Gygax, Dungeon Master
Custom Cards forum
Posted on Aug. 1, 2021, 12:57 a.m. by TypicalTimmy
I wanted the deck to have access to as many Venture cards as possible, hence being WUBRG. This helps keep the engine rolling and assists in the 5% chance at a wincon at later points in the game.
- "20: (...) Otherwise, venture into a dungeon again."
- This text was placed here because, without first completing all three dungeons, you essentially have a 5% chance every upkeep of doing literally nothing, as a Nat 20 would yield no benefits.
My only concern / complaint would be that in later iterations of Forgotten Realms, be it in a second setting a couple of years from now, a new Precon with a brand new dungeon, or perhaps new dungeon cards printed in a Commander Legends expansion, the Nat 20 would become "too powerful".
For example, let's say that in a year or two they print a new dungeon with only 3 rooms. Well, obviously that will be a choice pick for this deck to use.
But, then again, you still need to complete THREE dungeons AND roll a Nat 20. So, that's such a large hurdle I think it is honestly fine, even if new dungeons are printed later on.
Artwork by Ashley Holt
TypicalTimmy says... #3
I don't know anything about his history or behavior, but alright.
August 1, 2021 2:06 a.m.
You should have some sort of punishment for rolling a 1. Maybe pick a dungeon you've completed and you have no longer completed it?
August 1, 2021 10:49 a.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #5
Abaques, I actually did, originally. The reason I removed it was purely for formating. Fitting five distinct lines of text was too difficult to do.
Otherwise it'd be something like a line for a Nat 1, for 2-19 and Nat 20, which doesn't feel nearly as fun to play as you have a 90% chance of always hitting the same thing.
August 1, 2021 6:48 p.m.
The first roll block seems very strong, perhaps something like Add X generic mana where X is equal to the number of dungeons you have succesfully completed. This mana doesn't go away as phases end until the end of your turn.
Maybe for the second roll block, Scry X where X is the number of dungeons you have succesfully completed, draw a card. This fixes issues of you potentially decking yourself before you complete 3 dungeons and gain the opportunity to win on a 20.
I like the 3rd ability, and this is self balancing with my two proposed first abilities because instead of just doing the fastest dungeon repeatedly in order to gain all the benefits they can from the first two abilities, people would want to do 3 different dungeons in order to potentially win on a 20. Also, i think i would make it 19-20. Improved critical seems better than just a 20. The chance of hitting a 20 THAT late in the game would be virtually non-existant. This would take a long time to get going.
August 2, 2021 1:32 a.m.
Great job TypicalTimmy, I think you nailed the feeling of a DM! I’m a huge fan of D&D, but the dungeon mechanic in AFR seems like it’s lacking something to me. If a card like this existed that won you the game for completing each dungeon, I think it would make the mechanic more worthwhile to invest in.
I disagree that there should be the possibility of a negative effect in this instance. If you’re paying this much mana for a card, you want it to be worth playing. Unless the drawback is actually a double-edged benefit, a la suicide black.
Caerwyn says... #2
I also do not see new dungeons as a big problem - the venture mechanic was kind of dead on arrival due to its rather low impact and mediocre set of enablers. As such, I do not see this as a potential future problem, but rather room for future growth.
All told, seems like a fun and flavourful card.
The only change I would probably make is making it some old school D&D character created by Gygax. That would fit better with the remainder of the D&D cards. Plus, the less that can be said about Gygax himself, the better. He made a great game, but the luckiest thing that ever happened to D&D was corporate hissy fits forcing Gygax out of creative control. The guy was a creep.
August 1, 2021 1:57 a.m.