Welcome to The Book of Many Things, whose twenty-two chapters give you character options, magic items, spells, monsters, ready-to-play adventures, DM advice, and setting elements designed to be dropped into your own campaign. And tying those chapters together is a legendary magic item that every player both dreads and longs for: the Deck of Many Things.
For decades, DMs have used this infamous deck in their games, often with explosive results. Characters have been whisked off to extradimensional prisons, slain by death itself, lost levels, and earned the enmity of powerful fiends. But they've also gained vast wealth or a stronghold of their own, rewound time to reverse disaster, or suddenly advanced in level far beyond the other characters in the group. The awesome powers of the Deck of Many Things have given it a reputation as a game breaker. An encounter with the deck can spell the end of an otherwise successful campaign, as the DM's carefully prepared storyline and the players' lovingly created characters are scattered by the winds of fate to the corners of the multiverse.
But it doesn't have to be that way. You can tailor the Deck of Many Things to your campaign, shaping it to fit your needs and the tastes of your players. You can stack the deck with low-level effects that prompt roleplaying instead of mechanical changes or create a deck that has only good cards (or bad ones!) in it. You can do all this without losing the wonder of the deck: its unique nature as a physical object that players—not just their characters—can hold in their hands.
This book will show you how to tailor the deck for your game. This chapter presents a history of the deck throughout each edition of Dungeons & Dragons, then outlines the other chapters of this book, which are grouped by theme: DM options, character creation options, astrology-themed options, adventure locations, and finally adversaries and rivals.
The Deck in D&D
The Deck of Many Things is as old as D&D, but it's had many variations over almost fifty years.
The deck first appeared in print in 1975, in the pages of Greyhawk, the first supplement for the Dungeons & Dragons game. This earliest version of the deck established mechanical effects associated with the various cards. The deck was assembled with the face cards, aces, and jokers from an ordinary deck of playing cards. There were only eighteen cards in the deck, and none of them had names. But from the beginning, the deck was intended to be represented by a physical object players could hold.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
With the publication of the first Dungeon Master's Guide in 1979, the most recognizable aspects of the Deck of Many Things were established. Here, the names of the cards first appeared, and the deck was expanded to twenty-two cards. These changes signaled the deck's transition from something inspired by playing cards to one inspired by the tarot; a traditional tarot deck also has twenty-two named cards known as the major arcana. The Dungeon Master's Guide also introduced the idea that there was more than one version of the deck; there was also a more common and less powerful version with only thirteen cards.
Dragon and Dungeon Magazines
A different version of the deck appeared in 1983 in the pages of Dragon 77. "The Tarot Deck of Many Things," written by Michael Lowry, reimagined the deck as a new magic item. The Tarot Deck of Many Things was a unique artifact created by "the most powerful god of fate in the universe." It could be used to answer questions and reveal the future in the way of traditional tarot, and each of its seventy-eight cards had a unique effect when drawn.
In 1989, the Deck of Many Things expanded again. "Luck of the Draw" in Dragon 148 explored the deck through a conversation between a pompous wizard named Basil and his mercenary agent, a warrior named Jared. In this story, author Robin Jenkins offered answers for some of the deck's most enigmatic questions: who made the deck, and why? Jenkins, through Jared, suggested the deck—or, more properly, decks, since the cards were rare but not unique—were created by gods of luck dwelling on the plane of Concordant Opposition (known now as the Outlands) to test the greed of hapless adventurers. The cards were distributed throughout the world by leprechauns, who were familiar with such tests as custodians of the pots of gold at the ends of rainbows. Jenkins's expansion of the deck was unofficial, but it was illuminating, since the Dungeon Master's Guide detailed how the deck worked but didn't explain what the deck was or how it came to exist. Those questions were left for individual Dungeon Masters to figure out—or simply leave unanswered.
That same issue of Dragon also included the first physical replica of the deck, illustrated by George Barr and printed on card stock in the center of the magazine. At last, when characters found the Deck of Many Things in a treasure hoard, the DM could offer them a physical deck to draw from. Barr also detailed the backs of the cards for the first time. No design on the backs of the cards had ever been mentioned before, but here it gained a pair of dragons—one white, one black—embodying the deck's equal balance of positive and negative cards.
Around the same time, the adventure "House of Cards" appeared in Dungeon 19. This adventure by Randy Maxwell began as an urban sandbox with the characters investigating a thieves' guild. The guild's headquarters concealed a temple to Mask, the god of thieves in the Forgotten Realms, and the doors to the complex were insidiously trapped. Each of the twenty-two doors had one card from the Deck of Many Things built into it, so the door couldn't be opened without drawing the card. Moreover, the entire complex had been bolstered against an array of methods the characters might have taken to avoid interacting with the cards. To explore the dungeon, the characters had to draw every single card from the deck. This quickly became a resource-management puzzle: when the players knew one of their number would be imprisoned by the Donjon card, for example, or have their soul separated from their body by the Void card, how did they proceed?
Third Edition
When D&D was reimagined in its third edition, the new Dungeon Master's Guide included the Deck of Many Things. The mechanical effects of the cards and the card names remained largely unchanged from the first and second edition versions, but there were two important differences. Tarot cards had become much more familiar to players and were easier to find, so DMs were instructed how to build a Deck of Many Things from tarot cards in addition to playing cards. More importantly, the deck became a minor artifact, formally representing key features of the deck from previous editions: it was a magic item that characters couldn't create on their own.
Fourth Edition
Two versions of the deck were presented for the fourth edition of D&D. The first appeared in Dungeon 177 and was an artifact intended for heroes of levels 11–20; the second appeared a year later in the boxed adventure Madness at Gardmore Abbey (2011) and was aimed at levels 1–10.
But in the fourth edition of D&D, artifacts were more than just magic items that couldn't be duplicated; they had minds of their own and pursued secret purposes. The deck sought to sow chaos and topple powerful leaders regardless of whether they were good or evil. Characters who helped the deck pursue these goals were rewarded with favorable cards, while those who thwarted the deck were forced to draw multiple cards and keep the worst.
A new origin for the deck was put forward but not confirmed in Madness at Gardmore Abbey: the deck was a gift from an archfey to a mighty emperor. As the archfey predicted, the emperor was unable to resist using the deck to cast his own future, and the deck shattered his empire. The deck also gained magical powers distinct from the cards' effects: wizards, sorcerers, and warlocks could use the deck to empower their spells.
The Deck of Many Things was central to Madness at Gardmore Abbey. Cards were scattered throughout the adventure, and the characters were charged with collecting them. Each card had unique powers, so characters could enjoy using the cards before the deck was fully assembled. But there was also a random factor inspired by the use of tarokka cards in the classic adventure Ravenloft. The DM could draw cards from the deck to determine the identity of their patron, the location of each card, and the scene of the adventure's denouement. To facilitate this, the adventure included another re-creation of the deck, with art by William O'Connor. (O'Connor's designs also appeared when Magic: The Gathering drew on the Deck of Many Things for a set inspired by the Forgotten Realms.) Like "House of Cards," Madness at Gardmore Abbey forced characters to interact with the Deck of Many Things, but it rewarded them with new powers instead of punishing them and blocking all efforts to escape the deck.
Fifth Edition
The Deck of Many Things was revised yet again in 2014 for the fifth edition Dungeon Master's Guide. O'Connor's art remained, and the thirteen-card version of the deck returned, but the deck was no longer an artifact and no longer sentient. This was the latest version of the deck in D&D—until now.
The Book of Many Things explores and expands the deck. It isn't intelligent, but the original deck created by Istus for Asteria and Euryale is so powerful that it has countless lesser reflections throughout the multiverse, including versions with more, fewer, or different cards.
The deck has been in every edition of D&D, but there is no single "best" version of the deck. It has always been changing, and it always will. When you include the deck in your game, tailor it to your table so it does exactly what you want and need it to. That's what D&D has always done.
Where to Go Next
Each card in the Deck of Many Things has inspired one chapter of this book. The chapters, in turn, cover five broad themes.
Dungeon Master Toolbox
The first five chapters provide tools for DMs:
0. This chapter includes a history of the deck in D&D—illustrating both the deck's importance and its ever-changing nature—and a summary of the book's contents.
1. This vital chapter advises you on introducing the deck and using it in a campaign without breaking your game!
2. Cards, including The Deck of Many Things card set, can be used as a unique randomizer, generating nonplayer characters, personality traits, encounters, and more; this chapter shows you how.
3. This chapter presents puzzles, riddles, and traps inspired by the deck as well as advice on how to use them in your campaign.
4. The twenty-two new magic items in this chapter were each inspired by a card from the Deck of Many Things.
Character Creation Options
Next are four chapters of character-focused content:
5. This chapter provides advice and new magic items suited to bards, rangers, rogues, and other characters who prioritize their skills. The "5" section presents treacherous adversaries for when a player draws the Rogue card from the deck.
6. This chapter focuses on sorcerers, warlocks, wizards, and other characters who wield arcane magic. It includes the new Cartomancer feat, new spells, and the Deck of Many More Things: the cards added to the Deck of Many Things over the centuries by mortal spellcasters.
7. New backgrounds in this chapter describe characters whose lives have been transformed by the Deck of Many Things or a similar effect. This chapter also includes character creation advice and magic items appropriate for clerics, druids, paladins, and other characters with a connection to the divine.
8. Characters who draw the Knight card gain the service of an ally; this chapter describes a new creature that answers that call. DMs can also find advice on integrating allies into an adventuring party. In addition, the chapter includes character creation advice and new magic items for barbarians, fighters, monks, and other combat specialists.
The Celestial Suite
These four chapters are inspired by astrological phenomena:
9. This chapter describes knights of the Solar Bastion, who monitor the deck and protect innocent people from its dangers.
10. A ruthless thieves' guild called the Moonstalkers strikes from a hidden lair, but its leaders hide a terrible secret.
11. A destructive comet called the All-Consuming Star travels on a wandering course through the multiverse. In its wake, it has spawned an apocalyptic cult bent on bringing an end to all space and time.
12. This chapter details the Sky of Many Things, a zodiac of twelve constellations that creates magical effects in the world as each constellation rises and falls.
Adventure Locations
The next five chapters include adventure locations:
13. A magical marketplace called the Seelie Market is carried through the sky by a moonstone dragon. Among its many vendors is a nilbog fortune teller who will read a character's future using his Deck of Many Things or let the character draw from it—for a price.
14. When a character draws the Throne card, they gain ownership of a small keep; this is that keep, but it's not empty!
15. Gardmore Abbey has collapsed into ruin, but its ancient towers and underground catacombs aren't entirely abandoned. At the summit lairs Mekkalath the dragon, and a Deck of Many Things waits in his hoard.
16. Victims of the Donjon card are imprisoned in an extradimensional sphere, their location all but impossible to discover. This chapter details that massive techno-magical prison, which is collapsing slowly into ruin.
17. Victims of the Void card have their souls whisked away to an unknown location, leaving their helpless bodies behind. This chapter reveals where their souls go and provides DMs with advice on handling sessions where a player might not be able to play their own character.
Adversaries and Rivals
The final four chapters present new monsters and the two people responsible for the deck's creation:
18. Drawing the Skull card summons an avatar of death, and those it slays are cursed with undeath for as long as the deck exists. Over centuries, those undead have banded together to find and destroy all Decks of Many Things.
19. This chapter describes unique Fiends that can serve as antagonists in your campaign, even if no one in your game has drawn the Flames card to earn a devil's enmity.
20. This chapter includes new monsters inspired or created by the deck.
21. The deck was created for Asteria, a human warrior, and her sister-in-arms, the medusa Euryale. Both still live, and they know more about the deck than anyone. This chapter chronicles their story.
Using This Book
To use this book, you'll need the fifth edition core rulebooks (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual).
The adventure locations detailed in this book embrace the unpredictable nature of the Deck of Many Things. Most don't have a predetermined path for adventurers to take and aren't directed at characters of a particular level. Instead, they have multiple branching paths and a broad range of challenges. Some of the monsters encountered in a location might not be powerful enough to physically challenge the heroes, while other threats might be so dangerous that adventurers must retreat and gain 1 or more levels on some other quest before returning. If you use one of these adventure locations or campaign elements, make it your own. Change it to fit the unique expectations of your players, the requirements of your table, and your own taste. When a creature's name appears in bold type, that's a visual cue pointing you to its stat block. Most of the monsters mentioned in this book appear in the Monster Manual, but The Book of Many Things introduces many new monsters; a complete list appears in 20. Sometimes a monster mentioned in this book includes a suggestion for an alternative chosen from Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, which you can use instead if you have that book.
If a stat block appears in this book or Monsters of the Multiverse, the text where the monster is introduced tells you so. Likewise, spells mentioned in this book are described in the Player's Handbook, and magic items are described in the Dungeon Master's Guide unless the text directs you to another chapter in this book.