Deck of Several Things

Source: Lost Laboratory of Kwalish

Wondrous item, legendary

Stored in a leather pouch, this unique deck contains twenty-two colored cards made of some strong but unknown metal, each of which features a design printed as a mosaic of raised dots. Before you draw a card, you must declare how many cards you intend to draw and then draw them randomly (you can use an altered deck of playing cards to simulate the deck). Any cards drawn in excess of this number have no effect. Otherwise, as soon as you draw a card from the deck, its magic takes effect. You must draw each card no more than 1 hour after the previous draw. If you fail to draw the chosen number, the remaining number of cards fly from the deck on their own and take effect all at once.

Once a card is drawn, it fades from existence. Unless the card is the Fool or the Jester, the card reappears in the deck, making it possible to draw the same card twice.

Scope Playing Card Card Effect
B Ace of Diamonds Vizier* At any one time you choose within the duration of the adventure, you can ask a question in meditation and mentally receive a truthful answer to that question. Besides information, the answer helps you solve a puzzling problem or other dilemma. In other words, the knowledge comes with wisdom on how to apply it.
B King of Diamonds Sun You gain proficiency in the skill of your choice for the duration of the adventure. In addition, a common or uncommon wondrous item appears in your hands. The DM chooses the item, which you possess for the duration of this adventure.
B Queen of Diamonds Moon You are granted the ability to cast any spell of 5th level or lower, and can use that ability 1d3 times for the duration of the adventure.
B Jack of Diamonds Star Increase one of your ability scores by 1 for the duration of the adventure. The score can exceed 20 but can’t exceed 24.
B Two of Diamonds Comet* If you single handedly defeat the next monster you encounter, you gain one level.
A Ace of Hearts The Fates* Rewrite reality. Make one thing not to have happened.
B King of Hearts Throne You gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill and you double your proficiency bonus on checks made with that skill for the duration of the adventure. In addition, the Monastery of the Distressed Body’s brains in jars regard you thereafter as the monastery’s rightful master. You must defeat or otherwise clear out the Grand Master and its servants before you can claim the monastery as yours.
B Queen of Hearts Key A common or uncommon magic weapon with which you are proficient, or a Spell Scroll featuring a spell of a level you can cast, appears in your hands. The DM chooses the weapon or spell, which you possess for the duration of this adventure.
B Jack of Hearts Knight You gain the service of any of the NPCs in the “Hirelings” section not currently with the party, who appears in a space you choose within 30 feet of you. The NPC serves you loyally for the duration of the adventure, believing that the fates have drawn them to you. You control this character.
B Two of Hearts Gem* The 1,000 gp hoard of the leprechaun from the Wilderness Encounters table appears at your feet. If that treasure has already been claimed, you gain an equivalent hoard.
C Ace of Clubs Talons* Every magic item you wear or carry is lost to you. These items can be recovered either in the treasury of the Monastery of the Distressed Body or Kwalish’s lab in Daoine Gloine, whichever comes later in the adventure.
D King of Clubs The Void This black card spells disaster. Your soul is drawn from your body and held within machinery in either the control room of the Monastery of the Distressed Body or Kwalish’s lab in Daoine Gloine, whichever comes later in the adventure. While your soul is trapped in this way, your body is incapacitated. Divination, Contact Other Plane, or a similar spell of 4th level or higher reveals the location of the machinery that holds your soul. You draw no more cards.
C Queen of Clubs Flames The Grand Master of the Monastery of the Distressed Body becomes your enemy. The bone devil seeks your ruin, savoring your suffering before attempting to slay you. If the Grand Master has already been defeated, you gain the enmity of Garret Levistusson’s patron — a similarly powerful devil.
D Jack of Clubs Skull You summon an avatar of death — a mechanical skeleton (use bone naga statistics) clad in a tattered black robe. It appears in a space of the DM’s choice within 10 feet of you and attacks you, warning all others that you must win the battle alone. The avatar fights until you die or it drops to 0 hit points, whereupon it disappears. If anyone tries to help you, the helper summons its own avatar of death. A creature slain by an avatar of death can’t be restored to life
C Two of Clubs Idiot* Reduce your Intelligence by 1d4 + 1 (to a minimum score of 1) for the duration of the adventure. You can draw one additional card beyond your declared draws.
D Ace of Spades Donjon* You are instantly teleported to and confined within the prison of the Monastery of the Distressed Body. Everything you were wearing and carrying stays behind in the space you occupied when you disappeared. You draw no more cards.
C King of Spades Ruin All forms of wealth that you carry or own, other than magic items, are lost to you. This wealth can be recovered either in the treasury of the Monastery of the Distressed Body or Kwalish’s lab in Daoine Gloine, whichever comes later in the adventure.
C Queen of Spades Euryale The card’s medusa-like visage curses you. You take a -1 penalty on saving throws for the duration of the adventure.
C Jack of Spades Rogue An NPC of the DM’s choice becomes secretly hostile toward you. The identity of your new enemy isn’t known until the NPC or someone else reveals it. Any enchantment spell cast on the NPC at 6th level or higher can end the NPC’s hostility toward you.
C Two of Spades Balance* Reverse alignment.
C Joker (with TM) Fool* For the duration of the adventure, you lose proficiency with one skill or gain disadvantage on all checks made with one skill (with the skill and the penalty determined by the DM). Discard this card and draw from the deck again, counting both draws as one of your declared draws.
B Joker (no TM) Jester You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice for the duration of the adventure, or you can draw two additional cards beyond your declared draws.

Probability of positive outcome: 11/22

Probability of disaster: 3/22

Scope Legend

Symbol Meaning
A Amazing
B Beneficial
C Copeable, if bad
D Disastrous