TTRPGs usually rely on dice. What if you could replace the dice with a deck of cards?
Setup
Each player receives the cards 6 - Ace of one suit. They shuffle them and place them face down in front of them as their draw pile. The GM has an entire deck. Each player and the GM also have a discard pile in front of them, which starts empty.
Checks
Whenever a player attempts to do something the GM deems non-trivial, the GM asks the player to do a check: Both the player and the GM turn over the top card of their draw pile and place it on their discard pile.
- If the player has a higher value, they succeed.
- If the GM has a higher value, they fail.
- If the values are the same, the check is repeated. In this case, the stakes of the check should increase in-game!
There are multiple ways the value of the cards can be adjusted:
- When DM draws the same suit as the player, +1 to the player
- Each suit is associated with a specific kinds of actions. Checks for these kinds of actions have +2.
- Picture cards have special abilities.
- Treacherous Ace: An Ace always succeeds (even in ties) but the success always comes with a catch in-game!
- If a straight of 4 numbers is lying on the 5 discard piles, the check is a success.
Picture cards
If you draw a picture card in a check, first resolve the check normally. Afterwards, lay the card next to discard pile. In a subsequent checks, you can use use its ability (below).
If the check where you drew the picture card was a draw, you can use the card’s ability for the repeated check.
You may only use a picture card’s ability once. After performing the ability, place the card in the discard pile.
Abilities of suits
Spades / Shields:
- Proficient actions: Strength
- Jack: +1 on self before drawing
- Queen: +1 on other player before drawing
- King: +2 on anyone after drawing
Clubs / Acorns:
- Proficient actions: Dexterity
- Jack: Draw with advantage before drawing for self
- Queen: Draw with advantage before drawing for other player
- King: Draw with advantage after drawing for any one
Diamonds / Bells:
- Proficient actions: Intelligence
- Jack: Reorder next 3 cards for self
- Queen: Reorder next 3 cards for other
- King: Reorder and discard next three cards for any
Hearts / Flowers:
- Proficient actions: Charisma
- Jack: Disadvantage as above for GM
- Queen: Disadvantage of 3 as above for GM
- King: Disadvantage as above for GM