Gambler

With your trusty mythical deck by your side, anything is possible...Even the things you wouldn't do otherwise. 

The Gambler is all about taking chances and making do with what the gods of Destiny and Fate give you. 

Card Shark

Cards aren't just a hobby. They are also a form of defense if you know how to use them. At 3rd Level, playing cards count as a weapon, with the following properties:

You have proficiency with playing cards as a weapon, and use Dexterity for your attack and damage roll modifiers for throwing cards.

Cards deal equal to your Deck Dice (1d6 at level 1) of slashing damage, along with having the light property and a range of (30/60).

Cards do not have ammo for as long as you have a deck of playing cards in your inventory.

You can store the cards within your clothes, and taking a card from your pocket, coat, sleeve or any other immediate area to attack is part of the attack action.

Cards don't make you look openly armed, as long as you are not carrying another weapon, and you have advantage on sleight of hand checks to hide playing cards on your person.

 

Deck Dice

With every gamble comes a cost, for The Gambler you've gambled away your Sneak Attack Dice for Deck Dice. Unlike most rogues, you lose the ability to perform sneak attacks for a chance at greatness.

Deck Dice are used for various effects that take place after you draw from your deck. See the table below:

Level	Deck Dice
1st	1d6
2nd	1d6
3rd	1d6
4th	1d6
5th	2d4
6th	2d4
7th	2d4
8th	2d4
9th	1d10
10th	1d10
11th	1d10
12th	1d10
13th	2d6
14th	2d6
15th	2d6
16th	2d6
17th	2d6
18th	2d6
19th	2d6
20th	2d6

 

The Deck

 

The Gambler doesn't have spell slots like most spellcasters. The Gambler focuses more on the luck of the cards. 

The Gambler gets a magical deck of cards as a spellcasting focus that contains 20 cards in it, each of which can be assigned to any number on a d20, with the exceptions of 1 always being The Joker, and 20 always being an ace of your choosing. You can only have one ace in your deck at a time, and no repeated cards can be placed in your deck.

You can change or modify your deck whenever you take a long rest.

The Gambler gets to choose their cards from the Gambler Card table below:

Aces

Twos

Threes

Fours

Fives

Sixes

Sevens

Eights

Nines

Tens

Jacks

Queens

Kings

Hearts

From The Ashes: When this card is played, a creature within your range regains hit points equal to two Deck Dices plus your Charisma modifier. Whenever you drop to zero hit points, this card is played automatically and you instantly regain the hit points, thereby not being knocked unconscious.

Heavy Handed: Perform a ranged spell attack to deal bludgeoning damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier. The attacked creature has to succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Talking Around: When this card is played, add your Charisma modifier to all non-charisma skill checks. This effect lasts 1 Deck Dice of minutes.

Cold As Ice: This card deals 2 Deck Dice of cold damage and halves the target's movement until the end of its next turn.

Heartache: When this card is played, a hostile creature that you can see must make a Wisdom saving throw, or be sent into a berserk tantrum, and spend its next turn attacking the nearest creature.

Seeing Red: Perform a ranged spell attack to deal psychic damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier. On a hit, the weaknesses of your enemy are exposed. Until your next turn, attacks against creatures hit by this card have advantage.

Turn Them Over: This card can only be played as a reaction, which you take when you are targeted by an attack. Roll a d20. If your roll is higher than the attacker's roll, the damage is reduced by 2 Deck Dice. If you roll the same number as the attacker, you negate the attack and reflect the attack's damage back at the attacking creature.

As Fast As You Can: When this card is played, you gain advantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws, as well as athletics and acrobatics checks. This effect lasts for 1 hour.

I Raise: When this card is played, you or a creature within range regains hit points equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier.

House of Cards: When this card is played, your armor is enhanced with spectral cards. Your armor class becomes 13 + your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1) for 8 hours.

Prince Charming: When this card is played, choose a creature. This creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it is charmed for 1 minute and regards you as a friendly acquaintance. The affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns and each time it takes damage. The target has advantage on the saving throw if it's triggered by damage. On a success, the effect ends.

Calling In A Favor: When this card is played, you summon a spectral skeleton for one minute that will listen to your every command. The spectral skeleton has the statistics of a normal skeleton, with the exceptions that your Deck Dice is its damage dice.

Martyrdom: Perform a ranged spell attack. It deals force damage equal to the maximum value of one Deck Dice damage for your attack, as well as two additional Deck Dice of bonus damage. You take half of the total damage.

Diamonds

One in the chamber: Perform a ranged spell attack with this card. It is thrown with extreme velocity, doubling its range, dealing 4 Deck Dice of force damage. The attack will travel its full distance, regardless of how many enemies it travels through until it hits a solid wall or object. Any creature behind the first must make a dexterity saving throw or take the damage as well.

Dead Man's Hand: This card can be played as an action or as a reaction when your Attack of Opportunity has been triggered. Perform a ranged spell attack to deal cold damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier. The target has to succeed on a Strength saving throw or its movement is reduced to 0 until the end of its turn.

Speak Your Mind: When this card is played, you can read, write, and speak one language of your choosing. This effect lasts for 1 hour.

Shock Value: This card deals 2 Deck Dice of lightning damage and the target creature is unable to make reactions until the end of its next turn.

A Gambler's Best Friend: When this card is played, you create an illusory duplicate of yourself within 30 feet for 1 minute. This duplicate cannot perform any action, and you can not sense anything through it. While you are within 30 feet of the illusion, when an attack targets you, the attacking creature must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a fail, they instead attack the illusion. After attacking the illusion, the saving throw can be repeated. The illusion's hit points are equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma Modifier. The illusion disappears upon reaching 0 hit points.

Collect Your Due: Perform a ranged spell attack to force damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier. Add an extra Deck Dice of necrotic damage and mark the target until the end of their next turn. Any instance of damage done to the marked target will trigger another Deck Dice of necrotic damage and heal the attacker for the necrotic damage.

Raise The Stakes: When this card is played, roll an amount of Deck Dice equal to your remaining deck points and bank the total damage. Then you may target a creature you can see and both you and the target creature must roll a d20. If your roll beats the creature's roll, the creature takes the banked amount as psychic damage. However, if the creature's roll beats your own, you take the banked damage instead.

Well Traveled: When this card is played, you gain immunity to the effects of magic and non-magic rough terrain and gain 10ft of movement speed. This effect lasts for 1 hour.

Short Stack: When this card is played, you regain 1 Deck Dice worth of hit points. If you are below half of your maximum hit points, regain 2 Deck Dice. If you are below one-quarter of your maximum hit points, regain 3 Deck Dice.

Poker Face: When this card is played, you gain temporary hit points equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier for 1 hour.

Crack-Up: When this card is played, choose a creature. This creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature falls prone, becoming incapacitated and unable to stand up for 1 minute as they deflate into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. The affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns and each time it takes damage. The target has advantage on the saving throw if it's triggered by damage. On a success, the effect ends.

A Moment Of Silence: When playing this card, you may cast a level 1 ritual spell of your choosing from the Wizard Spell List. The rules of ritual casting still apply. This card will act as your spellcasting focus for the duration of the ritual.

Even Out: Perform a ranged spell attack. If the attacked creature has above half of their maximum hit points, it takes two Deck Dice as necrotic damage. This damage cannot bring the target creature below half of their maximum hit points. If the target creature is below half of their maximum hit points, the attack and the bonus Deck Dice will heal the target creature instead. The healing received may not put the target creature above half of its maximum hit points.

Clubs

It's all luck: When this card is played, re-roll all uses of the Tip the Scales feature and gain back all expended Deck Points. Additionally, for the next 8 hours, you can re-roll any natural 1 or 2 and you crit on any d20 roll of a 19 or 20. You gain an additional action after this one.

Split-Hand: When this card is played, you perform three separate attacks against three separate creatures within range (one attack per creature). These attacks are physical card attacks as described in Card Shark.

Confidence: When this card is played, you can give yourself or another willing creature within 30 ft a Deck Dice as Inspiration Dice.

Familiar Taste of Poison: This card deals 2 Deck Dice of poison damage to the target and requires the creature to make a Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 30 seconds.

Cashing Out: When this card is played, you can give yourself or one nearby willing creature invisibility for up to one hour. Taking any action other than a movement action or receiving damage will end the invisibility effect early.

Get to the point: Perform a ranged spell attack to deal acid damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier. The card corrodes the armor of the enemy, reducing its AC by a Deck Dice until the end of your next turn.

Double Up: You may play this card as a bonus action to draw cards without spending deck points. You to take a chance, and predict your next card. Declare your prediction of whether the d20 will roll an even, or an odd number. If your prediction is correct, you double up and create a duplicate of the card you draw. If your prediction is wrong, you fumble and get nothing.

Across The Board: You may either: (a) Play this card to teleport to a spot within double your movement or (b) perform a ranged spell attack to deal thunder damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier and teleport to an open space within 5ft of the attacked creature if you hit.

Tough Love: Perform a ranged spell attack. This attack deals force damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier and you regain hit points equal to the damage dealt.

Backdoor: When this card is played, you enter a magic stasis until the start of your next turn. While in stasis, Time for you is frozen and nothing happens on your turn.(You can't take any actions, and are immune to all conditions, damage, and healing. Death saves do not happen in stasis.) When leaving stasis, you regain a deck point, as well as temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier.

Authority: When this card is played, choose a creature. This creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. Each turn it has to use its movement to move as far away from you as possible. It can take its action before it moves. A target isn't compelled to move into an obviously deadly hazard, such as a fire or pit, and will avoid provoking Attacks of Opportunity. The affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a success, the effect ends.

Draw-Out: Perform a ranged spell attack. It deals force damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier and ignores cover or any disadvantage imposed on the attack (including the range limit). Additionally, you can hit enemies you can no longer see, as long as you know the general area in which they are.

Death Penalty: Perform a ranged spell attack. It deals radiant damage equal to three Deck Dice. If the potential damage of the attack is equal to or greater than the target creature's remaining hit points, its hit points are reduced to 1 instead.

Spades

Pull them In: When this card is played, each creature within a 15 foot radius centered around a point within your range takes one Deck Dice of force damage and must make a Strength saving throw. On a fail, they are pulled towards the center. This movement does trigger Attacks of Opportunity. If a creature collides with solid objects or other creatures this way, it takes an additional Deck Dice of bludgeoning damage and is stunned until the end of its next turn.

Foresight: When this card is played, Your range is doubled for one minute. You may throw or play another card after this one as part of the same action.

Read Them Like A Book: When this card is played, you become aware of a creature's state of mind, how they are thinking about you, and whether they are being manipulated.

Devil's Bedpost: This card deals 2 Deck Dice of fire damage to the target creature and all nearby creatures. This card's effect radius is 10ft. The fire spreads around corners. It ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.

Sorry, We're Closed: You can only play this card as a reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or targeted by a spell from a creature. The attacking creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell if no other targets are present.

Bleeding hand: Perform a ranged spell attack to deal slashing damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier. it cuts deep into the target's body, causing an additional Deck Dice of necrotic damage at the end of this creature's turn until they receive healing or make a medicine check to stop the bleeding early. The bleeding automatically stops after 1 minute. This effect does not apply to undead and constructs.

Questionable Aid: When you play this card, choose a creature (including yourself) and roll a d20. On a 20 or 19, you deal 4 Deck Dice worth of necrotic damage to the chosen creature. This damage is reduced by one dice on an 18 or 17, by two dice on 16 to 14 and it only deals one Deck Dice of damage on 13 to 11. On a 10 to 8, the creature is healed by one Deck Dice. This healing is increased by one Deck Dice on a 7 to 5 and increased again by one on a 4 or 3 up to 4 Deck Dice worth of healing on a 2 to 1.

Can't Hit What Isn't There: Perform a ranged spell attack to deal thunder damage equal to one Deck Dice plus your Charisma modifier. If you hit, your speed is doubled until the end of your turn and your movement does not trigger Attacks of Opportunity.

Share The Wealth: When you play this card, roll for 3 Deck Dice worth of hit points, but you must spread them evenly among your allies (excluding yourself) within 30ft, even if they are at full hit points.

I'm Rubber, You're Glue: This card can only be played as a reaction, which you take when a spell is cast by a target creature within attack range that you can see. Make a ranged spell attack with this card. If the attack hits, the target creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or the spell they were casting fails. Alternatively, the card can be played as a reaction to being the target of a spell that only targets a single creature. In this case, make a charisma saving throw equal to 12 + the spell's level. On a successful save, the card absorbs the spell, allowing the card to be consumed on your turn for a single use of that spell at the same level at which it was absorbed. On a failure, the spell acts as normal, and the card is still consumed.

Lead The Blind: When this card is played, choose a creature. This creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is blinded for 1 minute. The affected creature can repeat the saving throw a the end of each of its turns. On a success, the effect ends.

Killer Queen: This card has effects that change depending on use. If you perform a spell attack with this card, you learn the resistances and vulnerabilities of the target creature on a successful hit. When you place this card on the ground or on an object, it creates a magical sensor for 8 hours, which will notify you if any creature passes within 10 ft of it. Eating the card provides enough nourishment to sustain you for one day. When this card is played normally, it creates 20 feet of bright light in a radius centered on you and dim light for an additional 20 feet.

Final Orbit: When this card is played, select a creature. You and your target enter a "stand-off" state and become immune to all damage, effects, and healing from sources outside the stand-off. The stand-off lasts for 3 rounds of combat. The stand-off ends early if either of the parties involved in the stand-off is reduced to 0 hit points. The winner of the stand-off gains temporary hit points equal to the hit-points of the loser before the stand-off started.

The Joker

The Fool: This card is played instantly on draw, rather than as an action or reaction. When this card is played, all magical effects in a 30 ft radius centered on you are dispelled. For 1 minute, all creatures within the 30 ft radius, including yourself, are unable to cast spells.

Drawing Cards

As a bonus action, you may draw from your deck. You can draw from your deck a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. Once you draw from your deck you must roll a d20 to decide which card you've drawn.

 

Playing Cards

Unless specified otherwise, playing a card is an action and will consume the card, removing it from your hand. The effects of a played card are described in the Gambler Card table.

If you do not wish to play a certain card, you can instead throw that card as a standard Attack Action, thereby consuming it. This uses the stats of a Magic Card Attack.

Your spell attack modifier is equal to your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. The range of your spell attacks is equal to your attack range with cards. Your spell save DC on your magic cards is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. Your played card's effects are treated as level 1 spells, therefore a counterspell can counter them, for example.

Magic Card Attack
Attacking with a magic card counts as a ranged spell attack, dealing force damage equal to one Deck Dice, using charisma for the attack and damage roll, as well as counting as a magical weapon.

Since many cards' effects refer to a spell attack with that card, they will be called a Magic Card Attack for further reference.

 

Doubling Down

Starting at 9th level, when you make an attack action or play a card, you can make a second attack or play a second card. Both attacks can use cards from your hand.

Normal card attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.

Pocket Aces

At 13th level, you can have two aces in your created deck at a time, with the second ace being reserved for the 19th slot in your deck.

Faith in the Cards

At 17th level, when you draw a face card (Jacks, Queens, Kings) you can choose to keep that card or you can turn it into any card in the deck.