Cardcaster Core Class [Archive] - Wizards Community

Cardcaster Core Class [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Hector
10-16-04, 12:45 AM I based this core class on the Cardcaster PrCs posted by Knight-Triumphant and Kingside-Bishop over in the PrC forum. This is my first attempt at a core class.

[Flavor text will go here, when I get to it later.]

CARDCASTER
Alignment: Any Chaotic.
Hit Die: d4.

Class Skills
The cardcaster’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Sleight of Hand (Dex), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Cardcaster (uses Wizard BAB and Saves)

Special Maximum Deck Value Per Level Spell Levels Available
1. Shuffle 4 0, 1
Craft (Card)
Knowledge (Cards)
2. Slapjack 8 0, 1
3. Chance Card I 16 0, 1, 2
4. Free Discard I 28 0, 1, 2
5. Chance Card II 40 0, 1, 2, 3
6. Free Discard II 60 0, 1, 2, 3
7. Chance Card III 80 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
8. Free Discard III 108 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
9. Cast on the Run 136 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
10. Discard Hand I 172 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
11. Speed Shuffle I 198 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
12. Slapjack II 252 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
13. Free Pick I 296 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
14. Casting Flourish 348 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
15. Discard Hand II 400 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
16. Speed Shuffle II 460 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
17. Slapjack III 520 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
18. Free Pick II 588 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
19. Hidden Cast 652 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
20. Free Hand 720 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the cardcaster.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
The cardcaster is proficient with all simple weapons and light armor. Like the bard, the cardcaster may cast cards (essentially arcane spells) while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance.

However, like any other arcane spellcaster, the cardcaster incurs the chance of arcane spell failure as normal when wearing medium or heavy armor or a shield. The cardcaster incurs this penalty even though card casting eliminates the need for regular somatic spell components. The cards themselves are the somatic components of card casting.

Spells:
The cardcaster casts arcane spells using cards. The cardcaster draws her spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. At a given cardcaster class level, the cardcaster has access to spells of certain levels as shown in Table: Cardcaster. Once the cardcaster gains access to a certain spell level, she can cast any spell of that level that she has stored in a card, if the card is in her main deck, and her deck has been properly shuffled (see below). A character's caster levels from another class stack with the character's cardcaster levels for the purpose of determining whether the character has access to spells of a certain level.

To learn, store in a card and cast a spell, the cardcaster must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against the cardcaster’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the cardcaster’s Intelligence modifier.

Unlike a bard or sorcerer, the cardcaster may know any number of spells, and, unlike all other spellcasters, the cardcaster may cast all of her cards in one day (far more spells than any other caster of the same level). On the other hand, the cardcaster is at the whim of the deck, and the strength of her deck is limited by her arcane power.

The cardcaster can cast any card in her main deck at any time, assuming she has not yet cast that particular card that day. She may only draw five cards at a time, and she may not draw another card until she has cast all the cards in her hand, unless she applies one of her special abilities.

A card that goes from her hand back to the deck without being cast (as will happen under some of her special abilities) may be cast when drawn again (or sent back into the deck with another special ability). Until a card is cast or until the passage of one day since the last one-hour shuffle, a card retains its arcane energy.

She must prepare her deck ahead of time by choosing her cards and spending 1 hour shuffling her deck. Through the process of shuffling, the cardcaster imbues her cards with arcane energy to recharge the spells on the cards in her deck. The cardcaster may only use one deck per day.

Cards:
The cardcaster's cards can be any size from a standard playing card and larger, and any shape of roughly equivalent size. Each cardcaster's cards are unique, but the cardcaster can learn to cast cards created by another cardcaster similar to the process for a wizard translating another wizard's spells.

A single card has writings, symbols or images (or all three) on its face that correspond (as far as the cardcaster that created the card is concerned; the symbols, words or images probably mean little to anyone else) to the spell stored in that card. The back of a card may be of any design, usually one chosen by the cardcaster as her unique symbol.

Metamagic Feats and Cards: Any metamagic feat to be performed with a spell must be stored in the card with the spell when the cardcaster crafts the card. If the metamagic feat increases the level of a spell beyond the maximum spell level available to the cardcaster, the cardcaster cannot apply the metamagic feat to the spell. For example, a first-level cardcaster cannot craft a card with a Maximized Magic Missle spell, because the spell level is a total of 4 (1 for the Magic Missile plus 3 for the Maximize metamagic feat), and the cardcaster does not have access to fourth level spells until cardcaster level 8.

Deck:
The cardcaster's main deck always consists of forty cards. She may have any combination of cards in her deck, but no more than four of one kind. The cardcaster's main deck MUST be random. When the cardcaster spends an hour a day shuffling her deck, she does more than recharge her cards, she also thoroughly randomizes her deck. If the cardcaster is interrupted (completely stopping the shuffle and doing something else entirely; not just engaging in conversation, for example) during this one-hour shuffle, she may try again to complete the shuffle, but she must start over from the beginning. She may try as many times as necessary to complete the one-hour shuffle, but if she is unable to complete the shuffle once, she suffers penalties for the remainder of that day (see below).

Cardcasters tap into the power of chaos to imbue their cards with arcane energy. If the cardcaster attempts to rig her deck, her one-hour shuffle fails to imbue her cards with arcane energy, the shuffle automatically fails, and she may not cast any cards that day. She may not try to shuffle her cards again that day, and she suffers a -2 morale penalty to all her ability scores for the rest of the day.

Each card has a point value. The point value of the card is determined by the level of the spell stored in the card: the point value is equal to the spell's level as stored. For example, a card with a Magic Missile spell stored in it has a point value of one, but a card with a Maximized Magic Missile spell stored in it has a point value of four. At a given level, the strength of the cardcaster's deck is limited by total point value, and as the cardcaster gains cardcaster levels, the maximum limit on the total point value of the deck increases. See Table Cardcaster for the progression of the cardcaster's deck. A character's caster levels from another class stack with the character's cardcaster levels for the purpose of determining the maximum point value limit for her deck.

In order to play the cardcaster properly, the player will need an actual deck of cards, with a list of the spells assigned to each card, and one card for each other card outside the main deck that the cardcaster has in her possession. A complete list of the cardcaster's cards must be shared with the DM. The player must actually draw and discard cards from the deck in order to determine which cards the cardcaster draws and discards. It is not necessary for the player to shuffle the deck for an hour, but the deck must be sufficiently shuffled to insure fairness.

Casting a Card:
When the cardcaster casts a card, she must focus on the card, display the card face to the target of the spell (if the spell has no target, she may simply look at the card face or hold it out for others to see) and recite the command word. The cardcaster need not make a Concentration check to cast a card, even in combat (although the DM may require a Concentration check in other special circumstances, such as if the cardcaster is on fire).

However, if the cardcaster is grappled, the cardcaster must make a Concentration check as if casting a regular spell (see PHB, p. 170). If the cardcaster's arms or hands are bound, or if the cardcaster cannot speak, the cardcaster may not cast a card.

Casting a card is a standard action, and provokes attacks of opportunity (unless aided by an appropriate cardcaster special ability). Drawing a card to replace a card already cast is a free action. Drawing five cards at the start of combat (or as the cardcaster's first action during combat) is a free action, but is a standard action (and provokes attacks of opportunity) at any other time during combat (unless aided by the appropriate special ability).

If the card being cast contains a spell that requires a further check for success (such as Acid Splash, which requires a roll for a ranged touch attack), the cardcaster must succeed on the required roll in order to successfully cast the card. If the success check fails, the card's energy is still discharged for the day.

Cards that have been cast are placed at the bottom of the deck. In the event that the cardcaster draws a card (either normally or through a special ability) that has already been cast, the cardcaster may replace the cast card at the bottom of the deck and draw a new card with no penalty (does not count as an action of any kind).

Special Abilities:

Shuffle: Once a day, in order to imbue her cards with arcane energy and to randomize her deck completely, the cardcaster must spend one hour shuffling her main deck. Prior to this shuffle, she chooses all forty of the cards that she will have access to that day. She may not use any other cards except the cards in her main deck during that day.

If the cardcaster fails to complete this one-hour shuffle (a complete failure, even after repeated attempts, see above), she cannot cast any cards that day, and she suffers a -2 morale penalty to all her ability scores for the remainder of that day.

The cardcaster may do just about anything else during this one-hour shuffle that does not require the use of her hands. For example, the cardcaster may talk to others, walk, watch someone perform, keep watch for a sleeping party, etc. At the DM's discretion, a given action taken during the one-hour shuffle might require a Sleight of Hand skill check against a DC of the DM's choice to complete the shuffle successfully.

Craft (Card): The cardcaster can create a card with one spell stored in it. Once a spell is stored in a card, the spell is permanently in that card. The cardcaster can create a card with any spell that the cardcaster knows.

Crafting a card takes one day for each 1,000 gold pieces in its base price. The base price of a card is the spell's level x the its caster level x 25 gp. To craft a card (except the cards in cardcasters starting deck, which are assumed to have been crafted under the instruction and with the assistance of a teacher), the cardcaster must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half this base price.

Any card that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, the cardcaster must also expend the material component or pay the XP when crafting the card.

Knowledge (Cards): This class skill is similar to the other knowledge skills. The cardcaster knows all there is to know about cards, card history, card games, card game strategies, gambling in card games, etc.

Slapjack: A number of times per day equal to 1 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus, the cardcaster may cast a card as a standard action that avoids all attacks of opportunity. In effect, the cardcaster becomes adept at casting a card faster than her opponents can react.

Chance Card I: Once per day, as a standard action, the cardcaster may draw a random card from her deck, even if the cardcaster already has five cards in her hand. The cardcaster must either cast this card immediately or discard it by placing at the bottom of her deck.

Free Discard I: Once per day, as a standard action, the cardcaster may discard one card from her hand and draw a new card. The discarded card is shuffled back into the cardcaster's deck (i.e., not placed at the bottom of the deck, but somewhere into the deck).

Chance Card II: As Chance Card I, but twice per day. This Special Ability replaces Chance Card I.

Free Discard II: As Free Discard I, but twice per day. This Special Ability replaces Free Discard I.

Chance Card III: As Chance Card I, but thrice per day. This Special Ability replaces Chance Card II.

Free Discard III: As Free Discard I, but thrice per day. This Special Ability replaces Free Discard II.

Cast on the Run: When casting a card as a standard action, the cardcaster may move both before and after casting the card, providing that the cardcaster's total distance moved is not more than her speed.

Discard Hand I: Once per day, as a standard move action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the cardcaster may discard her entire hand and draw a new five-card hand.

Speed Shuffle I: Because of her increasing adeptness with her cards and her growing connection to the forces of chaos, the cardcaster can complete her daily shuffle in forty-five minutes.

Slapjack II: As Slapjack I, but a number of times per day equal to 4 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus. This Special Ability replaces Slapjack I.

Free Pick I: Once per day, as a standard action, when the cardcaster has a full hand of five cards, the cardcaster may draw an additional card from her hand. The cardcaster may keep the new card and discard one card already in her hand, or she may discard the new card.

Casting Flourish: A number of times per day equal to 1 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus, the cardcaster completes her cast with a flourish that forces all enemies within ten feet of the caster to make a Will saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the cardcaster's class level + the cardcaster's Dexterity modifier) or be stunned for 1 round. A stunned character cannot act, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, and takes a -2 penalty to AC.

Discard Hand II: As Discard Hand I, but twice per day. This Special Ability replaces Discard Hand I.

Speed Shuffle II: As Speed Shuffle I, but the shuffle can be completed in thirty minutes. This Special Ability replaces Speed Shuffle I.

Slapjack III: As Slapjack I, but a number of times per day equal to 6 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus. This Special Ability replaces Slapjack II.

Free Pick II: As Free Pick I, but twice per day. This Special Ability replaces Free Pick I.

Hidden Cast: A number of times per day equal to 1 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus, the cardcaster may cast a card without presenting the card face to the target of the spell. The command word is still required.

Free Hand: Once per day, as a free action, the cardcaster may discard her entire hand and draw a new five-card hand.
Kingside_Bishop
10-16-04, 02:12 AM I like it... it's got great flavor and abilities to match. What's the difference between Slapjack II and III? You may have forgotten to type in the difference.

The "Cast on the Run" ability is cool... it represents the inherent chaos and fluidity of the style of cardcasting.

I think it might be a little overpowered, though. The ability to cast arcane spells in heavy armor is easy to exploit, and the random issue is easy to get around -- in any given spell level, there are at least 10 useful spells for the character to fill his deck with, he's just got to be smart.

I can just imagine slapping a guy upside the head with a card before he can react... that slapjack business would be good fun.
Hector
10-16-04, 09:37 AM Thanks. :) I started working on it as a prestige class, but then I was having so much fun with the specials that I changed it over to a core class. I'm still tweaking it a bit, but I think you're right about it being overpowered.

I was trying to avoid creating an entirely new magic system, but using the cards really changes the dynamics of magic in the game. Right now I am thinking of using some kind of a point system for the deck, like Knight-Triumphant did, in order to keep the deck from being too powerful at a given level.
Hector
10-16-04, 09:45 AM Edit=Double Post
Hector
10-16-04, 02:10 PM I did some major revisions today. I limited the cardcaster to light armor, like a bard. I switched Free Discard with Free Pick. I fleshed out the spells by levels available to the cardcaster at a given class level and a method for controlling the strength of the deck (point system). I raised the number of cards in a deck to sixty, then dropped it back again to forty. I still might change the number of cards again. I made several other minor revisions.
urklore
10-16-04, 02:10 PM I like it! The only thing I would do in my game for balance is to remove the fact that they can cast spells without somatic components. I would rule that the somatic component would be to draw forth the given card to focus the magic on it. But then again, I am partial to Yu-Gi-Oh, lol.

"Go Dark Magician!!!"
Pulls a small card with a wizard picture embossed on it.
"Dark Magican Black Beam of Power!"
Focuses through card to cast lightning bolt.

:)
Hector
10-16-04, 02:44 PM Thanks for the comment. :) I guess I need to make the elimination of somatic components more clear: the somatic components required for a particular spell are eliminated, but the process of casting a card requires that the cardcaster draw the card, present the card face to the target, and recite the command word. If the spell does not have a target, the cardcaster focuses on the card face and recites the command word. Thus, for card casting, the card itself is always a required somatic component.
Kingside_Bishop
10-16-04, 02:46 PM I was trying to avoid creating an entirely new magic system, but using the cards really changes the dynamics of magic in the game.

I really like this whole card idea, so I designed a whole new magic system for it, that's suplemental to the existing one. It's different from what we've been doing around here, but we could adapt our three classes to it easily enough. It would be cool if we could come up with a whole other school of magic. The system is weaker than what we've been working on, but we could make it so that characters of the appropriate classes have bonuses.

I posted it on Regdar's Repository, so it won't be up for a few days.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Hector 10-16-04, 12:45 AM	I based this core class on the Cardcaster PrCs posted by Knight-Triumphant and Kingside-Bishop over in the PrC forum. This is my first attempt at a core class. [Flavor text will go here, when I get to it later.] CARDCASTER Alignment: Any Chaotic. Hit Die: d4. Class Skills The cardcaster’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Sleight of Hand (Dex), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int). Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4. Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier. Table: The Cardcaster (uses Wizard BAB and Saves) Special Maximum Deck Value Per Level Spell Levels Available 1. Shuffle 4 0, 1 Craft (Card) Knowledge (Cards) 2. Slapjack 8 0, 1 3. Chance Card I 16 0, 1, 2 4. Free Discard I 28 0, 1, 2 5. Chance Card II 40 0, 1, 2, 3 6. Free Discard II 60 0, 1, 2, 3 7. Chance Card III 80 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 8. Free Discard III 108 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 9. Cast on the Run 136 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 10. Discard Hand I 172 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 11. Speed Shuffle I 198 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 12. Slapjack II 252 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 13. Free Pick I 296 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 14. Casting Flourish 348 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 15. Discard Hand II 400 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 16. Speed Shuffle II 460 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 17. Slapjack III 520 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 18. Free Pick II 588 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 19. Hidden Cast 652 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 20. Free Hand 720 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Class Features All of the following are class features of the cardcaster. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The cardcaster is proficient with all simple weapons and light armor. Like the bard, the cardcaster may cast cards (essentially arcane spells) while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, the cardcaster incurs the chance of arcane spell failure as normal when wearing medium or heavy armor or a shield. The cardcaster incurs this penalty even though card casting eliminates the need for regular somatic spell components. The cards themselves are the somatic components of card casting. Spells: The cardcaster casts arcane spells using cards. The cardcaster draws her spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. At a given cardcaster class level, the cardcaster has access to spells of certain levels as shown in Table: Cardcaster. Once the cardcaster gains access to a certain spell level, she can cast any spell of that level that she has stored in a card, if the card is in her main deck, and her deck has been properly shuffled (see below). A character's caster levels from another class stack with the character's cardcaster levels for the purpose of determining whether the character has access to spells of a certain level. To learn, store in a card and cast a spell, the cardcaster must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against the cardcaster’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the cardcaster’s Intelligence modifier. Unlike a bard or sorcerer, the cardcaster may know any number of spells, and, unlike all other spellcasters, the cardcaster may cast all of her cards in one day (far more spells than any other caster of the same level). On the other hand, the cardcaster is at the whim of the deck, and the strength of her deck is limited by her arcane power. The cardcaster can cast any card in her main deck at any time, assuming she has not yet cast that particular card that day. She may only draw five cards at a time, and she may not draw another card until she has cast all the cards in her hand, unless she applies one of her special abilities. A card that goes from her hand back to the deck without being cast (as will happen under some of her special abilities) may be cast when drawn again (or sent back into the deck with another special ability). Until a card is cast or until the passage of one day since the last one-hour shuffle, a card retains its arcane energy. She must prepare her deck ahead of time by choosing her cards and spending 1 hour shuffling her deck. Through the process of shuffling, the cardcaster imbues her cards with arcane energy to recharge the spells on the cards in her deck. The cardcaster may only use one deck per day. Cards: The cardcaster's cards can be any size from a standard playing card and larger, and any shape of roughly equivalent size. Each cardcaster's cards are unique, but the cardcaster can learn to cast cards created by another cardcaster similar to the process for a wizard translating another wizard's spells. A single card has writings, symbols or images (or all three) on its face that correspond (as far as the cardcaster that created the card is concerned; the symbols, words or images probably mean little to anyone else) to the spell stored in that card. The back of a card may be of any design, usually one chosen by the cardcaster as her unique symbol. Metamagic Feats and Cards: Any metamagic feat to be performed with a spell must be stored in the card with the spell when the cardcaster crafts the card. If the metamagic feat increases the level of a spell beyond the maximum spell level available to the cardcaster, the cardcaster cannot apply the metamagic feat to the spell. For example, a first-level cardcaster cannot craft a card with a Maximized Magic Missle spell, because the spell level is a total of 4 (1 for the Magic Missile plus 3 for the Maximize metamagic feat), and the cardcaster does not have access to fourth level spells until cardcaster level 8. Deck: The cardcaster's main deck always consists of forty cards. She may have any combination of cards in her deck, but no more than four of one kind. The cardcaster's main deck MUST be random. When the cardcaster spends an hour a day shuffling her deck, she does more than recharge her cards, she also thoroughly randomizes her deck. If the cardcaster is interrupted (completely stopping the shuffle and doing something else entirely; not just engaging in conversation, for example) during this one-hour shuffle, she may try again to complete the shuffle, but she must start over from the beginning. She may try as many times as necessary to complete the one-hour shuffle, but if she is unable to complete the shuffle once, she suffers penalties for the remainder of that day (see below). Cardcasters tap into the power of chaos to imbue their cards with arcane energy. If the cardcaster attempts to rig her deck, her one-hour shuffle fails to imbue her cards with arcane energy, the shuffle automatically fails, and she may not cast any cards that day. She may not try to shuffle her cards again that day, and she suffers a -2 morale penalty to all her ability scores for the rest of the day. Each card has a point value. The point value of the card is determined by the level of the spell stored in the card: the point value is equal to the spell's level as stored. For example, a card with a Magic Missile spell stored in it has a point value of one, but a card with a Maximized Magic Missile spell stored in it has a point value of four. At a given level, the strength of the cardcaster's deck is limited by total point value, and as the cardcaster gains cardcaster levels, the maximum limit on the total point value of the deck increases. See Table Cardcaster for the progression of the cardcaster's deck. A character's caster levels from another class stack with the character's cardcaster levels for the purpose of determining the maximum point value limit for her deck. In order to play the cardcaster properly, the player will need an actual deck of cards, with a list of the spells assigned to each card, and one card for each other card outside the main deck that the cardcaster has in her possession. A complete list of the cardcaster's cards must be shared with the DM. The player must actually draw and discard cards from the deck in order to determine which cards the cardcaster draws and discards. It is not necessary for the player to shuffle the deck for an hour, but the deck must be sufficiently shuffled to insure fairness. Casting a Card: When the cardcaster casts a card, she must focus on the card, display the card face to the target of the spell (if the spell has no target, she may simply look at the card face or hold it out for others to see) and recite the command word. The cardcaster need not make a Concentration check to cast a card, even in combat (although the DM may require a Concentration check in other special circumstances, such as if the cardcaster is on fire). However, if the cardcaster is grappled, the cardcaster must make a Concentration check as if casting a regular spell (see PHB, p. 170). If the cardcaster's arms or hands are bound, or if the cardcaster cannot speak, the cardcaster may not cast a card. Casting a card is a standard action, and provokes attacks of opportunity (unless aided by an appropriate cardcaster special ability). Drawing a card to replace a card already cast is a free action. Drawing five cards at the start of combat (or as the cardcaster's first action during combat) is a free action, but is a standard action (and provokes attacks of opportunity) at any other time during combat (unless aided by the appropriate special ability). If the card being cast contains a spell that requires a further check for success (such as Acid Splash, which requires a roll for a ranged touch attack), the cardcaster must succeed on the required roll in order to successfully cast the card. If the success check fails, the card's energy is still discharged for the day. Cards that have been cast are placed at the bottom of the deck. In the event that the cardcaster draws a card (either normally or through a special ability) that has already been cast, the cardcaster may replace the cast card at the bottom of the deck and draw a new card with no penalty (does not count as an action of any kind). Special Abilities: Shuffle: Once a day, in order to imbue her cards with arcane energy and to randomize her deck completely, the cardcaster must spend one hour shuffling her main deck. Prior to this shuffle, she chooses all forty of the cards that she will have access to that day. She may not use any other cards except the cards in her main deck during that day. If the cardcaster fails to complete this one-hour shuffle (a complete failure, even after repeated attempts, see above), she cannot cast any cards that day, and she suffers a -2 morale penalty to all her ability scores for the remainder of that day. The cardcaster may do just about anything else during this one-hour shuffle that does not require the use of her hands. For example, the cardcaster may talk to others, walk, watch someone perform, keep watch for a sleeping party, etc. At the DM's discretion, a given action taken during the one-hour shuffle might require a Sleight of Hand skill check against a DC of the DM's choice to complete the shuffle successfully. Craft (Card): The cardcaster can create a card with one spell stored in it. Once a spell is stored in a card, the spell is permanently in that card. The cardcaster can create a card with any spell that the cardcaster knows. Crafting a card takes one day for each 1,000 gold pieces in its base price. The base price of a card is the spell's level x the its caster level x 25 gp. To craft a card (except the cards in cardcasters starting deck, which are assumed to have been crafted under the instruction and with the assistance of a teacher), the cardcaster must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half this base price. Any card that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, the cardcaster must also expend the material component or pay the XP when crafting the card. Knowledge (Cards): This class skill is similar to the other knowledge skills. The cardcaster knows all there is to know about cards, card history, card games, card game strategies, gambling in card games, etc. Slapjack: A number of times per day equal to 1 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus, the cardcaster may cast a card as a standard action that avoids all attacks of opportunity. In effect, the cardcaster becomes adept at casting a card faster than her opponents can react. Chance Card I: Once per day, as a standard action, the cardcaster may draw a random card from her deck, even if the cardcaster already has five cards in her hand. The cardcaster must either cast this card immediately or discard it by placing at the bottom of her deck. Free Discard I: Once per day, as a standard action, the cardcaster may discard one card from her hand and draw a new card. The discarded card is shuffled back into the cardcaster's deck (i.e., not placed at the bottom of the deck, but somewhere into the deck). Chance Card II: As Chance Card I, but twice per day. This Special Ability replaces Chance Card I. Free Discard II: As Free Discard I, but twice per day. This Special Ability replaces Free Discard I. Chance Card III: As Chance Card I, but thrice per day. This Special Ability replaces Chance Card II. Free Discard III: As Free Discard I, but thrice per day. This Special Ability replaces Free Discard II. Cast on the Run: When casting a card as a standard action, the cardcaster may move both before and after casting the card, providing that the cardcaster's total distance moved is not more than her speed. Discard Hand I: Once per day, as a standard move action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the cardcaster may discard her entire hand and draw a new five-card hand. Speed Shuffle I: Because of her increasing adeptness with her cards and her growing connection to the forces of chaos, the cardcaster can complete her daily shuffle in forty-five minutes. Slapjack II: As Slapjack I, but a number of times per day equal to 4 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus. This Special Ability replaces Slapjack I. Free Pick I: Once per day, as a standard action, when the cardcaster has a full hand of five cards, the cardcaster may draw an additional card from her hand. The cardcaster may keep the new card and discard one card already in her hand, or she may discard the new card. Casting Flourish: A number of times per day equal to 1 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus, the cardcaster completes her cast with a flourish that forces all enemies within ten feet of the caster to make a Will saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the cardcaster's class level + the cardcaster's Dexterity modifier) or be stunned for 1 round. A stunned character cannot act, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, and takes a -2 penalty to AC. Discard Hand II: As Discard Hand I, but twice per day. This Special Ability replaces Discard Hand I. Speed Shuffle II: As Speed Shuffle I, but the shuffle can be completed in thirty minutes. This Special Ability replaces Speed Shuffle I. Slapjack III: As Slapjack I, but a number of times per day equal to 6 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus. This Special Ability replaces Slapjack II. Free Pick II: As Free Pick I, but twice per day. This Special Ability replaces Free Pick I. Hidden Cast: A number of times per day equal to 1 + the cardcaster's Dexterity bonus, the cardcaster may cast a card without presenting the card face to the target of the spell. The command word is still required. Free Hand: Once per day, as a free action, the cardcaster may discard her entire hand and draw a new five-card hand.
Kingside_Bishop 10-16-04, 02:12 AM	I like it... it's got great flavor and abilities to match. What's the difference between Slapjack II and III? You may have forgotten to type in the difference. The "Cast on the Run" ability is cool... it represents the inherent chaos and fluidity of the style of cardcasting. I think it might be a little overpowered, though. The ability to cast arcane spells in heavy armor is easy to exploit, and the random issue is easy to get around -- in any given spell level, there are at least 10 useful spells for the character to fill his deck with, he's just got to be smart. I can just imagine slapping a guy upside the head with a card before he can react... that slapjack business would be good fun.
Hector 10-16-04, 09:37 AM	Thanks. :) I started working on it as a prestige class, but then I was having so much fun with the specials that I changed it over to a core class. I'm still tweaking it a bit, but I think you're right about it being overpowered. I was trying to avoid creating an entirely new magic system, but using the cards really changes the dynamics of magic in the game. Right now I am thinking of using some kind of a point system for the deck, like Knight-Triumphant did, in order to keep the deck from being too powerful at a given level.
Hector 10-16-04, 09:45 AM	Edit=Double Post
Hector 10-16-04, 02:10 PM	I did some major revisions today. I limited the cardcaster to light armor, like a bard. I switched Free Discard with Free Pick. I fleshed out the spells by levels available to the cardcaster at a given class level and a method for controlling the strength of the deck (point system). I raised the number of cards in a deck to sixty, then dropped it back again to forty. I still might change the number of cards again. I made several other minor revisions.
urklore 10-16-04, 02:10 PM	I like it! The only thing I would do in my game for balance is to remove the fact that they can cast spells without somatic components. I would rule that the somatic component would be to draw forth the given card to focus the magic on it. But then again, I am partial to Yu-Gi-Oh, lol. "Go Dark Magician!!!" Pulls a small card with a wizard picture embossed on it. "Dark Magican Black Beam of Power!" Focuses through card to cast lightning bolt. :)
Hector 10-16-04, 02:44 PM	Thanks for the comment. :) I guess I need to make the elimination of somatic components more clear: the somatic components required for a particular spell are eliminated, but the process of casting a card requires that the cardcaster draw the card, present the card face to the target, and recite the command word. If the spell does not have a target, the cardcaster focuses on the card face and recites the command word. Thus, for card casting, the card itself is always a required somatic component.
Kingside_Bishop 10-16-04, 02:46 PM	I was trying to avoid creating an entirely new magic system, but using the cards really changes the dynamics of magic in the game. I really like this whole card idea, so I designed a whole new magic system for it, that's suplemental to the existing one. It's different from what we've been doing around here, but we could adapt our three classes to it easily enough. It would be cool if we could come up with a whole other school of magic. The system is weaker than what we've been working on, but we could make it so that characters of the appropriate classes have bonuses. I posted it on Regdar's Repository, so it won't be up for a few days.