stacked deck (GLAUGUST 3)
Another GLauGust post, even though it's September. This one's not really.... done, but hey.
I'm gonna try to let it speak for itself, but I do want to note:
- these are fundamentally dysfunctional people, they are not able to consistently search every room because it's fucking boring to do that and they do not have the attention span
- i only suffer from one variety of "sometimes i can't Do The Thing That Needs Doing" and i'm not sure it's wise to go into varieties i don't know from firsthand experience
- basically imagine Hellboy?
fuck it we ball
Take a 52 card deck, remove all the faces and Jokers. Shuffle, deal to players until you run out, then they can each choose a class from the options below and also trade up to 2 cards each.
Commander
Special: If no card is drawn that you can use, draw an extra one.
Clubs: stack an attack buff, then attack...
...+1 each time, lasts until you shuffle.
Hearts: heal someone...
...equal to the number of the card used.
Clubs: carefully search a room...
...choose: 1) compare card's number to room's target. Meet or exceed: find something. Or, 2) hold card for next time you do this, add them.
Hearts: stand watch for a break...
...Longer Moves are possible, everyone heals a small amount.
Clubs: gather intel...
...gain a rumor matching the card's number on the rumors table.
Hearts: buy supplies...
...choose: 1) get a discount equal to the card's number, or 2) set aside the card's number of your budget, reveal later that you bought a supply that you could have bought. (Unmarked package style)
Psychic
Special: You can look at the top card of the deck.
Hearts: hand out dice...
...actually give everyone a redraw token or some such. Maybe a +1/-1 adjuster?
Spades: cast a spell...
...each spell has one or two or maybe even three numbers that need to be matched by played cards this turn to cast it. Some spells might be Longer Moves. See the end of the post for some spells.
Hearts: read someone's mind...
...ask a question with words equal to played card? get answer with words equal to played card?
Spades: future sight...
...basically listen at a door or check for traps is what i'm imagining here. Longer move: basically scout ahead like a couple of rooms.
Hearts: make money...
...choose: 1) fortune telling: just draw a card and get that much treasure from grateful customers, or 2) cheating at cards: draw as many cards as you like and get that much treasure... unless any match suits, in which case lose it all and get in trouble.
Spades: learn spells...
...get the spell that matches your card on the spells table?
Werewolf
Special: If you can transform, you have to transform.
Clubs: attack multiple targets...
...yeah that's simple. Let's say 2 targets, same card.
Spades: transform...
...like barbarian rage probably. React to enemy turns by drawing cards to try to attack them?
Clubs: set up an ambush...
...Longer Move, draw extra cards on the first turn.
Spades: use inhuman strength. Sometimes this will be a Longer Move.
Clubs: training...
...choose: 1) increase number of multiple targets you can attack, or 2) remove the thing where you have to transform.
Spades: evolve...
...get a power somebody else has, but it uses Spades.
Each turn in a dungeon, draw cards. Players can play any actions by discarding the matching suit. After players are finished, dungeon rolls to act. 6+ encounter, unless range is increased. Range increases when monsters escape in combat.
Each turn in combat, draw cards. Players can play any actions by discarding the matching suit. After players are finished, enemies roll to act. 5+ for scared or untrained, 4+ for ready, 3+ for elite, 2+ for truly monstrous. Record number of enemies: roll that many dice. No enemy can go twice until every enemy has gone who can go. Don't change the number of dice as enemies go down (?).
Each turn in town, draw cards. Players can play any actions by discarding the matching suit. After players are finished, return to dungeon.
The number of cards drawn increases with character experience or something. Probably start at 1. Or maybe start at 5 and go down? Do what you want, I'm not your dad.
SPELLS - Unless noted, spells last until you shuffle.
Magic Sight - 3-10 - Longer Move - You know when there's something that can be found in a room you're in. You also know if something you're looking at is magical. These effects apply to your Future Sight power also.
Suppress Magic - 8 and 6 - Turn off the magic on a creature, an object, or a room. You can suppress a curse and leave the good part of the magic, if that's applicable to your situation.
Animate Tool - two even numbers - A tool does work for you like there was a person using it. It can't fight or communicate, and when the work is done the spell ends.
Magic Lock - two matching numbers - Slam shut a door you can see, and lock it with magic. Nothing gets through in less time than a Longer Move, unless it can phase through doors or something weird like that. This spell lasts forever.
Illuminate - two numbers that add up to 10 - Make light at any brightness between embers and spotlight. Can blind enemies that are close to you. You can reduce the light at any time but you can't increase it.
Speak With the Dead - three 6s - Corpses gain the ability to talk when you walk by them. This spell lasts until you tell a corpse to be quiet.
Animate Weapon - two odd numbers - A weapon fights for you like there was a person using it. Basically you get one free attack each turn. Draw a card to find out its attack number each time it attacks.
Haste - three numbers in sequence - A person you choose can use any suit to attack.
Feather Fall - two numbers both lower than 6 - People around you can't be hurt by falling.
Vines - two numbers that add up to more than 10 - Big brambly vines tangle around every enemy you can see. -1 to their target number to hit, and they can't move until they cut themselves free.
Bonus spells, for treasure:
Time Stop - two aces - You can freely walk around the room while time is frozen. Draw a bonus hand of 5 cards. You can play one of these, even for a Longer Move. Put the rest on the bottom of the deck. Then unfreeze time.
Create Skeleton - three 6s - The next skeleton or corpse you touch will become a skeleton warrior. It counts as an enemy, but it fights for you. This spell lasts forever. (The skeleton can still die.)
Charm Person - 6 and 9 - Makes a person think everything you say is witty and profound, everything you do is cool and justifiable, and anyone who's against you is horrible. This spell ends early if you put them in danger using it.
Invisibility - three odd numbers - Everyone around you is invisible to the naked eye.
Turn to Frog - three numbers 5 or lower - Turn a living or undead thing into a slippery frog. +5 to its target number to hit, and no one can catch it.
Wish - four numbers in sequence - Name your wish. Record each card you play until it comes true. It comes true when you have played every card of every suit.
Illusory Armor - two matching numbers - Create the illusion that any number of people are wearing any type or types of armor, or simple clothes. The illusion persists even as attacks hit or miss.
Magic Apotheosis - three matching numbers - Cards that have been played since the last shuffle all count for determining which spells you can cast.
Is that enough to play with? It might be. You tell me?