Karmic Phenomena Table

Related Assets and Powers:

Blessing of...

...the Shieldmaiden (-10)
You are an ardent worshipper of the Shieldmaiden, and she takes pity on you sometimes. When you would gain a Divination Card you may declare that you are praying: If you do, and the first result does not land within the Suit of the Shieldmaiden (1-24), it is rerolled, but you must stick with the second result.
Additionally, you understand that fate is what you make it. 'scary' and 'inspiring' encounters become interchangeable. If you are using one such card, you may choose to increase or decrease your Emotion however you want, whether the Arcana is upturned or downturned.


...the Blood Knight (-10)
You are an ardent worshipper of the Blood Knight, and if she won't help you, she can go to hell. When you would gain a Divination Card you may declare that you are praying: If you do, and the first result does not land within the Suit of the Blood Knight (50-75), it is rerolled, but you must stick with the second result.
Additionally,

...the Blessed Lady (-10)

Karmic Phenomena

The Karmic Phenomena Table is a set of random magical effects, and unlikely plot events. They are styled into a classical deck of Tarot. These effects, drawn from the physical deck of tarot, or using the table below, are not created equal: They increase in severity and change in themes depending on what area of the deck the effect comes from. If your character has the option to subtract from their Karmic Phenomena roll, they must declare so before rolling. Doing so suggests that they are trying to avoid the Suit of the Blessed Lady, which threatens some very negative consequences, such as Perils of the Warp.

Karmic Phenomena are brought about in two ways: Firstly, when a power or an effect directly asks to roll on the Karmic Phenomena Table. In that case, it is rather a negative thing: The GM rolls or pulls out the card, and makes the appropriate effect happen in a way that makes sense.

Secondly, Karmic Phenomena occur when a player or the GM uses a Divination Card. These cards, drawn from the physical deck of Tarot, or using the table below, have great power: they allow the player to influence the game mechanically, as well as to influence the story. Depending on which way the effect is pointed, they may simply cause something random to the player character (the User) or anyone else (a character). They may allow someone to perform a spur of the moment action that's not on their sheet, which they won't be able to reproduce later. They can cause things to happen to the character, helpful non-player characters to appear, or make it so that a character will have retroactively done something off-screen, despite the player having never mentioned so.

These cards, to a large degree, separate Player Character Magical Girls from the rest of the crowd. They represent their special, tangled karma which drives them to end up in all those odd and dangerous situations. Allied NPCs and Cohorts who spend some time around the party may eventually be given a Divination Card limit (of one or two), by the GM. It is also possible for all the cohorts to share one deck, which they may use among themselves. Great majority of enemies won't naturally have access to these effects, but those proficient at Karmic Magic, or ones bearing especially weighty fates, might have a hand of cards of their own, rolled up beforehand.

By default, a player can keep a stack of divination cards equal to three, plus one for each 100 Karma their character has. Depending on taste, a GM may houserule the limit to be more, or less, at the start of the game. It is also possible to use this mechanic as a shared deck of larger size, wherin any player may decide to use a card held by the group, and more cards are drawn every session.

At the start of the first session, every player draws two Divination cards randomly, with a roll of 1d100. At the start of every session afterwards, they may draw another. If their deck is full, they may first discard (or use) one of their cards, to make space for the new one. Cards which are discarded go to the GM, whose hand has the capacity of half the party's total. The GM may use the cards on NPCs and any other creatures, to hinder the party. Therefore, a player is encouraged to use up their cards.

When used in combat, using them takes no actions, and may be used even if a character is unconscious - but the event happening will, in such a case, still be tied to them in story. Each owner of a deck can only use one of their cards every round.

Cards are split into Greater Arcana, and the Lesser Arcana. The Lesser Arcana are themed 'suits' of Wands, Coins, Swords, and Cups. Suit cards typically influence the story, or provide a smaller mechanical effect. Greater Arcana offer powerful effects which help the character directly, while their downturned versions allow them to inflict misfortune on others. If using a physical deck of tarot, downturned simply means that the card is drawn face down to the dealer.

When using upturned Greater Arcana, characters increase their Emotion by one. When using downturned ones, decrease it by one. If they happen as a simple random effect, nobody's emotion is affected.




1-24
The Suit of the Shieldmaiden concerns mainly plot-related effects. It may affect character development, or manipulate their sheet in a more longterm way.

25-48
The Suit of the Blood Knight concerns effects which empower the a character directly, usually in combat. If a player is using them, they happen to the player's own character, almost always.

49-74
The Suit of the First Knight concerns dramatic and violent events, usually in combat. If a player is using them, they do not need to refer to themselves when using them, instead placing them as the GM would.

75-100
The Suit of the Blessed Lady is dangerous and powerful. It contains effects which a player will be hard-pressed finding use for.

101+
The Suit of the Herald can only be reached by characters taking a bonus on their roll. It is the system's equivalent to Perils of the Warp, containing dangerous and deadly effects.


SHIELDMAIDEN

1 - Ace of Wands (Beginning of Spiritual Development; New Idea)
[A character gains a bonus on any one Knowledge check for one week, as long as they lack Knowledge of the topic on their sheet, equal to Knowledge 3. They have recently been exposed to a pop-educational source of information about the topic, and can temporarily treat themselves as knowledgeable in the area.]

2 - Two of Wands (Choice, Planning, Discovery)
[If a character's path is clear, they gain a strong hunch about what comes next. They may ask the GM about the number of enemies, the shape of an area, the nature of whoever they're about to talk to, or something of the sort. The GM will tell them of what a reasonable first assumption would be, and it will also be correct. New factors may be introduced into the situation, should the character be in for a surprise, to make sure they won't be surprised.]

3 - Three of Wands (Preparations; Commitment)
[A character temporarily gains Ritual Magic for any power the user wishes. For the one use of it that they have, its effect is doubled.]

4 - /\The Fool
[User chooses Magic Powers on their sheet up to 20 Karma. They may remove them from your sheet, are refunded the karma in full, and may spend it on other powers instantly. This card can be used to purchase powers mid-battle, after combat, the Karma can be used for anything else.]

5 - \/The Fool
[User chooses a Drawback up to 15 Karma. You may use this card to bestow this drawback onto a non-player character, which has freshly appeared in the story. If the NPC is a cohort of the party, it should be able to surpass its usual limits for Drawbacks. This card may even be used to bestow a drawback such as Fat or Crippled on someone in combat, as long as they aren't an established character.]

6 - Four of Wands (Refuge, Peace, Rest; Community)
[A character finds peace of mind. When a character would lose a point of soft corruption, they lose two instead. This card may be used on the Player's own character, as a result of them being in good care, or it may be bestowed onto another character, by having the Player's character take care of them.]

7 - Five of Wands (Conflict, Disagreement, Strife)
[User chooses one non-player character. Their disposition towards a certain character or group will be temporarily worsened, and their Fellowship lowered by one towards them, as a result of a recent bad experience. This effect may or may not last, depending on GM's decision.]

8 - /\ The Magician
[A wild Witch appears.]
[maybe turn into user encounters witch]

9 - \/ The Magician
[A wild Witch appears.]

10 - Six of Wands (Triumph, Recognition, Confidence)
[A character is treated by any character as having succeeded on their latest task (long or short-term), even if they did not. Any stigma of failure is shrugged off for this particular NPC, unless Loose Cannon is in effect.]

11 - Seven of Wands (Challenge, Perseverance, Defense)
[If a character is making an impossible or nearly impossible check, an attack roll incapable of hitting without a natural ten or at all, it becomes possible by two degrees: at two and below, or at nine and ten. If used on any sort of other impossible roll, the chance of success should become similarly 20%]

12 - Eight of Wands (Speed, Action, Travel)
[Out of combat, the character and whoever they are traveling with are going to make their journey in the minimum amount of time reasonably possible, perhaps being picked up by someone. If this card is used in combat, you may gain an additional movement action, worth half your usual movement.]

13 - /\ The High Priestess
[User encounters an inspiring person: an old and knowledgeable Vanus, possibly a Librarian.]

14 - \/ The High Priestess
[User encounters a scary person: a Culexus radiating strength, possibly the local Rank Leader.]

15 - Nine of Wands (Persistence, Courage, Final Test)
[If the GM determines a short-term task to be tasking, physically or mentally, perhaps requiring an arbitary check with at least 30% success, a character is guaranteed to succeed at it one time, without suffering exhaustion. This generally does not refers to checks actualy described in the rulebook, only those that the GM came up with.]

16 - Ten of Wands (Accomplishment; Responsibility; Burden, Stress)
[A character is contacted by their superior remembering something, perhaps by phone. If they're a Player Character, they gain an additional minor task to do in addition to what they are doing. If used for an NPC, they may become busy, and leave the party alone.]

17 - /\ The Empress
[User encounters an inspiring person: a powerful and experienced Vindicare, of Rank Leader strength or above.]

18 - \/ The Empress
[User encounters a scary person: a savvy and seasoned Callidus, of Rank Leader strength or above.]

19 - Jack of Wands (Freedom; Exploration; Enthusiasm)
[Upon asking, a character is allowed into a place they normally would not be allowed to. This card bypasses a single social or physical Barrier that would usually prevent this, but not more, letting a character go one step above their rank, or deal with a mundane social issue.]

20 - Knight of Wands (Energy, Adventure; An Impulsive Person)
[A freshly introduced NPC escalates conflict, possibly starting combat. In battle, this card may be used to redirect a single enemy basic attack to another available target before the attack is made, targeting whoever the user wishes, but it can't make someone hit their ally.]

21 - Queen of Wands (Temperament; Instinct; Magic; Warm and Encouraging Woman)
[A character may use a power they could immediately take from their disciplines and prerequisites, but do not actually have. They may not use Peak Magic with this card, unless they have an unused slot.]

22 - /\ The Emperor
[User encounters an inspiring person: a powerful and experienced Eversor, of Rank Leader strength or above.]

23 - \/ The Emperor
[User encounters a scary person: a creepy but very knowledgeable Venenum, possibly the local Rank Leader.]

24 - King of Wands  (Leadership, Vision, Infinity; Eccentric Man, Mage)
[A character gives a heartfelt speech, rising or lowering the Emotion of everyone present by one. A character may try to roll against their Emotion+(1/100K of the speaker), in order to resist this effect.]

unused:
[When using a power with a base cost of 5G+E, it only costs 1G, and Emotion does not affect the cost. A power costing 10+2E can be made to cost 5+E, and a power costing 20+4E can be made to cost 10+2E.]
[When taking Blast damage, reduce it by 2d10+2E, and the caster takes an additional 5G.]


BLOOD KNIGHT
25 - Ace of Coins (Beginning of Material Prosperity)
26 - Two of Coins (A Struggle for Balance)
27 - /\ The Hierophant
28 - \/ The Hierophant
29 - Three of Coins (Mastery of Menial Skill)
30 - Four of Coins (Hoarding)
31 - /\ The Lovers
32 - \/ The Lovers
33 - Five of Coins (Great Material Trouble, Destitution)
34 - Six of Coins (Careful Charity)
35 - Seven of Coins (Commitment issues, Movement, Change)
36 - /\ The Chariot
37 - \/ The Chariot
38 - Eight of Coins (Employment, Comission, Working at the right place)
39 - Nine of Coins (Luxury and Independence)

40 - /\ Strength
41 - \/ Strength

42 - Ten of Coins (Family Financial Matters, Wealth)
[A member of the character's family appears, offering material support: Money, a ride somewhere, or a contact. It does not need to be their literal blood relation, just someone they consider family.]

43 - Jack of Coins (Apprenticeship, Foundation, Ingenuity; Entrepreneurship)
44 - Knight of Coins (Material Defensiveness, Stubbornness)
45 - /\ The Hermit
46 - \/ The Hermit
47 - Queen of Coins (Fertility; Rich, Sensual and Charitable Woman)
48 - King of Coins (Politics; Man of Earthly Power, Merchant)






FIRST KNIGHT
49 - /\ Wheel of Fortune
[Draw two additional Divination cards, or one if your hand is full. This card then counts as used, and you do not have to discard it.]

50 - \/ Wheel of Fortune
[Immediately upon drawing this card, user discards their whole hand including this card, and redraw that many Divination Cards from the deck. This card counts as used, and does not count towards the total. If it happens as an effect, it affects all the players simultaneously.]

51 - Ace of Swords (New Decision; Unveiling)
52 - Two of Swords (Doubtful Decision, Powerlessness)
53 - Three of Swords (Depression, Overanalyzing, Mental Scar)
54 - /\ Justice
55 - \/ Justice
56 - Four of Swords (Avoidance, Surrender, Pacifism)

57 - Five of Swords (Betrayal)
[Choose a non-player character. Their fellowship with their own faction temporarily lowers by one, as a result of recent experience. This effect may or may not last, at GM's discretion.]

58 - Six of Swords (Dangerous Journey; Responsibility for Others)
[The character immediately moves adjectant to another allied character, as long as they are within the range of twice their maximum movement. If the allied character would take damage, the user of the card may choose to take their damage instead. This will prevent area-of effect damage, though in that case, the 'savior' will suffer it twice.]

59 - /\ The Hanged Man
[For 24 hours after using this card, the character does not face witch-out checks, if they would be 'easy' - under their Emotion.]

60 - \/ The Hanged Man

61 - Seven of Swords (Covertness, Dishonesty, Poor Stealth; Greed)
62 - Eight of Swords (No-Win Situation, Need to Go Through With Painful Actions)
63 - /\ Death
64 - \/ Death
65 - Nine of Swords (Fears, Pain, Suffering; Nightmare)
66 - Ten of Swords (Destruction, Desolation, Hopelessness; End of Suffering)
67 - Jack of Swords (Secret-Keeping, Subtlety)
68 - /\ Temperance
69 - \/ Temperance
70 - Knight of Swords (Wrath, Action, Impatience; A Fanatical Warrior)
[The User becomes angry, and expels enough energy from their body to hurt somebody. As a free action, for 5G+E, the User casts Wide Blast of 25m width, centered on themselves. They may do it if they don't have the power, or even if they are Inept in Basic Blast. They are automatically hit by their own damage doing this.]
71 - Queen of Swords (Independence, Intelligence, Problem-Solving; A Strong Woman)
72 - /\ The Devil
73 - \/ The Devil
74 - King of Swords (Discipline and Passion; Martial Strength; A Decisive Man, Warlord)

BLESSED LADY
75 - Ace of Cups (Beginning of New Feelings)
76 - Two of Cups (Two Cooperating as One)

77 - /\ The Tower
[A character ruminates over a traumatic experience from the past, gains 2d10G, and may shift their Emotion one point up or down. If User is the character, the use of this Major Arcana thus either gives +2E or nothing, unlike the usual +1E.]

78 - \/ The Tower
79 - Three of Cups (Merriment, Celebration, Banquet)
80 - Four of Cups (Boredom; Dissatisfaction, Contemplation, Self-Reflection)
81 - /\ The Star
82 - \/ The Star
83 - Five of Cups (Sorrow, Loss; Cutting Losses)
84 - Six of Cups (Happy Memories, Remembrance; Dwelling on Past)
85 - Seven of Cups (Dreaming, Being Unrealistic, Over-Imagination, Wishful Thinking)
86 - /\ The Moon
87 - \/ The Moon
88 - Eight of Cups (Wanderlust; Ignorance of Good in One's Life)
89 - Nine of Cups (Plenty, Satisfaction, Wish-Fullfillment)
90 - /\ The Sun
91 - \/ The Sun
92 - Ten of Cups (Happiness, Wholeness; Family)
93 - Jack of Cups (Intuition, Arts, Beauty)
94 - Knight of Cups (Elegance; A Dreamy Person, Thrill-Seeker)
95 - /\ Judgement
96 - \/ Judgement
97 - Queen of Cups (Purity; Clairvoyance; A Wise Woman)
98 - King of Cups (Emotional Maturity; A Wise Man, Teacher, Priest)
99 - /\ The World
100- \/ The World