Word on the street is that implementing tarot into TTRPGs is really cool and hip. I was looking for a fun way to flesh out characters when they take a moment of rest, and figured that the Major Arcana serve that purpose quite well.
When the party makes camp, the DM lays out all the major arcana, face down. Each player picks a card. If they can share a brief anecdote from their character’s history that fits the theme, they gain a boon for the next day of adventuring: a reroll, inspiration, pick your poison.
For example: A player draws The Tower, and recalls a time in their character’s life where ‘upheaval, sudden change’ played a major role.
- The Fool – New beginnings, spontaneity
- The Magician – Power, manifestation, creativity
- The High Priestess – Intuition, mystery, knowledge
- The Empress – Nurture, fertility, abundance
- The Emperor – Authority, structure, stability
- The Hierophant – Tradition, guidance, conformity
- The Lovers – Partnership, choices, harmony
- The Chariot – Determination, willpower, control
- Strength – Courage, patience, compassion
- The Hermit – Solitude, introspection, wisdom
- Wheel of Fortune – Fate, cycles, change
- Justice – Fairness, balance, truth
- The Hanged Man – Surrender, perspective, pause
- Death – Transformation, endings, renewal
- Temperance – Balance, moderation, harmony
- The Devil – Bondage, temptation, materialism
- The Tower – Upheaval, sudden change
- The Star – Hope, inspiration, healing
- The Moon – Illusion, intuition, confusion
- The Sun – Joy, success, vitality
- Judgment – Rebirth, reflection, awakening
- The World – Completion, fulfillment, achievement
If you don’t have a deck of cards, use something like this.