The River

Cards are dealt to the River for each character present and are replaced on the River between short rests and refreshed (dealt anew) after a long rest. All spent or refreshed cards are discarded for this play session and reshuffled for the next session.

Spending Cards

Any card may be spent for a re-roll or their Arcana woven into the narrative; woven cards are immediately replaced from the Tarot deck.

Major Arcana: Identified by the Roman numeral on the card, you may spend these in place of a d20 roll, adding your normal bonuses; The Fool (00) counts as a zero, and Judgment (XX) as a natural 20.

Minor Arcana: Replace one of your bonuses before you roll (such as a proficiency bonus, ability score modifier, or magic item bonus). The Ace counts as a 1, while court cards: page, knight, queen, and king can only re-roll or be used to weave Arcana.

Weaving Arcana: Cards spent using the card’s name or some inspiration from the artwork. How this translates into the game is a conversation or negotiation between the GM and the player. If the conversation turns into fishing or reaching for a bonus or other mechanical benefit, remind the players that that mechanic already exists, and these should be used to push the story forward or open up options.

The deck we used is pictured above, from Wyrmwood’s Corrupted Tarot Deck. However, you should find a deck that fits the theme of your game, if one exists.

Update (2023-03-28): Weird Works has some excellent Tarot Cards I found at GaryCon, heavy recommendation.