Deck of Many Things & Three Dragon Ante [Archive] - Wizards Community

Deck of Many Things & Three Dragon Ante [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
lekpic
09-25-06, 04:34 PM In every campaign run by my DM it is well known we will see one or two Dragons as well as the Deck of Many Things. As you all know the Deck is an ARTIFACT and shouldn't be so easily accessable. There is usually no background as to how the Deck gets into our charecters hands or exactly how we all know what it does. But hey, we do. :)

Now what I was thinking of doing is using the Three Dragon Ante deck as a "Deck of Many Things" and so I wanted to know...

If anyone has seen a conversion chart for that?
How can I present the deck in a way that no one would know what it is?
In Eberron, how would one come across said deck?

The background for my campaign surrently is directly out of the Eberron Adventures. My players have gone through the following adventures:

Forgotten Forge Eberron Campaign Setting
Shadows of the Last War
Whispers of the Vampires Blade

PLEASE HELP ME!
The White Sorcerer
09-25-06, 06:28 PM In Eberron, how would one come across said deck?
Beware the gifts of the Traveler...
lekpic
09-27-06, 02:29 PM :bump: Anybody?
Amaril
09-28-06, 10:33 AM You could just buy (http://www.greenronin.com/catalog/grr3004) a deck of many things or print (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060614a) your own on glossy cardstock photopaper.

Regarding a Three-Dragon Ante Deck in Eberron:
http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebsh/20051212a

Here's a Web Enhancement for using Three-Dragon Ante in-game:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060919a
lekpic
09-29-06, 12:04 PM But first... some background.

I have been playing with this group for nearly 4 years now. My wife has played with us a time or two, but right now we game while she is at work. But after she gets home we wrap up the D&D and pull out board games or poker and we play games for a few hours.

I was thinking about building a Deck of Many Things and using that in a hand of Texas Hold 'Em and using the cards the players opt to take in their hand as the cards they drew. This way they don't know it is a deck of many things and they don't know that the more cards they pull the worse off / better off things could get.

Then when it came to the outcome of the cars, I could sneak those things into the adventure. So the deck acts more as a "tarot" reading of the future rather than once you draw a card you are INSTANTLY given the benefits/drawbacks.
Kreistor1
09-29-06, 01:07 PM The DoMT is your DM's thing. The other players may be as tired of it as you kinda sound. I suggest you find you own thing.

If you want a tarot concept, then you can put the deck in the hands of a travelling night hag (polymorphed into the classic old crone, of course). She does the standard fortune telling deal, but her fortunes tend to come true. When she turns up cards that indicate death, destruction, or some other malevolent act, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Otherwise, the various prophecies eventually come true, one way or another.

You can find a description of how to use the 3-dragon ante cards for fortune telling in a recent Dragon rag.
Just another user
09-30-06, 03:47 PM The Deck of Many Things in Eberron is a Daelkir creation, its powers are so great that they can interfere even with the Prophecy, thats why the dragons are searching for it to destry or at least to contain it, they are not sure but they think that every time the Deck is used it damage the Prophecy's threads and if used enough time it could even destroy the prophecy and (maybe) the world. The deck appear randomly somewhere waiting for someone to pick it up and use it, whoever find it immediatly and instinctively know how it works (except for the "destroy the world" part) once used it disappear to reappear somewhere else after some time and so on, how to find him, well it depend, it could even appear in the back pack of one of your PCs.

That is some ideas. pick what you like.
Salla
09-30-06, 11:37 PM You can find a description of how to use the 3-dragon ante cards for fortune telling in a recent Dragon rag.

That's what I thought it was at first, but actually it's a character statistic generation method ... using the 'reading' of the cards to randomly distribute the points from a Point Buy; so you get the random stats, but still adding up to the same points as everybody else, for a nice combination of random and balanced. I love it. :)

P.S.
It bears noting that the Deck of Many Things is not a true artifact; it's a 'minor artifact', which the DMG defines as a magic item whose method of creation is lost to antiquity (aka 'We don't want PCs making these damn things'). It need not be 'godtouched' or anything other than an ancient relic (and it can be destroyed as easily as any other deck of cards and does not explode, rupture a hole in space-time, or tick off a twelve-million Hit Die Daelkyr).
lekpic
10-02-06, 11:37 AM I thought of another way to play it.

I will make it as though the characters just played a round of poker with the deck. They played "7 card no peeking," they then have to roll d% and whatever the result is will be rounded up as to how many cards were magically imbued "Deck" cards. (i.e. Face Cards & 2's)

If the player has ranks in "Use Magic Device" or "Sleight of Hand" they may alter their number of cards by how many ranks they have. (i.e. Their % results in 50%. They have 4 "Deck" cards. They also have 3 ranks in "UMD" and so they can then choose between 1 and 7 "Deck" cards.)

Players HAVE TO take at least ONE card from the "Deck."

The effects of the cards may not be instantaneous though, there may be a chance that those effects may come up "in game" at a later time. (Think of it like a fortune / tarot card reading) Some of these may include gaining the cohort, fighting the dread wraith, losing their wealth, etc.
Evilmonster
10-02-06, 10:53 PM s'funny. The deck has, at one point or another, found it's way into every single game I've ever ran or played. Wonder why that is :thinks:
Salla
10-03-06, 12:37 PM s'funny. The deck has, at one point or another, found it's way into every single game I've ever ran or played. Wonder why that is :thinks:

A healthy streak of sadism, via dangling bits of cheese, some poisoned, some not, over your rodent-like Players is almost a requirement for being a DM. When the GM puts the PCs in a regular situation that might turn out sucky, but might be great, and it turns out sucky, the players can blame the GM. 'Opponents too tough!' 'Terrain bad!' 'Underequipped!' 'No chance to prepare!', etc.

When the DM puts the nice, shiny Deck of Many ****Ups in front of the players, and some poor sap draws four Spades/Clubs in a row, the DM can merely shrug and say, "Hey, you decided to draw," thusly deflecting any responsibility despite the fact that he was the guy who put the Deck in the game in the first place.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
lekpic 09-25-06, 04:34 PM	In every campaign run by my DM it is well known we will see one or two Dragons as well as the Deck of Many Things. As you all know the Deck is an ARTIFACT and shouldn't be so easily accessable. There is usually no background as to how the Deck gets into our charecters hands or exactly how we all know what it does. But hey, we do. :) Now what I was thinking of doing is using the Three Dragon Ante deck as a "Deck of Many Things" and so I wanted to know... If anyone has seen a conversion chart for that? How can I present the deck in a way that no one would know what it is? In Eberron, how would one come across said deck? The background for my campaign surrently is directly out of the Eberron Adventures. My players have gone through the following adventures: Forgotten Forge Eberron Campaign Setting Shadows of the Last War Whispers of the Vampires Blade PLEASE HELP ME!
The White Sorcerer 09-25-06, 06:28 PM	In Eberron, how would one come across said deck? Beware the gifts of the Traveler...
lekpic 09-27-06, 02:29 PM	:bump: Anybody?
Amaril 09-28-06, 10:33 AM	You could just buy (http://www.greenronin.com/catalog/grr3004) a deck of many things or print (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060614a) your own on glossy cardstock photopaper. Regarding a Three-Dragon Ante Deck in Eberron: http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebsh/20051212a Here's a Web Enhancement for using Three-Dragon Ante in-game: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060919a
lekpic 09-29-06, 12:04 PM	But first... some background. I have been playing with this group for nearly 4 years now. My wife has played with us a time or two, but right now we game while she is at work. But after she gets home we wrap up the D&D and pull out board games or poker and we play games for a few hours. I was thinking about building a Deck of Many Things and using that in a hand of Texas Hold 'Em and using the cards the players opt to take in their hand as the cards they drew. This way they don't know it is a deck of many things and they don't know that the more cards they pull the worse off / better off things could get. Then when it came to the outcome of the cars, I could sneak those things into the adventure. So the deck acts more as a "tarot" reading of the future rather than once you draw a card you are INSTANTLY given the benefits/drawbacks.
Kreistor1 09-29-06, 01:07 PM	The DoMT is your DM's thing. The other players may be as tired of it as you kinda sound. I suggest you find you own thing. If you want a tarot concept, then you can put the deck in the hands of a travelling night hag (polymorphed into the classic old crone, of course). She does the standard fortune telling deal, but her fortunes tend to come true. When she turns up cards that indicate death, destruction, or some other malevolent act, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Otherwise, the various prophecies eventually come true, one way or another. You can find a description of how to use the 3-dragon ante cards for fortune telling in a recent Dragon rag.
Just another user 09-30-06, 03:47 PM	The Deck of Many Things in Eberron is a Daelkir creation, its powers are so great that they can interfere even with the Prophecy, thats why the dragons are searching for it to destry or at least to contain it, they are not sure but they think that every time the Deck is used it damage the Prophecy's threads and if used enough time it could even destroy the prophecy and (maybe) the world. The deck appear randomly somewhere waiting for someone to pick it up and use it, whoever find it immediatly and instinctively know how it works (except for the "destroy the world" part) once used it disappear to reappear somewhere else after some time and so on, how to find him, well it depend, it could even appear in the back pack of one of your PCs. That is some ideas. pick what you like.
Salla 09-30-06, 11:37 PM	You can find a description of how to use the 3-dragon ante cards for fortune telling in a recent Dragon rag. That's what I thought it was at first, but actually it's a character statistic generation method ... using the 'reading' of the cards to randomly distribute the points from a Point Buy; so you get the random stats, but still adding up to the same points as everybody else, for a nice combination of random and balanced. I love it. :) P.S. It bears noting that the Deck of Many Things is not a true artifact; it's a 'minor artifact', which the DMG defines as a magic item whose method of creation is lost to antiquity (aka 'We don't want PCs making these damn things'). It need not be 'godtouched' or anything other than an ancient relic (and it can be destroyed as easily as any other deck of cards and does not explode, rupture a hole in space-time, or tick off a twelve-million Hit Die Daelkyr).
lekpic 10-02-06, 11:37 AM	I thought of another way to play it. I will make it as though the characters just played a round of poker with the deck. They played "7 card no peeking," they then have to roll d% and whatever the result is will be rounded up as to how many cards were magically imbued "Deck" cards. (i.e. Face Cards & 2's) If the player has ranks in "Use Magic Device" or "Sleight of Hand" they may alter their number of cards by how many ranks they have. (i.e. Their % results in 50%. They have 4 "Deck" cards. They also have 3 ranks in "UMD" and so they can then choose between 1 and 7 "Deck" cards.) Players HAVE TO take at least ONE card from the "Deck." The effects of the cards may not be instantaneous though, there may be a chance that those effects may come up "in game" at a later time. (Think of it like a fortune / tarot card reading) Some of these may include gaining the cohort, fighting the dread wraith, losing their wealth, etc.
Evilmonster 10-02-06, 10:53 PM	s'funny. The deck has, at one point or another, found it's way into every single game I've ever ran or played. Wonder why that is :thinks:
Salla 10-03-06, 12:37 PM	s'funny. The deck has, at one point or another, found it's way into every single game I've ever ran or played. Wonder why that is :thinks: A healthy streak of sadism, via dangling bits of cheese, some poisoned, some not, over your rodent-like Players is almost a requirement for being a DM. When the GM puts the PCs in a regular situation that might turn out sucky, but might be great, and it turns out sucky, the players can blame the GM. 'Opponents too tough!' 'Terrain bad!' 'Underequipped!' 'No chance to prepare!', etc. When the DM puts the nice, shiny Deck of Many ****Ups in front of the players, and some poor sap draws four Spades/Clubs in a row, the DM can merely shrug and say, "Hey, you decided to draw," thusly deflecting any responsibility despite the fact that he was the guy who put the Deck in the game in the first place.