The latest Unearthed Arcana article for creative way to avoid a total party kill.
The Deck of Many Things resembles a regular set of cards and groups can substitute a real deck to enhance the experience of using the item. A character foolish enough to use the Deck of Many Things must declare the number of cards they wish to draw before reaching for the first card. Once a card is pulled, its effect activates, and they must draw any other declared cards within hour-long intervals. The effects of the Deck of Many Things cards include being granted a wish, losing all possessions, gaining a castle, being imprisoned in the ground, gain stat points, or having their mind banished to the void for all eternity.
D&D is hinting at the return of Planescape in the new "Wonders of the Multiverse" Unearthed Arcana, with content relating to the city of Sigil and the planes that make up reality. The article has a section on spells based on cards and the effects of the Deck of the Many Things. These spells emulate the weaker effects of the Deck of Many Things, but they're still potent and will be worthy additions to D&D, assuming they make it out of the playtesting phase.
There Are Now D&D Spells That Replicate A Deck Of Many Things
Spray of cards is a second-level conjuration spell that creates phantom cards that fly out of the player's sleeve and damage the enemy. Antagonize is a third-level enchantment spell that is based on the Flames card, causing an enemy that fails its save to use its reaction to hit another target within range. House of cards is a third-level D&D conjuration spell that summons massive playing cards, which can create a temporary cover, even if they aren't particularly durable. Summon warrior spirit is a third-level conjuration spell that acts like the Knight card, summoning a phantom melee fighter to the field. The player can choose for their warrior spirit to be a barbarian, fighter, or monk, giving it different abilities. Spirit of Death is a fourth-level necromancy spell that acts like the Skull card, summoning a black-robed skeleton to the field. The caster designates a target to be haunted by the Reaper Spirit and it will attack to the best of its ability.
These new card spells go hand in hand with a Background Feat introduced in "Wonders of the Multiverse" called Cartomancer, which allows a caster to use a deck of cards as their spellcasting focus and imbue spells into their cards. If the Planescape campaign setting is returning to D&D, then these card-based options are fitting, as the battle between law and chaos is just as prominent as the war between good and evil, so casters who draw strength from drawing cards will be relying on the luck of the draw in battle. Dungeons & Dragons is all about dice, but the time of the cards might be fast approaching.
Source: Unearthed Arcana
