The Düngeonmeister Deck of Many Drinks is a fun and chaotic magical item to incorporate into your Dungeons & Dragons game. From Adams Media and Simon & Schuster, this publication is more than just a set of wonderful and wacky drinks to use in and out of game. It includes NPCs, quests and storyline ideas, and a full tavern design to support the use of the deck in-game.
For any players looking to elevate their gaming sessions in a whole new way, these custom RPG-inspired cocktails will boost (or harm) their character’s skills, depending on what card they draw. This deck is compatible with 5E and other system games, offering easy-to-understand and dramatic effects to implement in any campaign.
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The Deck of Many Drinks works in the same way as the Dungeons & Dragons Deck of Many Things. Players randomly draw a card. On the card is a cocktail and the effect that happens after the character drinks it. Of course, just like the Deck of Many Things, the effect of the card is unknown when it’s drawn. The surprise is part of the draw. Players can choose to consume the drink themselves and see what happens, or give it to another, more risk-taking player. The effect takes place afterward. If the player chooses to not risk it and doesn’t drink, the cocktail vanishes after one minute. But where is the fun in that?
There are 50 different cocktails in the deck. For example, drawing the Dark Elf will cause the Darkness spell to be immediately cast around the drinker and follow them. Drinking the Gnomish Nightcap results in a Sleep spell being cast that is centered on the drinker. The Dwarven Forge cocktail gives the drinker a fiery aura that deals 1d6 damage to surrounding enemies.
Every card starts with the name of the cocktail, a drawing of it, and then the effect that takes place. Drinking can give advantages such as boosts to intimidation checks, dealing extra damage, or being able to see things that are invisible. But there are also plenty of drinks that give disadvantages, such as having to eat bread immediately, temporarily turning into an undead, or being under the effects of a Confusion spell. That’s the appeal of Dungeons & Dragons, after all! Part of it will always be luck and chance.
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All effects are temporary, lasting from a few minutes to a few hours. The time is either set by the card, or players roll for it.
All the cocktails have witty names such as the Psionic Blast, the Breath Weapon, and Release the Kraken. One interesting cocktail is called the Electrum Piece, which is a form of currency in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Drinking this cocktail will cause highly valuable electrum pieces to fall from the sky. The total number will be determined by a dice roll, and players risk taking bludgeoning damage from all the coins. Drink this in public, and there may be an all-out brawl as everyone tries to get rich!
As entertaining as this deck is, it doesn’t stop there. There are out-of-game recipes for all 50 drinks. There are also ideas for how to incorporate the Deck of Many Drinks into the game, as well as what checks players can make to learn about it.
If a game master doesn’t want to give out the deck as a whole to their adventuring party, there are tips on how to use the drinks as individual magical items the party may come across such as in a dragon’s horde. There are also recommendations for having the drinks on sale in a tavern.
Speaking of taverns, the Düngeonmeister Tavern is a fully detailed location in this publication. It promises plenty of brawls, socializing, and humor. It evokes a fun and lively place that players will want to visit not only for the magical drinks, but also for all the storylines that can branch from one place. A list of NPC bartenders helps a game master out in designing the world and who might serve these magical drinks.
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The Deck of Many Drinks is by authors Jef Aldrich and Jon Taylor. It’s available for purchase through Simon & Schuster’s website or retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is priced at $16.99.
Are you ready to take a chance and draw a drink? Get your copy of the Deck of Many Drinks on May 28th!
Talia is a writing professor, a content writer and editor, and an author of the Thread of Souls book series. She has a background as a narrative creative writer for online games. In her free time, she likes to draw, travel, and hang out on the beach.
