Wyrd Tarot Cards

Posted on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 at 10:46

In T13 some Characters are able to manipulate and trade their destiny with others. Some of these “Mercari” abilities are covered in the ways that Mercari can spend Sway. The Wyrd Tarot cover some of the others.
Each morning when they awaken Mercari perceive their immediate potential futures as though they were a hand of cards. The size of that hand each time the hand refills is based on how full of Chi the Mercari is. A Mercari full of Chi has more potential futures open to them than a Mercari with only a single point of Chi.
We use the same playing cards that we use for Card Ordeals for the Wyrd Tarot, but how the cards are interpreted is very different.

Court Cards

Hearts ♥

Card Name Meaning
Ace Ignore Wounds Target may ignore wound penalties whilst played upon them.

Crossed: Wounds caused by the Target are doubled.

King Heal Wounds All target’s wounds are automatically reduced one level when played and each time a new Wound is applied (discard Distracts before reducing).

Crossed: All targets wounds are automatically increased one level when played and each time a new Wound is applied. Carnage wounds draw a new card.

Queen Smith +1 success level to all tests to do with technology, creativity, craft, creation and fixing things.

Crossed: -1 success level to these rolls

Jack Double Bluff Adds an extra place where you can play cards for the target. Allowing multiple cardsto be in play at the same time.Crossed: Closes a pile of cards. All cards beneath the Jack are discarded immediately and no cards may be played atop the Double Bluff, this can stop a Mercari from having cards played upon them until the next Crisis.

Clubs ♣

Card Name Meaning
Ace Trap +2 success levels to all tests to do with setting, designing and causing damage from traps. The player may discard this card, draw another and have it behave as a Yarn Obstacle.

Crossed: +2 success levels to all tests to do with disarming and soaking damage from traps.

King Mage +1 success level to all tests to do with magic and wisdom whilst played.

Crossed: -1 success level to all such rolls.

Queen Plan +1 success level when working with others (helped or helping)

Crossed: +1 success level when working alone.

Jack Charm +1 success level to all rolls to do with charming, persuading, fast talking, lying, etc whilst played.

Crossed: -1 success level to all such rolls whilst played.

Diamonds ♦

Card Name Meaning
Ace Success +1 success level until the target fails then the target receives a complete success and the Ace is discarded.

Crossed: -1 success level whilst atop the target’s pile.

King Escape +1 success level to all rolls to do with escape, travel, vehicles, motion, tracking, soaking snare wounds, etc.

Crossed: -1 success level to all such rolls.

Queen Double Score Doubles all scores the character generates whilst played

Crossed: All scores halved.

Jack Handicap Gain double Chi for any activated Handicap.

Crossed: Ignore all Handicaps Bane Points.

Spades ♠

Card Name Meaning
Ace Death Whilst atop the targets pile all wounds created by the target are unsoakable by passive defences.

Crossed: All wounds caused to the target are automatically reduced one level when they are applied.

King Fear Character causes Fear/Terror/Horror (increase psyche test one level) when they want to all present.

Crossed: Reduces psyche test one level Immunity to Fear. Terror tests as Fear, Horror tests as Terror.

Queen Spot Hidden +2 success levels to all rolls to perception and spotting rolls

Crossed: +2 success levels to all rolls to hide, conceal, move silently, etc.

Jack Gun Ignore all range penalties and effects caused at range by the target add +1 wound/success level

Crossed: -2 success levels to all ranged affects on the target.

None court cards

# Red Meanings Black Meanings
2’s Friend Player and target are “friendly” with each other

Crossed: Player and target are “foes”

Crisis (The good becomes bad and vice versa for the player. Automatic Proficiency Crisis.

Crossed: Cancels a Crisis.

3’s Proficiency Player gains an additional, applicable proficiency instantly. If they have a spare slot they may keep the proficiency.

Crossed: Removes a target’s proficiency.

Jam / Parry / Dodge Automatically Jams / Parries / Dodges a Descendant or attack.

Crossed: Negates a Jam / Dodge / Parry

4’s Rally +1 success level to any Fear/Terror/Horror or Personality test

Crossed: -1 success level to the same.

Fast Talk Immediately grants a Complete success to any test to persuade or charm.

Crossed: Defends against persuasion or charm rolls.

5’s Clue Gain a Ref Hint

Crossed: Misdirect targets (automatic 1d6 Distract Wounds)

Surprise Act instantly. Ignore RT and GRT for an action

Crossed: Cancel a targets action (placing them in 1 GRT)

6’s History Flashback. The player can describe their own history (allowing purchase of descendants, proficiencies, etc)

Crossed: Player may add an additional 1d6 to any roll.

Stalemate Automatically stalemate any test.

Crossed: Cancels a Stalemate. +/- 1 level of success randomly.

7’s Prop Instantly fix a prop or find a replacement.

Crossed: Target loses a random prop.

Failure Causes the target to roll a Complete Failure and discard.

Crossed: +1 success level to any roll and discard.

8’s Chi Draw a second card and gain face value in Chi (2-15 Ace is 14)

Crossed: Target loses their current top card face value in Chi.

Psst Add a card (from your hand or draw and play) to Target’s hand,  and draw 2 cards.

Crossed: Take a random card from Target’s hand and add it to your hand, replaced with the top card

9’s Safe Passage Instantly cut to the destination.

Crossed: Target ambushed

Distract Target receives an automatic distract wound that they cannot soak.

Crossed: Target removes all distract wounds.

10’s Miracle Automatically Miracle and discard.

Crossed: Automatic Disaster for target and discard.

Wound Aggravate one Wound one level.

Crossed: Reduce one Wound one level

Jokers may mimic any non-court card.

Crisis and cards

When a Proficiency Crisis occurs the future is thrown into turmoil. All cards are discarded and redrawn. Cards in play may be lost. Players may keep one card, either from their hand or in play. A Crisis occurs automatically at the end of play each session (players may keep one card over between sessions which may be the card in play).

Crisis occur when a Crisis card is played or when the proficiency dice rolled trigger the Crisis.

Referee’s Card Rules

You can keep track of  NPCs cards as any of the PCs, or :

Keep one or two cards per player and play them as you like, restock when you like also.

Players’ Card Rules

Mercari, Demons, Solos, Greater Demons and some Increated have access to a hand of Wyrd Tarot Cards. Grunts, Lesser powers and most Increated do not. As an optional rule (especially if you are a PC Grunt that may later become a Mercari) your Ref may allow Grunts to have a limited Wyrd Tarot hand.

Hand represents the future. Cards must be played at the same time as making an action. Cards may be played upon the player or upon the target of the action. Court cards remain in play having an affect, number cards have an instant effect and then are discarded.

Stock and Restock

You may stock or restock your hand back to the Base hand size whenever you have no cards. Except when being affected by a Handicap that causes you to lose cards.

Quick stocking is refilling the hand directly from the deck, but only by the number of cards indicated.

You may also stock or restock your hand even if it still holds cards if…

  1. You have only one card left following a Crisis
  2. It is the start of the game (technically a subset of 1)
  3. The Ref says you can.

Drawing new cards

You may draw a new card whenever:

  1. You play a card that says you can.
  2. You forward the plot.
  3. Make any character laugh.
  4. You turn down E.Q. or info because it’s out of character.
  5. You perform an act of high drama.
  6. You pay 2 points of Chi per card in your Hand.

Drawing a new card in these ways can increase your hand beyond its Base size by up to the Character’s Wyrd Boon Reduced.

Size of Hand

The base size of a player’s hand is based on the the % Chi they have, for Mercari it is 1 card per 20%. For Solos its 1 card per 10%. This means that a Mercari can normally have up to a 5 card hand, a Solo 10. Remember that this is the base hand size a Character can have more cards in their hand than this, but only draws back to base following a Crisis.

Optional Rule for Grunt characters: a Grunt may have a Wyrd Tarot hand of 1 card when they are more than 50% full of Chi. However Cards in play count as cards in hand for restocking purposes (so a Court card in play will stop the Grunt from automatically restocking until covered/discarded). Grunts cannot pay to restock under any circumstances.

Grunts however cannot choose between cards, and may only play cards upon themselves (except those cards that automatically include a target- such as psst or plan) so if they are given Wyrd Tarot they must play them in the order they are given/drawn, although the Grunt can decide when they play each card.