School of the Cards

Inspired by the School of Divination subclass from Baldur's Gate 3.

The Vistani may be respected by some and reviled by others, but none can deny the power of their renowned fortune tellers. Always cryptic and rarely understood until their appointed moment of revelation, the fortunes and prophecies drawn from a raunie's iconic Tarokka Deck command dark powers of divination that can turn tides for good or ill.

Whether you are a Vistani or a giorgo understudy, you have dedicated your magical education to the mysteries of the Tarokka Deck and exploring a darker avenue of divination magic. The untold power of the cards lies not only in the fortunes they tell but also in the prophecies they reveal. Fulfilling prophecies foretold by the cards grants wondrous and sometimes tide-turning boons to aid you and your allies or foil your enemies.

This subclass requires the use of a Tarokka Deck or a regular deck of 52 playing cards. Refer to the rules for using regular playing cards in the Fortunes of Ravenloft section in Chapter 1 of the Curse of Strahd adventure (page 11).

Raunie Apprentice

Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a divination spell into your spellbook is halved.

Fortune

Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, your cards peel back the veil of time to provide glimpses of the future. When you finish a long rest, roll two d20s and record the numbers rolled. You can replace any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with one of these foretelling rolls. You must choose to do so before the roll, and you can replace a roll in this way only once per turn.

Each foretelling roll can be used only once. When you finish a long rest, you lose any unused foretelling rolls.

Prophecy

Beginning at 6th level, the cards begin to reveal more secrets to you. You roll three d20s for your Fortune feature, rather than two. Additionally, when you finish a long rest, you can divine Prophecies that replenish spent Fortune Dice with new random values.

When you finish a long rest, draw three cards from the top of the common deck (cards without the crown icon). Use the table below to determine each Prophecy. Once you fulfill a Prophecy, you regain one spent Fortune Die with a new roll. Prophecies can only replenish spent Fortune Dice and cannot grant additional Fortune Dice beyond the maximum number permitted at your current level. Keep the drawn cards separate from the deck until their Prophecies are fulfilled. Once a Prophecy is fulfilled, shuffle the corresponding card back into the common deck. Unfulfilled Prophecies are shuffled back into the common deck during your next long rest.

Prophecies

Swords

Card	Name	Prophecy
Master of Swords	Warrior	Deal at least 1 slashing damage to an enemy.
One of Swords	Avenger	Defeat an enemy who has slain an innocent life or an ally.
Two of Swords	Paladin	Defeat a declared enemy of a good-aligned god or pantheon.
Three of Swords	Soldier	Succeed an Athletics check.
Four of Swords	Mercenary	Collect a bounty or reward for a completed task.
Five of Swords	Myrmidon	Defeat a charmed enemy or remove the charmed effect from an ally.
Six of Swords	Berserker	Deal at least 1 bludgeoning damage to an enemy.
Seven of Swords	Hooded One	Succeed an Intimidation check.
Eight of Swords	Dictator	Successfully cast Command (any level).
Nine of Swords	Torturer	Deal at least 1 piercing damage to an enemy.

Stars

Card	Name	Prophecy
Master of Stars	Wizard	Use or learn a spell from a spell scroll (any level).
One of Stars	Transmuter	Cast a transmutation spell (any level).
Two of Stars	Diviner	Cast a divination spell (any level).
Three of Stars	Enchanter	Cast an enchantment spell (any level).
Four of Stars	Abjurer	Cast an abjuration spell (any level).
Five of Stars	Elementalist	Summon an elemental creature.
Six of Stars	Evoker	Cast an evocation spell (any level).
Seven of Stars	Illusionist	Cast an illusion spell (any level).
Eight of Stars	Necromancer	Cast a necromancy spell (any level).
Nine of Stars	Conjurer	Cast a conjuration spell (any level).

Coins

Card	Name	Prophecy
Master of Coins	Rogue	Succeed a Stealth check.
One of Coins	Swashbuckler	Succeed an Acrobatics check.
Two of Coins	Philanthropist	Donate at least 10 gp or an item valued at 10 gp to a non-ally creature in need.
Three of Coins	Trader	Spend at least 10 gp to purchase an item or service.
Four of Coins	Merchant	Earn at least 10 gp from a sale of an item in your inventory.
Five of Coins	Guild Master	Use a tool you are proficient with to complete a task or action.
Six of Coins	Beggar	Succeed an Insight check.
Seven of Coins	Thief	Succeed a Sleight of Hand check.
Eight of Coins	Tax Collector	Earn at least 10 gp from a service you provide.
Nine of Coins	Miser	Save at least 10 gp from haggling on an item or service's original price.

Glyphs

Card	Name	Prophecy
Master of Glyphs	Priest	Succeed a Performance check.
One of Glyphs	Monk	Succeed a History check.
Two of Glyphs	Missionary	Succeed a Persuasion check.
Three of Glyphs	Healer	Succeed a Medicine check.
Four of Glyphs	Shepherd	Succeed an Animal Handling check.
Five of Glyphs	Druid	Succeed a Nature check.
Six of Glyphs	Anarchist	Succeed a Survival check.
Seven of Glyphs	Charlatan	Succeed a Deception check.
Eight of Glyphs	Bishop	Succeed a Religion check.
Nine of Glyphs	Traitor	Succeed a Perception check.

 

Luck of the Vistani

Beginning at 6th level, casting divination spells comes so easily to you that it expends only a fraction of your spellcasting efforts. When you cast a divination spell of 2nd level or higher using a spell slot, you regain one expended spell slot. The slot you regain must be of a level lower than the spell you cast and can’t be higher than 5th level.

The Third Eye

Beginning at 10th level, you can use your action to increase your powers of perception. When you do so, choose one of the following benefits, which lasts until you are incapacitated or you take a short or long rest. You can’t use the feature again until you finish a rest.

Darkvision. You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, as described in chapter 8, “Adventuring.”

Ethereal Sight. You can see into the Ethereal Plane within 60 feet of you.

Greater Comprehension. You can read any language.

See Invisibility. You can see invisible creatures and objects within 10 feet of you that are within line of sight.

Greater Prophecy

Beginning at 14th level, your skills at divining the future with your Tarokka Deck yield more and greater prophecies. You can now divine one additional Prophecy after finishing a short rest. Additionally, after finishing a long rest, you can divine Greater Prophecies.

When you finish a long rest, draw two cards from the top of the high deck (cards with the crown icon). Use the table below to determine each Greater Prophecy. Once you fulfill a Greater Prophecy, you may use its boon as an action on your turn unless otherwise specified by a specific spell or effect. Additionally, the effects of a boon last until your next long rest but spells granted by boons are available for one-time use only, unless otherwise specified by the boon. Keep the drawn cards separate from the deck until their Greater Prophecies are fulfilled and used. Once a Greater Prophecy is fulfilled and its boon has been used, shuffle the corresponding card back into the high deck. Unfulfilled and unused Greater Prophecies are shuffled back into the high deck during your next long rest.

Spells granted by boons count as Wizard spells for you, but do not count toward your Spells Known. You can't learn spells granted by boons from their Greater Prophecies.

Greater Prophecies

Name	Greater Prophecy	Boon
Artifact	Possess a magical weapon, armor piece, or item of Very Rare or Legendary rarity in your inventory and use its special properties before your next short or long rest, whichever comes first.	+2 to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws made using or benefitting from the effects of a magical weapon, armor piece, or item in your inventory for 1 round of combat. Cast Magic Weapon at the 6th level without using a spell slot.
Beast	Defeat a creature that uses Legendary Actions and/or Lair Actions.	All of your summoned creatures have advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws for 1 round of combat. Cast Summon Aberration at the 6th level without using a spell slot.
Broken One	Succeed a saving throw to remove the frightened condition from yourself, help an ally remove their frightened condition, and inflict the frightened condition on an enemy.	You and your allies within 30 feet of you are immune to being frightened and have advantage on Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom saving throws until the end of combat. Cast Phantasmal Killer at the 6th level without using a spell slot.
Darklord	Defeat or foil the plans of a great evil being.	You and your allies benefit from the effects of the Heroism spell until your next long rest. The temporary hit points gained from this effect equals 10 plus your spellcasting ability score. Cast Magic Circle at the 6th level without using a spell slot.
Donjon	Incapacitate, paralyze, petrify, or restrain a creature for three consecutive rounds.	You and your allies within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against becoming incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, or restrained until the end of combat. Cast Mental Prison without using a spell slot.
Ghost	Aid a dead spirit in fulfilling its unresolved business.	You or the next ally who is reduced to 0 hit points have advantage on saving throws for one death save. Cast Spirit Shroud at the 7th level without using a spell slot.
Executioner	Spare yourself or an ally from death resulting from an accusation of wrong-doing, regardless of innocence in the crime.	You and your allies within 30 feet of you have advantage on all Charisma skill checks (Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion). Cast Disintegrate at the 6th level without using a spell slot.
Horseman	Lose a Rare, Very Rare, or Legendary magic item from your inventory by destruction or displacement, or lose an ally, friend, or loved one to death.	Select one item from your inventory. This item cannot be unwillingly separated from you even by magical means, nor can this item be damaged or destroyed, or its effects nullified, while it remains in your possession. Cast Whirlwind without using a spell slot.
Innocent	Help save a good-aligned creature (not an ally) from a terrible fate.	When an ally within 10 feet of you is attacked, you may use a reaction to either cause the attack to suffer disadvantage or make an Attack action. You may only use this effect once. Cast Sequester without using a spell slot.
Marionette	Convince a spy or minion to aid you against their master.	You and your allies within 30 feet of you may add your proficiency bonus on all Charisma skill checks (Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion). This bonus is in addition to any proficiency or expertise you have in these skills. Cast Mass Suggestion at the 6th level without using a spell slot.
Mists	Be forced to make a choice or action you would not have elected to under normal circumstances.	You and your allies within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against spells that would forcibly transport you to another location, such as Banish, until the end of combat. Cast Misty Step 3 times without using a spell slot.
Raven	Discover a secret that aids your quest.	You and your allies within 30 feet of you have advantage on Insight, Investigation, and Perception checks. Cast True Seeing without using a spell slot.
Seer	Use means other than Fortune or Luck to achieve a desirable result from an undesirable predicament.	You gain 2 Luck Points and your allies each gain 1 Luck Point. These Luck Points are in addition to any Luck Points you or your allies already have. Cast Contingency without using a spell slot for either spells.
Tempter	Resist a great temptation even at the cost of victory or self-fulfillment.	You and your allies within 30 feet of you are immune to being charmed, commanded, or possessed and have advantage on Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom saving throws until the end of combat. Cast Charm Monster at the 6th level without using a spell slot.