Tempting the Fates: Using the Deck (and the Book) of Many Things
Cover Illustration by Ekaterina Burmak
Delayed several months due to a production error, The Book of Many Things for Dungeons & Dragons is finally hitting store shelves. It’s a unique addition to the official D&D product line - a beautifully crafted supplement that is both a game accessory and a book of game options. Neither is necessary to play D&D (or even to use the Deck of Many Things that it's based around) but for those who pick it up, you will enjoy what it offers.
The Deck of Many Things
The Deck of Many Things has been around since the very first D&D supplement which was for the Greyhawk setting. It's gone through various updates and revisions with each new edition of the game and as it does so its legend has grown. Originally it just used the face cards and jokers of a deck of playing cards, it was expanded to the standard 22 cards based on the major arcana of a tarot deck in a Dragon Magazine article in 1979.
It is often seen as a "campaign-breaking" artifact that can summon forth either character death or tremendous wealth with a single card pull. However, in my personal experiences with the deck, it is a "campaign-defining" artifact. Its powers definitely have the ability to reshape a campaign and a good DM should be willing to roll with changes if they decide to introduce it into their campaign. For that reason, DMs should not avoid the Deck of Many Things but should be ready for the consequences.
With this new supplement, however, DMs have a bit more control over what the Deck brings to the table. Besides the original 22 cards, 44 additional cards have been included in this boxed set allowing you to craft your own Deck of Many Things that may be either more powerful than the original or milder for low-level adventurers. All 66 cards are beautifully illustrated and include a guidebook describing each one like a tarot deck often does. The cards themselves are of high-quality materials and will definitely be a centerpiece at the game table whenever they are brought out. (Note: The reviewer's copy that I received did have the production defects that caused the delay in the release reported by WotC. However, these defects did not prevent the cards from being usable and were largely cosmetic. WotC has issued a statement saying that final versions will not have these issues.)
The Book of Many Things
Alternate Cover Art by CoupleofKooks
The second half of this supplement is a nearly 220-page book that is akin to one of the "Everything" books like Tasha's or Xanathar's. There is a little bit of everything in this book - Character Options, DM Options, Monsters, NPCs, Factions, Adventure Sites. The difference between this book and those others is that this has a central theme of the Deck and Stars - specifically that of fortunes. Given that the deck itself is based off of a fortune telling object and that it does have the ability to reshape characters' lives, it only makes sense that there should be a heavy emphasis on fortunes and fortune-telling. There is also a sub-theme of planar magic and entities making this a natural companion to Spelljammer and Planescape.
Each chapter of the book is designed around one card from the Deck. For example, the Key chapter covers using the deck and incorporating it into your campaign. It gives suggestions on how to craft your own deck from existing cards and even perhaps how a player character might add their own card to the deck!
The character options are divided into four chapters, The Sage, The Rogue, The Fates, and The Knight for arcane spellcasters, experts, divine spellcasters, and warriors respectively. Each chapter includes new backgrounds, inspiration, magic items, feats, and spells for players to build into their characters. Some highlights include:
magic throwing card decks (for us fans of Gambit from the X-Men!)
the Cartomancy feat which allows you to store and cast spells using a deck of cards
The Sword of the Planes, a legendary sword that allows the wielder to slice open a portal to another plane
Supernatural charms that can be granted to a character bestowing them with a power with a limited number of uses as a boon.
The DM options are divided into five chapters including the aforementioned Key chapter. The Fool chapter gives a history of the Deck outside of the game as well as a summary of how to use the book. The Puzzle chapter provides puzzles, riddles, and trap rooms to use in your adventures. The Gem chapter discusses how to do deal with the sudden wealth that comes with a good Deck draw or a dragon hoard. It also details a collection of magic items inspired by the various cards of the traditional Deck of Many Things.
However, the most interesting of the DM chapters is the Balance chapter. This gives several interesting ways to incorporate a deck of cards (whether the Deck of Many Things or not) into your storytelling. These range from building encounter decks (instead of a random table roll) to using a fortune-telling deck (Many Things, Tarokka, or traditional tarot) for quick story needs like random NPCs or for plotting out a journey.
In the Journey spread, you lay out cards for each day of the journey. Each day has a top card representing the challenge of the day and a bottom card representing the outcome (reward or ruin). This is a very lightweight but highly variable way to address overland travel and make journeys interesting.
Lastly, the Balance chapter details the concept of an Inspiration Hand. Rather than the basic 5e Inspiration where the DM grants a free re-roll of a d20, you have a deck of cards that each provide a minor boon. At the beginning of the game the DM lays out a number of cards equal to the number of players and each time a player does something worthy of inspiration they can take one of the cards to use at a later time. While I have not had the opportunity yet to use this in a game, the fact that the cards are laid out on the table would seem to give a visual reminder that players should try to be creative or inspiring so they can get one of those cards! As a DM, this would also remind me to give out Inspiration as I have a bad habit of forgetting to do so.
The rest of the book details adventure seeds that can be used to build out single adventures or whole campaigns. These include factions like the Grim Harrow an extraplanar undead organization of those killed by the Deck of Many Things that are now determined to destroy all copies of it throughout the multiverse. There are also adventure sites like the Donjon Sphere, a metal planetoid that floats through the Astral Sea and is a possible location for the prison of those who pull the Donjon card. Lastly, there are monsters and NPCs like Euryale and Astaria, the medusa and paladin whose fates created the first Deck of Many Things. They can be powerful allies or dangerous enemies for those who become tied into the fate of the Deck of Many Things.
Worldbuilding Wrap-Up
When this supplement was first announced, I had a very hard time understanding how you would create 200 pages of content around the Deck of Many Things. While a neat artifact, at the end of the day it's one of many interesting artifacts from the history of D&D. However, the amount of lore created around this artifact as well as the encouragement to try something different with a D&D game is brilliant. The story of Astaria and Eurayle is a classic fairy tale myth and gives meaning to the Deck of Many Things and all of its variants of it throughout the cosmos.
Beyond the official D&D lore though, I would encourage DMs to give the ideas presented here for using cards in your game a shot. While we all love our dice, interpreting a random card draw requires you to use creativity and imagination. If you are stuck for ideas for that next adventure, try these story generation methods instead.
My one small complaint is that the box the set comes in has a tear-away opening that prevents it from being closed again and looks as if it is meant to be thrown away. I would have preferred a slipcase that kept the deck box and book in one neat package.
Magic decks of cards are not unique to D&D. There are many stories from ancient myths to modern entertainment and games that have used the idea. Take these ideas and make them your own. Maybe your world doesn't have a Deck of Many Things, but there are card summoners who use their decks of cards to summon powerful creatures to fight on their behalf! For a different aesthetic, you could eliminate the cards and replace them with runestones or another fortune-telling device.
Lastly, whether you choose to use this prestige Deck of Many Things, a regular tarot deck, or just a deck of playing cards, do not be afraid to introduce the Deck or a similar magic item into your world. Let your players have those big swings in fortune. These are what make for amazing table stories that they will be sharing for the rest of their lives.
The Book of Many Things is available now at your local game store. You can support this website by purchasing your copy through our affiliate link.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this product was provided by the publisher.
