Deck of Many Things

The Gypsy Encounter

Finding Her:

• Random forest special event
• 100% weight (always available once per day)
• Optional DK requirement (default: 0, admin can increase)
• Once per day limit (deckcheck preference)

The Scene:

• Slashing through forest, your weapon stops inches from old gypsy woman's head
• Lucky you didn't hit her - "everyone knows the penalty for accidentally killing old gypsy women is usually some awful curse"
• She pokes you with walking stick: "Quit daydreaming! I got a proposition for you!"
• Part of you shivers at being propositioned by the old bat
• She pulls out beautifully ornate Deck of Cards

Her Offer:

• "I will sell you the opportunity to draw a card from my magic deck"
• "Who knows what benefits you will enjoy. Or perhaps what curses will consume you"
• She shrugs: "I don't care either way"
• Payment required (see below)

Payment Options

Priority System (First Available):

• 400 Gold: If you have ≥400g, this is required
• 1 Gem: If you have <400g but ≥1 gem, pay gem
• 2 Charm: If you have <400g AND <1 gem, pay 2 charm
  • "You see, I have a special potion that will take two of your charm and give it to me so I will look even MORE beautiful!"
  • You consider how much she could benefit from beautification project
  • She pokes you with stick again
  • Gypsy charm setting increases by 2 (caps at 30, resets to 0)
  • Your thoughts about her:
    • <10 charm: "Wow. too bad she didn't take more than 2 points. She is STILL really ugly."
    • 11-20 charm: "Well, she's not the ugliest gypsy I've ever seen."
    • 21+ charm: "Actually, for an old gypsy woman, she's not really that bad looking."

Alternative Actions:

• Fight the Old Gypsy: She casts Evil Eye curse first
  • Lose 1/2 your HP immediately ("just to make it a little more fair")
  • Evil Eye debuff: 10 rounds, 0.9x atkmod/defmod
  • Roundmsg: "That was ONE mean hairy eyeball Evil Eye that Gypsy gave you!"
  • Standard forest fight against the Gypsy
• Slowly Back Away: Decline encounter, return to forest

The 20 Cards

Card Draw Mechanics:

• 1 of 20 cards randomly selected (equal 5% chance each)
• Images shown (admin can disable)
• Immediate effect applied
• News announcement for some cards

1. The Fool (Worst Card)

• "The Fool and his Money are quickly parted. As are you and yours!"
• Lose ALL your gold
• Lose 10% of your gems
• Devastating financial loss
• News: "[Player] drew the Fool Card."

2. The Magician (Fight)

• "Suddenly, you find yourself face to face with a very powerful magician."
• Fight The Wizard of Yendor (Nethack reference)
• Powerful enemy encounter

3. The High Priestess (Best Healing Card)

• HP restored to full
• If permanent HP enabled: +3 permanent max HP + 10 temp HP
• If permanent HP disabled: +50 temp HP
• Major healing reward
• News: "[Player] drew the High Priestess Card."

4. The Oracle (Info Card)

• "You may ask the Oracle about any player in the game"
• Search for player by name (up to 100 results)
• View their stats: Name, Race, Level, Max HP, Gold, Gems, Weapon, Armor, Attack, Defense
• Espionage/reconnaissance tool
• News: "[Player] drew the Oracle Card."

5. The Lovers (Fight or Romance)

• Encounter Succubus (female player) or Incubus (male player)
• Option 1: Fight the Foocubus
• Option 2: Pay 500 gold to the Foocubus (if you have 500g)
  • PG-rated encounter (admin can disable this option entirely)
  • Seduction mechanic (deckseduced preference tracked)
  • Temporary armor storage (decktemparmor/decktempdefense)

6. The Chariot (Transport)

• "You hop aboard the Chariot and are transported to the Local Watering Hole"
• Teleport to village inn
• "This may sound like a strange place to visit, but then you realize that driving a Chariot must be a lot of work"
• "Sounds like a good excuse to go get a Mead!"
• News: "[Player] drew the Chariot Card."

7. Strength (Popeye Card)

• Gypsy: "Yes, you look quite powerful!"
• +1 permanent Attack
• Spinach buff:
  • 10 rounds, 1.25x atkmod (25% attack boost)
  • Roundmsg: "'I Yam what I Yam!!' becomes your battle cry."
  • Wearoff: "The power of the Spinach wears off"
• Popeye the Sailor Man reference
• News: "[Player] drew the Strength Card."

8. The Hermit (Stealth Card)

• "Suddenly you feel like hiding! You are invisible to the world."
• Invisibility buff:
  • 15 rounds, 1.25x defmod (25% defense boost)
  • Roundmsg: "Your invisibility makes you more difficult for the enemy to defeat!"
  • Wearoff: "You are suddenly seen by your enemy."
• News: "[Player] drew the Hermit Card."

9. Wheel of Fortune (Gambling Mini-Game)

• Card enlarges to full-sized spinning wheel
• 9 wedges displayed: Health, Fear, Friendship, Pain, Beauty, Skill, Wealth, Energy, Death
• Wheel spins automatically, you watch it slow down
• Separate outcomes based on wedge landed (see Wheel section below)

10. Justice (Fight)

• "A terrible creature appears before you"
• "head wreathed with serpents, eyes dripping with blood"
• "wings of a bat and body of a dog"
• Fight Erinys (Greek Fury, vengeance spirit)
• "calling for Justice to be served against you!"

11. Punishment (Debuff Card)

• "You are being Punished!"
• Hear shackles, feel tightening around leg
• Heavy Ball and Chain appears
• "You sigh and realize that it's going to be a VERY long day"
• Ball and Chain debuff:
  • 50 rounds, 0.75x defmod (25% defense penalty)
  • Roundmsg: "Your defensive maneuvers are hindered by the huge Ball attached to your leg."
  • Wearoff: "The shackles break and you're free!"
• News: "[Player] drew the Punishment Card."

12. The Devil (Major Fight)

• "The smell of brimstone surrounds you"
• "You turn to find yourself facing a Major Demon!"
• Fight Asmodeus (arch-devil from D&D)
• One of the toughest encounters

13. Sorcery (50/50 Card)

• Outcome 1 (50%): Pebble in Shoe Curse
  • Wizard in Emerald (Wizard of Oz ref) appears
  • Decides you're standing "too proudly"
  • Casts terrible spell. will it be horrible curse? Plague of boils? Locusts?
  • Nope: "there's a darn pebble in your shoe poking you with every step!"
  • "Oh the Wickedness of it all!!!"
  • Pebble in Your Shoe debuff: 25 rounds, -1 HP per round (minion damage)
• Outcome 2 (50%): Wizard of Oz Wrong Story
  • Large floating head appears, requests you retrieve broom from witch
  • You get bored with "hoo-ha"
  • See small dog tugging curtain, revealing man with machinery
  • "Since you are not a little girl from Kansas you realize you've popped into the wrong story!"
  • Gypsy apologizes, can't understand crazy deck
  • Gives you 750 gold as apology
  • Merry Way buff: 10 rounds, 1.1x atkmod/defmod, roundmsg: "Tra la la la la la! What a Merry Way!"
• News: "[Player] drew the Sorcery Card."

14. Death (Scary but Survivable)

• "Pain surrounds you and a crushing sensation overcomes you"
• "Death Incarnate grows from out of the card holding a horrible scythe dripping with the blood of the uncountable dead"
• Skull under hood points at you
• "In an instant, you are Dead."
• BUT: "He killed you too quickly! You're not fully dead, you're MOSTLY Dead!" (Princess Bride ref)
• Penalties:
  • Lose 7% of your experience
  • Lose ALL your gold
  • HP reduced to 1
  • Lose 50% of remaining turns
• But you survive and return to forest (don't go to Shades)
• News: "[Player] drew the Death Card."

15. The Tower (Quest Card)

• Card drops to ground, spiraling tower grows from it
• "The monolith rises above you"
• "You stare at it with a sense of fear but an even greater sense of adventure"
• "The first step is always the hardest. Are you ready to go up the stairway?"
• Option 1: Enter the Tower (separate tower quest/dungeon)
• Option 2: Leave for the Forest (decline)

16. The Star (Birthstone Reward)

• Gypsy "looks at you playfully and grabs for your ear"
• Pulls out Precious Gem (or Two Precious Gems if lucky 50/50)
• "Since it is [Current Month] you get [Month's Birthstone]"
• Birthstone values:
  • January: Garnet (700g)
  • February: Amethyst (600g)
  • March: Aquamarine (1500g)
  • April: Diamond (4000g)
  • May: Emerald (2500g)
  • June: Opal (800g)
  • July: Ruby (3500g)
  • August: Chrysoberyl (700g)
  • September: Sapphire (3000g)
  • October: Black Opal (2500g)
  • November: Topaz (900g)
  • December: Turquoise (2000g)
• You accept gold instead of gem (auto-convert)
• 50% chance for 2× birthstone value
• News: "[Player] drew the Star Card."

17. The Moon (Boring Info Card)

• If Moons module active: Shows all active moon phases
• If Moons module not active: Shows moon phase based on day of month
  • Days 1-4: new moon
  • Days 5-8: waxing crescent
  • Days 9-11: half full
  • Days 12-15: waxing gibbous
  • Days 16-19: full moon
  • Days 20-23: waning gibbous
  • Days 24-27: half full and waning
  • Days 28-31: waning crescent
• You complain: "THAT is your amazing deck?!? It tells me what kind of moon it is?!? This sucks!"
• Gypsy "doesn't really seem to care, shrugs, and disappears into the forest"
• Worst useful outcome (just info, no reward)
• News: "[Player] drew the Moon Card."

18. The Sun (Musical Card)

• Music starts playing
• Gypsy appears with top hat and cane
• "Before you have a chance to escape, she starts dancing around you and singing."
• Sings "Tomorrow" from Annie musical:
  • "The Sun will come out. Tomorrow!"
  • "Bet your bottom dollar that Tomorrow, there'll be sun!"
  • "Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love you! Tomorrow!"
  • "You're only a Dayyyyyyyyy AAaaaaawwwwayyyyyyy!!"
• "Wow! That was some inspirational singing!"
• +3 forest fights
• News: "[Player] drew the Sun Card."

19. Judgement (Joke Mini-Game)

• "You suddenly find yourself standing in a courtroom full of crows"
• "You are going to be judged by the crows on your ability to tell a joke"
• Three joke options:
  • 1. The Crazy Patient
  • 2. Ducks and Elephants
  • 3. The Hunchback and the Bell
• Choose joke, crows judge you (separate outcomes based on choice)

20. Infinity (Wish Card)

• Gypsy: "You may buy a Wish for only 1000 Gold."
• If you have <1000 gold:
  • "Oh, I see you don't have 1000 Gold. That is sad. Your loss."
  • "Well, the least I can do is give you a little something because I will take your wish."
  • Free reward: 1000 gold + 1 gem + 2 charm
  • Best card for poor players!
• If you have ≥1000 gold:
  • Option to pay 1000g to Make a Wish (separate wish mechanic)
  • Or decline ("No thanks!")
• News: "[Player] drew the Infinity Card."

Wheel of Fortune Outcomes

When You Draw Card 9:

• Card becomes spinning wheel with 9 wedges
• Each wedge has different outcome (needs code inspection for exact mechanics)
• Wedges: Health, Fear, Friendship, Pain, Beauty, Skill, Wealth, Energy, Death
• Random selection determines which wedge you land on

Pain Mechanic

If You Get Pain Effect:

• Sets "deckpain" preference to number of days
• Each newday while deckpain >0:
  • "You wake to excruciating pain with only one hitpoint because of the Deck of Many Things."
  • HP set to 1 (every day until pain expires)
  • deckpain decrements by 1
• Final day: "The pain from the Deck of Many Things finally subsides."
• Multi-day debuff (very punishing)

Admin Settings

Configuration Options:

• dksneeeded: DK requirement before encountering (default: 0)
• usepics: Show card images (default: enabled)
• gypsycharm: Gypsy's charm level (increases when players pay with charm)
• givepermhp: Allow permanent HP awards/losses (default: enabled)
• deckseduction: Allow Foocubus romance option (default: enabled, "Nothing graphic but may not be acceptable on a G-Rated site")

Strategy Guide

Expected Value Analysis:

• Cost: 400g or 1 gem or 2 charm
• High variance: Can gain 4000g (April Star) or lose everything (Fool)
• Several fight encounters (need to win to profit)
• Some cards are pure upside (High Priestess, Strength, Sun)
• Some cards are devastating (Fool, Death, Punishment)
• Overall: Gambling for entertainment, not reliable profit

Best Cards:

• Infinity (poor): 1000g + 1 gem + 2 charm for free
• Star (April): 4000g or 8000g (if 2× diamonds)
• High Priestess: +3 permanent max HP
• Strength: +1 permanent attack
• Star (July): 3500g or 7000g (rubies)

Worst Cards:

• The Fool: All gold + 10% gems (total wipeout)
• Death: 7% exp + all gold + half turns + 1 HP
• Punishment: 50-round defense debuff
• Pain (Wheel): Multi-day 1 HP curse
• Moon: Literally just tells you moon phase (useless)

When to Play:

• Rich players: 400g is cheap entertainment
• Poor players: Infinity card gives you 1000g if broke (but risky gambling to get there)
• Gamblers: High-variance fun
• Risk-averse: Skip entirely (Fool/Death cards too punishing)

When to Fight the Gypsy Instead:

• If you want guaranteed forest fight (no gambling)
• If you can handle -50% HP + Evil Eye debuff
• If you hate gambling mechanics
• If you're role-playing chaotic character

D&D & Nethack References

Deck of Many Things:

• Legendary D&D magic item (appears in Dungeon Master's Guide)
• Drawing cards has random powerful effects
• Can grant wishes, treasure, or doom
• Famous for ruining campaigns when players draw Death/Void cards

Nethack Tributes:

• Wizard of Yendor: Main antagonist in Nethack
• Foocubus: Succubus/Incubus enemies in Nethack (called "foocubi")
• Gypsy encounter: Inspired by Slash'Em Extended gypsy NPC
• Then you can either pay up and draw one random card from her Tarot-style deck which is based on the most infamous campaign-destroying artifact from Dungeons & Dragons where you might pull The High Priestess and gain three permanent maximum hitpoints plus fifty temporary hitpoints and feel like you won the lottery or you might draw The Fool and instantly lose every single gold piece you own plus ten percent of your gems and feel like an idiot or you could get Death Incarnate appearing from the card as a hooded skeleton with a scythe dripping with the blood of the uncountable dead who points one bony finger at you and kills you so quickly that you're only MOSTLY dead like in Princess Bride so you lose seven percent of your experience and all your gold and half your turns and only one hitpoint remains but hey at least you don't go to the Shades. Or maybe you'll fight the Wizard of Yendor from Nethack or encounter a Succubus who you can either fight or pay five hundred gold to for a PG-rated romantic interlude that the admin describes as "nothing graphic but may not be acceptable on a G-rated site" or you might get the Sorcery card where a wizard in emerald robes threatens you with terrible curses and plagues of boils and locusts and you cringe in fear but then he just puts a tiny pebble in your shoe that pokes you for one damage every round for twenty-five rounds and you think "oh the WICKEDNESS of it all" sarcastically, or the other fifty percent chance with Sorcery is you accidentally wander into the Wizard of Oz story and see the man behind the curtain operating machinery and since you're not a little girl from Kansas you realize this is the wrong narrative so the gypsy apologizes for her crazy unpredictable deck and gives you seven hundred fifty gold plus a Merry Way buff where you skip through battles singing "tra la la la la la" with ten percent attack and defense bonus. Sometimes you get the Star card and she playfully grabs your ear and pulls out your birthstone for the current month which is worth anywhere from six hundred gold for February's Amethyst up to four thousand gold for April's Diamond and fifty-fifty chance she pulls out TWO birthstones doubling your prize, or you might get The Sun where she puts on a top hat and grabs a cane and dances around you singing Tomorrow from the musical Annie about how the sun will come out tomorrow and you should bet your bottom dollar and you're only a day away and somehow this inspirational performance grants you three extra forest fights. You could also pull the Chariot and get teleported to the inn because apparently driving chariots is exhausting work and sounds like a good excuse for mead, or Strength which gives you one permanent attack point and a Popeye spinach buff where you yell "I Yam what I Yam" as your battle cry for ten rounds with twenty-five percent attack bonus, or The Hermit which makes you invisible for fifteen rounds with twenty-five percent defense bonus, or Punishment which shackles a giant ball and chain to your leg hindering your defense by twenty-five percent for FIFTY rounds while you sigh and realize it's going to be a very long day. There's also Wheel of Fortune where the card physically enlarges into a spinning wheel with nine wedges labeled Health Fear Friendship Pain Beauty Skill Wealth Energy and Death and you watch nervously as it slows down to determine your fate, or Justice where you face an Erinys which is a Greek Fury described as having a head wreathed with serpents and eyes dripping with blood and wings of a bat and body of a dog calling for justice to be served against you, or The Devil where the smell of brimstone surrounds you and you turn to find Asmodeus the arch-demon standing there ready to fight, or The Tower where a spiraling monolith grows from the card and rises above you and asks if you're ready to climb the stairway in a separate tower quest, or Judgement where you're transported to a courtroom full of crows who will judge you based on your ability to tell one of three jokes (The Crazy Patient, Ducks and Elephants, or The Hunchback and the Bell), or The Moon which is the most disappointing card because it just tells you what phase the moon is currently in and you complain "THAT is your amazing deck?!? This sucks!" and the gypsy just shrugs and wanders off into the forest not caring about your disappointment, or finally Infinity which is actually the best card if you're poor because if you have less than one thousand gold she says it's sad you can't afford a Wish so she'll give you one thousand gold PLUS one gem PLUS two charm points completely free as consolation prize making it literally profitable to be broke. Alternatively you can skip the whole card-drawing gambling nonsense and just attack the old gypsy woman directly but she gets to curse you first with one of the meanest hairiest Evil Eye curses you've ever seen which cuts your hitpoints in half "just to make it a little more fair" and gives you a ten-round debuff with ten percent penalties to attack and defense before you even start fighting her, or you can slowly back away and return to the forest if you're smart enough to recognize that gambling with magical tarot cards offered by crazy old women who nearly got decapitated is probably a bad life choice, but where's the fun in that when you could potentially gain permanent stats or lose your entire fortune on a single random card draw in this loving tribute to Nethack's gypsy encounter and Dungeons & Dragons' most notorious campaign-destroying artifact.