Deck of many things
Dec. 10th, 2019 09:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethI was reading Pathfinder and one kingdom has a Fortress city because a sergeant made a lucky draw on a Deck of Many Things at the last minute before an attack and lo, castle walls appeared.
Which sounded good to me.
So I looked up the Deck of Many Things, which is half and half good thungs and zomg no bad things, including some of the very few ways to perma die in this game
and then I did some thinking
and looked up how far 10,000 XP would really take you.
... and then I reached some conclusions that ought to mean no sensible GM lets me anywhere near the thing.
... I reckon, with a character anywhere below 8th level, the only thing to do really is just draw 22.
... I realise this is from the same school of thought that decided Poke It With A Stick was a basic first move, and got uninvited, BUT
if your GM gives you something that random
so any one card can mean Oops No Game For You
just... go hard on blowing it up in their face.
... I also realise a GM can make it disappear or leave cards out if they want to
but that's less fun.
Give the game breaking artefact, get the consequences.
Also, given that many cards can fix or cancel many the consequences other cards, logically the more you draw the more they'll fix each other!
... I did not do math on this theory.
But I did go to the random generator on the Wizards page, which seems to me to have the same cards as Pathfinder, and drew 22.
... what the lasting results were depends on if you can use The Fates on cards you just drew.
If not it's really boring and I'm in a Donjon, but that's no fun and also the rules don't say that.
If you can undo just having drawn that card, well, that works different than if you can only undo the consequences of that card.
If only consequences, I end up with one The Fates and not having to fight a Skull card which wildly outweighs a character of low enough level I'd try this.
If, as I initially phrased it in my head, I Fates even getting the card
the last Fates card gets used on an unexpected Void
and I'd end up rather wide eyed with the last card as a Key.
I looked up some stories about Deck of Many Things before I drew
and in this hypothetical I took precautions as per the internet suggestions:
Give everything away first so it can't take your stuff
but further, since I was going to draw Many, I gave things away as soon as got them
so the others in the party get several (three or four) magic weapons and a medium wonderous item.
And who knows, they might want to give them back, some day.
I would take the XP on Jester, because all that math to figure out at what levels it is worth it. And also because, 22 is nuts enough.
I got a +2 ability score to put somewhere. I would out it on Wisdom, because if I'd do this I clearly need more of it.
One of my NPC friends is secretly an implacable enemy now, so that's... going to be fun to find out.
But I get a 4th level fighter friend, so that's cool.
The Vizier means I can call upon it to answer fully any question.
... my lately character is on a Quest to find her family members, so obviously she would ask that, and a Fully answered question would tell her more than she bargained for, so this is fun.
And, absolutely the funnest, I drew The Throne.
Twice.
... Two castles and a +12 on diplomacy checks as an, at most, level 7 character.
... actually if I was 7 I'd have taken leadership and alienated my cohort, which is less fun than wondering which of age of sail Enterprise NX01 crew or Druid Elminster is secretly against you now.
... so level 6. At the outside. With a +12.
I am going to talk so many people into so many things.
Slight problem though. At the end of the day, after all the maths, I hypothetically would have
-3 on all saving throws
forever
unless a deity happens to feel like removing it.
... soooo... people who actually play this game:
Is that a bad thing?
... big bad? little bad? kind of annoying?
... I have no way to calibrate, I haven't understood the rules math yet.
I mean I like the story effect of someone with all this shiny that gets hit hard by anything they're hit with, can't get a break after this, that sort of thing. Seems fun. Great excuse to mess with them.
But if it just means they get dead a lot
that's a different scale of problem, you know?
The other internet story I read was someone who got The Throne six times in a row before the GM declared the deck spontaneously combusted
which seems improbable
but fun.
Two castles though.
Assuming no existing attachment to any particular area of the Inner Sea, and a blithe unconcern for being the ones personally in the castle, where to put them?
Like you could just put one outside wherever you are, but that would probably annoy the locals, and you're still just an adventure party. And a wandering around one, at this level. Castles are cool, but until you've got followers to fill them, not your main concern.
Maybe people would make suggestions for where to put them. Like Lastwall, or Mendev, or the Land of the Linnorm Kings. Places with problem neighbours that might thank you for a spare castle.
Of course eventually you do get followers, and then you're like, hmmm, I used to have a castle, wonder what they're doing with it, and or if anyone found it yet, given it could be plunked in the middle of nowhere (as per 'any open space').
... aaaand I just sidetracked myself looking up biomes. ... the Land of the Linnorm Kings is Taiga, but that means something differentnin USA language sometimes, so that may or may not include boreal forest. Bits of the Scottish Highlands are taiga! And also buts of Canada that Benton Fraser would be comfortable in.
... given that the Linnorm Kings gain their throne by bringing the head of a Linnorm, and they're very viking, with raiding a popular occupation? In not many other ways would he like it.
ANYway.
Dropping castles into randomish specified solid ground with a solid access route in locations otherwise chosen from a map: How Could It Go Wrong?
... thus stuff is much less fun without a GM to make *facepalm* ...
Which sounded good to me.
So I looked up the Deck of Many Things, which is half and half good thungs and zomg no bad things, including some of the very few ways to perma die in this game
and then I did some thinking
and looked up how far 10,000 XP would really take you.
... and then I reached some conclusions that ought to mean no sensible GM lets me anywhere near the thing.
... I reckon, with a character anywhere below 8th level, the only thing to do really is just draw 22.
... I realise this is from the same school of thought that decided Poke It With A Stick was a basic first move, and got uninvited, BUT
if your GM gives you something that random
so any one card can mean Oops No Game For You
just... go hard on blowing it up in their face.
... I also realise a GM can make it disappear or leave cards out if they want to
but that's less fun.
Give the game breaking artefact, get the consequences.
Also, given that many cards can fix or cancel many the consequences other cards, logically the more you draw the more they'll fix each other!
... I did not do math on this theory.
But I did go to the random generator on the Wizards page, which seems to me to have the same cards as Pathfinder, and drew 22.
... what the lasting results were depends on if you can use The Fates on cards you just drew.
If not it's really boring and I'm in a Donjon, but that's no fun and also the rules don't say that.
If you can undo just having drawn that card, well, that works different than if you can only undo the consequences of that card.
If only consequences, I end up with one The Fates and not having to fight a Skull card which wildly outweighs a character of low enough level I'd try this.
If, as I initially phrased it in my head, I Fates even getting the card
the last Fates card gets used on an unexpected Void
and I'd end up rather wide eyed with the last card as a Key.
I looked up some stories about Deck of Many Things before I drew
and in this hypothetical I took precautions as per the internet suggestions:
Give everything away first so it can't take your stuff
but further, since I was going to draw Many, I gave things away as soon as got them
so the others in the party get several (three or four) magic weapons and a medium wonderous item.
And who knows, they might want to give them back, some day.
I would take the XP on Jester, because all that math to figure out at what levels it is worth it. And also because, 22 is nuts enough.
I got a +2 ability score to put somewhere. I would out it on Wisdom, because if I'd do this I clearly need more of it.
One of my NPC friends is secretly an implacable enemy now, so that's... going to be fun to find out.
But I get a 4th level fighter friend, so that's cool.
The Vizier means I can call upon it to answer fully any question.
... my lately character is on a Quest to find her family members, so obviously she would ask that, and a Fully answered question would tell her more than she bargained for, so this is fun.
And, absolutely the funnest, I drew The Throne.
Twice.
... Two castles and a +12 on diplomacy checks as an, at most, level 7 character.
... actually if I was 7 I'd have taken leadership and alienated my cohort, which is less fun than wondering which of age of sail Enterprise NX01 crew or Druid Elminster is secretly against you now.
... so level 6. At the outside. With a +12.
I am going to talk so many people into so many things.
Slight problem though. At the end of the day, after all the maths, I hypothetically would have
-3 on all saving throws
forever
unless a deity happens to feel like removing it.
... soooo... people who actually play this game:
Is that a bad thing?
... big bad? little bad? kind of annoying?
... I have no way to calibrate, I haven't understood the rules math yet.
I mean I like the story effect of someone with all this shiny that gets hit hard by anything they're hit with, can't get a break after this, that sort of thing. Seems fun. Great excuse to mess with them.
But if it just means they get dead a lot
that's a different scale of problem, you know?
The other internet story I read was someone who got The Throne six times in a row before the GM declared the deck spontaneously combusted
which seems improbable
but fun.
Two castles though.
Assuming no existing attachment to any particular area of the Inner Sea, and a blithe unconcern for being the ones personally in the castle, where to put them?
Like you could just put one outside wherever you are, but that would probably annoy the locals, and you're still just an adventure party. And a wandering around one, at this level. Castles are cool, but until you've got followers to fill them, not your main concern.
Maybe people would make suggestions for where to put them. Like Lastwall, or Mendev, or the Land of the Linnorm Kings. Places with problem neighbours that might thank you for a spare castle.
Of course eventually you do get followers, and then you're like, hmmm, I used to have a castle, wonder what they're doing with it, and or if anyone found it yet, given it could be plunked in the middle of nowhere (as per 'any open space').
... aaaand I just sidetracked myself looking up biomes. ... the Land of the Linnorm Kings is Taiga, but that means something differentnin USA language sometimes, so that may or may not include boreal forest. Bits of the Scottish Highlands are taiga! And also buts of Canada that Benton Fraser would be comfortable in.
... given that the Linnorm Kings gain their throne by bringing the head of a Linnorm, and they're very viking, with raiding a popular occupation? In not many other ways would he like it.
ANYway.
Dropping castles into randomish specified solid ground with a solid access route in locations otherwise chosen from a map: How Could It Go Wrong?
... thus stuff is much less fun without a GM to make *facepalm* ...
no subject
Date: 2019-12-10 10:41 pm (UTC)Give all stuff away, and declare up front you're giving shinies to party soon as get them.
Put on a show.
01: The Fates
02: The Donjon, but that is boring, so use The Fates.
03: Rogue
04: Euryale
05: Knight
06: Talons
07: The Fates
08: Key
09: Sun
10: Skull : no chance, The Fates for it!
11: Jester: 10,000xp for me
12: Throne
13: Euryale
14: Star : +2 Wisdom, I clearly need it
15: Key
16: Throne
17: Talons
18: Vizier
19: Key
20: The Fates
21: Talons
22: Euryale
and an hour later, because you specified undo *drawing* those cards:
The Fates turns itself.
... an hour after that The Void, quickly countered the same way, with The Fates meaning it wasn't drawn.
But an hour after that, The Void again!
... am now all out of Fates, and feeling jittery. I pace and fret and stare at the cards an hour:
One last time
the Deck turns itself
and I get
The Key.
... this time I keep hold of it, or give it to my new loyal knight maybe, because am unsure of the math here, and will be very, very jittery until more than an hour has absolutely definitely passed.
(because that way is funnier)
(obviously if was game would know the ruling, but, character oopsing it would be better Story.)
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 05:55 am (UTC)which changes the level math rather a lot.
And I made 50K XP from that and 10K from the other.
Man I levelled up fast.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-10 10:44 pm (UTC)It is a story bomb, and if you set it off, the only way is to do it with style.