Pandemonium deck

This is a magic item for Pathfinder based on P.D. Magnus' Decktet. Though inspired by the deck of many things and its harrow deck version, it alters the whole concept of the deck (roughly) following the model used by Madness at Gardmore Abbey to make the deck a less destabilizing force (at least at first).

Aura strong (all schools); CL 20th; Slot none; Weight —

This worn fortune-teller's deck bears an evocative image upon each of its forty-five cards. The deck contains six suits (in order: moons, suns, waves, leaves, wyrms and knots) with a complex structure. For each suit, there is an Ace and a Crown. Ranked between them are other cards numbered 2 through 9, each with two suits. Four Crowns each have three suits and are ranked beneath Crowns. Four Pawns each have three suits as well, ranked below Courts. The Excuse has no suit or rank. Suit combinations do not occur with equal frequency. All cards also have a theme or meaning, written on the face of the card.

Individual Cards

Cards of this deck are almost never found assembled, as the deck has the ability to scatter itself at random under certain circumstances. Most who come across cards find them singly. Individual cards are no more or less durable than mundane cards, but should a card be destroyed, it disappears and reforms itself whole at some other random location in the world.

Individual cards make their presence known whenever combat begins. Whenever an initiative check is made, gather all of the cards possessed by any of the participants and draw one randomly. This card then exerts an influence on the battle. A spectral icon representing the card appears on the ground in a random square adjacent to the character who owns the selected card. Anyone standing in the square containing the icon gains the influence effect listed for that card so long as they remain in the same square as the icon. If the character moves out of the square (or the icon moves out from under the character) the influence effect ends immediately.

At the start of each round, the icon moves 1d4-1 squares in a random direction (roll 1d8, with 1 indicating north and the other numbers indicating compass going clockwise). Any creatures standing in that square immediately gain the influence effect of the card.

Characters who own cards may spend a move action attempting to force a card they own to become the influencing card. Success on a Use Magic Item check (DC 18) causes any existing influence to vanish, and a new influence icon to appear at a random square adjacent to the card owner. Any character in that square immediately gains the influence effect of the new card.

The character who owns the influencing card may also spend a move action attempting to move its icon. Success on a Use Magic Item check (DC 20) allows the character to move the icon up to 15'. Any creatures standing in the destination immediately gain the influence effect of the card.

Cumulative Effects

As more of the cards come together, the deck gains potency. If a single character holds multiple cards, they bestow additional effects, depending on the number of cards and their suit combinations. All applicable effects from the following table apply if the character owns cards that qualify. All spell-like abilities function with a caster level equal to the character's level.

card combination	effect
any 6 cards	You emit an aura of chaos as if you were a cleric of a chaotic deity.
any 12 cards	You are constantly protected from law.
any 18 cards	Your alignment shifts one step toward chaotic. You may cast magic circle of protection from law 3 times/day as a spell-like ability.
any 24 cards	You may cast chaos hammer 3 times/day as a spell-like ability.
any 30 cards	You may cast dispel law 3 times/day as a spell-like ability.
any 36 cards	You may cast word of chaos 3 times/day as a spell-like ability.
any 42 cards	You may cast cloak of chaos 3 times/day as a spell-like ability.
three moons + three suns	You may cast flare burst at will as a spell-like ability, as a swift action.
three waves + three leaves	You may cast endure elements at will as a spell-like ability, changing the range to medium.
three wyrms + three knots	You may detect chaos at will as a spell-like ability, as a free action.
three moons + three wyrms	You may cast deathwatch at will as a spell-like ability, as a swift action.
three suns + three leaves	You may cast defoliate at will as a spell-like ability.
three waves + three knots	You may detect law at will as a spell-like ability, as a free action.
four pawns	You may cast suggestion at will as a spell-like ability.
four courts	You may cast prayer at will as a spell-like ability.
six aces	You may cast true seeing on yourself at will as a spell-like ability.
six crowns	You may cast scrying at will as a spell-like ability.
one card of each rank + the excuse	Once per day, you may broadcast a sending which is heard by any creature who owns six or more cards.
moons of each rank	You may cast beast shape iv twice per day as a spell-like ability.
suns of each rank	You may cast sunbeam twice per day as a spell-like ability.
waves of each rank	You may cast seamantle twice per day as a spell-like ability.
leaves of each rank	You may cast plant shape iii twice per day as a spell-like ability.
wyrms of each rank	You may cast form of the dragon ii twice per day as a spell-like ability.
knots of each rank	You may cast maze once per day as a spell-like ability.

Completing the deck

Should one character assemble the complete deck, the true power of the deck reveals itself. The owner of the deck may perform an hour long ritual culminating in the owner (or someone she designates) drawing one or more cards from the deck. If the one drawing is lawful, they may draw only one card. If the one drawing is chaotic, they may draw up to three cards. Otherwise the one drawing may draw up to two cards. Regardless of who draws, the owner of the deck chooses one of the drawn cards, and the major effect listed for that card activates (targeting the one who drew it, if applicable). Afterwards, each card drawn disintegrates and reforms at a random location (as mentioned above). The owner of the deck immediately becomes aware of the location of the card that was activated (but not the others, if any). No longer in possession of a complete deck, the owner must track down the lost cards in order to draw again.

Card Effects

The Author

Rank/Suits Two (moons, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Bard

Rank/Suits Crown (suns)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

Battle

Rank/Suits Four (wyrms, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

Betrayal

Rank/Suits Eight (wyrms, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect The character's animal companion, familiar, cohort, or other NPC ally is alienated and forever after hostile. If the character has no such allies, the enmity of some powerful personage, community, or religious order can be substituted. This hatred remains a secret until such a time that it might be most dramatically and perilously revealed. Upon drawing this card, the character knows that someone or something will turn against him, but nothing more.

The Borderland

Rank/Suits Pawn (waves, leaves, wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

Calamity

Rank/Suits Crowns (wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Castle

Rank/Suits Seven (suns, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect The character gains a personal demiplane, as per a permanent create demiplane spell.

The Cave

Rank/Suits Seven (waves, wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Chance Meeting

Rank/Suits Seven (moons, leaves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Consul

Rank/Suits Courts (moons, waves, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Darkness

Rank/Suits Nine (waves, wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Desert

Rank/Suits Two (suns, wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Diplomat

Rank/Suits Eight (moons, suns)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Discovery

Rank/Suits Five (suns, waves)

Influence Effect The character knows the exact identity and location of all cards from the pandemonium deck within 300', even if contained within extra-dimensional spaces or protected from divination.

Major Effect This card grants the character the one-time ability to call upon an omniscient spirit to fully answer any question or solve any single puzzle. Whether the information revealed can be effectively acted upon is another question entirely. The character may use this card's effect whenever he wishes, but only once.

The End

Rank/Suits Crowns (leaves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Excuse

Rank/Suits None (none)

Influence Effect

Major Effect the cards scatter.

The Forest

Rank/Suits Five (moons, leaves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Harvest

Rank/Suits Pawn (moons, suns, leaves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Huntress

Rank/Suits Crown (moons)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Island

Rank/Suits Courts (suns, waves, wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Journey

Rank/Suits Three (moons, waves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Knot

Rank/Suits Ace (knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Leaves

Rank/Suits Ace (leaves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Light Keeper

Rank/Suits Pawn (suns, waves, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Lunatic

Rank/Suits Six (moons, waves)

Influence Effect For every five points of damage the character deals to a target with a melee attack, the target gains a +1 morale bonus to Strength and -1 AC penalty. Multiple attacks are cumulative (to a maximum of +7 Strength, -7 AC).

Major Effect The character gains the lycanthrope template, becoming a weretiger lycanthrope, and as such, remove disease and heal have no affect on this affliction.

The Market

Rank/Suits Six (leaves, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Merchant

Rank/Suits Nine (leaves, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect The mysterious entity known as the Foreign Trader appears and offers the character any treasure he wishes in return for years of his life. If the character accepts, he must choose to age a number of age categories. The character takes all the ability score penalties for his new age, but gains none of the benefits. For each age category he advances, however, he gains 20,000 gp worth of credit with the Foreign Trader, which can be spent on any non-unique magic items. Any credit a character does not spend is lost. After the character is done spending his credit, the Foreign Trader vanishes. Years taken by the Foreign Trader cannot be restored by any means. The Foreign Trader does not trade with characters who cannot die of old age. If the character is immortal, the Foreign Trader vanishes, leaving behind another card. If the character declines to bargain with the Foreign Trader, the trader disappears in a puff of acrid yellow smoke.

The Mill

Rank/Suits Eight (waves, leaves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Moon

Rank/Suits Ace (moons)

Influence Effect If the character casts a spell of up to 4th level, it does not consume one of the character's spells per day.

Major Effect The character is granted a single wish. This wish functions similarly to the spell wish when it comes to affecting rules and statistics, but can also change reality in ways outside the bounds of the spell's effects—such as rerouting a river or ending a war. The GM decides what the wish can and cannot accomplish.

The Mountain

Rank/Suits Four (moons, suns)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Origin

Rank/Suits Two (waves, leaves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Pact

Rank/Suits Nine (moons, suns)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Painter

Rank/Suits Three (suns, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Penitent

Rank/Suits Six (suns, wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Rite

Rank/Suits Courts (moons, leaves, wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Sailor

Rank/Suits Four (waves, leaves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Savage

Rank/Suits Three (leaves, wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Sea

Rank/Suits Crown (waves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Soldier

Rank/Suits Five (wyrms, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Sun

Rank/Suits Ace (suns)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Watchman

Rank/Suits Pawn (moons, wyrms, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Wave

Rank/Suits Ace (waves)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Windfall

Rank/Suits Crown (knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Window

Rank/Suits Courts (suns, leaves, knots)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

The Wyrm

Rank/Suits Ace (wyrms)

Influence Effect

Major Effect

Destruction

If the entire deck is assembled and then the cards ordered by rank, then the first suit on the card, a dispel chaos spell will cause the deck to disintegrate without regenerating.