Chapter 3: Balance - The Book of Many Things

Chapter 3: Balance. Dice are a reliable way to randomize a variety of gameplay elements. Throughout its history, Dungeons & Dragons has relied on dice to do everything from creating encounters with wandering monsters to inspiring whole adventures. But Deck of Many Things card set and other card decks provide an alternative way to get random results. How is drawing from a deck of cards different from rolling dice? And how can Dungeon Masters make interesting use of those differences? This chapter addresses some of the unique randomizing elements cards can provide, even for a game that already has iconic random number generators close at hand. Advantages of Using Cards Whether you're using Deck of Many Things card set, oracle cards like tarokka cards or tarot cards, or a deck of playing cards, you can do things with cards that would be difficult or even impossible to do using dice: Archetypes and Imagery When interpreting Deck of Many Things card set and oracle cards, you can lean on the cards' imagery, not just numbers and words. A card's artwork can generate meaning for that card beyond whatever this book or any other text might tell you it means. Cards from Magic: The Gathering also work well for inspiration since they feature amazing fantasy art in addition to symbols. Ordinary playing cards' suits, one-eyed jacks, and other markings can be assigned additional meanings. Choose from a Hand Many card games rely on dealing hands of cards. You can use hands to represent a limited set of options in a situation, such as possible leads to pursue or actions to take. This is a fun way to offer players choices without overwhelming them with too many options. Customizable Results Drawing from a deck of cards is equivalent to rolling on a table of possible results. But when using cards, it's easy to prevent any undesired results: simply leave those cards out of the deck. Eliminate Repetition You can prevent repetition in a deck by removing cards once they've been drawn. Po...