Deck of Many Boons

 Posted by on August 9, 2010  Filed as: Steal this Item  Add comments  Topic(s):
Aug 092010
 

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could get some sort of benefit in-game for doing things that promote better gaming?   I do.  That’s why I hand-crafted the Deck of Many Boons.  It may look like an ordinary deck of cards, but this could not be further from the truth!  You see, it took many decades of alchemy, wizardry, and drunken dumbery to create, no, to manifest this artifact!

“Well what does it do” you ask?

Thank you for asking! It’s not what it does for you, but what you do for it!

Only if you are serious about gaming, may you unlock its treasures.  Only if you make an effort to promote general good gamery, may you reap the rewards.

By the very nature of good and evil, yin and yang, dark and light, law and chaos, neutral and… neutral, the Deck of Many Boons will incite within you a systemic wave of karma – for the good you put into it, it gives good back to you.

Behold! The Deck of Many Boons!

You shall draw one card from the Deck of Many Boons, should you perform the following:

  • Arrive to the game session on time, ready to play

In addition, every player at the table shall draw one card from the Deck of Many Boons, should any of the players perform the following:

  • Successfully perform an amazing, jaw-dropping task, one that your character should have failed horribly
  • Unsuccessfully perform an easy task, one that only requires a skill check for spits and giggles, resulting in in the utter humiliation of your character
  • Pull out some unbelievable roleplaying or humor that utterly entertains and floors the entire group

These cards that you now possess in your possession are not to be hoarded!  Thay are to be given back to the Deck of Many Boons!  In doing so you are immediately gifted the gift of the card!  Should the GM refuse to let you put a card back into the Deck of Many Boons, all players at the table shall draw another card!, from the Deck of Many Boons!  At the end of the nightly game session, which is at the end of the night, all outstanding, unused cards will shamefully be put back into the Deck of Many Boons, and the player will thusly be shamed.  These are the unbreakable rules of the Deck of Many Boons, and shall not be broken!

Behold! The cards from the Deck of Many Boons!

  • 2 – make any enemy reroll an attack or skill check
  • 3 – reroll a skill check
  • 4 – reroll an attack
  • 5 – turn a successful attack into a critical, or make another attack
  • 6 – perform one additional, single action
  • 7 – make an enemy/npc look like a fool
  • 8 – trump everyone in initiative (going first), as long as you don’t roll lowest
  • 9 – use a skill as if you were trained in it
  • 10 – use a feat/talent/special ability that you don’t have, as long as you qualify for it.  Lasts for one round.
  • J – improve your speed by 50% for the round
  • Q – make a minion or enemy of up to your level/ability flee
  • K – player fiat – railroad the GM with your lucky break (you find ammo, you find a friendly NPC/you know someone in town/you kick the broken engine and it starts, you find the trap door, etc.)
  • A – General Bad Ass, sir!  For one round or scene, you come off as the ultimate bad ass.  The GM will treat your character with the respect that they’ve earned.  Bonuses and extra abilites are almost not needed, as you are the General Bad Ass.  You may not railroad the game, but you may surely act like you are running it.
  • Joker – When your character fails at something, the GM may invoke the Joker.  When this happens, not only will you fail at your task, but you will fail miserably, entertaining everyone else at the table.  All other players may draw a card from the Deck of Many Boons!

Behold!  The Deck of Many Boons!  Behold!

Doc Tophat

Doc Tophat wrote an article here once...

  5 Responses to “Deck of Many Boons”

  1. that’s awesome. I’ll definitely be using that in the next campaign I run.

  2. Haha, I’ve send the link to my GM, I dont think we’ll be using it much, but it is funny!

  3. I get a giggle every time I read this.
    🙂

  4. I love this everytime I read it. Although I might change the king and Ace a little, I still want to use it.

    Other changes I would add to this are as follows.
    The Map monkey gets a free draw at the beginning of the night.
    Anyone who has taken good notes gets a free draw at the beginning of the night.

    Any player may use their boon to help another player. Players that do so get an additional +4 to their next roll. (and the usual card draw.)

    Also drawing to replace used cards happens at the end of combat.

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