descriptions
Obviously, with literally dozens of different
Tarot decks on the market, descriptions
(and interpretations) are going to
vary to differing extents; when wide differences
exist, this writer has relied on the
Waite deck (also called the Rider deck),
which is perhaps the standard in the
English-speaking world.

Also worthy of consideration (simply as
an art collection, if nothing else) is the
Fantasy Showcase Tarot, assembled and
published by Bruce Pelz (15931 Kalisher
Street, Granada Hills, CA 91344; attn:
Elayne Pelz). With original cards composed
by 84 fantasy artists, including
many Hugo winners and nominees, it is a
distinctive approach indeed, including
some thought-provoking innovations
(such as two added Major Arcana, Separation
and The Farrier; and four Ladys to
balance the genders of the court cards).

Many other sorts of decks are available,
and the interested DM should investigate
them. Certain decks will seem especially
appropriate to certain campaigns; and the
symbol(s) of your chosen deck should be
mirrored in the broader campaign in
omens, beliefs, legends, and songs.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

AUTHOR: Balin, Peter
TITLE: The Flight of the Feathered
Serpent
PUBLISHER: Wisdom Garden Books
SPACE: Venice, California
TIME: 1978
NOTES: --

AUTHOR: Butler, Bill
TITLE: Dictionary of Tarot
PUBLISHER: Schocken Books
SPACE: New York City
TIME: 1975
NOTES: --

AUTHOR: Cavendish, Richard
TITLE: The Tarot
PUBLISHER: Harper & Row
SPACE: NYC
TIME: 1975
NOTES: --

Level Press, San Francisco, 1974.
AUTHOR: , The 666, The Great Beast of the Revelation
TITLE: The Book of Thoth: A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians
PUBLISHER: Level Press
SPACE: San Francisco
TIME: 1974
NOTES: --

AUTHOR: Douglas, Alfred
TITLE: The Tarot: the Origins
Meaning, and Uses of the Cards
PUBLISHER: Taplinger Books
SPACE: NYC
TIME: 1972
NOTES: --

AUTHOR: Grey, Eden
TITLE: A Complete Guide to the
Tarot
PUBLISHER: Crown Publishers
SPACE: NYC
TIME: 1970
NOTES: --

AUTHOR: Grey, Eden
TITLE: Tarot Revealed
PUBLISHER: Signet (N.A.L.)
SPACE: NPC
TIME: 1971
NOTES: --

AUTHOR: Kaplan, Stuart R.
TITLE: Tarot Classic
PUBLISHER: Grosset & Dunlap
SPACE: NYC
TIME: 1973
NOTES: --

AUTHOR: Papus
TITLE: The Tarot of the Bohemians
PUBLISHER: Arcanum Books
SPACE: NYC
TIME: 1958
NOTES: --

Waite, Arthur Edward, The Pictorial
Key to the Tarot, University Books, New
York City, 1959.

AUTHOR: Waite, Arthur Edward
TITLE: The Pictorial Key to the Tarot
PUBLISHER: University Books
SPACE: NYC
TIME: 1959
NOTES: --
 

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