Fortune Teller

Governed by the rules of chance, the cards in the deck are pulled one by one, each deciding the fate of the next. Fortune Tellers have trained in the ways of pleasing people, while also maintaining their selfish manner of collecting coin or other prizes. Although not all of them are devious in this way, they all have a way with their hands. In order to keep customers returning, they have to provide fortunes that please them. This is why most fortune tellers have developed their skills to rig a deck, or even switch out a card at the last second. 

    Other fortune tellers prefer to leave the choosing up to fate, and decide not to meddle with such things. These types tend to be more spiritual, often leaning on the side of actually helping people, rather than fulfil selfish needs. 

     Although some fortune tellers’ morals differ, they all have one thing in common: magic. They have found a way to imbue their cards with arcana, offering more powering with every pull from the deck. Some prefer to specialize in certain areas of magic, while others like to have a little bit of something from every school. 

Spellcasting

Performing with schemes and trickery, you have developed a way to enchant cards with the power of arcane magic. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the fortune teller spell list.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the fortune teller spell list. You learn additional fortune teller cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Fortune Teller table.

Enchanted Playing Cards

At 1st level, you have a deck of enchanted playing cards containing eight 1st-level fortune teller spells of your choice. Your cards are the repository of the fortune teller spells you know, except your cantrips, which are fixed in your mind.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Fortune Teller table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your fortune teller  spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of fortune teller spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of fortune teller spells from your deck of enchanted playing cards equal to the number rolled on your Shuffle Die + your Charisma modifier (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. 

For example, if you’re a 3rd-level fortune teller, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 16, and a roll of 4 on your shuffle die, your list of prepared spells can include seven spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your spellbook. If you prepare the 1st-level spell guiding bolt, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of fortune teller spells requires time spent designing and painting the cards you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Shuffle Die

Beginning at 3rd level, the die used to determine the amount of spells you prepare starts with 1d4, and changes to 2d4 at 5th level, 3d4 at 9th, and 4d4 at 13th level, and 5d4 at 17th level.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your fortune teller spells, since you learn your spells through performance and manipulation. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a fortune teller spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast a fortune teller spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your deck. You don’t need to have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

Your deck of enchanted playing cards act as a spellcasting focus for your fortune teller spells.

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher

You create additional cards for your deck at higher levels. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the Fortune Teller table. On your adventures, you might find other spells that you can add to your deck of enchanted playing cards (see the “Your Deck” sidebar).

Your Deck

The spells that you add to your deck as you gain levels reflect the cunning precision of your craft, as well as your ability to bend others' wills to your own. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a card from a long-gone famous fortune teller’s deck, for example, or in a brand new tome in a town library.

Copying a Spell onto a Card. When you find a fortune teller spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.

Copying that spell into your deck involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the fortune teller who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation.

For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the paints and designing you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells.

Replacing the Deck. You can copy a spell from your own deck into another deck—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your deck. You can also do this with individual spell cards. This is just like copying a new spell into your deck, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell.

If you lose your deck or card(s), you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared onto a new deck or card (s). Filling out the remainder of your deck requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many fortune tellers keep backup cards in a safe place.

The Deck’s Appearance. Your deck is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and artistic flare. It might be a premade deck prepared by the one who taught you your craft, a handmade deck inspired by true events in your life, or even  replicas of famous artwork.

Fortune's Recovery

You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by telling someone’s fortune. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. You do so by spending at least half the short rest reading someone’s fortune using your deck of cards. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your fortune teller level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

For example, if you’re a 4th-level fortune teller, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots.

Bonus Proficiencies

Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with playing card sets, as well as Charisma (Performance) and Dexterity (Sleight of Hand).

Virtuoso Cards

As a fortune teller, you have fine-tuned your craft and card-reading ability to a specific taste. As you have tailored your deck to your desired outcome, you have favored one card in particular, granting you the full reaches of its predictions. 

     When you reach 3rd level, you choose a virtuoso card, channeling your arcane practice towards a specific virtue: The Fool, The Hanged Man, or The Tower. Your choice grants you spells at 3rd level and again at 5th, 7th, and 10th level.

Virtuoso of The Fool

Virtuosos of The Fool have mastered their capabilities to manipulate and charm the world around them. Though you have pulled The Fool card, it is those who oppose you that are the true fools.

     Your virtue and loyalty to your card has given you the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 10th level you gain access to virtuous spells connected to your favored card pull. 

     Once you gain access to a virtuous spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn't appear on the fortune teller spell list, the spell is nonetheless a fortune teller spell for you.

Virtuoso of The Hanged Man

Virtuosos of The Hanged Man have mastered their capabilities to suspend and make sacrifices for the world around them. Though you have The Hanged Man card, it is those who stay close to you that will be rewarded.

     Your virtue and loyalty to your card has given you the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 10th level you gain access to virtuous spells connected to your favored card pull. 

     Once you gain access to a virtuous spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn't appear on the fortune teller spell list, the spell is nonetheless a fortune teller spell for you.

Virtuoso of The Tower

Virtuosos of The Tower have mastered their capabilities to destroy and reshape the world around them. Though you have pulled The Tower card, it is those who oppose you that are in true danger.

     Your virtue and loyalty to your card has given you the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 10th level you gain access to virtuous spells connected to your favored card pull. 

     Once you gain access to a virtuous spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn't appear on the fortune teller spell list, the spell is nonetheless a fortune teller spell for you.

Card Thrower

Starting at 7th level, when you choose the Attack action on your turn, you may throw a card from your deck. A card does 1d4 slashing damage + your Dexterity bonus, and has a range of 20/60 feet.

Adept Card Thrower

Starting at 10th level, when you choose the Attack action on your turn and decide to use your Card Thrower feature, you throw three cards at once. You roll to hit with each card separately, as well as roll damage for each card individually. 

Cards of Holding

Starting at 15th level, you may cast any spell that makes you roll to hit, and cast it into an empty card. That card stores that spell at whatever level it was cast, and never expires. As an Action on your turn, you may throw a charged card. On a hit, you roll the damage of the spell in addition to the cards damage + you Dexterity modifier. On a miss, the spell is released and does no damage, and the card does the normal amount of damage. You may only throw one Card of Holding per Attack action taken.

    You may have Cards of Holding equal to your Charisma modifier at one time.

Predictive Readings

Starting at 15th level, you have developed your fortune telling ability to finely tune your predictions, and even shape the future. Once per long rest, you may cast the commune spell as a ritual, not requiring any material components, as long as you use your deck of enchanted playing cards as your spellcasting focus. The answers to your questions are not partial to any particular diety.

Nimblest of Fingers

Starting at 18th level, when you use your Card Thrower or Cards of Holding feature, each card now does 1d6 slashing damage + your Dexterity modifier. Additionally, when using your Shuffle Die to determine the amount of spells you can prepare for the day, any individual role at or below 2 is treated as a 3.