A deck of many things (beneficial and baneful) is usually found in a box or leather pouch. Each deck contains a number of cards, or plaques, made of ivory or vellum. Each is engraved with glyphs, characters, and magical sigils. As soon as one of these cards is drawn from the pack, its magic is bestowed upon the person who drew it, for better or worse.
The character with a deck of many things can announce that he is drawing only one card, or he can draw two, three, four, or more. However, the number must be announced prior to drawing the first card. If a jester is drawn, the possessor of the deck may elect to draw two additional cards.
Each time a card is taken from the deck it is replaced (making it possible to draw the same card twice) unless the draw is a jester or fool, in which case the card is discarded from the pack. A deck of many things contains either 13 cards (75% chance) or 22 cards (25%). Additional cards in a 22-card deck are indicated below by an asterisk (*) before their names. To simulate the magical cards you may want to use the normal playing card in the suits indicated in the second column. (The notation is face value, then suit).
Upon drawing the last card possible, or immediately upon drawing the cards in bold face (The Void and Donjon), the deck disappears. The cards are explained in greater detail below:
| Plaque | Card | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| *Vizier | Ace ♦ | Know the answer to your next dilemma. |
| Sun | King ♦ | Gain beneficial miscellaneous magical item and 50,000 XP. |
| Moon | Queen ♦ | You are granted 1d4 wishes. |
| Star | Jack ♦ | Immediately gain two points to Prime Requisite ability. |
| *Comet | 2 ♦ | Defeat the next monster you meet to gain one level. |
| *Idiot | Ace ♥ | Lose 1d4 points of Intelligence; you may draw again. |
| Throne | King ♥ | Gain Charisma of 18 plus a small keep. |
| Key | Queen ♥ | Gain a treasure map plus one magical weapon. |
| Knight | Jack ♥ | Gain the service of a 4th level fighter. |
| *Gem | 2 ♥ | Gain your choice of 20 pieces of jewelry or 50 gems. |
| *Fates | Ace ♣ | Avoid any situation you choose . . . once. |
| The Void | King ♣ | Body functions, but soul is trapped elsewhere. |
| Flames | Queen ♣ | Enmity between you and an outer planar creature. |
| Skull | Jack ♣ | Defeat Death or be forever destroyed. |
| *Talons | 2 ♣ | All magical items you possess disappear permanently. |
| *Donjon | Ace ♠ | You are imprisoned (see below). |
| Ruin | King ♠ | Immediately lose all wealth and real property. |
| Euryale | Queen ♠ | -3 penalty to all saving throws vs. petrification. |
| Rogue | Jack ♠ | One of your henchmen turns against you. |
| *Balance | 2 ♠ | Change alignment instantly. |
| Jester | Joker | Gain 10,000 XP or two more draws from the deck. |
| *Fool | Trademark Joker | Lose 10,000 experience points and draw again. |
Sun: Roll for a miscellaneous magical item until a useful item is indicated.
Moon: This is best represented by a moonstone gem with the appropriate number of wishes shown as gleams therein. The wishes are the same as the 9th-level wizard spell and must be used in a number of turns equal to the number received.
Star: If the two points would place the character's score at 19, use one or both in any of the other abilities in this order Constitution, Charisma, Wisdom, Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength.
Comet: The player must singlehandedly defeat the next hostile monster (or monsters!) encountered or the benefit is lost. If successful, the character moves to the midpoint of the next experience level.
Throne: If Charisma is 18 already, the individual still gains five on encounter and loyalty reactions. He or she becomes a real leader in people's eyes. The castle gained is near a stronghold already held.
Key: DM must prepare a treasure map. The weapon must be one usable by the character so use the Magical Weapons Table until a useful item is awarded.
Knight: The fighter joins the character as a henchman and serves loyally until death. The fighter has +1 per die (18 maximum) on each ability roll.
Gem: This indicates wealth. The jewelry is always gold set with gems, the gems are all of 1,000 gp base value. With this wealth should come experience points equal in value, but never more than needed to increase one level of experience.
The Void: This black card spells instant disaster. The character's body continues to function, though he or she speaks like an automaton, but the psyche is trapped in a prison somewhere-in an object on a far planet or plane, possibly in the possession of an outer planar creature. A wish cannot bring the character back, but the plane of entrapment might be revealed. Draw no more cards.
Flames: Hot anger, jealousy, and envy are but a few of the possible motivational forces for the enmity. The enmity of the outer planar creature can't be ended until one of the parties has been slain.
Skull: A minor Death appears (AC -4; 33 hit points: strikes with a scythe for 2d8 points, never missing, always striking first in a round). The character must fight it alone-if others help, they get minor Deaths to fight as well. If the character is slain, he or she is slain forever. Treat the Death as undead with respect to spells. Cold, fire, and electrical energy do not harm it.
Talons: When this card is drawn, every magical item the character has is irrevocably gone, instantly.
Ruin: As implied, when this card is drawn every bit of money (including all gems, jewelry, treasure, and art objects) is lost. All land and buildings owned are lost forever as well.
Euryale: The medusa visage on this card brings a curse only the Fates card or godlike beings can remove. A -3 penalty to all saving throws is otherwise permanent.
Rogue: When this card is drawn, one of the character's henchmen is totally alienated and forever hostile. If the character has no henchmen, the enmities of some powerful personage-community or religious-can be substituted. The hatred remains secret until the time is ripe for devastating effect.
Balance: As in “weighed in the balance and found wanting,” the character must change to a radically different alignment. Failure to act according to the new alignment may bring penalties (as described in the section on Character Alignment, in the PHB). Discard this card.
Jester: The jester actually makes a pack more beneficial if the experience point award is taken. It is always discarded when drawn.
Fool: The payment and draw are mandatory.
Vizier: This card empowers the character drawing it with the ability to call upon supernatural wisdom to solve any single problem or answer fully any question whenever he or she requests it. Whether the information can be successfully acted upon is another matter entirely.
Idiot: This card causes the loss of 1d4 points of Intelligence immediately, drawing an additional card is optional.
Fates: This card enables the character to avoid even an instantaneous occurrence if desired, for the fabric of reality is unraveled and respun. Note that it does not enable something to happen-it can only stop something from happening. The reversal is only for the character who drew the card, and other party members may have to endure the confrontation.
Donjon: This signifies imprisonment-either by spell or by some creature, at the DM's pleasure. All gear and spells are stripped from the victim in any case. Whether these items are recoverable is up to the DM as well. Draw no more cards.