Major Arcana
From Ars Arcanum Wiki
Major Arcana cards are the big guns of the War. Each card represents an archetype, from which it draws its power, instead of the elemental associations of the Minor Arcana. This gives you a lot more leeway with your abilities, but it comes at a price -- you're tied to the role you've been given, and acting against that role will cost you your powers.
Major Arcana cards are a big deal, and require quite a bit of roleplaying. They're a lot more powerful than Minor Arcana cards, but they carry heavy restrictions on what you can do once you've drawn one.
Major Arcana cards allow you to choose a power for your character, but that power's just the first card trick available. Over time, characters may find they can use other tricks that fall within the scope of the archetype.
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Game Mechanics
Requesting a Major Arcana Card
If you know for certain that you want your character to have a Major Arcana card, or already have a card in mind, you can include "(Arcana)" after the suit selection on your application. You can even specify a card, if you like, and the mods will reserve it for you. (Card reservations expire in three months -- after that, someone else can reserve that specific card, if they'd like, though you'll remain on the list for a Major Arcana card, and can still have the card if no one else reserves it.)
If you don't request a Major Arcana card at character creation, it becomes harder to get one, but not impossible. Truly exceptional roleplaying may persuade the mods to offer you a Major Arcana card, and if you feel a character has become a major force in the War and want them to have a Major Arcana card, you may request one after character creation, and the mods will consider it. You only get one request, though, so make it count.
Card Selection
This can go one of two ways.
If you don't know much about the tarot, but want the ability to choose a specific power for your character, let the mods know which power you want, and they'll try and find a card which fits both your character and the ability they want. They'll discuss the archetype with you, and the limitations it places on your character, and you can decide if those limitations are worth having the power you want.
If you're familiar with the tarot, or just interested in the symbolism and willing to dig around a bit, you can choose your card first, and then work out card tricks that would fit the archetype. (There are several excellent sites on tarot symbolism, and more game-specific symbolism can be found here. If there's an alternate interpretation of a card you'd like the mods to use, let us know.
Earning and Using the Card
There are two factors that come into play when the Powers That Be (no, it's not up to the Oracles) consider whether to give someone a Major Arcana card.
- Have they been active in the War? This doesn't always mean fighting -- actively trying to make peace or helping others also counts. Remember, people were brought in to stop the War, not continue it.
- Have they made good use of the card they were already given? If someone isn't using their existing power wisely, there's no reason to give them more.
If the answer to both of those questions is 'yes', then the Powers will order the Oracles to pull someone in for a redraw.
Characters will be summoned to the Parlor, where one of the Oracles will take their old card and draw a new one for them. The Oracle will explain the card's archetype as it applies to the character, and give them a general idea of what not to do, though characters have to learn the details of their new powers for themselves.
The power you've requested will be the first to manifest for your character, but after that, they may discover other uses for the card and the forces it can tap. However, any attempt to use the card's power in a way that conflicts with the archetype will fail, and consistent behavior in a way that conflicts with the archetype will cause the card to stop working completely.
Example: Bob's Major Arcana card is the Emperor. It's a very stern, paternal sort of card, with a strong emphasis on authority, structure, and established laws. The particular card trick he uses most often is a sort of instant Command Voice -- he can give people orders and they tend to obey automatically. One day, Bob tries to use the Voice in order to get a police officer to look the other way while several people he's working with do something slightly shady. Hey, it's for a good cause, right? Not only does it fail, but the failure's enough to make the officer even more suspicious. After that incident, Bob's learned his lesson, or so he thinks. He avoids using the card in morally gray situations, but the people he's working with start getting wilder and acting with more disregard for established laws. Bob doesn't stop this or speak out against it, and he even lets them talk him into joining in sometimes. But even when he has a legitimate use for his card, it seems to be getting less effective, and finally stops working. He might as well be holding a normal piece of cardboard. By not acting as the Emperor and taking a stand, Bob's gone against the archetype of his card, and it no longer works for him.
Once a card stops working, there are two options: the character can change their behavior, or they can petition the Oracles for a new card.
Getting the Oracles to agree to a redraw isn't easy, but it can be done. If the change comes as part of well-roleplayed character development (a formerly evil character's redemption arc, for instance), the Oracles are more inclined to be generous, and the character will likely get another Major Arcana card that suits them better. But if a character's just being lazy and trying to get around the taboos imposed by their card, the Oracles will not be amused, and the character will get bumped back down to the Minor Arcana.
