The Deck of Many Things is one of the most unpredictable and powerful magic items inDungeons & Dragons, capable of granting immense rewards or unleashing devastating consequences. As a player, knowing how to approach the deck can mean the difference between legendary success and utter ruin.
While the temptation to draw from it is strong, strategic thinking and careful planning can help mitigate risks and maximize potential gains. Whether you’re seeking ultimate power, testing fate, or using the deck as a game-altering tool, understanding its best uses will ensure your adventure remains thrilling rather than disastrous.
8Know Your Version Of The Deck
2024 Is Ideal
The Deck of Many Things has seen many iterations, but the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons has two versions of the deck: the 2014 one and the revised version of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide. The 2024 revised deck is better overall, removing the abilities from cards that give experience to not ruin the pace set by the Dungeon Master.
It also specifies two variants of the deck (13 and 22 cards) and what cards you can expect to find. The 13-card version is the far better option for players, since it lacks the most negative cards like Donjon and Talons, while still having the best ones like Moon and Star.
7Use The Many More Things Edition With Confidence
It Has More Good Than Bad
TheDeck of Many Thingsis all about taking a chance when drawing a card, and the best way to improve your chances of something good is by filing the card with positive outcomes. That is where the Deck of Many More Things comes in, expanding the 22 original cards to a staggering 66.
Most of the new cards in the Deck of Many More Things are good, and their bad outcomes are not as bad as the worst offenders of the main deck. As such, if you find a particularly large version of the Deck, draw with confidence since the odds are on your side.
6Draw Up To Three Cards Maximum
More Is Tempting Luck
The idea of the Deck is that you declare how many cards you’ll draw before doing so, avoiding impulsive draws when things are going well, and backing out when things are going bad. If you must draw from the deck, the safest way to do so is to draw only one card, but the temptation is there for riches and untold power.
Even when dealing with the safer versions, like the 13-card Deck or the Deck of Many More Things, you shouldn’t draw more than three cards at a time. You not only risk more by doing so, you could even lose whatever you have just gained by drawing too much, since several negative cards negate the effects of the good ones.
5Use The Deck In A Safe Environment
The Deck Isn’t A Weapon
As tempting as it may be to use the Deck in the midst of battle, it can often make a bad situation worse. Granted, if your character is about to die, then there is little more harm it can do, but beyond that context it is better to use the Deck in an area that you have full control of.
That way, if you summon a Spirit of Death or any other negative outcome, you can easily deal with it. This is also related to the good cards like Gem and Sun, since the wealth or items they offer can be easily lost if you are in the middle of disaster.
4Be Prepared For Donjon And Void
They Can Kidnap Your Character
The most infamous cards by far are Donjon and Void, since they both render your character useless one way or another. Donjon traps your character in an extra-dimensional sphere, while Void steals their soul, leaving the body inert on the ground.
The Book of Many Things offers a version of Void, where the character loses part of its soul, letting the player keep using said character.
If your Dungeon Master allows it, you could have a friendly NPC draw for you, and let them take the bad outcome while you take the gold and items. However, it is better to face these trials head on, since they can make for fantastic story moments in a campaign.
3Remove Your Most Valuable Magic Items
This Renders Talon Ineffective
When you know the effects of each card in the deck, you can know what to expect. As such, while you can mentally prepare for many outcomes from the many cards, there is an easy way to deal with the Talon card: remove all your magic items beforehand.
Since Talon destroys all magic items you are wearing, not the ones you own, you can set your items aside before drawing, maybe even nearby in case of weapons, so you can easily grab them. Know thatartifacts can’t be destroyed in this way, but they do disappear, something to keep in mind if you don’t know how to get rid of certain sentient weapons.
2Embrace The Ruin
It Isn’t Really That Bad
The other card known to have dire consequences is Ruin, since it forces you to lose all wealth to your name,including Bastions. While it can be heartbreaking to lose all your hard-earned gold, most Dungeons & Dragons campaigns have players that are too wealthy, so making that money back isn’t often a problem.
Besides, you keep your precious magic items and levels, and you make no new enemies, so all in all, it isn’t that bad. There is a way to circumvent it, which is to have one player hold everyone’s wealth and not let them draw a single card.
1Talk To Your Dungeon Master About Customizing The Deck
A Must For Decks Used Regularly
If your Dungeon Master is allowing you to keep the Deck, then a conversation should be made about certain effects. Cards like Flames and Throne have unique effects that, either good or bad, don’t make much sense when drawing them more than once.
If you plan to remove cards from the deck, you’ll be better off using a real deck to represent the cards rather than the dice rolls offered in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide.
As such, those cards should be removed from the Deck entirely, at least once they are drawn once. The Deck of Many More Things is ideal in this style of play, since it lets you remove every card drawn and still get plenty of use out of the deck.
