A Practical Guide to Evil

A Practical Guide to Evil
Designer	Aerdor
Date	30th September 2020
Players	???
This is an unfinished deck. It is incomplete, and is not playable.
To play Dvorak: Draw five cards each and leave the rest as a draw pile. On your turn, draw a card from the draw pile and play one Thing and/or one Action. (See the full rules.)
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A card game inspired by the web novel A Practical Guide to Evil : check it out here, it's so good ! /!\ BE CAREFUL : POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THE DECK /!\

Suggestions are welcome, especially if you know the Guideverse.

Rules

Dvorak

Dvorak is played with cards, and there are two traditional types of card - Things and Actions. When you play a Thing card, it goes onto the table in front of you and stays there, usually having a useful effect while it remains in play; when you play an Action card, it does whatever it does and goes to a discard pile.

Take the deck of cards, shuffle it, and deal five cards to each player (which they hold in their hand where other players can't see). The rest of the cards go in the middle of the table as a face-down draw pile, and whenever a card is discarded or destroyed, it goes into a face-up discard pile.

Starting with a random player, you take turns in order. A turn consists of:

• Drawing the top card from the draw pile. (If the draw pile's empty, shuffle the discard pile and turn it over to make a new draw pile.)

• Playing up to two cards from your hand. You can play one Thing and one Action per turn (or just one of those, or no cards at all).

• Checking your hand size; if you have more than five cards, discard down to five.

The game continues until somebody meets the deck's victory condition.

A Practical Guide to Evil

Draw phase

At the beginning of your turn, instead of drawing a card, you can choose to discard as many cards as you want from your hand, and draw that many cards.

Win condition

To win, you must control 3 different Stories, or control all the Named of the deck (only the Dead King can fulfill this win condition, cf. Special cards/The Dead King).

A Story doesn't count for the win condition if it has markers on it.

Stories

A Story :

• can be played when its Condition is met and if you control a Named.
• can be played maximum once each turn (each turn, you can play a Story and/or a Thing and/or an Action).
• resolves its Effect when it is played.

If at any point, you don't control any Named, you must destroy all your Stories.

Named

Named is a generic term that englobes Vilains and Heroes.

A Named can have built-in Aspects that work like Aspect cards.

Aspects

An Aspect :

• can be played when its Condition is met.
• can always be played as a Reaction, even when it is not your turn.
• must be played attached to an Eligible Named.
• resolves its Effect when it is played.

Each Named can have a maximum of 3 Aspects.

When a Named uses one of its Aspect (i.e. activate its effect when it is already in play), put a marker on it. Each player removes the markers on his Aspects at the beginning of his turn. A Named can only use one of its Aspect if none of its Aspects has a marker on it. You can use an Aspect in play as a Reaction if it has "(R)" in his name, even when it is not your turn.

When playing an Aspect, resolving its effect doesn't put a marker on it, but you can't activate it again before your next turn. You can play an Aspect on a Named, even if there is a marker on one of its Aspects.

Band of Five

Each player cannot control more than 5 Named, and a Band of Five must be composed exclusively of Vilains or exclusively of Heroes (except when Team up ! is in play).

Followers

Some Named are Followers. this means that when you play them, you need to choose a non-Follower Named you control to become their Leader.

A Leader can't be targeted as long as a Follower follows it.

Transitional Names

These are Named who aren't Vilains or Heroes, and can be part of any Band of Five.

If you control a Transitional Name, you must sacrify it when you play a Named of the same class (Combat, Magic or Trick).

Special cards

Some cards work very particularly. Because their text is so long, it is written here and only summarize on the card.

Rule of Three

The Story card Rule of Three.

Condition:

• Play this card in reaction when one of your Named is destroyed by an opponent
• You still need to control at least one Named
• You can't have multiple Rule of Three linked to the same opponent.

Effect:
On playing it:

• Put two markers on it.
• This Story is link to the opponent mentioned in the condition. He is thereafter refered to as the linked opponent.

As long as there is exactly 2 markers on the card:

• If you destroy one of the linked opponent's Named or he destroys one of yours, destroy this card.
• Three turns after playing this card, remove one marker from it.

As long as there is exactly 1 marker on the card:

• The linked opponent cannot destroy any of your Named.
• When you destroy one of the linked opponent's Named, remove the last marker from this card.

The Dead King

The Vilain card Neshamah, The Dead King.

• You can't play the Dead King if you already control a Named.
• As long as you control the Dead King, you can't play or gain control of other Named.
• The only way to get control of a Named is to destroy it, then he comes in your control as a Revenant instead of going to the discard pile.
• The number of Revenants you control is not limited.
• No opponent can gain control of the Dead King or a Revenant.
• The Dead King can't be destroyed as long as you control a Revenant.
• The Dead King and the Revenants can't learn any new Aspects.
• Revenant don't count as Named for Stories.
• If an opponent manages to kill the Dead King, its card becomes a Story and this opponent gains control of it.
• The Dead King's Story is not destroyed when its owner controls no Named.

Card List

Stories

Evil turns on Evil

Story

Condition: A player controls at least two Vilains not attached to each other.
Effect: The targeted player separate all his Vilains into two groups. You choose a group and the targeted players sacrifies it. He gets control over this Story.

Sword in the Stone

Story

Condition: One of your Named is the heir of a kingdom AND there is an unattached Sword in play.
Effect: Gain control of the sword and attached it to the heir AND ???

---

"I have three things," I said. "A kingdom, an enemy and a claim." [...] "It’s a sword in a stone. You did that yourself, with no one forcing you," I smiled. "It’s a symbol, now, in a story about Callow."

Shackled Monster breaks free and turns on its Master

Story

Condition:???
Effect:???

Redemption story

Story

Condition:???
Effect: Flip a coin. Head, the Vilain is now considered a Hero and you gain control of it. Tail, the Vilain is destroyed.

Corruption story

Story

Condition:???
Effect: The Hero is now considered a Vilain and you gain control of it.

Rule of Three

Story

CF. RULES FOR THE COMPLETE DESCRIPTION

Condition: An opponent without Rule of Three with you destroyed one of your Named, but not the last one.
Effect: Put two markers on it.
2 markers: If destruction of a Named, destroy this card. After three turns, remove one marker.

1 marker: The opponent cannot destroy your Named. When you destroy one of his Named, remove the last marker.

Rule of Three

Story

CF. RULES FOR THE COMPLETE DESCRIPTION

Condition: An opponent without Rule of Three with you destroyed one of your Named, but not the last one.
Effect: Put two markers on it.
2 markers: If destruction of a Named, destroy this card. After three turns, remove one marker.

1 marker: The opponent cannot destroy your Named. When you destroy one of his Named, remove the last marker.

Rule of Three

Story

CF. RULES FOR THE COMPLETE DESCRIPTION

Condition: An opponent without Rule of Three with you destroyed one of your Named, but not the last one.
Effect: Put two markers on it.
2 markers: If destruction of a Named, destroy this card. After three turns, remove one marker.

1 marker: The opponent cannot destroy your Named. When you destroy one of his Named, remove the last marker.

The Good Guys Always Win

Story

Condition: You only need one more Story to win the game AND all your Named are Heroes.
Effect: None.

First step always works

Story

Condition: You don't control any Story yet AND you control at least one Vilain.
Effect: None.

---

"Hahahahaha. Ha. You can’t beat me now, this is the first part of my plan!"

Summoning the Hashmallim

Story

Condition: You own a Hero with a Sword attached to it.

Effect: Put 7 markers on this card. The Sword is unattached to the Hero and must remain unattached and in play as long as there are markers on this card, else this card is destroyed.
At the beginning of your turn, remove one marker from this card.

When you remove the last marker, destroy all Things in play, except the Hero of the condition.

Aspects

Destroy(R)

Aspect

Condition: An opponent just played an Action card or just activated an Aspect.

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: In reaction (R), cancel an Action or an Aspect (it is not considered marked, but the Named who used it cannot use an other Aspect until its player's next turn as if it was) OR not in reaction, destroy a non-Named Thing.

Link

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Magic Named

Effect: Create a link between two Thing. As long as they are linked, if one is destroyed, so is the other.

Learn

Aspect

Condition: If it targets a non-Transitional Named, it must be its last Aspect.

Eligible: Any Named

Effect: If the Named who uses Learn is a Transitional Named, draw one card. Else, draw two cards.

Struggle(R)

Aspect

Condition: The target Named should be about to get destroyed.

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: If the Named who uses this Aspect should be destroyed by an opponent, instead flip a coin. Head, destroy one of the opponent's Named instead.

Seek

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Trick Named

Effect: Look at the top ten cards of the draw pile.

Take

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: Gain control of an Aspect card an opponent controls. Put its card on Take. If you must remove a marker from the taken Aspect, discard it.

Break

Aspect

Condition: You just destroyed a non-Named Thing.

Eligible: Any Named

Effect: Destroy a non-Named Thing.

Fall

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Magic Named

Effect: As long as there is a marker on Fall, players can only activate one Aspect in total each turn. After removing a marker from Fall, you can't activate it until your next turn.

Find

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: A Follower Named.

Effect: Look at the five card on top of the draw pile and put one into your hand. put the rest at the bottom of the draw pile in a random order.

Rampage

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect:???

Ruin

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Magic Named

Effect: Destroy a non-Named Thing and remove it from the game (it doesn't go in the discard pile).

Wrest

Aspect

Condition: The target named must have no non-built-in Aspects.

Eligible: Magic Named

Effect: Gain control of an Aspect card an opponent controls. Put its card on Wrest. If you must remove a marker from the taken Aspect, give it back to the Named who originally controlled it.

Flow

Aspect

Condition: ???

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: As long as there is a marker on Flow, this Named is not limited for the number of Aspects it uses in one turn. After removing a marker from Flow, you can't activate it until your next turn.

Claim(R)

Aspect

Condition: ???

Eligible: Magic Named

Effect: When an opponent plays an Action card that targets you or a card you control, you can cancel the Action and put the card into your hand.

Behold

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Hero

Effect: Look at the cards in the hand of a target opponent.

Listen(R)

Aspect

Condition: There must be a Thing or player that can't be targeted.

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: You can target any Thing or player, even if an other card states otherwise.

Sever

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: If no other Named you control as a marker on their Aspects, destroy a Thing. As long as there is a marker on Sever, you can't activate any Aspect of any of your Named.

Repurpose(R)

Aspect

Condition: ???

Eligible: Magic Named

Effect: When an opponent plays an Action card that targets you or a card you control, you gain control of the Action and then resolve it. You can choose new target(s) for the repurposed Action.

Oppose(R)

Aspect

Condition: ???

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: If this Named should be destroyed, cancel the destruction.

Rally

Aspect

Condition: ???

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: Remove the markers on the Aspects of all your other Named. After removing a marker from Rally, you can't activate it until your next turn.

Rise(R)

Aspect

Condition: The Named targeted is going to be destroyed.

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: If the Named who used this Aspect should be destroyed, cancel the destruction.

Triumph(R)

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Combat Named

Effect: When you destroy a Named controlled by an opponent, destroy an other Named controlled by the same opponent.

Hold

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Trick Named

Effect: As long as there is a marker on Hold, you have no maximum hand size.

Hide

Aspect

Condition:???

Eligible: Trick Named

Effect: As long as there is a marker on Hide, the Named who used it can't be targeted.

Vilains

Amadeus, The Black Knight

Thing - Vilain - Combat

Lead: As long as there is a marker on this Aspect, every Named attached to Amadeus can use one more Aspect each turn.
Conquer: As long as there is a marker on Conquer, if you destroy the last Named of an opponent, you can gain control of one of his Stories.

---

"Even victories ordained by the Heavens can be broken by the will of men."

Wekesa, The Warlock

Thing - Vilain - Magic

Imbricate: Replace a Location in play by an other Location you have in your hand. Put the replaced Location in your hand.
Reflect: Look at the top 10 cards of the draw pile. If there is a Non-Creational Location among them, you can put it in play under your control or in your hand. Put the rest at the bottom of the draw pile in a random order.

---

The Sovereign of the Red Skies

Eudokia, The Scribe

Thing - Vilain - Trick

Follower

You can control Eudokia in addition to a complete Band of Five.

?????(R): As long as there is a marker on this Aspect, Eudokia can't be targeted by an opponent.

Hye Su, The Ranger

Thing - Vilain - Combat

If you don't control any other Named, she is not limited for the number of Aspects she uses in one turn.

Perfect: Play an Action card from the discard pile as if it were in your hand.

Transcend: Play an Action (it doesn't use your Action "slot" of the turn).

---

"I am the Ranger. I hunt those worth hunting. Rejoice, for you qualify."

?????, The Assassin

Thing - Vilain - Trick

Kill: If no other Named you control as a marker on their Aspects, destroy a Named. As long as there is a marker on Kill, you can't activate any Aspect of any of your Named.

Sabah, The Captain

Thing - Vilain - Combat

Follower

Obey: This Aspect can be used as a copy of one of the Aspects of the attached Named.

Unleash: When activated, destroy two random Thing except member of her Band of Five. As long as there is a marker on Unleash, she can only be destroyed by a Story.

---

"You’re going to need another god. I broke this one."

Catherine Foundling, "The Black Queen"

Thing - Vilain - Combat

She is eligible to any Aspect. At any time, Catherine can discard all her Aspects.

---

"Woe on us all, but if the Gods demanded my home be ashes then the Gods would burn."

Hakram of the Howling Wolves, The Adjudant

Thing - Vilain - Combat

Follower
Stand(R): If Hakram should be destroyed, cancel the destruction.

---

“Warlord,” he rasped.

A promise. An oath. I clasped his arm and hoisted him up.
“Adjutant,” I replied, and in that same moment it became the truth.

And so it ended. And so it began.

Masego, The Hierophant

Thing - Vilain - Magic

Witness: Draw two cards. As long as there is a marker on Witness, when you should draw a card, draw two cards instead.

Indrani, The Archer

Thing - Vilain - Combat

See: If a Bow is attached to Indrani, destroy a Named an opponent controls.
Stride: Reveal the cards on top of the draw pile until you reveal a Location. You can put it in play under your control. Put the rest at the bottom of the draw pile in a random order.

Akua Sahelian, The Diabolist

Thing - Vilain - Magic

Call: Play a Thing (it doesn't use your Thing "slot" of the turn).
Bind: Take control of a Non-Creational Thing an opponent control.

---

"I am the last of a line unbroken since time immemorial. My kind has usurped the mantle of gods, stolen secrets from beyond Creation and turned kingdoms into sea. I am Praesi of the old blood, fae. You should kneel in awe."

Neshamah, The Dead King

Thing - Vilain - Magic

CF. RULES FOR THE COMPLETE DESCRIPTION

The Dead King should be your only Named except Revenants. When you destroy a Named, it becomes a Revenant. Revenants must be destroyed before the Dead King. The Dead King and the Revenants can't learn any new Aspects.

If an opponent manages to kill the Dead King, its card becomes an undestructible Story and this opponent gain control of it.

Heroes

Tariq Isbili, The Grey Pilgrim

Thing - Hero - Magic

Forgive(R): Can bring back to life a member of his Band of Five who was destroyed since his controller's last turn.
Shine: As long as there is a marker on Shine, at the beginning of each player's turn, this player can only remove one marker among all those on his Vilains' Aspects.

Laurence De Montfort, The Saint of Swords

Thing - Hero - Combat

Decree(R): As long as there is a marker on Decree, Laurence is a sword.

Roland de Beaumarais, The Rogue Sorcerer

Thing - Hero - Magic

Confiscate: Gain control of an Aspect card controlled by an opponent. It becomes linked to Roland and is destroyed if Roland is, but it doesn't count has one of the three Aspect of Roland.
Use(R): Activate one of the Aspects linked to Roland. When the marker is removed from this Aspect, sacrify it. Use can be activated as a reaction if and only if the linked Aspect can.

Hanno of Arwad, The White Knight

Thing - Hero - Combat

Recall:???
Don't Judge:???

Irene, The Ashen Priestess

Thing - Hero - Magic

Alkmene, The Hedge Wizard

Thing - Hero - Magic

Reiterate(R): When you play an Action card, resolves its effect an additional time.

Rafaella, The Valiant Champion

Thing - Hero - Combat

Exalt: Rafaella and a target Named controlled by an opponent go to the Arena. Flip a coin. Head, destroy the targeted Named.

The Wandering Bard

Thing - Hero - Trick

Keeper of Stories: If you don't control any other Named, you can play a Story if one of your opponent meets the condition. The opponent gets the effect (he can't target The Wandering Bard with it), but you get the Story.
Wander(R): As long as there is a marker on Wander, she can't be destroyed.

William of Greenbury, The Lone Swordsman

Thing - Hero - Combat

Swing: If a sword is attached to William, destroy a Named an opponent controls.

Vivienne Dartwick, The Thief

Thing - Hero - Trick

Steal: Gain control of a non-Named Thing controlled by an opponent.

---

"Yoink !"

John, The Hunter

Thing - Hero - Combat

Follower
???

Simeon, The Bumbling Conjurer

Thing - Hero - Magic

Bumble: You have to put a marker on Bumble at the beginning of your turn to use it. You can play any number of Action you want, but each time you must flip a coin. Head, resolve the Action. Tail, discard the Action without resolving its effect.

Transitional Names

The Squire

Thing - Transitional Name - Combat

Learn: Draw a card.

The Apprentice

Thing - Transitional Name - Magic

Glimpse(R): When an opponent plays an Action card, you can put it into your hand instead of the discard pile after it resolves.

The Heir(ess)

Thing - Transitional Name

You choose this Named's class as you play it.

Other cards

Team up !

Thing

This Thing is undestructible. No player control this Thing.
Bands of Five can now be composed of Vilains and Heroes together.

Refuge

Thing - Creational - Location

Hye Su, The Ranger is not limited for the number of Aspects she uses in one turn even if its owner controls other Named.

Ater

Thing - Creational - Location

???

---

No wonder they all go mad. How could you live in that without coming to think of yourself as a god ?

Everdark

Thing - Creational - Location

???

Lycaonese Principalities

Thing - Creational - Location

???

Alamans Principalities

Thing - Creational - Location

???

Arlesite Principalities

Thing - Creational - Location

???

Principate of Procer

Thing - Creational - Location

You can only play this card if you control Lycaonese Principalities, Alamans Principalities and Arlesite Principalities.
???

Twilight Ways

Thing - Non-Creational - Location

Action: Reveal the top 10 cards of the draw pile. if there is a Creational Location among them, you can put it in play under your control. Put the rest at the bottom of the draw pile in a random order.

Arcadia

Thing - Non-Creational - Location

???

Hell

Thing - Non-Creational - Location

???

Serenity

Thing - Non-Creational - Location

Action: Remove all the markers on the Aspects of your Revenants.

Penitent's Blade

Thing - Sword

Can only be attached to a Hero. ???

Tyrant of Praes

Thing - Name

Attached this card to a Vilain you control. When this Named is destroyed, the player who destroyed it must attached this card to a Vilain he control. If he doesn't control one, this card is destroyed.
You can control the Named attached in addition to a complete Band of Five. This Named cannot be targeted as long as you control another Vilain, except by a Story.

---

"Iron sharpens iron."

Chronic Backstabbing Disorder

Action

???

---

Kairos: I’m going to betray you, you know.
Black Knight: You will try. They always do.

Evil Monologue

Action

???

---

"If you feel like you’re winning, the single stupidest thing you can do is let Catherine Foundling talk."

"I am invincible !"

Action