Appendix H: Sample Deck Reading (Example)

Fate's Edge GM Guide — Appendix H

The GM draws three cards from the Deck of Consequences after a player rolls three 1s on a critical stealth check.

Drawn: Knave of Hearts, 7 of Clubs, Ace of Spades.

Synthesis

The GM combines the suits:

• Hearts (social) + Spades (harm) = betrayal with injury.
• Clubs (resource cost) = material loss.
• Ace = scene-altering twist.

GM Narration

"You slip past the first guard, but your cloak catches on a rusty nail (Clubs — resource drain: your cloak tears, leaving a scrap of fabric behind). Worse, the second guard recognizes your face from a wanted poster — she's your estranged cousin (Hearts — social betrayal). She hesitates for only a heartbeat, then shouts, "Traitor!" (Spades — harm escalates). As she draws her blade, a hidden portcullis drops behind you, sealing off the exit (Ace — scene shift). You're trapped in the courtyard with her and two more guards."

One three-card draw, three Story Beats, and a layered complication that the table will remember longer than the roll that caused it.