Tarot Cartomancers
Warning: The following magick system is not for every T&T group. It requires a playful and adventurous band, with a GM who is precise and patient, and a player (the cartomancer) who is quick-witted and willing to take lots of notes. It takes extra effort to make this work, but it can work -- and be a lot of fun, as well.
Among the magic wielders of the Great Land, there is a rare and hazardous breed called cartomancers. Their magicks are immensely powerful but woefully unpredictable. It has been said, with some justification, that only the most foolhardy of gamblers become cartomancers. It is more likely that it is the most foolhardy of gamblers that are punished with the gift of cartomancy.
The power and the danger that is cartomantic magic is frighteningly simple: the magician draws a card from the top of the deck, the card symbolizes one specific spell, and it is that spell that the cartomancer may cast -- it is up to his imagination to make it work in the circumstances. Thus, a cartomancer begins with the full complement of all spells. It is the skill at applying them in diverse
situations that increases with experience.
Cartomancers are normally accidental wizards, most never sought the powers they wield. Hecate is the patroness and giver of the gift of cartomancy -- its use is therefore neutral (or better to say "amoral"). Cartomancers are thus also provisional members of the Wizards Guild. Any kindred that may be Wizard or Rogue may be a cartomancer.
Cartomancy is a gift, and the power of the spells is in the cards, not the cartomancer. However, the gift is granted to the person and not to the deck, therefore the deck is useless to anyone but the
cartomancer, and the cartomancer must use only that one deck. If a cartomancer should ever deliberately give up or destroy that deck, the gift is lost forever. However, if through some mishap the deck is stolen or destroyed, the cartomancer can receive another by praying at a temple of Hecate and making sacrifices worth 10% of his total wealth.
Mechanics of Playing a Cartomancer
The player or GM must supply a common Tarot deck. The deck may be of any kind so long as it uses the standard Rider-Waite images. The deck should be thoroughly shuffled -- this includes reversing half the deck with each split, ensuring that the cards are randomly reversed (that is, some are right-side-up, some not). The deck is placed face down in front of the cartomancer.
When the player wishes to cast a spell, she flips over the card at the top of the deck and places it in a discard pile next to the deck. The card symbolizes one of two spells, depending on whether it sits upright or reversed.
The cartomancer must immediately decide whether or not to cast that spell and if so, at what targets. The real difficulty here is that the player does not get to see the complete spell list!
When starting a first level cartomancer, the GM should write down for her a list of 6 spells and their corresponding cards. For example, the player might get a description of the spells for 8 of Wands, reversed 6 of Pentacles, reversed Empress, etc. During the course of her adventuring, she is free to keep written notes as to the effects of the spells. It is incumbent upon the GM to have the spell list handy -- the cartomancer player may decide to cast the spell even if she does not know what it is!
For an astute player, this may not be as bad as it sounds. There is some logic to the choices of spells and the effects that spells within in a particular suit can have. A good player can learn to make some
good guesses about what an unknown card might do. The GM must describe exactly and fairly what happens -- if the spell requires a target (such as a person) the GM will ask for one, but need not tell
the cartomancer whether the effect will be good or bad. Unless otherwise stated, the cartomancer may always choose herself as the target (although that's not always wise).
Every time the cartomancer character gains a level, she may ask the GM for the complete description of any card's spell (just one spell, she must specify upright or reversed); she may ask for as many spell definitions as her new level number. Even when the spell is known to the cartomancer, its precise effects are largely beyond her control, as it is the card itself which casts the spell (the GM decides on the precise effects, and should be fair & consistent in applying them).
Whether or not the spell is cast, that card is "used up" and must remain in the discard pile. The casting of spells costs the cartomancer nothing, but reshuffling spent cards back into the deck uses personal energy. The cartomancer may reshuffle the deck at any time, but it requires a small ceremony that takes one (ten minute) game turn, and the character cannot be moving (even if in a cart) and cannot be within the direct rays of the sun. It also costs one STR point per card put back into the deck.
If the cartomancer does not have enough Strength for all the discards, she may choose how many and which ones to shuffle back in, leaving the remainder in the discard pile. Strength points spent in
shuffling are recovered normally, one per game turn.
When not in combat, a cartomancer may only flip one card per 10 minute game turn. She does not have to be in any special circumstances, but cannot be involved in anything more strenuous than a brisk walk (horseback is okay, if not at a gallop). During a combat, the cartomancer may flip as many as one card per combat round, but must not be under attack or running for her life, etc.
Designer's Note: A player who is familiar with the Tarot may or may not have an advantage. Although I used A. E. Waite's interpretation of the card's as a guide to the spell list, practical considerations forced me to take quite a few liberties. Don't expect the spells to exactly match your idea of what the card means.
For a full list of cards and their effects, please download a copy of the Tunnels & Trolls HQ PDF available from the 'archive' homepage.