Knight from THE Deck

[loviatarfrostbringer]

Dear Members,

What exactly is the "Knight" card from the Deck of Many Things, other than the exact wording of the card description in the DMG?

More precisely, does it gain levels? Class options? Stats? Bonuses as a construct and/or as the drawers race? Does it's status count as a Cohort (or is it free like +6 ranks of Diplomacy with the Throne)?

Has there been any errata on it too, like as with the Sun card?

I drew that card in my campaign, and I don't feel a "4 HD robot without any benefits of being a construct" is quite on par with some of the other cards of the Deck. Not that I don't agree that there should be varying levels of power between good and bad cards, but comparitively, it blows goats.

Thanks.

 

[hong]

Personally, I would treat it as a cohort that you gain for free, without having to take the Leadership feat. You wouldn't get it immediately, though. Maybe you return to your home town, and there you find a 4th level fighter who's heard about your great deeds (or something) and wants to serve.

From their point of view, of course, they're just doing what comes naturally. No, they don't know about a "deck of many things". No, they weren't ordered to do anything. No, they're not an outsider, a construct, a summoned creature... why are you asking these strange questions?

[edit: noticed actual writeup for Knight card. D'oh! However, I'd still treat it as above.]

 

[skunian]

Well lets see.

"You gain the services of a 4th level fighter" (You get a 4th level fighter and whatever a 4th level fighter includes, skills/feats/stat bonus, etc)

"The fighter appears out of nowhere and servers loyaly unto death" (poof here I am)

"He or she is a magic construct" (So he/she also has whatever a construct gets, i.e. immune to criticals)

"He is equiped with the starting fighter package from the phb pg 37" (No magic items, just basic gear on him/her)

We got one of these in our group too, he was promptly sent to take care of the keep that one of the other players got. Now you want to talk pain in the butt, how about comet for the fighter (lvl 13) and the next foe is a beholder.

 

[Someguy]

one fo our players had comet, and he was 28 xp from leveling up, and the next fight he fought, he fought 4 frost giants. Needless to say, He leveled up.

 

[dvvega]

Actually since the fighter is a construct and only "appears" as a member of that race/sex of the drawer, I would say it is a special kind of "golem".

It doesn't gain experience ... golems really aren't a race that learns ... however you could conceivably allow it to be enhanced (similar to advancing monsters through hit dice). Just need to meet the requirements for golem making or something.

As an extra I would rule all it's equipment and weapons are part of the creature's construction.

 

[Voadam]

Not a "Construct"

I don't think the knight's monster type is construct. I think the term magic construct means it is made out of magic just as certain things made with the conjuration school of magic are "magic constructs"

A 4th level fighter construct makes little sense since they can't have any feats.

I would say he is effectively a member of the character's race and an actual fighter who can advance, the only difference is he was created on the spot through gross artefact magic, he has no prior history.

I would treat the knight card effect as an instantaneous [Creation] Conjuration effect

"Creation: The spell manipulates matter to create an object or creature in the place the spellcaster designates (subject to the limits noted above for conjurations). If the spell has a duration other than instantaneous, magic holds the creation together, and when the spell ends or is dispelled, the conjured creature or object vanishes without a trace. If the spell has an instantaneous duration, the created object or creature is merely assembled through magic. It lasts indefinitely and does not depend on magic for its existence."

 

[enrious]

We always ruled (thanks to the DoMT article in Dragon) that summoned Knight followers were actually 4th level fighters freed after having drawn the Dungeon card.

It seemed....karmic.

 

[twjensen]

comparitively, it blows goats.
Thanks.

Next time I'm sure your DM will let you swap it out for the Death card.

The Deck of Many Things is mostly the Deck of Sucky things and Really Sucky things. People draw just because of the couple of really cool cards that they always think they'll get.

My character drew from the deck and was transported to a tiny place far underground.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

The Deck is really not as useful as it used to be. In 1e/2e it was very difficult to change a stat, frex, so +2 could be a huge change. Now it is nice, but not exactly worth risking your neck for. A lot of the medium value positive effects are less useful than a medium value item or a feat.

A +2 inherent bonus is not that big a deal at the level you will meet a Deck. You afford to buy it if you really wanted.

I think the Deck needs to rewritten for 3e. It follows the 1e/2e version too slavishly IMO.

 

[Bubbledragon]

Ah, the Deck of Many things.

Try pulling Balance and Donjon one after another. Boom! Chaotic Good Bard ends up with an alignment shift from CG to LE and then locked up in a magic mirror. He was *just* rescued this last game.

Then again, one of the party members got 10,000XP.

Bubbles