Deck of Wonder

Source: The Book of Many Things

Wondrous Item, Uncommon

Created in the image of the Deck of Many Things, this deck of ivory or vellum cards bestows an assortment of minor benefits and penalties on those who draw from it. Most (75 percent) of these decks have only thirteen cards, but the rest have twenty-two.

Before you draw a card, you must declare how many cards you intend to draw, then draw them randomly. Any additional cards drawn have no effect. Unless a card states otherwise, as soon as you draw a card from the deck, its magic takes effect. You must draw each card you declared 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 and take effect simultaneously.

Unless it is the Mystery card, a drawn card immediately takes effect, fades from existence, and reappears in the deck, making it possible to draw the same card multiple times.

You can use an altered deck of playing cards to simulate the deck, as shown in the Deck of Wonder table.

Scope Playing Card Card Effect
B Ace of Diamonds/Cups Chancellor* Within 8 hours of drawing this card, you can cast Augury once as an action, requiring no material components. Use your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the spellcasting ability (your choice).
B King of Diamonds/Cups Day You gain a +1 bonus to saving throws. This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest.
B Queen of Diamonds/Cups Night You gain darkvision within a range of 300 feet. This darkvision lasts for 8 hours.
B Jack of Diamonds/Cups Dawn This card invigorates you. For the next 8 hours, you can add your proficiency bonus to your initiative rolls.
C Two of Diamonds/Cups Dusk* This card supernaturally saps your energy. You have disadvantage on initiative rolls. This effect lasts until you finish a long rest, but it can be ended early by a Remove Curse spell or similar magic.
A Ace of Hearts/Pentacles Destiny* This card protects you against an untimely demise. The first time after drawing this card that you would drop to 0 hit points from taking damage, you instead drop to 1 hit point.
A King of Hearts/Pentacles Crown You learn the Friends cantrip. Use your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the spellcasting ability (your choice). If you already know this cantrip, the card has no effect.
B Queen of Hearts/Pentacles Lock You gain the ability to cast Knock 1d3 times. Use your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the spellcasting ability (your choice).
B Jack of Hearts/Pentacles Champion You gain a +1 bonus to weapon attack and damage rolls. This bonus lasts for 8 hours.
A Two of Hearts/Pentacles Coin* Five pieces of jewelry, each worth 100 gp, or ten gemstones, each worth 50 gp, appear at your feet.
A Ace of Clubs/Wands Vulture* One nonmagical item or piece of equipment in your possession (chosen by the DM) disappears. The item remains nearby but concealed for a short time, so it can be found with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. If the item isn’t recovered within 1 hour, it disappears forever.
A King of Clubs/Wands Chaos You gain resistance to one of the following damage types (chosen by the DM): acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. This resistance lasts for 1d12 days.
A Queen of Clubs/Wands Order You gain resistance to one of the following damage types (chosen by the DM): force, necrotic, poison, psychic, or radiant. This resistance lasts for 1d12 days.
B Jack of Clubs/Wands Beginning Your hit point maximum and current hit points increase by 2d10. Your hit point maximum remains increased in this way for the next 8 hours.
C Two of Clubs/Wands Mystery* You have disadvantage on Intelligence saving throws for 1 hour. Discard this card and draw from the deck again; together, the two draws count as one of your declared draws.
C Ace of Spades/Swords Isolation* You disappear, along with anything you are wearing or carrying, and become trapped in a harmless extradimensional space for 1d4 minutes. You draw no more cards. You then reappear in the space you left or the nearest unoccupied space. When you reappear, you must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or have the poisoned condition for 1 hour as your body reels from the extradimensional travel.
C King of Spades/Swords End This card is an omen of death. You take 2d10 necrotic damage, and your hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This effect can’t reduce your hit point maximum below 10 hit points. This reduction lasts until you finish a long rest, but it can be ended early by a Remove Curse spell or similar magic.
C Queen of Spades/Swords Monster This card’s monstrous visage curses you. While cursed in this way, whenever you make a saving throw, you must roll 1d4 and subtract the number rolled from the total. The curse lasts until you finish a long rest, but it can be ended early with a Remove Curse spell or similar magic.
A Jack of Spades/Swords Knife An uncommon magic weapon you’re proficient with appears in your hands. The DM chooses the weapon.
B Two of Spades/Swords Justice* You momentarily gain the ability to balance the scales of fate. For the next 8 hours, whenever you or a creature within 60 feet of you is about to roll a d20 with advantage or disadvantage, you can use your reaction to prevent the roll from being affected by advantage or disadvantage.
A Joker (with TM)/The Star Student* You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. If you already have this proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in Intelligence or Charisma saving throws (your choice).
A Joker (no TM)/The Fool Mischief You receive an uncommon wondrous item (chosen by the DM), or you can draw two additional cards beyond your declared draws.

Probability of positive outcome: 17/22

Probability of disaster: 0/22

Scope Legend

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