I'm a quite new DM that's leading a group of 4-5 players. We've just started and we're running Keep on the Shadowfell (soon done) and will continue with Thunderspire Labyrinth when we're done with the Keep. After that, though, I thought I'd make up my own campaign (with tie-ins to Keep and Thunderspire perhaps). I just want to get the hang of the game first.
Now, I've been looking for a foundation for a new campaign that will be running from about level 7 or 8 and on for quite a few levels. I read a tip somewhere (forgot where, one of Wizards books) about letting the players find a deck of cards with a mission or quest on each card. This sounded interesting and so I've started tinkering with said deck. Now, I thought I'd ask for help and advice with this as I am sort of new to all of this and would like tips from more experienced DMs.
The way I imagine this deck of cards is that it contains a number of cards, say 9 or 12 or something, and each card has a hint about a mission or quest scribbled on it. Whenever they complete one of the missions a letter appears on the card. The missions would vary in difficulty and most of them would be somewhat long. An example would be that one of the cards reads "*Some monster* must die", and this takes the player on a quest first to find the monster, and then to kill it. Another could be "Find the book of *some mage*" and the players then need to track down this mage, and get their hand on his book.
After they are done with all of these quests they can arrange the cards in order and get a message (that I haven't decided on) which sends them on one final quest to do something a bit more difficult.
This seemed very interesting to me, with loads of options, but I need input on a few things.
1) How do I make the players go for the appropriate mission for their level? Should I make most quests the same level? I don't want to do this since I want this deck to keep my players busy for a long while, at least a few levels. Or should I perhaps number the cards in some way?
2) I was thinking of making the deck an artifact, mostly just because I want to try to DM an artifact 
Is this a bad idea? Is there anything I should *not* do if I decide to make it an artifact?
3) One idea that I had was to make the deck belong to some deity (say The Cards of Vecna or something), but if I do so I thought it might be hard to tie it in with Keep and Thunderspire. Does anyone have any tips on how to connect it to those adventures in a nice way? Admittedly, I haven't read all of Thunderspire yet so there might be some obvious way I just haven't gotten to yet.
4) Does anyone have any tips of what I could make with the message at the end, when they are done with the missions on the cards? I have some ideas myself but I would like more
I know most of my questions are very vague and hard to answer but any help would be appreciated ^^ Thanks before hand!
When i read the first part I got reminded of having read somewhere suggesting using quest cards as a player aid, as in a hand out not in itself a campaign/world object, but a memorization tool for players so they don't forget what they are up to between sessions.
I cannot find it at the moment though, so no idea if it's the same reference, not that it matters much
Regarding your idea I think of one question first and foremost, and that is, do you have a general trend in your players of being story or character driven? This is pretty important in my mind of how you should present the artifact. Most are some sort of medium but tend to lean one way or another, and it can be hard to tell if it's a totally new roleplaying group, but i think you should try.
to the questions:
1) I would suggest you made it reveal it's quests over time, as in new cards appeared or new infomation became progressively known as the quests where done. That would help you on the workload front as you could decide on a theme or endgoal , and design the adventures as time goes by. It can also limit the problem with the players going for the "wrong quest at the wrong time".
Related to workload, a general advice is, that you shouldn't intentionally prepare mechanical things that you know you won't use. As in don't make 3 dungeons for the same level. The mechanical stuff is pretty easy to adjust within a level or two, but the kill an ancient dragon can be kind of hard at level 8.
2) Artifacts in the rule sense (DMG 164)? Your wish of wanting the artifact to run for quite a few levels runs contrary to the guideline of 1-3 levels of possesion before moving on. To mitigate this I would make the benefits group, rather than character, related. And fiddle a bit with the concordance guidelines (specifically the +1d10 for a level).
3) Can't suggest much here as I've havn't read them, but you could possibly later reuse the location? Either with new inhabitants or as a time travel/dream sequence where the players can benefit from the previous knowledge, but with a couple of surprises. Let them find the deck somewhere a let the significance dawn on them gradually.
I know you didn't ask for it but wrote up example:
Including the above could be a deck based on Tarok Major Arcana, each card representing a quest and after coming in possession of the deck, occasionally the carrier or someone nearby would get a dream of shuffling the deck and turning a unknown card. When/if the character actually takes the
deck and shuffles it a specific card comes up each and every time. Following having done this the next time the character goes to sleep, some dream sequence reveals a new task to be completed with the specific card having some symbolic meaning. (complete with GM produced hand-outs )
Sometimes different people get the first dream at the same time but draw different cards, queue player choice.
Powers include a skill bonus to insight and/or perception for the carrier, and a group wide scaling initiative bonus/penalty based on concordance. Daily power could be something like healing surges or ap that lets the group continue the adventures workday.
Hope it was helpful.
The idea of a group bonus never occured to me, will definitely consider it! I think I have enough to work with now for a while, but if anyone wants to add anything it'd be most welcome ^^1) Put pictures on the cards. Instead of Jacks, Queens and Aces you do something like a Tarot deck, e.g.
"The Goblin" "The Orc" "The Cyclops" "The Beholder" "The Dragon". A simple Arcana Check can tell your players that these creatures symbolize the difficulty of the task. Now they can decide if they want to start with the obvious Goblin-Card or the more difficult Orc-Card.
2) It's great to make it an artifact! Since it's a deck of cards, it seems bardish or rogueish to me. Every time the players "unlock" a card (having completed its quest), the artifact becomes more powerful. Call it the "Deck of Adventures" maybe. Then decide what you want it to do each level and make it card-related maybe. E.g. "Daily Power: Cheat Fate - Trigger: You just rolled your dice and dislike the result. Effect: Reroll your dice with a +2 power bonus and use the second result"; "Daily Power: Draw A New One - Effect: An encounter power you have already used recharges."
3) Sorry, never play published adventures ...
4) Again, I would connect it to the card-theme or your general story arc. If you go with the first idea, something like "Bargain" "Starcrossed" "Fortune" (connect that to an arcana check or maybe a ritual so the player's can discern the real meaning of these words.
OK so here's the artifact I made using the information you have provided me with and some ideas of my own. Sorry for incoming wall of text. What do you think?
Tarot Cards of the Arcane (Heroic Level)
The Tarot Cards are an ancient artifact. They once belonged to a great sage whose name has been long forgotten. This sage used them to predict the future with great accuracy, earning him a nation-wide reputation. At some point in time, however, the cards stopped prediciting the future. No matter how many times the sage shuffled the deck, each time he flipped the top card it was the same one. As long as this one card was face-up, no other card showed anything. They all seemed to be two back-sides, except for the one unique card. After this, no one knows what happened to the cards or where they might now be.
A deck of thirteen cards decorated with intricate symbols and runes on the back. The front of each card is adorned with a larger arcane rune whose meaning eludes you. When you hold the cards, faint images of the future flash by in your thoughts. Suddenly you understand the meaning of the rune.
The Cards are a wondrous item with the following properties:
Property: You gain +2 to Will and +2 to Insight.
Property: People in your party, including you, gain a +2 to Initiative rolls.
Goals of the Tarot Cards of the Arcane:
- Find adventurers powerful enough to solve the riddle of the cards.
- Helping someone fulfill their destiny.
- Destroy anyone who tries to change what is predetermined.
Roleplaying the Tarot Cards of the Arcane
The primary goal of the Cards is to find adventurers who are strong enough to solve their riddle. They do not speak to their possessor, but instead communicate using visions, surges of emotion and, if they find their possessor worthy enough, cryptic whispers.
If you look at any of the Cards, you always see the same one. If you try to look at any other card you will not be able to flip it face-up, it will have two backsides. The rune on the front of the card translates into a quest. If the possessor completes the quest, a letter appears on the card and a new, different card, reveals its quest. If the possessor completes this quest, a letter appears on this card and so forth until all quests have been completed. If the letters are then arranged in the proper order, a final quest is revealed. The solving of this quest is the ultimate goal of the Cards.
The cards will also give the owner clues in form of visions and surges of emotion.
Concordance
Starting score 5
Owner gains a level +1d4
Owner completes a mission on a card +2
Owner makes an accurate guess or correct interpretation of a clue +1
Owner ignores or misinterprets a clue given by the cards -1
Owner sidetracks from the Cards quests -1
Pleased (16-20)
“I can see the future. I can tell fact from fiction without failure. We are nearing the end of our long quest.”
The Cards are certain that their owner can complete the final quest and gives him and his party heavy clues to the current quests and provides them with protection.
Property: Will and Insight bonuses increase to +5 and apply to the whole party.
Property: Bonus to Initiative rolls for you and your party increase to +3.
Property: You gain a +3 Int bonus for as long as the cards are with you.
Special: You and everyone in your party can instantly tell when someone you are speaking to tells a lie.
Satisfied (12-15)
“The cards are showing me vivid images of our future. The future is bright.”
The Cards are beginning to really trust their owner and provides him with greater protection than before.
Property: Will and Insight bonuses increase to +3.
Property: You and everyone in your party gains a +2 to Initiative rolls.
Power (Daily): Free Action. You can ask the Cards a question. They will answer with a surge of emotion. For example, if you ask the Cards “Should we go North?” you might feel a sudden burst of fear. This indicates that going north is a bad idea at the moment. Had you instead asked “Should we go South?” you might have felt a burst of confidence or a sense of victory, which would indicate that going south would be the right thing to do.
Normal (5-11)
“We must solve the riddle. It is our destiny.”
The Cards are trying to push their owner to take up their quest. They are showing him blurry images of places he will visit.
Unsatisfied (1-4)
“The cards doubt that me and my companions are meant to fulfill their mission. They are showing me depressing images of the future.”
The Cards think their owner will fail in his quest. He can still redeem yourself, but it will take work.
Property: The Will and Insight bonuses drop to +1.
Special: If you sidetrack from the Cards quest, they show you a particularly negative vision of the future. Until you take an extended rest, you have -1 to Will defense.
Special: Whenever you solve a quest given by the cards, you gain +1 Concordance.
Angered (0 or lower)
“The cards are certain that they have made a mistake in trusting me and my friends. I am sorry that I have failed them. The things they show me are horrible.”
The Cards are sure that their owner will not be able to solve their final riddle. Even though they are not directly harming him, they show him the future they see.
Property: The Will and Insight bonuses both drop to a -2 penalty.
Property: You and your party take a -2 penalty to Initiative rolls.
Special: Once per day, the cards will show you a horrid vision of what the future has in store for you and your companions. This manifests as an attack (+7 vs Will). If the attack hits, you are overcome by depression and are immobilized until the end of the encounter or for 5 minutes if you are not in combat.
Moving On
“I have served the cards to the best of my abilities and they will reward me properly.”
When the final riddle of the Cards has been solved, they will disappear in a flash of light within 48 hours of the completion of the final quest. The cards are grateful to the adventurers who helped them, and leave behind a few permanent boons.
The daily power the Cards grant their wielder is now a permanent ability. You ask the question to thin air, and get the same emotional response you would from the Cards.
The wielder also gains a permanent +1 to Int, and the whole party gain a permanent +1 to Initiative.
If the cards are Angered for a full week, they will leave during an extended rest. They leave no trace of them ever being there, and will appear elsewhere in the world to search for more fitting adventurers.
the important thing is that at the end of the campaign, they confront whatever it is, or do somethign important to the origin of the cards.
Examples of this can include: defeating the person who sought to manipulate them through the cards (if you go that route), completing the purpose of the cards (like say perhaps they were created to fight against some great hidden evil, the various quests can contribute in some way, like killing monsters whom may join this evil one's army), or perhaps the intention behind the cards (or their change in purpose) was to train heroes when the world needs them.
this way it feels like a conclusion, rather than "okay, so you get this message and do this quest for little to no reason, like kill this super powerful elder dragon... it's over"
good luck with the campaign when you get to it. One suggesting could be to make the bonuses named as item bonuses and again drop concordance from leveling altogether.Might be my personal preference, or my misunderstanding of the concordance rules, but if an item is meant to drive the story I would like to decide when it leaves, at least in the pleased end.