[UA] The Dexter's Bargain Deck

[DL]

All this "steampunkness" and the Unknown Armies review i just wrote, using a
short story of a Entropomancer, Epideromancer and a Gambler avatar on it,
inspired me a little (ok, the fact that I am ITCHING for a card game - no, i
don't play for money, just for fun - had it's part also, and ok, Tim Powers
have it's share too!), so I just wrote this little and loveable artifact. I
hope all of you enjoy it. And about game balance...well, just think how
"easy" is to be the owner of this deck. :)


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The Dexter’s Bargain Deck (several major artifacts)

William Dexter created the Bargain Deck at 1823. William was a very clever
mechanomancer, obsessed with longevity. Not just he was able to figure out
how to create automatons with the minds of deceased people (like the ones
described at PoMoMa), but he also created a “card deck”.

The Cards have been made with a close association to a cabal of spirit
drinkers and avatars of the gambler. After several years, with close
scrutiny and desire to have his survive his own death, Baxter made all the
cards, and lost all his memories about death, ghosts, gambling, and his
knowledge of cards in a Tarot deck.

The Bargain Deck has a very deceitful name. Is not really a deck of cards,
but of thin metallic mechanisms, that resemble to cards until looked
closely. Still, the can be bent a little, and shuffled easily, a truly
masterpiece of iron, silver and gold works and mechanomancy. Each card has a
painted face, all associated with current playing cards, plus 22 of the
Major Arcana. The cards depict an image, which is really a painted
photography of the actual inhabitant of the specific card. When a new ghost
enters the deck, it automatically “knows” the kind of person it was, and
defines his position in the whole deck, sometimes re-arranging it entirely.
So an Executioner avatar would probably be a Justice or Knight card, moving
out, to another card, a previously habiting ghost.

Not out of sense of humor, Dexter have created the deck with four purposes
besides his “natural” characteristics, and another three when the whole deck
is truly used as a card deck, and one when each card is used without the
others.

The first of this effect directly affect when the owner of the deck is
playing cards, and is in direct contact with the deck (usually, kept in one
of it’s pockets, or something like that). During the whole game, the owner
of the deck can Flip Flop any rolls involving the game, and even luck rolls,
and it’s “playing cards” or similar skill, is equal to the higher similar
skill possessed by a ghost in it’s deck (usually, the habitant of the Wheel
of the Fortune card).  This power won’t work if the Deck owner has just an
incomplete deck, but may grant at least the Flip Flop in “playing cards” or
similar skill if he don’t have the full deck, but owns at least the Wheel of
Fortune card.

The second of its effects happens when the owner is trying to look into the
future. The owner must make a tarot reading, and must know enough about
Tarot to do it, since the deck doesn’t grant this knowledge, then he can
make a roll with the higher “Tarot reading” or any other similar oracular
skill possessed by a ghost in one of the cards deck. Usually, possessed by
The High Priestess card ghost. The Tarot reading can give a general answers,
like a normal reading, but regardless the actual veracity and acuity of a
normal reading, that is very clear to the owner, and very insightful. Even
without the whole deck this reading could be made, but at least the 22 Major
Arcana cards are necessary, and in this case, the reading would be less
detailed.

The third effect is the actual ability to collect ghosts, and the only way
to claim the card as it legitimate owner. The effect is quite simple: In a
poker game, played with the actual full deck, and with willing participants
(but not necessarily knowing the card powers), the game must be played until
all players leave the game, and there is only one “winner”. She will be the
card deck owner, and the other players will all die, one each, for each one
of the next days, in a very unusual and unlucky situation. The deck will
immediately collect his ghost, what make the card ghost very unknowledgeable
about what happens beyond the veil.

The last of the card effects is the truly responsible for its name. Each of
the ghost cards can bargain with the owner, as a normal ghost. They can
trade favors and knowledge, usually for an amount of time in the owner body.
As a sub effect of the deck, none can refuse later what had been bargained,
and the owner or ghost in his body, are not capable of destroying the deck
by any means. As another show of Dexter’s humor, usually, when the ghost
possesses the deck owner, his spirit occupies the Fool card.

Adepts sought this deck eagerly. Besides the powers described above, there
is several rumors about each of the cards having particular little powers
and effects, not discovered yet, and still there is the everlasting rumor
that the Deck owner can eat the card’s ghost for minor (and even significant
and major charges, from more powerful ghosts) charges and longevity.

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[]s

   Dream Lord
   UIN 1504427
   www.geocities.com/hasfix/



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