Carta-Mancy, A Dungeon Delving

Oracle

This work is based on the Carta system (found at
https://peachgardengames.itch.io/carta-srd), from Cat
McDonald and Peach Garden Games, and licensed for use
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
This document has been created by La Taverne de Babel
(https://la-taverne-de-babel.itch.io/) using The Homebrewery
by Scott Toksdorf (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/). All
Rights Reserved
Endless Dungeons, Endless Fun!
Welcome adventurers! Are you a solo roleplayer? Or, are you
a a game master who wants to add randomness in their
games? In either case, Carta-Mancy is for you!
Using only a standard 52-card deck and this document, you
will be able to generate an infinite number of dungeons for
your favorite fantasy roleplaying game.
In Carta-Mancy, each card represent a Room of a dungeon.
Some will be filled with treasures, some with traps and
monsters. Some will be dead ends, some will be crossroads.
These information will be provided by the card's Rank and
Suit.
But the cards won't only be drawn and discarded! Using
Carta-Mancy, the dungeon is going to build itself in front of
your eyes during its exploration.
Materials
1 Deck of 52 cards
1d100
1 Token
A pen and paper
A (somewhat) large flat surface
Mapping the Dungeon
Drawing a detailed dungeon map isn't mandatory.
However; I recommend you to, at least, sketch the
dungeon. Take note of the Doors whick link the Rooms, and
of any Secret Passage you may find.
A simple outline is enough and will greatly help you to
remember the Rooms you've visited.
How to Use Carta-Mancy
Set up
Take off the hearts cards numbered from 2 to 10 from the
deck and discard them.
If you wish to, roll on the following table: Dungeon Theme,
Dungeon Inhabitants and Dungeon Difficulty. If you don't roll
on the tables, make the choices yourself.
Put the Ace of Spades in the center of the flat surface. The
Ace of Spades is the Dungeon Entrance
Put your token on the Ace of Spades. This token represent
your adventurer (or your adventuring party) and it marks your
Current Position.
Shuffle the 42 remaining cards and put this deck in front of
you. This deck is the Stash.
Put the first three card of the Stash face down around the
Dungeon Entrance. These three cards are Rooms.
These three Rooms are linked to the Dungeon Entrance
by three Doors.
Course of Play
To begin your exploration, advance your token toward a Door
of your choice. Then, reveal the corresponding Room: flip its
card face up.
The card's Suit reveal the number of Additional Doors
you must link to this Room. Follow the Dungeon Layout
Generator table to know how many Rooms you must link
with a Door to your Current position.
The card's Rank gives you the Encouter in the Room
nature. Refer to the following tables; Encounter in the
Room:Spades,Diamonds,Clubs and Hearts.
End of the Game
The dungeon's generation ends when you have revealed the
Ace of Clubs and the Ace of Diamonds. The Ace of Clubs is
the Boss' lair and the Ace of Diamonds is the treasure room.
Once the dungeon's generation is completed, any Room
still face down is considered a dead-end.
Dungeon Theme Dungeon inhabitants
1d100 Thème 1d100 Inhabitants
01-20 Catacombs 01-10 A pack of wild beasts
21-40 Caverns 11-20 A troop of bandits
41-60 Fortress 21-30 An evil cult
61-80 Temple 31-40 A battalion of slave raiders
81-00 Wizard Tower 41-50 An undead horde
51-60 A colony of dangerous plants
Catacombs: Bones and coffins cover the wall, and you feel 61-70 A cohort of artificial creatures
shivers down your spine. But ancient treasures should be 71-80 A cluster of elementals
buried with the corpses... 81-90 An aberration infestation
The dungeon may be a gothic crypt, an antic tomb lost in
the desertt or a mausoleum hiden in a forest. 91-00 A legion of fiends

Caverns: It's hot, and dark. Stalactite and stalagmite are Adapt the inhabitants' type according to your character level:
everywhere. And the regular shakes makes you dread a wild beasts can be rats or dinosaurs.
landslide. But those tunnels must hide something...
The dungeon may be a pirate hideout, a monstrous
creature's nest or a forgotten mine.
The Oracle
Fortress: The dungeon is a stronghold. Its walls are high When you want to know more details about an
but its treasure rooms must be full... encounter or a room, ask the Oracle.
The dungeon may be a ruined castle, an entranched fort or Choose the likeliness of a positive answer to
an impregnable bastion. your question, then express it as a closed question.
Example: The player wants to know if there is
Temple: Altars, statues and incense, the dungeon is book in a bookcase. They are in a Wizard Tower so
probably majestic, filled with sculptures and tapestries . All they determine that it's likely. They roll 1d100 and
these riches are worth all the dangers... their results is below 75: there is books in the
The dungeon may be a corrupted holy place, a temple bookcase.
dedicated to an evil god or the ruins of an ancient cult. The Oracle
Yes No
Wizard Tower: A lot of bookcases and shelves covered
with weird artifacts are piled up in the rooms. There's a Impossible 01-10 11-00
strange magical ambience. But the knowledge this tower is Unlikely 01-25 26-00
keeping is priceless...
The dungeon may be a necromancer lair, a secret library or Neutral 01-50 51-00
a disgusting laboratory. Likely 01-75 76-00
Undoubted 01-90 91-00

Theme & Dungeon Layout

The arrangement of the cards will always be flat.
However; do not hesitate to imagine, and
describe, the link between the Rooms as stairs,
ladders or anything.
For example, nothing stops you from describing
Dungeon difficulty
each Door as a teleporter. It would even mesh very 1d100 Difficulty
well with the Wizard Tower Theme. 01-10 Very Easy
11-30 Easy
31-70 Medium
71-90 Hard
91-00 Very Hard

Roll on this table to establish the encounters' dangerousness,

the monsters' level and the traps' lethality. Adjust according
to the system you use.
Dungeon Layout
Generator
Suit Additional Doors
Hearts 0 numbered from 2 to 9 from the Stash
Clubs 1
Diamonds 2 Example:
Spades 3 The game begins. I put the Ace of Spades in the center of the
Basic Principle
When you advance your token toward a face down Room,
you flip it revealing its Suit. Following the Dungeon Layout
Generator table, you learn how many Additional Doors link
your Current Postion with neighboring Rooms.
Then, put a number of face down Rooms from the Stash
equal to the number of Additional Doors corresponding to
your Current Position's Suit.
Doors and Secret Passage
When you reveal a Room, you must create a number of
Additional Doors according to its Suit.
However, sometimes the Dungeon Layout Generator tells
you to link your Current Position with an already revealed
neighboring Room. It may contradict the current dungeon
layout.
For example, a Clubs Room whose Additional Door is
already linked may be next to a Spades room which is
supposed to have three Additional Doors linked to it.*.
In that case, instead of a Door, it's a Secret Passage
which link the Rooms. It let you explain narratively the
establishment of an until then non-existent link between the
Rooms.
Use in priority Doors to link your Current Position with
Rooms you've just took off the Stash.
Then, if necessary, link your Current position with an
already revealed Room using a Secret Passage.
Finally, if you have no other option, link your Current
Position with a face down Room using a Secret Passage.
Blocked!
If the three Doors linked to the Dungeon Entrace
lead to Hearts Room, then, draw three face down
card from the Stash and create three new Rooms
linked to your Current Position by Secret Passages.
Variants
If you want a small dungeon, discard all the cards
numbered from 2 to 5 from the Stash.
If you want a tiny dungeon, discard all the cards
table: it's the Dungeon Entrance. I put my token on it to
mark my Current Position. The I draw three face down
Rooms from the Stash an I arrange them around the
Dungeon Entrance. I write down on my map that these
three Rooms are linked to my Current Position by Doors.
(1a)
I advance my token toward the central Door and reveal the
next Room: The 3 of Clubs. Following the Dungeon Layout
Generator table, I learn that my Current Position is linked to
a Room by an Additional Door. So I draw a face down card
from the Stash and put it in front of my Current Position.
(1b)
I advance my token and reveal the 2 of Diamonds. So I
draw two other Rooms from the Stash and I link them to my
Current Position with Doors. (1c)
I advance my token toward the Room on my right et I
reveal the Queen of Hearts. Because of the Suit of my
Current Position, I have no Additional Door to link to it. I
must backtrack to resume my delving. (1d)
So I go back to the previous Room and I advance toward
the Door on my left. I reveal then the Room: the 6 of Spades.
I draw three face down Rooms from the Stash and I arrange
them around my Current Position. (2a)
I advance toward the upper Room and I reveal the 9 of
Diamonds. I must add two Additional Doors to my Current
Position. However, given the Dungeon Layout, I can only add
one face down Room from the Stash. So I link with a Door
my Current Position to a face down Room. But i link it too,
with a Secret Passage, to an already revealed Room: the 3
of Clubs. (2b)
Encounter in the Room
Spades
Rank Encounter
2 An heavy object (a statue, a pillar or a big rock) is
about to fall. You shouldn't stay here.
3 Ropes, lianas or chains obstruct the room. They try
to tie you up.
4 A biting cold or an intense heat is produced by the
room. It may be magical or natural. Staying here for
a long time is unbearable.
5 The room's layout force you to take a perilous
passageway. It may be a a narrow bridge over a lava
pool. or a tiny cornice over abysses.
6 The atmosphere in this room is corrupted. A lot of
rotting corpses are stocked here. Mold and
sickness are everywhere around you.
7 A magical effect linked to the Dungeon Theme
make this room harmful. May be it's the remains of
a necromantic ritual? Or may be it's an ancient
ward?
8 Crude statues lay in this room. When you walk past
them, they begin to shake their arms and to spit
fire.
9 You find a chest, a box or a crate. Unfortunately, it
doesn't contain any valuable. It's a bait and it's
trapped.
10 This room contains a cursed artifact. Its dark
energy encompass and corrupt the room. It calls
you.
Jack A vast pit is hidden in the center of the room. it
may be disguised by an illusion, covered by a rug
or hidden under a bush.
Queen The room is full of smokes or miasma. The
visibility is reduced and the air is barely breathable
King The room is trapped! If you aren't careful, you will
walk on a trigger and seal the room. once the exits
will be sealed, the walls will begin to come closer...
Ace You enter the dungeon.
Clubs
Rank Encounter
2 You encounter 2 patrolling inhabitants.
3 You encounter 3 patrolling inhabitants.
4 You encounter 4 patrolling inhabitants.
5 You encounter a party of inhabitants. They didn't
noticed you yet, you may fight or flight.
6 You encounter a party of inhabitants. The room's
layout makes this encouter difficult. A landlside or
an underground river may obstruct the room. The
environement favors your enemies.
7 You are surrounded! Enemies are coming frome
everywhere! You must fight your way through. Or
find another solution...
8 You encounter one of the most powerful
inhabitants of the dungeon. Strangely, they don't
engage in battle with you. They observe you...
9 Inhabitants are on the verge to trigger something
very dangerous. They may be in the process of
building a bomb or to practice a ritual. If you don't
stop them soon, you will have to pay the price.
10 Scouts have seen you!Catch them up or you will
face a harsh battle.
Jack You encounter two parties of inhabitants who
seems to be in conflict. You ignore why they argue
but you could take advantage of this situation.
Queen You discover a crucial room. May be it's an
infirmary or a dormitory. Or may be it's an
extraplanar rift or the receptacle of powerful
magical artifact. The room is guarded by mighty
foes.
King You arrived at a chokepoint. you must face
entrenched enemies, the battle will be difficult.
Ace You encounter the Dungon Boss. It may be a chief
escorted by minions or a huge beast. Prepare for
an epic battle!
Diamonds Hearts
Rank Encounter Rank Encounter
2 The room is filled with once splendid and valuable Jack You find an inconspicuous shelter. A safe haven in
objects turned into garbage. the middle of danger.
3 You find a room filled with crates. But those crates Queen You find something capable of healing your
are empty. The dead body of an adventurer lay on wounds. You may find an infirmary or a magical
the ground. fountain.
4 You think you have find a treasure. But what you've King You find something which temporary increase your
just found has no value. May be it was just colored powers.
rocks, or even an illusion.
Ace You find a splendid room. For whatever reasons,
5 The room is filled with art pieces: statues, the dungeon inhabitants don't come here. In this
paintings and jewelry. They aren't very valuable but room you feel appeased. The room cures all your
each object has a unique beauty. afflictions.
6 There is a mirror, a pool or a fountain in the room.
The reflection it gives is strangely misshapen. It's
not very pronounced, but enough for it to be
awkward.
7 A broken artifact emit a slight buzz and a dim light.
Its aura encompass the room and makes you
uncomfortable.
8 Diaries, scrolls or murals tell the inhabitants' past.
Maybe you will discover the nefarious plot of a
mad mage or battle reports of a war chief.
9 An altar or a sanctuary is in the middle of the room.
It seems significant for the inhabitants and it's well
maintained.
10 In this room, the walls are covered with tapestries,
paintings or engravings. These art pieces reveal the
dungeon's history.
Jack There is a stash of valuable objects hidden in this
room. Open your eyes and you may become richer.
Queen In this room, you will find potions and ointments.
King In the center of the room, on a pedestal, a
magnificent weapon is exhibited. A powerful
magical aura emanate from it.
Ace You find the treasure room! The inhabitants' most
valuable objects are stocked here. Gold, jewelry
and magical objects are within easy reach.