Decks

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Decks are magical devices which are used by wielding and evoking them. This draws a random card from the deck to produce a certain effect. Each deck comes with 4-13 cards.

Card power

There are two aspects to the potency of a card's effect, called "power" and "power_level" in the source code.

Power

Power is used as a basis for determining the power of any spells cast by the card, and is computed as follows:

• Everyone gets a base power of nine times their Evocations skill
• Ornate decks add 150 to the base power; legendary decks add 300.
• Characters under Nemelex penance subtract their penance score from the power.
• Nemelex worshipers in good standing add Piety*(Evocation/27 + 0.93) to the power.

Power level

Many cards use the power level to determine what they do. By default, the power level of a card is zero; ornate and legendary decks can boost the power level:

• Ornate decks get one (power in 700) chance to boost the power level.
• Legendary decks get one (power in 500) chance and one (power in 700) chance.

List of Decks

Nonphysical decks

The following decks do not physically exist as independent decks. Some of them are used as components of other decks.

• Deck of battle - part of the decks of war, defence, and changes.
• Deck of emergency - part of the decks of escape, war, and defence.
• Deck of enchantments - part of the deck of war (and only contains one card, the Elixir).
• Deck of oddities - any deck can unexpectedly produce a card from the deck of oddities.
• Deck of punishment - these cards only appear when you are under penance from Nemelex Xobeh.
• Deck of transport - part of the deck of escape.

Pure decks

The "pure" decks are extremely rare in the dungeon, being mostly provided by the bounty of Nemelex Xobeh.

• Deck of destruction
• Deck of dungeons
• Deck of escape - Although technically composed of two of the "virtual" decks, this deck is treated as pure.
• Deck of summoning
• Deck of wonders

Mixed decks

The following decks are treated as "mixed" decks, and form the bulk of the decks found in the dungeon:

• Deck of changes = Battle + Dungeons + Wonders (21 possible cards)
• Deck of defence = Battle + Emergency (12 possible cards)
• Deck of war = Battle + Destruction + Enchantments + Emergency + Summoning + Transport (32 possible cards)

Note that draws from mixed decks are equally likely made from each of their component decks. Thus the one-card Deck of enchantments ensures that approximately 1/6 of all draws from Deck of war will be the Elixir.

General note

Scroll of identify reveals both the deck type and the current top card. If you have excess Identify scrolls (or get multiple uses out of one scroll that you don't otherwise need) you can use the spares on useful Legendary decks as needed to keep the top card identified. Dangerous cards can then be peeled off in safe circumstances with defensive gear/allies/stairs/etc.

Deck of wonders can be worth burning through in this fashion to get Experience (always good) and Helix cards (possibly good if ornate or legendary) for mutation shuffling. However if Shuffle comes up, abandon the deck. Shuffle has the potential to ruin your character completely (along with Wild Magic). Therefore, never draw blind from a deck of wonders.

Deck of summoning is the only safe and consistently-useful deck to draw from blindly if you're in trouble in combat.

If you want to ID an unknown deck by drawing from it, take the following precautions. (You will probably need at least two draws to identify a deck.)

• Be at full health (Torment)
• Stand on solid ground (Water), and not at a chokepoint for the level (Tomb).
• If you'd have trouble getting out of a Tomb, stand next to something mobile (monster or ally) or destructible (plant, fungus, bush) A door will do as well.
• Have at least one monster around, preferably a couple. (Damnation).
• Make sure you have room to send a Fireball or Orb(s) off to a safe distance.
• If you have access to Abjuration, keep that handy in case of hostile summons.
• You may want to equip resistances, Sustain Abilities, Clarity, and have remedies for poison and mutation. (Venom, Helix, Potion, Wild Magic).

See also

The Nemelex guide contains a wealth of information about decks that is useful even if you aren't a Nemelex Xobeh worshipper.