Card Caster

The Card Caster is a wizard who enjoys to put his life on the line in the ultimate gambit. These particular magic users imbue the playing cards most normal people would use to gamble with magical power, and gain certain effects based on their draw.

Due to the volatile nature of their magical research, other circles of wizards see Card Casters as brash fools, just waiting to bring about some unforseen cataclysm. Card Casters take the lack of faith in their prowess as an insult, labelling those who would critique them as unambitious and dull.

There is of course a well-known drawback to the magical tricks of the Card Caster. The mental focus it takes to release magical energy from their cards correctly is astronomical. If done incorrectly, the spell will instead forcibly take energy from the nearest living organism, which is normally the wizard themselves.

Card Mastery

When you take this archetype at level 2, you begin to realise the beginnings of your mastery as a Card Caster, living on the knife's edge of life and death. You have learned not only how to imbue magic into your cards, but you've also picked up some more mundane tricks with them.

You gain proficiency with playing card sets, and have advantage on any single roll per card game played.

Enchanted Deck

As a Card Caster, your most important weapon is the ability to use your control of magical energies to store your spells in the form of enchanted cards in order to unleash them later to devastating effect.

Twice per long rest, you may store up to two spells, up to 6th level, inside cards. These cards count as an arcane focus, but only when casting stored spells. Wizard spells cast via traditional means will function normally.

At 11th level, your mental stamina will allow you to store three spells per day, still at 6th level.

 

Luck Of The Draw

As A Card Caster, one of your main methods of attack is through the release of magical energies from your cards in the form of stored spells.

You can draw a card from the top of your deck as a free action once per turn. If you wish to play the card, you can cast the spell using the card as an arcane focus, at the same duration as the stored spell without using a spell slot. However, the magical energy within the card dissipates, and the card is a mundane object once again.

If you choose to discard the card, the magical energies dissipate, but you can still act.

If you use the card to perform a spell, roll a d6. If you roll a 1, roll a d20 to determine the effects that occur due to the loss of control of your mana:

1: You fall unconscious immediately, but are considered stabilized.

2: You fall asleep.

3: take 1d6 force damage.

4: take 1d4 force damage.

5: summon an imp, who is hostile towards all present creatures.

6: release a burst of energy ahead of you which deals 1d10 force damage.

7: become paralyzed for 1d4 turns.

8: polymorph into a small creature of the dm's choice for one turn.

9: a 10m long multicolored handkerchief unfurls itself from the users sleeve.

10. The creature nearest to you has it's weapon fly 10m from it.

11. Deal 3d8 poison damage in a 20ft cone behind you.

12. Pink sparks fly from your fingertips.

13. You have disadvantage on your next attack spell.

14. You take 1d10 damage

15. You heal for 1d6 plus your intelligence modifier.

16. You polymorph into a huge creature (dm's choice) for one turn.

17. You transport yourself into the ethereal plane for one turn.

18. You recast the spell you cast in your card.

19. You and a random hostile creature switch places.

20. You or a random friendly creature is healed for 1d12 plus your intelligence modifier.

Risk And Reward

As an adept Card Caster, you feel more comfortable using riskier methods to maximise the destructive capabilities of your magic.

When you make a spell attack, you can add 1d8 to the damage. Next, roll a d6. If you roll a 1 or a 2, you take the same damage. This can be done once per long rest.

When you reach level 13, increase this damage to 2d8.

Poker Face

As a master card user, you've learned to conceal your intentions to all but the most shrewd.

You gain proficiency in the sleight of hand and deception skills.

Gambler's Luck

When rolling on the Luck Of The Draw table as a result of playing a spell card, you can choose to re-roll the result.

You can do this once per long rest.

Final Gambit

You have complete faith in your deck, as well as your own magical prowess. You can discard up to 5 of your enchanted cards, and use their magic to make an all out attack.

Multiply your proficiency and intelligence modifiers, and then add 1d20 to this for each card you discard.

After you perform this action, you drop to 0 hp and immediately fail one death save.

You can use this once per long rest, and twice at level 20.

Wildcard

You have started to learn that strategy, as well as luck, is a necessary component in your art, and you have a trick for every situation.

As a reaction to an enemy attack, roll a d10. You must do this before you know the result of the enemy's attack roll. On a roll of 8 or higher, the attack misses. If you roll a 1, the enemy gains advantage on that attack roll.

You can use this once per long rest, plus your intelligence modifier.