There are an endless number of ways a Dungeons & Dragons campaign can go off the rails, which is ultimately a Dungeon Master's worst nightmare. All that hard work, meticulous planning and creation can be quickly tossed aside by a single spell or item that gives the player too much power and changes everything in the blink of an eye.

The Deck of Many Things is just such an item. The power of its magic is so unpredictable that, in the wrong hands (any hands at all, really), chaos is pretty much inevitable. The Deck can plunge entire parties into adventures no one -- DM included -- will see coming. However, that doesn't mean it should be avoided at all costs and in all situations. While it won't fit into every campaign, there are workarounds that can turn The Deck of Many Thing's unpredictability into a part of the game.

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What Is the Deck of Many Things?

Over the years, the Deck of Many Things has been a source of intrigue and dread. Most incarnations are comprised of only 13 cards, though it may hold as many as 22. Similar to tarot cards, they are either made of vellum or ivory, and the backs all share the same image. The fronts of the cards, however, require special attention, for they reveal whatever doom (or boon) awaits the one foolish enough to pull a card out to inspect it.

Whenever a card is drawn from the deck, something unexpected happens. The specific effects are dictated by the specific card's image. It could be a powerful boon that allows the player to erase an event of their choice before they die, or it could be an awful curse entombing the player in a state of suspended animation in an extradimensional plane until someone finds them and pulls them out of the sphere -- which could actually be never because there aren't exactly directions detailing the location.

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How The Deck of Many Things Can Ruin a Game

The Void card Deck of Many Things D&D

Because of how random and powerful The Deck of Many Things is, there's always the chance that a player pulling from it will cause something to happen that immediately dooms the entire party or completely derails the DM's plans. The fact that there are no takebacks means, once a card is drawn, its effects (good or bad) immediately launch into play -- and there's nothing the players or DM can do but face the chaos.

For that reason, DMs running campaigns where the overall plot is too important to deviate from should steer clear of this magic item, or at least wait to introduce it until after the players have completed the primary objective. When the Deck of Many Things is involved, the story can easily take a backseat to the effects brought about by the drawing of a single card, forcing the DM to throw their plans out the window.

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How to Use the Deck of Many Things Anyway

Those who do want to incorporate the Deck of Many Things into their campaign should be prepared for the chaos. After all, the Deck will only show up if the DM chooses to add it, so anyone considering using it should study its effects and consider how they would handle them should they come up. Planning around the deck will ensure that the chaos it brings doesn't throw off the entire game, creating a fun and memorable experience rather than a frustrating one.

As for players considering drawing a card at their DM's discretion, handling the Deck of Many Things is like playing a game of Russian Roulette -- it's impossible to guess what will happen, and the impact could be catastrophic. While a player character could become ridiculously wealthy or powerful in the blink of an eye, it's just as likely that they'll face permanent (and detrimental) stat changes or end up toe-to-toe in single combat with an Avatar of Death that will permanently kill them if they can't defeat it alone.

Stumbling across an item this powerful can wreak havoc on a party, and more neutral characters will advise their chaotic companions not to use it. However, those who dare to use the Deck of Many Things are sure to, at the very least, create lasting memories out of unpredictable situations, which is what D&D is really all about.

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