Decks

Version 0.15: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

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 + 25) / 27) 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.

Composition of Decks

Archetype decks

Archetype decks are the arrangements of the various cards from which the "physical decks" are built. They have also been called "virtual" decks, but that is something of a misnomer since the physical decks would more appropriately be termed virtual, being themselves made up of the archetypes. They are called archetypes in the code, so that nomenclature resolves the conundrum nicely. Some of these archetype decks, by virtue of their being the only component archetype of a physical deck, can be found in the dungeons, and are sometimes called "pure" decks. Not all single-source decks can be found. The decks of oddities and punishment are never found as physical decks.

Below are two tables that explicate the matter more broadly. The physical decks are composed of a changing list of archetype decks. These deck compositions are the subject of the first table. The archetype decks are themselves composed of changing lists of cards. These card compositions of the archetype decks are the subject of the second table. Together, they describe exactly how all cards and decks are related.

Prior to 0.15, there was relative stability in these structures, but the changes beginning with 0.15 have literally shuffled the decks to a large extent.

Composition of physical decks by archetypes and version

Physical deck	Component archetypes by version
	0.11	0.12	0.13	0.14	0.15	trunk
Deck of changes	Battle Dungeons Wonders	Battle Dungeons Wonders	Battle Dungeons Wonders	Battle Dungeons Wonders	Battle Wonders	Battle Wonders
Deck of defence	Battle Emergency	Battle Emergency	Battle Emergency	Battle Emergency	Battle Emergency	Battle Emergency
Deck of destruction	Destruction	Destruction	Destruction	Destruction	Destruction	Destruction
Deck of dungeons	Dungeons	Dungeons	Dungeons	Dungeons	removed	removed
Deck of escape	Emergency Transport	Emergency Transport	Emergency Transport	Emergency Transport	Emergency Transport	Emergency Transport
Deck of oddities	Oddities	Oddities	Oddities	Oddities	Oddities	Oddities
Deck of punishment	Punishment	Punishment	Punishment	Punishment	Punishment	Punishment
Deck of summoning	Summoning	Summoning	Summoning	Summoning	Summoning	Summoning
Deck of war	Battle Destruction Emergency Enchantments Summoning Transport	Battle Destruction Emergency Enchantments Summoning Transport	Battle Destruction Emergency Enchantments Summoning Transport	Battle Destruction Emergency Enchantments Summoning Transport	Battle Destruction Summoning	Battle Summoning
Deck of wonders	Wonders	Wonders	Wonders	Wonders	Wonders	Wonders

Composition of archetype decks by cards and version

Archetype deck	Component cards by version
	0.11	0.12	0.13	0.14	0.15	trunk
Battle	Battlelust the Blade the Elixir the Helm the Mercenary Metamorphosis the Shadow	Battlelust the Blade the Elixir the Helm the Mercenary Metamorphosis the Shadow	Battlelust the Blade the Elixir the Helm the Mercenary Metamorphosis the Shadow	Battlelust the Blade the Elixir the Helm the Mercenary Metamorphosis the Shadow	the Blade Dowsing the Elixir the Helm Metamorphosis the Potion the Shadow	the Blade the Elixir Fortitude the Helm the Potion the Shadow
Destruction	Flame Frost the Hammer the Orb Pain the Spark Venom Vitriol	Flame Frost the Hammer the Orb Pain the Spark Venom Vitriol	Flame Frost the Hammer the Orb Pain the Spark Venom Vitriol	Flame Frost the Hammer the Orb Pain the Spark Venom Vitriol	the Cloud Degeneration Fortitude the Hammer the Orb Pain the Storm Venom Vitriol	Degeneration the Hammer the Orb Pain the Storm Venom Vitriol
Dungeons	Dowsing the Minefield the Trowel Vitrification Water	Dowsing the Minefield the Trowel Vitrification Water	Dowsing the Minefield the Trowel Vitrification Water	Dowsing the Minefield the Trowel Vitrification Water	removed	removed
Emergency	the Banshee Damnation Flight Solitude the Tomb Warpwright	the Banshee Damnation Flight Solitude the Tomb Warpwright	the Banshee Damnation Flight Solitude the Tomb Warpwright	the Alchemist the Banshee Damnation Flight Solitude the Tomb Warpwright	the Alchemist the Banshee Damnation the Elixir the Shaft the Tomb	the Alchemist the Banshee the Cloud Damnation the Elixir the Shaft the Tomb
Enchantments	the Elixir	the Elixir	the Elixir	the Elixir	removed	removed
Oddities	the Bargain the Curse Famine the Feast the Genie Wrath Xom	the Bargain the Curse Famine the Feast the Genie Wrath Xom	the Bargain the Curse Famine the Feast the Genie Wrath Xom	the Curse Famine the Feast the Genie Wrath Xom	the Curse Famine the Feast Focus the Helix Wrath Xom	the Curse Famine the Feast Focus the Helix Wrath Xom
Punishment	the Curse Damnation Famine the Minefield the Portal the Swine the Tomb Torment Wild Magic the Wraith Wrath Xom	the Curse Damnation Famine the Minefield the Portal the Swine the Tomb Torment Wild Magic the Wraith Wrath Xom	the Curse Damnation Famine the Minefield the Portal the Swine the Tomb Torment Wild Magic the Wraith Wrath Xom	the Curse Damnation Famine the Minefield the Swine the Tomb Torment Wild Magic the Wraith Wrath Xom	the Curse Damnation Famine the Swine the Tomb Torment Wild Magic the Wraith the Wraith Xom	the Curse Famine the Feast Focus the Helix Wrath Xom
Summoning	the Bones the Crusade the Dance Foxfire the Herd the Pentagram Repulsiveness	the Bones the Crusade the Dance Foxfire the Herd the Pentagram Repulsiveness	the Bones the Crusade the Dance Foxfire the Herd the Pentagram Repulsiveness	the Bones the Crusade the Dance Foxfire the Herd the Pentagram Repulsiveness	the Bones the Crusade the Dance Foxfire the Herd the Illusion the Pentagram Repulsiveness	the Crusade the Dance the Elements Foxfire the Illusion the Pentagram the Rangers Repulsiveness
Transport	the Portal Swap Velocity the Warp	the Portal Swap Velocity the Warp	the Portal Swap Velocity the Warp	the Portal Swap Velocity the Warp	Solitude Swap Velocity Warpwright	Solitude Swap Velocity Warpwright
Wonders	the Alchemist Experience Focus the Helix the Potion the Sage Shuffle Wild Magic	the Alchemist Experience Focus the Helix the Potion the Sage Shuffle Wild Magic	the Alchemist Experience Focus the Helix the Potion the Sage Shuffle Wild Magic	Experience Focus the Helix the Potion the Sage Shuffle the Trowel Wild Magic	the Alchemist Dowsing Focus the Helix the Mercenary the Shaft	the Alchemist Dowsing Focus the Helix the Mercenary Placid Magic Wild Magic

General notes

Scroll of identify reveals both the deck type and the current top card. If you have excess Identify scrolls, 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.

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 closed 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

List of cards

Mundane	Ornate	Legendary