Deck of Wonder: The Deck of Many Things for Low-Level Parties

Tags author-kyle-shire Deck of Many Things

Giving your players a mysterious “big red button” is one of the greatest joys a Dungeon Master can experience. A cursed weapon, a dubious favor from a powerful entity, or even a complicated moral choice can be engaging and drum up some brilliant chaos. One of the most iconic examples of this idea in Dungeons & Dragons is the infamous Deck of Many Things.

By drawing a card from this deck, a player can gain uses of the wish spell or summon a literal avatar of death. Every card has the potential to break your game, so DMs may think twice before using it, especially with a low-level party. But fear not, you intrepid gamblers! Because The Book of Many Things introduces us to the Deck of Wonder, a big red button that’ll complicate your game without breaking it!

Unleash Chaos With The Deck of Many Things Set

Pick a card, any card! The Deck of Many Things set expands on the legendary Deck of Many Things with new player options, monsters, and more! Included in the set is the 192-page The Book of Many Things, an expanded 66-card Deck of Many Things, and a guidebook for using the cards in new and fun ways. Order your copy today!

How to Build and Play With the Deck of Wonder

Artist: DOMENICO CAVAA deck of magical cards

For the most part, the Deck of Wonder functions similarly to the Deck of Many Things.

You’ll build a Deck of Wonder using a standard deck of cards (only the face cards and the 2s). Most Decks of Wonder are composed of 13 cards, but a small portion of them may contain 22. As with the Deck of Many Things, you’ll declare how many cards you wish to draw from it, and in most cases, each card triggers one by one. Additionally, a drawn card’s abilities still immediately take effect and fade from the user's hand, promptly reappearing in the deck.

But one of the ways the Deck of Wonder is better suited for lower level characters is rooted in the duration of its effects. Most effects conjured by the Deck of Wonder usually last for eight hours, or until you take a long rest. And some of the negative effects can be ended early by the use of remove curse or a similar spell. This factor means that, if you draw a negative effect, you won’t have to suffer for very long. And for DMs, it means their game won’t be impacted in the long term.

Sample Effects From the Deck of Wonder

The effects gained by the Deck of Wonder are tailor-made to wrinkle your games to amp up tension or add an invigorating touch of eucatastrophe. Here is a glimpse at just a few of the effects you’ll find in the Deck of Wonder:

  • Destiny (A ♥️): This card portents the untimely demise of the one who draws it, providing them with a modicum of protection from death. The next time you would drop to 0 hit points, you drop to 1 instead. Destiny is one of the few cards in the Deck of Wonder that does not have a set duration. So, this effect could linger on its bearer for days, months, or even years, if they decide to retire from adventuring, that is. But where’s the fun in that?
  • End (K ♠️): Speaking of omens of death, the End card inflicts necrotic damage when you draw it, and your hit point maximum drops by the same amount you take. However, this ominous card cannot reduce your maximum hit points below 10, and the reduction lasts until you take a long rest or until you get bathed in a remove curse spell.
  • Isolation (A ♠️): This card instantly teleports you to an extradimensional space where you remain for a short time. Upon returning, you may suffer from the poisoned condition, due to the effects of bamfing back and forth between dimensions!
  • Justice (2 ♠️): A righteous and flavorful card that gives you the ability to minorly bend probability in favor of balance. For 8 hours, you can elect to cancel any roll with advantage or disadvantage made by a nearby creature. It’s essentially 8 hours of Restore Balance from the Clockwork Soul sorcerer subclass. As a Clockwork Soul fanboy, I am supremely here for this card.
  • Mischief (Joker without ™): This crafty card is the only card in the Deck of Wonder that gives you a choice. Upon drawing this card, you can either choose to gain one uncommon wondrous item chosen by the DM (such as an alchemy jug, gloves of missile snaring, or winged boots) or you can draw two additional cards from the Deck of Wonder. It’s a sort of a “bird in the hand versus two in the bush”-sorta thing.

How to Use the Deck of Wonder

Before you bestow a Deck of Wonder upon your players, you should assess whether you want to give them a deck with 13 or 22 cards. Believe it or not, it can have a huge impact narratively.

A Deck With 13 Cards

Simply put, a deck with 13 cards in it can have a much more focused and intentional impact on your story. When selecting which cards to appear in this deck, the DM can have an easier time thumbing the scale in favor of good or bad outcomes. The ratio of cards that help versus hinder can also be connected to the deck’s origin.

A deck of 13 cards could be gifted by a cunning green hag who tricks the players into thinking this deck will help them, but in reality most (if not all) of the cards will hurt or hinder them.

A deck of 13 cards that leans toward cards with positive outcomes could be given to your players by a celestial such as a ki-rin, who wants to test the mettle and hearts of a few plucky adventurers.

A Deck With 22 Cards

A deck of 22 cards will have a more even balance of positive and negative effects. It’s also arguably more valuable in-world than an incomplete deck.

A complete Deck of Wonder could be an item found in the den of a chaotic and corrupt merchant, who uses the cards in combat to potentially bend the odds in their favor. Or, it could be found on the corpse of an unknown adventurer who drew an unlucky combination of cards.

Wonders Await You in The Book of Many Things

The Deck of Wonder is the perfect answer for any DM who wants to enjoy the randomness of the Deck of Many Things without the risk of breaking their game. It’s just one of the many incredible magic items, monsters, and ideas presented in The Book of Many Things!

Now, go ahead, push that big red button!

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Kyle Shire (@kyleshire) is a contributing writer to D&D Beyond and a producer for Critical Role. In the past, he worked as a producer, writer, and host for Machinima Studios and Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment. He's appeared on HyperRPG as the Mayor of Kollok and the Saving Throw Show. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

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