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Arcana

Tarot cards are integrated into The Wayspace System as a hand of "Fate"—a tangible resource players hold that allows them to bend the laws of probability and narrative.

You play cards to change the story.

Every participant (player and gamemaster) can play a card at any time, and have its effect take place. Some cards (Major Arcana) are a World Effect, and the gamemaster must agree to the resolution of each World effect card. If a GM cannot agree to a played Arcana card, then the player receives a Luck point and a new card.

The Hand of Fate

At the start of every session, shuffle a standard 78-card Tarot Deck. Each participant in the game draws three cards. They keep these cards hidden in their hand (or face down on the table).

  • Max Hand Size: You can never hold more than 3 cards at a time.

  • Regaining Cards: You draw a new card when you spend your current one, AND you ensure the cards effect has been added to the narrative of the game story in an engaging way. Otherwise the GM may deny an Arcana effect, allowing the player a new card draw.

The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana (The Fool, Death, The Tower, etc.) represent forces beyond the players' control. These cards show the meddling of Ascendants into the world.

At any point, a Major Arcana card can be played and placed face up in the centre of the table. This card acts as a Global Rule Modifier for the rest of the scene. Changing location, a change of scene, will likely change the Major Arcana card, causing it to be discarded. That is up to the GM. They may rule that the Major Arcana card affects a larger region than simply the direct area of the scene.

Multiple Major Arcana cards can be in effect at one time, however. It risks Convergence!

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Atmosphere changes

To deepen the roleplay experience the Major Arcana don’t just impose a mechanical rule, but also an Atmospheric Shift (for the GM to describe) and a Narrative Imperative (a behavioral prompt for the players).

When a Major Arcana card is active, the very genre of the game shifts slightly.

The Global Mechanic: “The Arcane Key”

While a Major Arcana card is active, players can earn Progress or Luck Points by leaning into the card's theme.

  • The Rule: Once per scene, if a player voluntarily creates a complication or initiates a character moment based on the card’s Narrative Imperative, the GM awards them 1 Luck Point or 1 Progress Point.

Here is the complete delineation of the 22 Major Arcana as Global World Rules.

When the Major Arcana plays one of these cards, its effect applies to everyone—Players and NPCs/Monsters alike.

    • Atmosphere: The air smells like ozone and rain. The world feels vibrant, cartoonishly bright, and dangerous. Consequences seem distant.

    • Narrative Imperative: "Leap Before You Look."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you voluntarily trigger a trap, open a door without checking, or insult a powerful enemy just to see what happens.

    • Narrative Flavor: the laws of physics are bored. Probability has decided to take a day off.

    • The Rule: Inversion.

      • A Natural 1 is treated as a Critical Success.

      • A Natural 20 is treated as a Critical Failure.

      • Any player who forgets this rule and cheers/groans inappropriately takes 1 Stress damage.

    • Atmosphere: Static electricity makes hair stand up. Machinery hums louder. The distinction between science, magic, and art blurs.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Show Your Work."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent point when you describe exactly how your spell/tech works in technobabble detail, or when you use a tool for something it wasn't designed for.

    • Narrative Flavor: the air crackles with potential. Magic, tech, and craft respond to the slightest touch.

    • The Rule:Efficiency.

      • All Stress Costs for Powers, Spells, and Tech abilities are halved (rounded down, minimum 1).

      • Skill checks involving Method (Crafting/Repair) take half the time to complete.

    • Atmosphere: Sounds are muffled, as if underwater. Shadows stretch unnaturally. NPCs speak in riddles or whispers.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Trust No One."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent Point when you keep a piece of information from the party "for their own good," or when you communicate with another player using only code/glances.

    • Narrative Flavor: Shadows lengthen. Everything is quieter. The truth is hiding just beneath the surface.

    • The Rule:The Unspoken.

      • Verbal communication is difficult (voices don't carry).

      • Insight checks to detect lies or read intentions have Advantage.

      • If a player keeps a secret from the party for the entire session, they gain 2 Talent Points at the end.

    • Atmosphere: The environment is overgrown, humid, or claustrophobically "alive." Scents of blood, soil, and milk.

    • Narrative Imperative: "Protect the Weak."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you prioritize saving an NPC, pet, or object over attacking the enemy.

    • Narrative Flavor: Life blooms aggressively. Moss covers the ruins; adrenaline pumps faster; wounds knit shut.

    • The Rule: Vitality

      • All healing (Magical, Medical, or Resting) restores Maximum Dice Value. (e.g., a d8 potion heals 8, not 1-8).

      • However, enemies also regenerate 1d4 HP at the start of their turns unless taken to 0.

    • Atmosphere: Architecture looks brutalist and imposing. The light is harsh and grey. Time seems to tick cleanly and rhythmically.

    • Narrative Imperative: "Respect the Chain."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you address allies by formal titles (Sir, Doctor, My Lord) or strictly follow a plan despite a better opportunity appearing.

    • Narrative Flavor: Gravity feels heavier. Mistakes are punished. Authority is absolute.

    • The Rule:Hard Mode.

      • The DC for all checks is increased by +2.

      • All damage dealt by Weapons (Players and Enemies) is increased by +2.

    • Atmosphere: Dust motes dance in shafts of light. The feeling of being in a library or cathedral. The weight of history presses down.

    • Narrative Imperative: "Cite Precedent."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent point when you solve a problem by referencing a past adventure, history, or tradition rather than innovation.

    • Narrative Flavor:T here is safety in numbers. The lone wolf dies; the pack survives.

    • The Rule:Cohesion.

      • The Help Action is empowered. When you Help an ally, they add your full Attribute Score to the roll, rather than just rolling with Advantage.

      • Any character ending their turn more than 30ft away from an ally suffers Disadvantage on Defense (AC).

    • Atmosphere: The temperature rises. Colors are saturated. Every interaction feels intimate and intense.

      • Narrative Imperative: "The Obsession."

        • Reward: Earn Luck when you put yourself in harm's way to impress or protect your specific "Partner" (chosen at start of session).

    • Narrative Flavor:Fates are entwined. Every action has an equal reaction.

    • The Rule:The Bond.

      • Players must choose a partner for the session.

      • If your partner succeeds on a Check, you gain +1 Luck Point.

      • If your partner takes Damage, you take half that damage (as Stress) sympathetically.

    • Atmosphere: The wind is howling. Everything vibrates with kinetic energy. Standing still feels physically painful.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Never Look Back."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent Point when you refuse to retreat, or when you make a decision instantly without consulting the group.

    • Narrative Flavor: Stop and you die. Momentum is the only thing keeping you alive.

    • The Rule: Velocity.

      • Movement Speeds for all creatures are doubled.

      • If a character (Player or Enemy) does not move at least 10ft on their turn, they suffer Disadvantage on their next Attack roll.

    • Atmosphere: The smell of sweat and musk. A low, thrumming heartbeat is audible in the background. Civility feels like a thin mask.

    • Narrative Imperative: "Kill with Kindness" or "Embrace the Beast."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you soothe a hostile enemy without violence, OR when you go purely feral and drop your weapon to use fists/teeth.

    • Narrative Flavor: It is not about how hard you hit. It is about how hard you can get hit.

    • The Rule: Grit.

      • Stress (Mental HP) acts as a shield. You can choose to take Physical Damage as Stress Damage instead (1 for 1).

      • If your Stress hits 0, you do not panic; you enter a Berserk State (Double Damage, but you cannot distinguish friend from foe).

    • Atmosphere: Fog, darkness, or blinding snow. Players feel miles apart even when standing next to each other.

    • Narrative Imperative: "Internal Monologue."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent Point when you reveal a deep personal regret to the audience (the other players) via "thinking out loud," or when you refuse help.

    • Narrative Flavor: The fog is thick. You are the only real thing in the universe.

    • The Rule: Solo Tactics.

      • Flanking bonuses are disabled.

      • Stealth (Guile) checks gain Advantage.

      • Healing spells/abilities cannot be cast on others, only on Self.

    • Atmosphere: The environment is chaotic—weather changes rapidly, lights flicker, gravity shifts.

    • Narrative Imperative: "Gamble Everything."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you flip a coin (real or in-game) to make a major decision.

    • Narrative Flavor: Luck is a pendulum. Tick, tock.

    • The Rule: The Cycle.

      • Even Rounds: Players have Advantage on all Attacks. Enemies have Disadvantage.

      • Odd Rounds: Enemies have Advantage on all Attacks. Players have Disadvantage.

    • Atmosphere: Everything is symmetrical, clean, and cold. Mirrors are everywhere. The silence is judgmental.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Confess Your Sins."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent Point when you admit to a crime or mistake from your backstory to an NPC or party member.

    • Narrative Flavor: Eye for an eye. Randomness is removed; only cold math remains.

    • The Rule: Flat Math.

      • Do not roll for Damage.

      • All attacks deal Average Damage (e.g., 1d6 becomes 4).

      • Crits do not exist. Natural 20s are just hits. Natural 1s are just misses.

    • Atmosphere: The world feels inverted or suspended in amber. Time moves sluggishly. Pain feels distant, like a memory.

    • Narrative Imperative:"The Martyr."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you voluntarily fail a roll or take a hit to ensure someone else succeeds.

      • Narrative Flavor: To move forward, you must let go. Pain brings clarity.

      • The Rule: Martyrdom.

        • A player can voluntarily suffer 5 Damage (ignoring armor) to grant themselves or an ally Advantage on a roll.

        • You can delay your turn to go last in the round; if you do, your first action is a Critical Success if it hits.

    • Atmosphere: Autumn leaves, decay, rust. The feeling of a party ending. A bittersweet acceptance.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Say Goodbye."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you speak as if you aren't coming back from this mission, or act to secure your legacy rather than your life.

      • Narrative Flavor: Nothing ends cleanly. Every death spawns a new problem.

      • The Rule: Fallout.

        • When a minion/monster dies, it explodes, releases a toxic cloud, or spawns a hazard (Fire/Acid) in its space.

        • If a Player hits 0 HP, they immediately stabilize, but they gain a permanent Scar or Minor Defect (-1 to a random stat).

    • Atmosphere: Surreally calm. Sounds are harmonious. Colors blend like watercolor paint.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Find the Middle Ground."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent Point when you advocate for compromise with a monster or villain, or refuse to use lethal force.

      • Temperance (Synthesis)

        • Narrative Flavor:Fire and Water mix without steam. The impossible becomes mundane.

        • The Rule:Alchemy.

          • You can swap Attributes for checks if you can explain it. (e.g., Using Intellect to swing a sword by calculating the angle).

          • Damage types are neutralized. Fire, Cold, and Acid deal standard Kinetic damage.

    • Atmosphere: Oppressively hot. The smell of sulfur or expensive perfume. Everything looks desirable and corrupted.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Give in to Vice."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you steal, drink, betray a minor promise, or take the easy way out.

      • Narrative Flavor: Why resist? It is so much easier to just take what you want.

      • The Rule: Vice.

        • The "Flaw" System pays double. If you trigger your Flaw, you gain 2 Luck Points instead of 1.

        • You can accept a Devil's Bargain on any roll: Add +10 to your roll, but the GM introduces a terrible narrative complication regardless of success/failure.

    • Atmosphere: The ground shakes. Cracks appear in walls. A sense of impending doom and panic.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Panic."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you scream, accuse an ally of treason, or act irrationally out of fear.

      • Narrative Flavor: The ground shakes. The roof collapses. Nowhere is safe.

      • The Rule: Destruction.

        • All Cover is temporary. If a piece of cover is hit by a missed attack, it is destroyed.

        • Explosives/Spells deal double damage to structures.

        • At the top of every round, a random environmental hazard occurs (falling rocks, steam vents, floor collapse).

    • Atmosphere: Starlight, clear cool air, silence. A feeling of profound loneliness but also clarity.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Dream Out Loud."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent Point when you discuss what you will do after the campaign is over.

      • The Star (Hope)

        • Narrative Flavor:The night is dark, but the way forward is illuminated.

        • The Rule:Inspiration.

          • The Luck Point cap is removed (you can hold more than 5).

          • Whenever a player succeeds on a check by 5 or more, they generate 1 Luck Point for the pool (anyone can use it).

    • Atmosphere: Shifting shadows. Things moving in the corner of your eye. Dampness.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Question Reality."

      • Reward: Earn Luck when you react to a hallucination (that the GM describes) as if it were real.

      • Narrative Flavor: Is that a friend? Or a monster? The shadows are lying.

      • The Rule: Paranoia.

        • The range of all Ranged Weapons and Spells is capped at 30 feet. Beyond that, targets are obscured.

        • Enemies can use Guile to hide in plain sight.

        • Players must make a Discipline Save to discern hallucinations from reality.

    • Atmosphere: Blindingly bright. No shadows. Heat. The truth is unavoidable and burning.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Bask in Glory."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent Point when you boast, show off, or demand attention.

      • Narrative Flavor:There are no shadows. No lies. Only the burning truth.

      • The Rule:Revelation.

        • Stealth is impossible. Invisibility fails.

        • All hidden doors/traps are automatically revealed.

        • All Undead or creatures of darkness take 1d6 Radiant damage every round.

    • Atmosphere: Trumpets in the distance. The air is thin. Ghosts of past NPCs seem to watch from the sidelines.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Atone."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent Point when you try to make up for a past failure or seek forgiveness from an NPC.

      • Narrative Flavor:The past is not dead. It is here to collect a debt.

      • The Rule:Karma.

        • If you have killed an innocent or betrayed someone in the campaign, their "ghost" (narrative manifestation) haunts you, imposing Disadvantage on Discipline checks.

        • However, if you have performed a great deed, you gain Advantage on Death Saves.

        • Dead characters (from previous sessions) may return for one scene to assist.

    • Atmosphere: A sense of deja vu. The feeling that you have been here before and will be here again. Perfection.

    • Narrative Imperative:"Complete the Circle."

      • Reward: Earn a Talent Point when you reference the very beginning of the campaign or use your character's starting equipment to solve a high-level problem.

      • Narrative Flavor:You are exactly where you need to be. The universe aligns.

      • The Rule:Mastery.

        • Players gain Proficiency in EVERYTHING.

        • Every skill check includes your Proficiency Bonus, even if you are untrained.

        • If you are already Proficient/Expert, double your bonus.