A Playing Card Adventure Generator for Dungeons and Dragons and Other Systems
- Cat Webling
- Oct 29
- 6 min read
I absolutely love random generation methods for brainstorming one-shot and campaign ideas for TTRPG systems like Dungeons and Dragons. I also have an interest in cartomancy systems like tarot. So, I thought, why not combine the two and create a random generation system that uses a deck of playing cards rather than rolling tables?
The Setup
I'm going to structure this like a tarot spread, as I think it'll be relatively easy to implement that way. Wizards of the Coast does a similar thing with their Deck of Many Things source book and card set; it's a great way to build up the story simply and gives you plenty of room to customize and expand within the structure.
We'll do a 5 card draw and lay them out as so:
Card 1 is your setting you're working with. It might inspire you to think about the physical surroundings, religious or political undertones you want to work with, or the genre your campaign is set in. This gives you a basis for world building later on and makes the rest of the cards easier to contextualize.
Card 2 is your story's theme. It might help you decide whether you're going for a more serious or silly setup, what kind of hook might be useful to you, and what sorts of characters you might need later.
Card 3 is your quest, or what the characters are aiming to get or achieve. It could inspire a magical McGuffin, a character to rescue, or maybe an enemy to defeat.
Card 4 is your main antagonist. Who are they? What do they want? Where do they sit on the alignment chart? Think about how they'll interact with the party and how they relate to the quest.
Card 5 is the stakes. It might point to what could happen if the party fails to complete their quest, or the rewards they might get if they succeed.
The Suits
To start with this generator, we need to define what the suits - Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades - will mean for our purposes. I'm going to base this on their traditional divinatory meanings, and adapt them.
Hearts are, unsurprisingly, normally associated with emotions and connection. These cards in this context might indicate a deeply personal story, or a story that has high emotional stakes for the characters.
Diamonds are typically considered to be the cards for "earthly" or material things like money and physical resources. These cards could suggest wealth or fame as motivators or background traits.
Clubs can be associated with actions and decision making. Here, that might mean that there's something the characters need to actively do or decide to progress, or it might mean that the world is dynamic or in a state of flux.
Spades are all about communication and challenge, as well as mental features. They might describe a particularly thoughtful character or a situation that requires wits to get out of.
The Numbers and Trump Cards
As before, we'll use classical cartomantic meanings to get ideas for interpreting the various numbers and trump cards.
One or Ace is usually the card for beginnings. Maybe it's talking about a younger or more naive character just starting their journey, or it's talking about someone or something turning over a new leaf. It could also be talking about something being a high priority.
Two is about cooperation or conflict, depending on the situation, and can also hint at relationships between individuals. It could mean that your party or a party member knows this character or item particularly well, or that it's connected to a larger goal.
Three is about expanding your situation or being creative. It could talk about your characters' children or an apprentice of some description, or maybe rapid progress for a world or society.
Four is about structure and stability, finding order after a bit of chaos. Maybe it's talking about an institution in place or a set of rules in a moral code.
Five is about humanity and the freedom to change. These cards could be about someone who fights for human rights or a revolutionary force.
Six can talk about the home and our responsibilities to each other. Maybe it's talking about parents or mentors, or having some kind of responsibility to the world.
Seven is the more spiritual number, talking about matters of the soul and introspection. It could refer to a magic user or system, or maybe divine inspiration.
Eight is all about cycles and energy, life force and the effects of an action. It could talk about the changing of seasons or of who's in power, or it could hint at a life-changing or even life-threatening event.
Nine is about consolidation and bringing things together. It could talk about finishing education or a master of a particular subject.
Ten is the end of a cycle; it's sort of One's direct opposite. It could be a death, a collapse, or a satisfying resolution, depending on the story.
Jacks are young, inexperienced, or particularly adventurous men (usually, but not always). It might talk about someone who wants to prove themselves or show off.
Queens are matriarchs, women in power whether they're in the home or on the throne. They are wise, emotionally and spiritually mature, and resilient.
Kings are the ultimate authority figure. They represent maturity in mental and worldly affairs, responsibility to groups of people rather than individuals, and those who are willing to protect what they value.
Putting It All Together - An Example Dungeons and Dragons Campaign
Let's pull some cards as an example of how this system could work.
Card 1: 8 of Spades
Card 2: 3 of Clubs
Card 3: King of Hearts
Card 4: 6 of Clubs
Card 5: 9 of Hearts
According to our generator, Card 1 is our setting. Since we drew an 8 in the Spade suite, our setting is a cyclical world where communication is vitally important. I'm thinking this means we're in a university setting, and our party is a group of students who are in the same year or sharing a class.
Card 2 is the theme of our story. We're staying with Spades - thinking about mental challenges and communication - and our number is 3, which relates to expansion and creativity, our party has been assigned either a group project or a group detention that they have to complete.
Card 3 is the quest, our characters' goals. For the King of Hearts, I think they're trying to impress the Dean of Students to get out of trouble or earn a particular reward - maybe there's a contest associated with the group project that could result in job connections for the future!
Card 4 is our antagonist. With the 6 of Clubs hinting at a decisive, action-oriented character related to the home or to responsibilities, I'm going to say that these students have a particularly nasty teacher who's secretly scheming to take the Dean's job, and thinks holding these students back or framing them for a major issue could help him achieve that.
Card 5 is the stakes. The 9 of Hearts is about bringing together the emotional impact of the story, so I'm thinking that this is a fairly low-stakes campaign that's more focused on relationships and building each other up than it is on major consequences. Maybe the stakes are whether or not the students can pass their year depending on how the project goes!
As in this example, feel free to bend the meanings given in the generator to fit your story with every card you pull. You can go back and change your interpretation if a later card throws something off, or you can choose to completely ignore a card if it doesn't fit into your idea (even though I think this presents a fun writing challenge for the DM to see if you can get it to fit). The point of the generator is to spark your creativity; if your campaign idea goes way off the rails from the card you pulled, let it! Follow that train of thought and build something fun that your whole table can enjoy.