# Card Slinger *Source: The Card Slinger* > [!tldr] Class and Feature Progression > > <table class="class-progression"> > <thead> > <tr><th colspan='4'></th></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><th class"level">Level</th><th class"pb">PB</th><th class"feature">Features</th><th class="value">Backstab</th></tr> > </thead><tbody> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">1st</td><td class"pb">+2</td><td class"feature"><a href='#The Deck (Level 1)' class='internal-link'>The Deck</a></td><td class="value">-</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">2nd</td><td class"pb">+2</td><td class"feature"><a href='#One With Shadows (Level 2)' class='internal-link'>One With Shadows</a>, <a href='#Backstab (Level 2)' class='internal-link'>Backstab</a>, <a href='#Action Surge (Level 2)' class='internal-link'>Action Surge</a></td><td class="value">`d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">3rd</td><td class"pb">+2</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Card Slinger Hand (Level 3)' class='internal-link'>Card Slinger Hand</a></td><td class="value">`d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">4th</td><td class"pb">+2</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Ability Score Improvement (Level 4)' class='internal-link'>Ability Score Improvement</a></td><td class="value">`d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">5th</td><td class"pb">+3</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Gambler's Luck (Level 5)' class='internal-link'>Gambler's Luck</a>, <a href='#Extra Attack (Level 5)' class='internal-link'>Extra Attack</a></td><td class="value">`d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">6th</td><td class"pb">+3</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Going the Distance (Level 6)' class='internal-link'>Going the Distance</a>, <a href='#Hand Feature (Level 6)' class='internal-link'>Hand Feature</a></td><td class="value">`d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">7th</td><td class"pb">+3</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Evasion (Level 7)' class='internal-link'>Evasion</a></td><td class="value">`2d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">8th</td><td class"pb">+3</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Ability Score Improvement (Level 8)' class='internal-link'>Ability Score Improvement</a></td><td class="value">`2d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">9th</td><td class"pb">+4</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Calling Card (Level 9)' class='internal-link'>Calling Card</a>, <a href='#Curving the Card (Level 9)' class='internal-link'>Curving the Card</a></td><td class="value">`2d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">10th</td><td class"pb">+4</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Hand Feature (Level 10)' class='internal-link'>Hand Feature</a></td><td class="value">`2d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">11th</td><td class"pb">+4</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Mulligan (Level 11)' class='internal-link'>Mulligan</a></td><td class="value">`2d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">12th</td><td class"pb">+4</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Ability Score Improvement (Level 12)' class='internal-link'>Ability Score Improvement</a></td><td class="value">`3d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">13th</td><td class"pb">+5</td><td class"feature"></td><td class="value">`3d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">14th</td><td class"pb">+5</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Card Gambit (Level 14)' class='internal-link'>Card Gambit</a></td><td class="value">`3d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">15th</td><td class"pb">+5</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Hand Feature (Level 15)' class='internal-link'>Hand Feature</a></td><td class="value">`3d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">16th</td><td class"pb">+5</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Ability Score Improvement (Level 16)' class='internal-link'>Ability Score Improvement</a></td><td class="value">`3d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">17th</td><td class"pb">+6</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Shadow Walk (Level 17)' class='internal-link'>Shadow Walk</a>, <a href='#Action Surge (two uses) (Level 17)' class='internal-link'>Action Surge (two uses)</a></td><td class="value">`4d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">18th</td><td class"pb">+6</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Resolute Mind (Level 18)' class='internal-link'>Resolute Mind</a></td><td class="value">`4d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">19th</td><td class"pb">+6</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Ability Score Improvement (Level 19)' class='internal-link'>Ability Score Improvement</a></td><td class="value">`4d6`</td></tr> > <tr class="class-progression"><td class"level">20th</td><td class"pb">+6</td><td class"feature"><a href='#Stacked Deck (Level 20)' class='internal-link'>Stacked Deck</a></td><td class="value">`4d6`</td></tr> > </tbody></table> ^class-progression ## Hit Points - **Hit Dice**: 1d8 per Card Slinger level - **Hit Points at First Level:** 8 + CON - **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** add 5 OR 1d8 + CON (minimum of 1) ## Starting Card Slinger - **Saving Throw Proficiencies**: Charisma, Dexterity - **Skill Proficiencies**: *Choose 3:* Arcana, Deception, Insight, Perception, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth - **Weapon Proficiencies**: Simple weapons and Martial weapons - **Tool Proficiencies**: Deck of Cards - **Armor Training**: Light armor **Starting Equipment:** You start with the following items, plus anything provided by your background. - (a) a dagger or (b) a simple weapon or (c) a martial weapon - (a) a Diplomat's Pack or (b) a Burglar's Pack - (a) leather armor, a dagger, and a deck of playing cards or (b) leather armor, a shortsword, and a deck of playing cards Alternatively, you may start with `4d4×10` gp to buy your own equipment. ## The Card Slinger A man stands at a pair of doors sealed from the other side. He pulls out his deck of cards and shuffles them before pulling a card off the top. The card starts to glow in his hand. He slips it between the doors and steps back. The card explodes, leaving the door in pieces. A woman runs down the street being chased by a group of thugs. She pulls out her deck of cards and quickly shuffles. She pulls the top card. The card starts to glow. She drops it on the ground. A moment later, as the thugs run over the card, the card explodes, taking the thugs out. A battle rages upon a blood-soaked field overlooked by a regal keep. In its center, stands a lone battle-worn tiefling fighting for his life. A pair of hulking spectral arms sprout from his back, allowing the tiefling to wield four axes at once. He charges into a group of soldiers, wreathing himself in flames as the lone figure carves into the enemy line. Each step taken could be his last, yet the tiefling fights with the widest of grins. An adventuring party are in the middle of the forest surrounded by goblins. The Card Slinger pulls out the deck and shuffles it before pulling the top card. The card starts to glow before the Slinger throws the card. A moment later it explodes, having taken out a goblin. ### The Power In Your Hand The sound of a deck of cards being shuffled is the music of your soul. The feeling of the cards in your hands feels as natural as a dagger in the hand of an assassin. The cards are your tools, your weapons, and your foci. In your hands your soul passes into the cards turning them from normal cards into something more. This link is more than a feeling it's magic, you can use your soul to charge the cards into bombs. ### Creating a Card Slinger As you create your Card Slinger, give some thought to why you bonded with your deck. What is it about the cards? What motivated your character to choose this occupation? Is it fame, attachment to your card, or something else? Think about what goals your character have in mind when creating a Card Slinger as well. ### Quick Build You can make a Card Slinger quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose the charlatan background. ## Class Features ### The Deck (Level 1) A Card Slinger uses a deck containing four suits (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades) of numbered or lettered cards. Each suit has 13 cards that are numbered from two to ten and lettered J, Q, K, A (Jack, Queen, King, Ace) If a card is lost the whole deck must be replaced. The deck must have every suit and number in it or it will not work, so making a deck of 52 ace of spades will not work. In addition, if your deck includes Jokers, you must have them in your deck when you bond with it. After the card is used you can pick up the card and reshuffled the card back into the deck. #### Using the Deck As an action, you can make a ranged attack with a drawn card that has a range of 30 ft. A drawn card must be pulled from the top of the deck after the deck has been shuffled. Shuffling and drawing a card is considered part of the action. You can use your choice of your Charisma modifier for these attack rolls instead of your Dexterity modifier. Some of your card effects require your target to make a saving throw to resist the effect. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows: <span class='abilityDc'>**Card Slinger save DC**: Charisma + Proficiency Bonus</span> #### Bonding with Your Deck During a long rest, you must spend no less than 30 minutes to take care of your cards. This might be putting new wax on them, separating them, airing them out, and so on. You also must shuffle the cards at least once in order to imbue them with magic. If these things are skipped the cards will lose their magic until you complete this process. #### The Suits When drawing a card, the Suit determines the damage type of the attack as well as a special effect applied to the creature the card hits. You can choose for the creature to not be affected by this special effect when you make the attack roll. The added suit effect does not apply to the cards 2, 5 and 8. (the d6's) For the cards 3, 6 and 9, (the d8's) the saving throw in effect is: equal to 6 + half your Charisma modifier (rounded up). - **Clubs represents mind, speech and words. These are neutral qualities:** - *A creature hit by the effect of a* _**Clubs Card ♣ ♣️ ♣️**_ *needs to pass a Constitution saving throw or be unable to take reactions and bonus actions until the end of its next turn.* - **Hearts stands for love, emotions, imagination, subconscious and other feminine qualities:** - *A creature hit by the effect of a* _**Hearts card ♥️ ♥️ ♥️**_ *needs to pass a Constitution saving throw or have its movement speed halved until the end of its next turn.* - **Spades symbolizes willpower, courage, strength and other masculine qualities:** - *A creature hit by the effect of a* _**Spades card ♠️ ♠️ ♠️**_ *needs to pass a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of its next turn.* - **Diamonds signifies wealth and matter:** - *A creature hit by the effect of a* _**Diamonds card ♦️ ♦️ ♦️**_ *needs to pass a Constitution saving throw poisoned until the end of its next turn.* #### The Numbers While the suit chooses the element of the blast, the number on the card determines how much damage will be done. - These cards deals 1d6 + Charisma modifier. - 5's also get a +1 while 8's get a +2. - *You gain an additional 1d6 damage die at Card Slinger levels at 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th.* - These cards deals 1d8 + Charisma modifier plus suit damage - 6's also get a +1 while 9's get a +2. - *You gain an additional 1d8 damage die at Card Slinger levels at 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th.* - These cards deals 1d10 + Charisma modifier plus suit damage - 7's also get a +1 while 10's get a +2. - *You gain an additional 1d10 damage die at Card Slinger levels at 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th.* - _ACE & FACE CARDS ** DO NOT** stack with other Jack, Queen, King or Aces!_ - There is NO added effect for the suit of ACE & FACE CARDS. - If more than one Jack, Queen, King or Aces are drawn on the same turn, the last card drawn, is the only card that will be activated. - - The non-activated cards are then added to the discard pile. - The Jack card empowers the next card, granting an additional 1d4 to the attack and damage rolls. - *The additional damage becomes at the following Card Slinger levels:* - - 4th level 1d6, - 8th level 1d8, - 12th level 1d10, - 16th level 1d12. - The Queen card grand the following bonuses if the next card is: - - a 2,3 or 4 = You gain advantage on the attack roll of this card, - a 5 thru 10 = if the card hits; that creature has a -2 penalty on Constitution save of this cards damage suit - at level 13 the penalty increases by 1 to a -3. - The King card now adds an AOE to the next card: - - - You fling the next card at one creature within range. You make a ranged attack with a drawn card at the target. On a hit, the target takes the number and suit damage of the flung card. - On a Hit, the Target must do their Constitution saving throw(s) 1st. - On a hit or miss, the suit damage then causes an explosion. The target and each creature within 10 feet of it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw vs the Card Slingers DC or take 2d6 suit damage. And nothing on a successful save. - The Ace cards grants the next card: - - to have advantage on the attack roll, - doubles the damage dice for that next card, - the ability to ignore resistances and immunities. - The Joker heals 1d12 + Charisma modifier for a single target within range. - - The card also ends the paralyzed, stunned, poisoned or blinded conditions - The healing increases at the following levels: - 4th level 2d12, - 8th level 3d12, - 12th level 4d12, - 16th level 5d12, - 20th level 6d12. ### One With Shadows (Level 2) At 2nd level, you gain proficiency in the Stealth skill, and if you already have proficiency in it, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any Dexterity (Stealth) check you make. ### Backstab (Level 2) Beginning at 2nd level, striking unaware targets has become fortuitous for you. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a one handed weapon or a ranged weapon. Your cards can make use of this extra damage. You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll. The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Backstab column of the Card Slinger table. ### Action Surge (Level 2) Starting at 2nd level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On Your Turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or Long Rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a short or Long rest, but only once on the same turn. ### Card Slinger Hand (Level 3) At 3rd level, you choose a Hand that you strive to emulate from the list of available Hands. These Hands are detailed below. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 15th. ### Ability Score Improvement (Level 4) When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat. ### Gambler's Luck (Level 5) Beginning at 5th level, your melee attacks when using a one handed weapon critically strike on a natural 19 as well as 20. Additionally, when you would roll a 1 on a ranged weapon's attack roll or damage roll you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1. You can use this feature only once per turn. ### Extra Attack (Level 5) Beginning at 5th level, you can Attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on Your Turn. ### Going the Distance (Level 6) Beginning at 6th level, the distance you can throw a card you've drawn increases to 120 ft. You may ignore half and three-quarters cover when attacking with your cards For the cards 2, 5 and 8, (the d6's) the saving throw in effect is equal to 6 + half your Charisma modifier (rounded up). For the cards 3, 6 and 9, (the d8's) the normal suit effects now apply to these cards. At 12th level all effects for all numbers are treated normally. ### Hand Feature (Level 6) At 6th level, you gain a feature granted by your Card Slinger Hand. ### Evasion (Level 7) Beginning at 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area Effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or an Ice Storm spell. When you are subjected to an Effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. ### Ability Score Improvement (Level 8) When you reach 8th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat. ### Calling Card (Level 9) Beginning at 9th level, you can choose when you throw a card to have it return to you after it explodes. Any card you choose to be returned will be back in the deck at the start of your next turn. ### Curving the Card (Level 9) Beginning at 9th level, you can curve the cards you throw so they can go around corners. You become so good at it you can make a card curve up to 90 degrees. You must be standing within 10 feet of the area you want your card to curve around. The distance the card can travel is halved when using this ability. ### Hand Feature (Level 10) At 10th level, you gain a feature granted by your Card Slinger Hand. ### Mulligan (Level 11) Beginning at 11th level, after you draw a card, you may, as a bonus action, place the card back in the deck, re-shuffle, and draw again. You can use this feature once, regaining any expended used when you roll initiative, or after you finish a short or long rest. ### Ability Score Improvement (Level 12) When you reach 12th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat. ### Card Gambit (Level 14) Beginning at 14th level, when an enemy within 30 ft of you misses you or an ally with a melee or ranged attack, you may use your reaction to throw a card at the enemy that missed an attack. ### Hand Feature (Level 15) At 14th level, you gain a feature granted by your Card Slinger Hand. ### Ability Score Improvement (Level 16) When you reach 16th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat. ### Shadow Walk (Level 17) Beginning at 17th level, you gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. ### Action Surge (two uses) (Level 17) Starting at 2nd level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On Your Turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or Long Rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn. ### Resolute Mind (Level 18) At 18th level, you gain advantage on Wisdom and Intelligence saving throws from magic. ### Ability Score Improvement (Level 19) When you reach 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat. ### Stacked Deck (Level 20) At 20th level, you learn the intricacies of your deck and now you can draw the card you want. As a bonus action, you search your deck for the card you want and draw it. You are unable to draw another card (as you normally would when making an attack) this turn. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). You regain all uses after a long rest.