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Alright so I’ve gone pretty deep into how this thing works and there’s a lot more going on under the hood than the game lets on. Going to break it all down here. No spoiler tags because if you’re reading a deck guide you’ve already committed. The Deck of Many Things in Esoteric Ebb comes as a reward after completing the Easy Riddle from the sphinx. As anyone’s who’s done a Google search about it, you probably wonder why your result is so different from everyone else’s online. And if there’s a way to change it. Since save scumming did nothing. Well, here are all the answers you’ll need since I played around a bit and also did an inhuman amount of datamining.
If there’s any other guides or help you’d like for this game, hit me up on Discord so I can get to it!
Is the Card Outcome Already Decided?
Your deck outcome is decided during the game’s intro sequence, not when you draw. The game quietly rolls a 1d100 and stores it as your DeckNumber while your character is still stumbling around in that opening area. By the time Olzis hands you the deck, the number has been sitting in memory the whole time.
Olzis even tells you this when you first hold it: “Fate is sealed. The cards are placed.” She’s being literal.
The only way to change this after the fact is the Wild Dwarf. (This whole part I talk about next is bugged since you can’t get out of the dialogue screen without giving up your deck! Make sure to send a bug report so we can get this fixed!)
Before you ever touch the deck, go find Avikness. He’s the long-haired dwarf with droopy eyes hanging around the Waterlane docks near the Freestrider HQ. Once you have the deck, you’ll get a dialogue option to ask him about it.
You get three choices. Here’s what actually happens:
“Which card should I draw?” (Show him)
He points at a middle card, the deck reshuffles esoterically, and your DeckNumber gets a fresh 1d100 reroll. This is the only way in the game to change your predetermined outcome. If you rolled badly in the intro, this is your second chance..
“Here. Draw a card.” (Hold it out)
Do NOT do this unless you want to lose the deck entirely. He draws, instantly gets the GEM outcome (50,000 crowns bag), the deck disappears from your inventory forever, and he casually tosses you 1,000 crowns as a tip before walking away.
Obviously, make a new save file, and always show Avikness the deck for the free reroll before you draw. There’s no downside.
The Card Odds (1d100)
The first time you draw you have a set chance to get one out of 6 cards:
| Roll | Card | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 1–10 | FOOL | 10% |
| 11–40 | SKULL | 30% |
| 41–60 | FLAMES | 20% |
| 61–80 | ROGUE | 20% |
| 81–95 | BALANCE | 15% |
| 96–100 | GEM | 5% |
The Draw Chain
Drawing again after any card always leads to a fixed next card. It’s not random after the first draw. The chain looks like this:
FLAMES
├──► BALANCE ──► GEM ──► SKULL ──► JESTER ──► DONJON (bad end)
ROGUE
FOOL ──► KEY ──► DONJON (bad end)
Stopping at any point triggers the safe ending where the deck peacefully vanishes.
Without going into it too much, Gem and Jester are the best cards and the only ones you should try to get. If you have the really bad luck of getting the Fool, you should either try to reset the More on that below.
Every Card, What It Does, and What to Do
Path 1
FLAMES (20% first draw)
Card burns to ash, sets the .FLAMES=1 flag, and at the time it feels like nothing. Snell’s “ominous threat that results in nothing” line is funny in the moment but it ages badly.
The outcome of this card is revealed much later in the game, during Election Day, when you run into a devil named Braxo. If you have the FLAMES flag, he’ll bring it up himself: he was selected by the card. Here’s how he explains it:
“The forces behind the Deck of Many Things choose one devil across the planes. That devil gets a little whisper and a goal: to seek the downfall and torment of the person who drew the card. I got that whisper! And it called me to torment you, Cleric.”
However, he feels absolutely no urge to actually do it.
“You’re probably just screwed. Whatever forces made this Deck of Many Things know that the path you’re walking on will lead to endless torment. So I don’t need to do anything, other than just sit back and enjoy the view.”
So FLAMES doesn’t send a devil to hunt you down. So, it does absolutely nothing. A safe card.
- Draw again → BALANCE (stat swap, not bad)
- Stop → safe ending
ROGUE (20% first draw)
Card turns to dust. Sets a hidden flag. INT explains someone in the world will turn against you at some point, but it’s unclear who. CHA: “Realistically, you probably won’t see the outcome to this in quite some time.” Snell delivers the exact same line as FLAMES: “Maybe that’s the ‘ominous threat that results in nothing’-card.”
I checked and it doesn’t seem like there’s any repercussions for this one either. A safe card.
- Draw again → BALANCE (stat swap, not bad)
- Stop → safe ending
BALANCE (15% first draw, or 2nd draw after FLAMES/ROGUE)
(This one is bugged and doesn’t actually do anything.)
The most interactive card. A voice commands you to speak. You choose one stat to gain +2 and one stat to lose -2, from all six (STR/DEX/CON/INT/WIS/CHA). You can pick any combination, including the same stat for both.
After the swap, Snell asks if something changed. You can tell him it’s an esoteric effect, draw again, or stop.
- Draw again → GEM (the money card, the good path)
- Stop → safe ending
GEM (5% first draw)
The card vanishes with a POOF and is replaced in your hands by a fancily embroidered bag containing 50,000 crowns in amber nickels. DEX completely loses its mind. Snell does the math: “A real expensive manor apartment is like, a thousand a month to rent… with this you could live in one for ten years or so.”
- Draw again → SKULL (you will fight Death in Rock-Paper-Scissors)
- Stop → safe ending with 50k crowns
SKULL (30% first draw)
The worst one to hit first. All your companions vanish. You’re pulled into a void and you meet Doden, who is Death. He’s surprisingly chill about it.
You get several responses to his “Are you ready?” Most lead to the rock-paper-scissors game. The one exception is “I am ready. (Accept Death.)” Do not pick this. It leads to a long philosophical conversation that ends with Death giving you a warm embrace. You do get the “End of the String” achievement though.
For the Rock-Paper-Scissors game, Death counts to three. Your stats will all chime in with advice:
- STR screams “ROCK!”
- INT concludes “so go with rock”
- DEX tells you that death is throwing “SCISSORS!”
Always throw Rock. Otherwise, Death mirrors whatever beats you. If you throw scissors, he throws rock. If you throw paper, he throws scissors. Rock is the only winning throw.
- Draw another card → leads to JESTER (very good)
- Stop here → safe ending
If you’re going to draw again after surviving SKULL, do it. JESTER is the best mark you can get.
JESTER (only accessible after surviving SKULL)
The mirror image of FOOL. Card turns to dust, leaves a permanent winking face brand on your wrist. Permanent Advantage on all checks, forever. It is the best card in the deck.
Do not draw again after JESTER. The next card is DONJON and it is a bad end.
- Draw again → DONJON (instant death)
- Stop → safe ending with permanent Advantage
Path 2
FOOL (10% first draw)
The card turns to dust and leaves a permanent grinning face brand on your wrist. Permanent Disadvantage on all checks, forever. It cannot be removed by any means.
Snell looks at it and says “Sorry, Cleric. That looks bad.” He’s right.
After FOOL you can:
- Draw again → leads to KEY (a legendary sword)
- Stop → safe ending
If you drew FOOL, I’d honestly recommend loading your previous safe file.
KEY (only accessible after FOOL)
The card physically folds and reshapes in front of you into a vellum-wrapped sword. Inside is Tol’s Sword, a legendary divine artifact, the original Urthguard Blade. STR is reverential about it. Snell: “Must be your birthday. Now PLEASE, stop drawing these damn magical cards.”
I’m not sure what stats it has, if someone knows, please tell me.
- Draw again → DONJON (instant death)
- Stop → safe ending
Tol’s Sword is just a +4 STR weapon