[Chance] Item - Cutthroat Deck

Nowadays, few would think twice when presented with this basic 12-card deck used in the simple and popular Cutthroat card game. Cartomancers and players who remember the sordid origins of Cutthroat still carry the enchanted version of the deck, smuggled into secure areas for their work.

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Cutthroat Deck
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)

This magical deck of cards holds 12 cards printed on a magical stiff vellum.

Card in Hand. Whenever you finish a long rest, the first 3 cards you draw from the deck becomes magical for you. You can use each of these cards as a +1 dart; you can retrieve these cards as part of the action used to attack with them; and the cards fly back to your hand at the end of each of your turns after you throw them. These magical cards also have additional properties. Roll 3d12 to determine their effect from the Cutthroat Deck Cards table, rerolling any duplicates.

Cutthroat Deck Cards

1 - Fools Cap - This card has no additional benefit.
2 - Eye - Attacks made with this card ignores half and three-quarters cover.
3 - Arrow - The normal and long range of this card is tripled.
4 - Sword - Attacks made with this card score a critical hit on a roll of 18, 19, or 20.
5 - Sceptre - This card deals force damage instead of its normal damage type on a hit.
6 - Crown - After you make an attack with this card, you can move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.
7 - Tide - When you hit a target with this card, the target's walking speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
8 - Storm - When you hit a target with this card, the target cannot take reactions until the start of your next turn.
9 - Moon - When you hit a target with this card, the target must subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes until the start of your next turn.
10 - Sun - When you hit a target with this card, the target must subtract 1d4 from the next attack roll it makes until the start of your next turn.
11 - Tree - When you hit a target with this card, you gain 2 temporary hit points.
12 - Arch - When you hit a target within 20 feet of you with this card, you can teleport to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target.

Very Rare Variant: Cut the Deck. This higher rarity variant also has this property. Whenever you roll for initiative and are not surprised or incapacitated, you can shuffle your cards into the deck and draw a new set of 3 cards. Roll 3d12 again to determine the cards you draw. Additionally, the cards you draw this way can potentially form one of the following hands, which grant a benefit that lasts for 10 minutes.

• Cut. You hold a Cut if the three cards have values from 1 through 6. Once on each of your turns, when you take the Attack action and make an attack with one of these cards, you can make an attack with another card as part of that action.
• Throat. You hold a Throat if the three cards have values from 7 through 12. Once on each of your turns, if you miss a target with one of these cards, you can re-roll the attack roll. If you hit this way, you deal no damage, but you still create the effect of that card's property.
• Straight. You hold a Straight if the three cards have consecutive values. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a target with one of these cards, you can cause it to ricochet and attack a different target within 20 feet of the original target. You use the initial attack roll result to determine if the card hits. If you hit, you can cause the card to ricochet one additional time, attacking a third target within 20 feet of the second target using the initial attack roll.

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DESIGN COMMENTARY

There's a lot to say about this item! I really liked the designs. This item and the Gambler's Chip both required some study on small objects. This one turned out much better and is aided by its shadow, implying its size. The designs are inspired by a mixture of tarot and playing cards (you can see the faux roman numerals and the rotational symmetry). They turned out REALLY pretty (especially XI - Tree) and the back cover is blood red because cutthroat and evokes the Rings of Blood Binding. I'd love to turn these into real physical cards one day to use in a real game.

Mechanics-wise, a card or card hand-based item is a must for this theme. I ended up having to design my own cards so players didn't need outside knowledge to use them, which I limited to 12. The cards can be paired consecutively (Arrow & Sword, Crown & Sceptre, etc) and are divided such that they occupy different uses for which the card hands can properly affect. There were lots of different possible effects, so the more rules I added, the easier they crystalize.

The name was initially a play on cutting a deck, but has since turned into a simple minigame I hope to add to the final compendium. The flavor text hints a little at its lore (the game was created as a front for hidden villains to bring these cards into places, but soon took off as a game on its own).