Variant Rule: Wild Cards: Hands
Hands
As a variant rule, while using cards, you may allow the players to declare a 'hand', giving special abilities in battle at the cost of a large amount of cards, lasting either for a turn, or passively until a card in the passive hand is actively used, resulting in the hand being broken, while a hand is in play, the players do not draw cards to replace them, e.g. if a Player places down a Straight flush, 5 cards, the player has 2 cards left in his hand, he does not draw 5 more cards, but remains with the 2 cards n his hand and the 5 on the table, either until he is forced to break the Straight flush by using cards in it, or until they are discarded.
Official Hands
Shown below is the name of the hand, followed by the cards in the hand, and then the effect of the hand.
- One Pair: Any 1 pair in hand, for example, 4♠, 4♦: You ain't got much, but you have a brass pair and men have won with less
When a player has a pair, if he makes a play involving one of the cards, he may also set down the other one instead of one of his other suit cards. e.g. Tex has the following hand: K♦, 4♣, 6♣, 2♣, 6♦, 3♥, 8♦; he has a pair, the 6♦ and the 6♣; Tex makes a action involving clubs, which he has 3 points in. He has 2 choices, he can use his 4♣, 6♣ and 2♣, giving him a total of 12. However he has a paired 6♦, so he chooses to use his pair, and puts down his 6♦, 6♣ and his 4♣, a total of 16.
- Two Pair: Any 2 Pairs in hand, for example, A♠, A♥, K♣, K♠: Its gonna be close, but you think things just might go your way...if you play things right
A two pair can be used during a play involving one of the cards, he may set down the other one instead of one of his other suit cards, however he can discard the other pair, allowing the pair he has just placed down to count as a single card, in effect doubling the value of a single card. e.g. Tex has the following hand Q♠, Q♥, K♣, K♠, 6♣, J♥, 3♥. He decides upon an action that relies on hearts, which he has 2 points in. He has 4 choices, he can choose to play his 3 and J, giving him a total of 14, his 3 and Q, giving him a total of 15, his J and Q, giving him a total of 23, or he can choose to discard his pair of kings and play his 2 Queens (Which now count as 1 card for playing) and one of his other cards, giving him either a total of 27 (12+12+3) or 35 (12+12+11).
- Three of a kind: Any set of 3 cards of the same type in a hand, for example 5♠, 5♥, 5♣: You grit your teeth and bite the bullet, there's a lot at stake, but you got a hell of a lot more to lose not throwing it to the winds than if you don't
A three of a kind can be activated by placing it on the table before you, as long as a three of a kind is in play, the Player who played it can play cards of the other suit of the same color as the action he is making per hand, e.g. He can play Heart cards if making a Diamond Move, or Spade cards if making a Clubs move.
- Straight: Any 5 cards in sequence: Now luck was out the window, it was 2 men, 2 guns and one of each would walk away from here...luck had nothing to do with it anymore:
No hands can be played for the rest of the session by anyone. All the cards are placed out on the table face down and each turn when making an action, the players and GM draw a number of cards equal to their number of points in that skill and, ignoring suit, those are their cards for this action. e.g. Tex uses a Spades move, he has 3 points in Spades, he draws a 3♥, a A♣ and a K♠, he ignores the suit, so his total is 20+13+3.
- Flush: 5 cards of the same suit: Everything seemed to stop for a moment, like the tides were changing and the wind was going to blow a completely different direction now, things had changed.:
All players and any NPCs all discard their cards and, after shuffling, everyone is given a set of 4, with another card given every turn after (So 4, then 5, then 6, then back to 7).
- Full House: Any Pair and Three of a Kind: It was his last chance to even the playing field and balance the books before things got out of control, and he sure as hell was going to make sure things were even in his favor
When a Full house is activated, you discard all other cards in your hand except the Full house, any hands currently in play are removed from the table and 10 cards are dealt to everyone at the table if possible, they take the 7 lowest, and give the others to the Player who played full house. He can hold as many cards as needed for this action.
- Four of a kind: Any 4 cards of the same Rank, such as 4 9s, or 4 Kings: Things have just gotten very interesting, you're desperate, wanted and poor...but you got your ace in the hole.: A 4 of a kind set can be activated to result in a small change in the direction of the campaign, an old PC rejoins the group, having been thought dead and buried, an NPC turns out to be more than they were expected to be, someone from a characters background appears at a vital moment to help them. It is GM discretion how far reaching the effects of a four of a kind play can be.
- Straight Flush: Any 5 cards in sequence of the same suit: You feel a sudden surge of confidence, you hold all the cards, everything is going to go right, it's time to take those sons of bitches to the cleaners.
When a straight flush is played, the character automatically succeeds on all his actions spectacularly for the rest of the scene, no matter how unlikely the action, be it blowing up a train with a single shot, shooting down an entire gang with only a barrelful of bullets, stopping a close friend from dying when he drops off a cliff, or surviving when an entire mine collapses on his head, the set can also be used to proclaim one major change to the campaign direction, at GM discretion. The action can be an extended one, the results can be long lasting and wide spread and world changing, for a glimmering moment, Lady Luck lets the character have his way with her completely.
Unique Sets
Unique Sets are specific series of cards that have completely unique hand effects, or can be used for their hand ability if they are part of a hand.
- High 7: 7,5,4,3,2 : Lady Luck just ain't with you tonight is she? Nothing's going right at all... Still, you got your Card, your wits and desperation, maybe with those, you'll make it out of here.
While High 7 is in play, the PC doesn't have to use his cards and can instead opt to use dice rolling to determine his rolls. This hand lasts 1 conflict at the most.
- Dead Man's hand: A♣A♠8♣8♠: The Reaper walks with you today, someone is going to die... maybe you, maybe someone who sets you off just wrong... maybe someone you never even met who you just crossed paths with... but someone is gonna bleed out before Dawn breaks, the Reaper wants his toll for coming all this way...:
When the Dead Man's hand is played, any damage done to any NPC, no matter how minor, is an automatic kill, and any damage done to any PC is tripled. This effect lasts the entire encounter and cannot be undone by the Player.
- Red Man's hand: A♥A♦8♥8♦: Funny, I coulda sworn I remember you from somewhere. Well, unless you're carrying something of value, you'd best move along, stranger. You too, mister Black...:
When the Red Man's hand is played, the Dead Man's hand, if it is in play, is automatically removed, and any attempts to escape or diffuse the situation automatically succeed. However, anyone who participates cannot remember anyone else in the conflict.
- Six Tits: 3 Queens: Well, damn, who do you got under the table- Mom?! You're in fer it now, you mother-kissing bastard!:
Should the Six Tits come out, the PC that played it may use any kind of suit for an action, as long as they can describe how the change in suit works with the action.
- Four Horsemen: 4 Kings: It's not often that a 'slinger travels with company, even less so when Hell itself is on their heels. Either you got extremely lucky, or everything's gone downhill. Likely both.:
When the Four Horsemen is played, any PC may decide the outcome of one event in the present or future, at the cost of the Dealer deciding the outcome of two events.
- The Dirty: A 6 and a 9:
- Sweet 16: A 10 and a 6:
- Forest: 4 3s:
- Old Smokey: 3 6s: You have the Devil's own luck tonight, things might go bad, things might go good... whatever happens, people are going to sing of this day for years to come:
Any and all conflict rolls either fail in the most spectacular way possible, or pass in the most spectacular way possible.
- 30 Miles of Bad Road: 3 10s: Long way to go, and all of it hell. Well, unless you got the Vagabond...:
Travel time now has multiple random encounters every day. If the Ten of Diamonds is a Card with the PCs, then once per day, they can decide what their next encounter is going to be. This lasts until the campaign ends or a character dies.
- TNT: 10♥10♦: Hoo boy. You just had to bring out the big guns, didn't you?:
Place a die in the middle of the table, with the face-up number being the number of people around the table. Whenever anyone holding a Card acts, lower the die counter by one. When it reaches zero, the encounter ends immediately in an explosion big enough to tip a cow over from twenty paces away.
- Big Slick: King and an Ace: Well, hot damn, that's twenty-one dead. Nice going, 'slinger, seems the Cards are in your favour... Or perhaps you made a deal with the Dealer...:
When Big Slick is played, each player may acquire a new Card or trade one of their Cards for another random one. If in combat, the PC who played this may use the power of any Card (excluding the Jokers) for the rest of the encounter.
- Bullets: 2 Aces: Give me an extra turn dealer, or I'm gonna give you two bullets; where do you want 'em?:
Instead of having a 7 hand deck, you now in any conflict, have an 8 hand deck. This lasts until the campaign ends or the character dies.
| Wild Cards | |
|---|---|
| Spades: | 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - J - Q - K - A |
| Hearts: | 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - J - Q - K - A |
| Clubs: | 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - J - Q - K - A |
| Diamonds: | 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - J - Q - K - A |
| Jokers: | Red Joker - Black Joker |
| Introduction - The World - Gameplay - Stories of the world On the Attainment, Ownership and Passing of The Cards Variant Rule: Hands | |