Arcana System

Arcana System
Designer	CK
Date	26/07/2012
Players	2+
This deck has not been categorised.
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.)
Print this deck Generate MUSHcode Generate Lackey export
This deck is locked. Further cards should not be added - leave feedback on the talk page.

I have been toying with this idea for some time: a moderately simple card game, playable with a deck or two of Tarot cards (originally my idea only involved a pack of playing cards, but the Major Arcana offer a lot of room for creativity) and assorted bits and bobs, that combines the feeling of being a powerful conjurer directing arcane forces (as, for instance, in Magic: The Gathering), the elemental rock-paper-scissors strategy element of Vantage Master Online and games like it, and the creative, play-by-the-seat-of-your-pants aspect of nomic games like Dvorak. Additionally, I wanted it to be versatile: you can play this like a card game version of Vantage Master if you like, concentrating purely on elemental summons pounding each other, or you can turn it into a contest to see who can create the most inventive trump combos, or you can play it as I'm about to describe it: a middle ground between those two extremes. Finally, I wanted it to be dynamic: it should be possible at all times to play a card or exploit a mechanic that will turn a bad situation around or generally cause something interesting to happen, and this always requires making a choice between well-defined alternatives. Do you keep your Pentacle on hand to heal the damage you expect to take next turn, or do you play it to prevent your opponent from powering up his summon and not doing damage at all?

In all fairness, I'm mostly putting this here so I can use it to generate a Lackey export. If it seems fun, though, feel free to play it and leave suggestions on the talk page. The card list, obviously, is complete (and has been for several centuries, if I understand correctly), but the rules are not quite. Don't post any more trump combos, though: allow everyone else the pleasure of inventing them separately!

Rules

Didn't seem right to call them "Special Rules", considering this is basically an entirely new game.

Rules go here

Under construction, obvs Additional equipment that may prove useful:

• Damage counters (I have them in two different colors, one to represent 1 damage and one to represent 5, so as not to be saddled with huge amounts of little glass beads or what-have-you)
• A d20 (if you're playing with random game length)
• A d10 (for cards/combos that involve a 1-in-current-HP chance of something happening, or similar)
• Several d6 in different colors, to mark the duration of poison/freeze/related effects.

Card List

A

Ace of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Cure: Heal target for 1 damage and remove all status effects.

2

Two of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Heal: Heal target for 1 damage.

3

Three of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Heal: Heal target for 1 damage.

4

Four of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Heal: Heal target for 2 damage.

5

Five of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Heal: Heal target for 2 damage.

6

Six of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Heal: Heal target for 3 damage.

7

Seven of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Heal: Heal target for 3 damage.

8

Eight of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Heal: Heal target for 4 damage.

9

Nine of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Heal: Heal target for 4 damage.

10

Ten of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Heal: Heal target for 5 damage.

S

Squire of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Court Element: Earth

---

Base power: 1

C

Cavalier of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Court Element: Air

---

Base power: 2

Q

Queen of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Court Element: Water

---

Base power: 4

K

King of Pentacles

Minor Arcana

Element: Earth

---

Court Element: Fire

---

Base power: 6

A

Ace of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Cure: Heal target for 1 damage and remove all status effects.

2

Two of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Freeze: Freeze target for 1 turn.

3

Three of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Freeze: Freeze target for 1 turn.

4

Four of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Freeze: Freeze target for 1 turn.

5

Five of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Freeze: Freeze target for 2 turns.

6

Six of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Freeze: Freeze target for 2 turns.

7

Seven of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Freeze: Freeze target for 2 turns.

8

Eight of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Freeze: Freeze target for 3 turns.

9

Nine of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Freeze: Freeze target for 3 turns.

10

Ten of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Freeze: Freeze target for 3 turns.

S

Squire of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Court Element: Earth

---

Base power: 1

C

Cavalier of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Court Element: Air

---

Base power: 2

Q

Queen of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Court Element: Water

---

Base power: 4

K

King of Swords

Minor Arcana

Element: Air

---

Court Element: Fire

---

Base power: 6

A

Ace of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Cure: Heal target for 1 damage and remove all status effects.

2

Two of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Poison: Poison target for 1 turn. Poison cannot reduce a summon's HP below 1.

3

Three of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Poison: Poison target for 1 turn. Poison cannot reduce a summon's HP below 1.

4

Four of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Poison: Poison target for 1 turn. Poison cannot reduce a summon's HP below 1.

5

Five of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Poison: Poison target for 2 turns. Poison cannot reduce a summon's HP below 1.

6

Six of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Poison: Poison target for 2 turns. Poison cannot reduce a summon's HP below 1.

7

Seven of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Poison: Poison target for 2 turns. Poison cannot reduce a summon's HP below 1.

8

Eight of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Poison: Poison target for 3 turns. Poison cannot reduce a summon's HP below 1.

9

Nine of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Poison: Poison target for 3 turns. Poison cannot reduce a summon's HP below 1.

10

Ten of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Poison: Poison target for 3 turns. Poison cannot reduce a summon's HP below 1.

S

Squire of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Court Element: Earth

---

Base power: 1

C

Cavalier of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Court Element: Air

---

Base power: 2

Q

Queen of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Court Element: Water

---

Base power: 4

K

King of Cups

Minor Arcana

Element: Water

---

Court Element: Fire

---

Base power: 6

A

Ace of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Cure: Heal target for 1 damage and remove all status effects.

2

Two of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Strike: Target takes 1 damage.

3

Three of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Strike: Target takes 2 damage.

4

Four of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Strike: Target takes 3 damage.

5

Five of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Strike: Target takes 4 damage.

6

Six of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Strike: Target takes 5 damage.

7

Seven of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Strike: Target takes 6 damage.

8

Eight of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Strike: Target takes 7 damage.

9

Nine of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Strike: Target takes 8 damage.

10

Ten of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Strike: Target takes 9 damage.

S

Squire of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Court Element: Earth

---

Base power: 1

C

Cavalier of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Court Element: Air

---

Base power: 2

Q

Queen of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Court Element: Water

---

Base power: 4

K

King of Wands

Minor Arcana

Element: Fire

---

Court Element: Fire

---

Base power: 6

0

The Fool

Major Arcana - Special Attack

If attack does damage, deactivate target and discard all its attached cards. If target is a Major Arcana Summon, it is destroyed instead.

I

The Magician

Major Arcana - Sorcery

Search the deck for a copy of target enemy Minor Arcana summon and play it (this includes attached cards, damage counters, status effects, et cetera). Shuffle the deck afterwards.

II

The High Priestess

Major Arcana - Summon

Base power: 3

---

Tap: Heal 3 damage from all friendly summons in the same position.

---

To untap: Discard an attached card.

III

The Empress

Major Arcana - Summon

Base power: 3

---

To tap a friendly summon in defense position: Discard an attached card.

---

Friendly summons in attack position may defend without incurring the usual 50% off-position penalty.

IV

The Emperor

Major Arcana - Summon

Base power: 2 + any attached cards

---

All attacks by friendly summons receive +1 damage (after elemental modifications).

V

The Hierophant

Major Arcana - Summon

Base power: 3

---

Discard an attached card: Force-tap target enemy summon in opposite position.

VI

The Lovers

Major Arcana - Enchantment

All attacks are prevented.

VII

The Chariot

Major Arcana - Special Attack

If attack does damage, untap immediately.

VIII

Strength

Major Arcana - Enchantment

All friendly attacks receive +4 damage (before elemental modifications).

IX

The Hermit

Major Arcana - Sorcery

Look at the top X cards of your deck and re-arrange them in any order. X is the total number of active friendly summons and active Major Arcana in play. (Count combos as a single Major Arcana.)

X

Wheel of Fortune

Major Arcana - Special Attack

Flip a coin; if heads, attack does double damage (after elemental modifications). If tails, attack does normal damage and attacking summon takes 2 recoil damage.

XI

Justice

Major Arcana - Enchantment

Enemy summons take 1 damage for every 2 damage inflicted on friendly summons.

XII

The Hanged Man

Major Arcana - Enchantment

Enemy summons have only an X/10 chance to attack. X is an enemy summon's current HP.

XIII

Death

Major Arcana - Sorcery

All active summons in attack position (friendly and enemy) are destroyed.

XIV

Temperance

Major Arcana - Enchantment

All attacks by enemy summons receive -4 damage (after elemental modifications).

XV

The Devil

Major Arcana - Summon

Base power: 5 + any attached cards

---

Discard an attached card: Destroy target active enemy summon in opposite position.

XVI

The Tower

Major Arcana - Sorcery

Activate all inactive enemy summons.

XVII

The Star

Major Arcana - Special Attack

If attack does damage, target is frozen for 3 turns.

XVIII

The Moon

Major Arcana - Sorcery

All active enemy summons in defense position take 2 damage and force-tap.

XIX

The Sun

Major Arcana - Sorcery

All active friendly summons are healed for 3 damage.

XX

Judgement

Major Arcana - Enchantment

Damage done by enemy summons is not applied directly; instead, resolve any attacks normally (applying elemental modifications et cetera), but total the resulting damage and re-distribute it at will among active friendly summons.

XXI

The World

Major Arcana - Special Attack

Attack targets all enemy summons in defense position. Activate inactive summons if necessary to resolve attack.