D&D: Five Magic Items that Rely on the Heart of the Cards
In D&D, sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is trust fate to have the exact right answer for you when you need it.
Two of roleplaying’s most undeniable forces have to do with those instruments of destiny: your dice. The first are the dice gods, whom you’ve probably heard appealed to in many a streaming game. They are fickle and are determined to tell the story they want to tell, not necessarily the story you were hoping for. As they say, the dice don’t lie. No matter how much you wish they might.
But far less known is the Heart of the Cards. Unless you’re a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh, in which case you already know it. Basically, it’s your ability to get exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. If you’ve ever sat back and looked at the fight and realized, “well, the only thing I can do now is roll a 17 or better” you know the feeling. Just shout heart of the cards (or say it internally if you’re a coward) before you roll and watch what happens.
Anyway, these magic items tie into that principle. When all you have left to do is to trust to chance (and your incredible skill as a gamer), these magic items have got your back. If you can roll well, that is.
Bag of Tricks
This magic bag comes in three flavors: gray, rust, or tan. Each bag is full of small, fuzzy objects, which you can pull from the bag and toss onto the ground. When the object lands, the fuzzy thing becomes a creature, determined by rolling a d8. Which means you might end up with something like a Dire Wolf or Giant Elk but you might end up with a rat or a goat instead.
The ability to draw out exactly what you need, though, feels so satisfying when the bag of tricks pays off.
Wand of Wonder
A perennial favorite, the Wand of Wonder is a magic wand unlike any other. It comes with seven charges. Each charge can be spent when you point your wand at someone or something, and then you let it rip, beyblades style.
When you spend a charge, you roll a d100 to see what happens. You might cast a spell like slow or fireball, or make yourself invisible. But you might also turn your target bright blue for 1d10 days, or stun yourself as you believe something incredible has just happened.
It all depends on if you can draw on the heart of the cards.
Robe of Useful Items
Talk about having exactly what you need, when you need it.This magic robe, as the name implies, has a bunch of useful items. They range from a bag of gold coins to a full size riding horse or even a window.
This has saved more characters than you might think. Especially when you absolutely need four potions of healing, right here, right now.
Bag of Beans
The Bag of Beans is a magic bag full of magic beans. You have to plant them, and it takes a minute for them to grow, but when they do, these beans produce a random magical effect that can, ten rounds later, change your whole world.
Nothing like escaping from the end of everything on a geyser of beer. Or growing eggs that can increase your lowest ability score by one. Of course, that all takes time, which you might not have. Better to trust in something like…
Deck of Many Things
The literal heart of the cards in D&D. This deck of cards has a fearsome reputation, and for good reason. But if you believe in yourself. If you believe in your deck. And if you’re just desperate enough to need to draw from it, it can change the whole course of your destiny.
You just have to believe in the heart of the cards.
