Deck of many things

A deck of many things was a type of magical assortment of cards or metallic plates that were arranged in a set deck. They were enchanted with great magic and imbued with great power that were never to be used lightly.

Description
While each deck of many things was different, they held some common properties. The majority of decks found throughout the Realms contained 13 cards while approximately 1/4 of them held 22. They were typically made of vellum or ivory, but could also be cast from thin sheets of metal. They were often kept in a small pouch or ornate box.

The cards were named and each was adorned with a unique portrait that shimmered with a radiance of power. A 13-card deck included a sun, moon, star, throne, key, knight, the void, flames, skull, ruin, euryale, rogue and jester card, while a 22-card deck added the vizier, comet, the fates, gem, talons, idiot, donjon, balance and fool.

Powers
The exact powers of each individual deck were not known until the cards were drawn. Before this, an individual declared how many cards they intended to draw. They did so randomly and had to wait one hour before drawing again. Any extraneously drawn cards had no effect and if an individual failed to draw the number of cards they previously declared all the remaining cards flew from the deck and took effect.

Once a card was successfully drawn, its magic immediately took effect and then it faded into oblivion.

Effects
The following effects were known to afflict, benefit or otherwise change whomever drew the card:
 * Sun: They were granted tremendous insight and skill as if they were much more experienced in their travels. In addition they were granted a single wondrous item from anywhere throughout the Realms or other planes of existence.
 * moon: They gained the ability to cast the powerful spell wish in one to three instances.
 * star: Two defining qualities of them were greatly, and permanently enhanced. Such characteristics included their wit, intellect, fortitude, athletic ability or other similar characteristics that helped define who they were as a person.
 * throne: They became adept at influencing others to a heroic extent. Additionally some random keep located somewhere throughout Toril came into their rightful possession. However, the keep was infested with monstrous creatures who had to be expelled before it could be claimed. There were no recorded instances of any keeps appearing or having their ownership transferred by means of drawing this card from a deck of many things.
 * key: A rare weapon, of a type with which they were proficient, appeared in the hands of the card's drawer.