Magical Deckbuilder (3.5e Prestige Class)

Magical Deckbuilder

“	It's not some fictional 'heart' the cards posses, it's not the 'luck' of the draw, it's simply how many I draw.	”
—Nicholas Salo, human magical deckbuilder

deck builders

The Magical Deckbuilder's Deck;

Can be enchanted such as other weapons, like Masterwork, Keen, Vorpal, etc.

Magical Deck: 1d4 Damage, 20 Crit, x2

Becoming a Magical Deckbuilder

A character may pursue this class to become a better wielder of the arcane arts, to find a simpler way to channel their abilities, or to gain a basic knowledge of statistics when it comes to cards. Someone who would become a Magical Deckbuilder should have a general knowledge of magic and would usually be a class like a Wizard, Sorcerer, or Bard, but any class that has at least one magical spell can pursue this class. Abilities such as luck, concentration, and basic card and magical knowledge are very important.

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any.
Base Attack Bonus:	+3
Race:	Any Medium or Small.
Skills:	Must have at least 3: Concentration, Gather Information, Knowledge (Arcane), Sleight of Hand, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device.
Spellcasting:	Able to cast 2nd-level arcane spells.

Table: The Magical Deckbuilder

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spellcasting
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+0	+1	+1	1st Chosen Card Type	—
2nd	+1	+0	+2	+1	Double Draw, Enchant Cards (Damage)	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
3rd	+1	+1	+2	+1	Quickflick	—
4th	+1	+1	+3	+1	Shuffle, Card Trick, Enchant Cards (Item)	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
5th	+2	+1	+3	+2	2nd Chosen Card Type, Enchant Cards (Boost), Enchant Cards (Drain)	—
6th	+2	+2	+3	+2	Triple Draw, Enchant Cards (Summon Minor)	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
7th	+3	+2	+3	+3	Detect Types	—
8th	+3	+3	+3	+3	52 Pickup, Enchant Cards (Summon Mid)	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
9th	+4	+3	+4	+3	Craft (Improved Cards), Enchant Cards (Summon Major)	—
10th	+4	+3	+5	+4	3rd Chosen Card Type, Endless Draw, Type Focus	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
Class Skills (5 + Int modifier per level) Perform, Concentrate, Craft, Knowledge, Bluff.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Magical Deckbuilder:

1st Chosen Card Type: The player may choose one type to center their deck around: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Good, or Evil. If a player is using a deck enchanted by the same type as their chosen card type, they receive a +1 bonus to hit and a +1 bonus to damage, the added damage being elemental damage of the chosen type.

Double Draw: When a Magical Deckbuilder uses his or her cards as an attack, they may make an extra attack as a free action if their first attack dealt damage.

Enchant Cards (Damage): The Magical Deckbuilder may spend a round, in combat, or as a free action out of combat, and enchant his or her deck with extra Damage. With this enchantment, for the rest of the day or until the effect is dismissed the attacks of the Deckbuilder gain an additional + 1 damage with an additional + 1 damage for every two caster levels up to a maximum of 5. A deck may only hold one enchantment at a time unless it is an Improved Deck, Masterwork Deck, or enchanted above those levels.

Quickflick: Allows the player to use, as a swift or movement action, a speedy flick of the cards towards an opponent. The attack takes -2 to hit and -1 damage but may be used on the go. It does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Shuffle: As a quick action, the player may shuffle his or her deck, imbuing it with renewed magical presence, adding a +1 to hit and +1 damage, but they may only make one attack that turn. They may do this once per day per level.

Card Trick: While making a perform check, the player may make a simple card trick, adding 2d6 to the roll.

Enchant Cards (Item): A Magical Deckbuilder may spend one full day, moving the magical essence of an item that is consumable and which may fit in one hand into his or her deck. Most of them choose to add some type of Potion or Food to enchant, and any single deck may only hold a number of items up to the Magical Deckbuilder's level, and each item may only be called upon once per day.

2nd Chosen Card Type: The player may choose an additional card type for their deck. They may select the same type as before, adding the +1 to hit and +1 damage to the same type, or another type to deal two separate +1 to hit and +1 damage of different elements. See Chosen Card Type.

Enchant Cards (Boost): / Enchant Cards (Drain): The Deckbuilder may imbue spells which raise or lower the abilities, skills, and/or health of allies and enemies in the same way done so with the skill Enchant Cards (Item).

Triple Draw: The Magical Deckbuilder may make an additional attack with their deck as a swift action if both the standard attack and Double Draw attack dealt damage.

Enchant Cards (Summon Minor): The Magical Deckbuilder may channel the spell Summon Monster I or Summon Monster II, if they have it, through his or her cards, but may only control one creature summoned through this effect at a time. This may be done once per level per day.

Detect Types: Allows the player to see if there are any other Magical Deckbuilders in the area and which type(s) they are using in their enchanted decks with a radius of 100 feet.

52-Card Pickup: After a battle, the player searches the immediate area and may find any cards he or she dropped or used during the fight and adds them to his or her deck, replenishing his or her ammo in their deck.

Enchant Cards (Summon Mid): Acts the same as Enchant Cards (Summon Min), but with creatures from Summon Monster III or Summon Monster IV, if they have it, instead of Summon Monster I or Summon Monster II. Craft (Improved Cards): Allows the player to craft Improved Cards, adding a +1 to hit and +1 damage, as well as allowing the cards to retain up to two enchantments at once.

Enchant Cards (Summon Major): Acts the same as Enchant Cards (Summon Mid) and Enchant Cards (Summon Min), but with creatures from Summon Monster V or any other Summon Monster spell above that level as long as the caster has learned that spell. He or she may also summon a basic Mount from this spell, which lasts a full day or until dismissed.

3rd Chosen Card Type: See 2nd Chosen Card Type and 1st Chosen Card Type.

Endless Draw: The player may make as many attacks in one round as he or she can until he or she misses. The first attack suffers no penalties, the second takes a -1 to hit, the third takes a -2 to hit and -1 damage, the fourth takes a -3 to hit and -1 damage, the fifth takes a -4 to hit and a -2 to damage, and all other attacks take double the penalties from the previous attack.

Type Focus: As a full action, the Magical Deckbuilder may channel one specific elemental type from his or her deck into his or her party members, granting them a damage boost of + 1d8 + Caster Level/2 for each attack until the end of the round.

Bonus Feats: At every fourth level, the Magical Deckbuilder gains an additional bonus feat, but it must be a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, or Spell Mastery.

The epic magical deckbuilder gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of any epic class feats in which the Magical Deckbuilder has taken at least one level in) every 4 levels after level 10.

Playing a Magical Deckbuilder

Combat: The Magical Deckbuilder usually plays the same roll in combat as a Sorcerer, Wizard, or other spellcasting class in combat, but must remain in range to throw his or her cards at targeted opponents.

Advancement: The Magical Deckbuilder may find familiarity in the class or classes he or she took before becoming a Magical Deckbuilder, and may end up taking levels in those previous classes. But it is also common for them to take classes in Spellcasting classes of which they haven't taken classes in, if only to boost the power of their own Decks.

Resources: Members of this class work well with all other classes.

Magical Deckbuilders in the World

While not adventuring, Magical Deckbuilders find themselves as wanderers, similar to Bards, and many perform street tricks with their cards for a copper or two when running low on money. They tend to play pranks quite a lot, and can't keep their hands still. Some can be as stealthy as a Rogue when picking a pocket.

“	Is it under the Queen? No. Well, it WAS... but he'll never know that.	”
—Thain Windles, Gnome Magical Deckbuilder

NPC Reactions: NPC opinions on Magical Deckbuilders vary. Some see them like Rogues, causing mischief and pulling pranks. Others see them as Bards, traveling performers who work like any other person. Others, still, see them as Sorcerers or Wizards, and may fear their magical knowledge.

Magical Deckbuilder Lore

Characters with ranks in can research to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

DC	Result
11	.
16	.
21	.
26	.

Magical Deckbuilders in the Game

Adaptation:

Sample Encounter:

EL whatever:

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