DoMT: Introduction and Flames

I've written before about how the Deck of Many Things creates stories for sandbox games.  Now I would like to explore this theory more in-depth, by providing a homebrew history of the Deck of Many Things, then detailing a card or two with each post, and how it fits in to my game world as a whole.

To prepare this series, I spent some time comparing the DoMT between rulesets: 3.5e and 5e.  Both hew close to the original from AD&D, but wow, does the 5e version break down specifically how each card works.  

I'll be using the 5e rules for this series, but will likely mix and match rulings to better fit my game.  (Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

Basically, the DoMT was crafted by Loki to embody the lyrics of Tom Waits, who said, 'the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.'  Along the way, the DoMT spreads Chaos throughout the planes, as it forces those bound to it to act in rather specific ways.

Flames - Enmity between you and an Outsider. 

The specific contract between Loki and Etrigan is unknown to mortals, but it stings the devil enough that when Flames is drawn from the Deck of Many Things, Etrigan takes special delight in ruining the mortal drawing the card, if only because Etrigan cannot affect Loki even if it wanted to - and he dearly wants to.

So with Loki unavailable, the poor fool drawing Flames is a suitable replacement.

Initially, Etrigan sends cultists and agents to learn about the card-drawer and regular companions - with the goal being to ruin his life, not end it.  Ending the life and ruining the soul comes later.  

With time, Etrigan sends potent devils and sublieutenants to ruin the card-drawer.  These agents are under strict orders to speak before and during combat.  Specifically, they tell all within earshot that they are doing what they are doing because of the card drawer.  

The final fight between Etrigan and the card drawer has so far resulted in the death and dissolution of several world-class heroes through the ages.  The truth is, though, that most often the card drawer dies to a minion of Etrigan.

At the table, this means that that - like it or not - there are attacks aimed at the card drawer every other session, with evidence of other mischief designed to ruin the reputation and life of the card drawer during the in-between sessions.  All told, drawing Flames results in Etrigan's ire being seen and growing as the card drawer foils attempts on his life and reputation until the final battle.

Note that whether or not the DM embraces Etrigan's namesake and only speaks in rhyme is very much table dependent.  That said, I will do my best to speak in such a manner.