The following pages describe the meanings of the sixty-six cards in The Deck of Many Things card set. For each card, there's an illustration and a description of the symbols depicted, a summary of the card's overall meaning, and explanations of what the card might signify in both upright and reversed (upside-down) positions. Each position includes five possible signifiers to choose from based on the situation:
- A person, with suggestions regarding personality traits or the situation the person is in. A person can be any kind of Humanoid, but might also be a Giant, a Dragon, or any other creature with a personality and the ability to interact with characters. This signifier might also describe something about the person for whom a card reading is being done.
- A creature or trap characters might encounter.
- A place, which can suggest a specific location or a kind of location.
- A treasure, either something of monetary value or a magic item.
- A situationāan interaction or circumstance that characters might be asked to help address.
When using the cards for divinatory readings, you can use cards' overall meaning or draw on any signifiers that make sense for your game. The adventure spreads typically draw on all five kinds of signifiers to build the skeleton of an adventure.