Three-Dragon Ante

• Play Summary (×2, ©2005)
• ⓭ Bahamut
• ⓭ Tiamat
• ➓ Dracolich
• ⑬⑪⑨⑥④② Dragon, Gold
• ⑫⑩⑧⑥③② Dragon, Silver
• ⑫⑩⑧⑤③② Dragon, Red
• ⑪⑨⑦⑥③① Dragon, Bronze
• ⑪⑨⑦④②① Dragon, Blue
• ⑩⑧⑦⑤③① Dragon, Copper
• ⑩⑧⑥④②① Dragon, Green
• ⑨⑦⑤④②① Dragon, Brass
• ⑨⑦⑤③②① Dragon, Black
• ⑧⑥④③②① Dragon, White
• ➒ The Archmage
• ➑ The Dragonslayer
• ➐ The Thief
• ➏ The Druid
• ➎ The Priest
• ➍ The Princess
• ➌ The Fool
• Play Summary (×3, ©2005)
• Gambit Sequence (×4, ©2010)

Three-Dragon Ante in your D&D Campaign

The origins of Three-Dragon Ante aren’t clear. Some scholars believe the earliest decks were influenced by dwarven drinking games. Dwarves, normally proud of their inventions, deny such claims. They say it’s a human game, even if it seems dwarven in origin.

No race is eager to claim the game’s creation because dragons, as a whole, dislike it. Dragons’ attitudes toward the game vary from contempt to mild amusement. Rumor has it that good-natured dragons—in human form—sometimes seek out games for a variety of reasons. But in most cases, dragons pretend the game doesn’t exist. Most everyone who deals with dragons goes along with that conceit. Many say that the one thing you’ll never find in a dragon’s hoard is a Three-Dragon Ante deck.

Whether or not they take credit for inventing the game, humans make most of the decks in circulation, and theirs is the race most likely to play it. Elves find the game a bit crude but will play in the company of human friends. Half-elves, on the other hand—even those raised among elves—usually love the game. Dwarves like to play but hate to lose—anyone playing with a dwarf would be wise to buy a round or two of drinks. Halflings love the game and often have appropriately sized decks; for them, playing with humans means playing with cards that are too big. Half-orcs find the game’s frequent reversals of fortune capricious; they tend to prefer games of pure luck or brute strength.

The Vernacular

Colloquially, many refer to the game by the type of coin players use. Peasants play with copper and sometimes refer to the game as copper dragon, three-copper dragon, or copper ante. Merchants and crafters play with silver coins, while most adventurers play with gold coins and might speak of playing gold dragon, three-gold dragon, or gold ante. Nobles, truly wealthy merchants, and reckless adventurers might refer to the game as three-platinum dragon or platinum ante.

Below are some other slang terms:

fat leader

A player punished several times in a row with Red Dragons or Brass Dragons after taking the lead.

inviting the bronze

Triggering the first Bronze Dragon’s power in a gambit, leaving stronger ante cards accessible for the next Bronze Dragon’s power that triggers.

playing like a dwarf

Handing over dragon cards when opponents use Green Dragons or Brass Dragons on you, because you’re unwilling to part with your gold.

playing the white team

Playing White Dragons after you played a mortal earlier in the hand.

selfish silver or selfish and silver

A player who plays a Silver Dragon when he or she is the only player who’ll benefit. “You had your chance,” is the traditional response to an irate opponent who has already played a card.

The Stakes & Victory

When played in taverns and dungeon antechambers throughout the Dungeons & Dragons world, Three-Dragon Ante often includes an additional prize awarded to the winner of the game. Adventurers who can’t agree on how to divide treasure might play a few gambits; the winner keeps his or her winnings and decides who gets an item when the party can’t agree who should get it.

Roleplaying

If the characters in your D&D campaign want to play a Three-Dragon Ante game, consider the following options.

• Use only the normal rules. Each player roleplays their character’s dialogue and reactions. This option allows focusing on your characters’ personalities without worrying about how their skills might affect the game.
• Use the normal rules, plus each character uses one special ability from the list below (if eligible). This option allows the characters’ skills to influence the game without overshadowing the players’ own abilities.

  Before the start of a game, each character makes a Sense Motive or Insight check. In order from the highest check result to the lowest, each character chooses one of the special abilities they qualify for from the list below. Once a special ability has been chosen, no other character can choose that ability in that game.
  choose one skill for each character in which they have at least 5 ranks. During the game, that character can use the skill’s associated special ability. This option allows the characters’ skills to influence the game without overshadowing the players’ own abilities.

  For a wilder game, allow each character to choose two abilities, one at a time. A character who is a professional gambler, or an epic-tier character, might even have three.

• Use the normal rules, plus each character uses all Special Abilities from the list for which they are eligible. Of these three options, this reflects characters’ abilities the most. Dungeon Masters who want to simulate pitting skilled characters against each other should use this option.

These optional rules give you a way to represent the advantages skilled D&D characters might enjoy in a world of magic and superhuman abilities.

3rd Edition

Try these three options if you’d like your Dungeons & Dragons characters to play a Three-Dragon Ante game.

Special Abilities

Unless otherwise noted, the following special abilities require the character to have 5+ ranks (3rd Ed.) or be trained (4th Ed.) in the listed skill.

Arcana² (Knowledge)

Whenever you complete a special flight, draw a card.

Bluff¹²

“One, two … hey, barkeep, more drinks over here … four, five.”

Whenever you pay 2 or more gold to another player, pay 1 fewer gold.

Each time you would pay 2 or more gold to another player, reduce the amount of gold you pay by 1.

Concentration¹

“When things get tense, I’m at my best.”

Whenever you ante, unless another player’s hoard has less gold than yours, pay 1 fewer gold to the stakes.

Dragon Rageᶜ†

When you play a dragon from your hand, you can trigger his effect regardless his strength.

Diplomacy¹²†

“This could work out for everyone.”

Before your turn this round, if you are the leader, you may choose another player to be the leader this round instead. (If you weren’t the leader when the round started, you can’t use this special ability.)

Once per gambit, when you would be the leader in a round, you can choose another player to be the leader in that round instead.

Dungeoneering² (Knowledge)

When you take a random card from an opponent’s hand, you can choose to take a different card from that opponent’s hand and then return the original card.

You cannot use this ability again until you complete a special flight.

Endurance²

Whenever an opponent buys cards, you steal 2 gold from the stakes.

Heal²

You can choose to reveal and discard the top card of the deck, then pay gold equal to that card’s strength to a player of your choice.

You cannot use this ability again until you complete a special flight.

History² (Knowledge)

Whenever you play mortal or a dragon god, steal 1 gold from the stakes.

Insight² Sense Motive

After a gambit you did not win, but before players draw new cards, you can choose to look at the hand of the gambit’s winner. Do not say anything about his or her cards to other players.

You cannot use this ability again until you complete a special flight.

Intimidate¹²

“Don’t even think about it.”

As long as you and any other player tie for the strongest flight, you can’t be chosen as the opponent with the strongest flight.

As long as you and any other player are tied for the strongest flight, you can’t be chosen as the opponent with the strongest flight.

Nature² (Knowledge)

Whenever you complete a special flight, add 2 to the strength used to determine how much gold other players pay you or that you steal from the stakes.

Perception²

After everyone’s ante cards are revealed, you can choose to replace your ante card with another card from your hand. Return the original ante card to your hand.

You cannot use this ability again until you complete a special flight.

Profession (Gambler)¹†

“I’m just lucky sometimes.”

After you discard the top card of the deck while buying cards, you may discard a second card from the top of the deck. If you do, pay the second card’s strength in gold to the stakes instead of the first card’s strength. (You can’t choose to pay the first card’s strength in gold if you use this special ability.)

Religion² (Knowledge)

Whenever you reveal a card to determine how much gold you must pay to buy cards, you can choose to keep the revealed card.

Sense Motive¹ Insight

“You can hide your cards but not your face.”

When an opponent plays his or her second card, if both cards are the same color dragon, you may look at his or her hand before any powers trigger. (If an opponent plays Tiamat and a Black, Blue, Green, Red, or White Dragon, you may use this special ability to look at that opponent’s hand.)

Sleight of Hand¹

“If no one sees it, it’s not cheating.”

After you steal gold from the stakes with a card’s power or a strength flight, if the stakes have 2 or more gold, you may steal 1 gold from the stakes.

Stealth²

Draw an additional card whenever you buy cards.

Streetwise²

When you complete a strength flight, you can choose not to steal gold from the stakes. Instead, each opponent pays you gold equal to the strength of one of the cards in the flight.

You cannot use this ability again until you complete a special flight.

Thievery²

Whenever you steal gold from the stakes with a card’s power, steal an extra 1 gold from the stakes.

Wild Card¹

“Trust me, I know exactly what I’m talking about.”

This special ability doesn’t correlate with a skill. Instead, any dragon (or half-dragon, at the DM’s discretion) can select it.

Once each game, if you played a mortal this turn, you may count the mortal as the third dragon of any color only to complete a color flight.

You cannot use this ability again until you complete a special flight.ᶜ

Luck Domain (Feat)²

This special ability requires that you have one or more feats from the luck domain. Domain feats first appeared in the Divine Power™ supplement.

After you draw a card as a result of a card’s power, you may choose to discard that card and draw a different card.

You cannot use this ability again until you complete a special flight.