Question about tarot meanings

[DarklordKyo]

I've created a D&D character, and I have a question about him for anyone knowledgeable about tarot cards.

He's a Lawful Neutral Light Cleric who, after a childhood as an acolyte of the church, having desired since childhood to be an adventurer (though, his teachings during his church work tempering that into a desire to be a protector of society & it's people), was tasked by his deity, Helm, to go out into the world and protect, and preserve, the world, society, and the people.

That said, if any of you were to associate a tarot card with him, which would it be? I'm currently considering the Sun (since it apparently can represent personal goals, or personal ventures, and it was his dream to be an adventurer due to a childhood filled with heroic tales & plays), but what do you doods think?

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

...its Tarot cards. The entire point it is to be a vague reference to potential worldly problems. Literally any card could work, just say it means X. That's the entire point of the scam!

Its like asking what letters of a Ouija board are the most significant.

 

[FalloutJack]

Go to a Persona wikia and look up their take on tarot arcana. If anyone's done the best work in relation to a world of RPGs in that area, it's that series.

 

[DarklordKyo]

...its Tarot cards. The entire point it is to be a vague reference to potential worldly problems. Literally any card could work, just say it means X. That's the entire point of the scam!

Its like asking what letters of a Ouija board are the most significant.

Which is why I researched online and, in case I'm incorrect, ask people online about it. That way, actual tarot readers don't get my money.

 

[Ogoid]

I'd think The Fool (despite the unfortunate negative connotations of the name), as it's the one that signifies new beginnings, open paths and a desire to make one's own way through the world, as well as innocence and childlike wonder.

 

[DarklordKyo]

I'd think The Fool (despite the unfortunate negative connotations of the name), as it's the one that signifies new beginnings, open paths and a desire to make one's own way through the world, as well as innocence and childlike wonder.

Hmm, you make some valid arguments about that. How would you say it compares to Justice as it pertains to my needs?

 

[balladbird]

I'll second the fool. Magician might work, as well, since it can be interpreted to represent the passion and excitement of youth.

Silent Pony isn't wrong, either, though. Like most fortunetelling techniques, Tarot keeps its definitions vague so they can seem to apply to as many situations as possible... you could probably pull several major arcana from the deck and apply them to your fellow.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

...its Tarot cards. The entire point it is to be a vague reference to potential worldly problems. Literally any card could work, just say it means X. That's the entire point of the scam!

Its like asking what letters of a Ouija board are the most significant.

Which is why I researched online and, in case I'm incorrect, ask people online about it. That way, actual tarot readers don't get my money.

My point was that you can make up any meaning for any card.

Here I literally went to a free online Tarrot site and clicked on 6 random cards:

Spoiler

Temperance - Images of fulfillment and cleansing the soul, with reference to finding a balance and being at peace with yourself. Your adventure is finally finding his calling

The World - You're most likely looking for a successful conclusion after all your hard work and the arrival of The World in your reading here suggests that's either happening now or just around the corner.
This is a time for completion and satisfaction, the final chapter is here and now - you've done your best and won through

The Chariot
The word failure isn't in your vocabulary. You are worried things are more of a struggle than you expected, with more delays and frustrations. Things aren't going according to plan at all - just chill out, calm that mind of yours and you'll find the strength to battle on until you succeed. This is a period of movement and change and conflicts ending in victory.

Wheel of Fortune
Call it fate or destiny but the run of good luck or good fortune you are experiencing or about to experience is mostly not of your doing. Enjoy this time. If there seem to be a number of positive coincidences happening in your life - this is known as synchronicity - go with the flow and trust it.

Strength
You are fearful of lacking the willpower and strength to deal with someone or something that concerns you.
Feeling negative and listening to all your fears will only create failure and lost opportunities. Be as brave as a lion but work compassionately and you'll be fine.

The Lovers
Are you suffering in silence in an unhappy relationship or feeling very lonely? Do you have the courage to make the decision you really know you should make? You have a great sense of duty, but are you happy? A difficult decision has to be made - have courage and you will achieve emotional happiness.

There. Your adventure is feeling fulfilled and excited to be out saving the world, but after some time on the road he's starting to see just how big the world is, and how small he is compared to it. He fully believes in his mission, but he's starting to doubt if he's the right man for the job, or even if any man is. Your struggles are getting harder and harder as you try to take on bigger challenges to make a bigger impact. You're starting to wonder if you might need a companion on your quest.

 

[Queen Michael]

Three of cups, I'd say, since that card has always, traditionally speaking, represented people who have been acolytes of the church while growing up and now want to be adventurers, and who have been tasked by their deities to go out into the world and protect, and preserve, the world, society, and the people.

 

[DarklordKyo]

Three of cups, I'd say, since that card has always, traditionally speaking, represented people who have been acolytes of the church while growing up and now want to be adventurers, and who have been tasked by their deities to go out into the world and protect, and preserve, the world, society, and the people.

Point, though I'm limiting to Major Arcana since he's flavored as a Jojo's character, and a lot of early Stands were named for Major Arcana.

Plus, I'm bringing an actual tarot as a prop for introductions, and I only have Major Arcana (since they're the real life Petsona tarot given with Persona Q and P4AU).

 

[DarklordKyo]

I'll second the fool. Magician might work, as well, since it can be interpreted to represent the passion and excitement of youth.

Silent Pony isn't wrong, either, though. Like most fortunetelling techniques, Tarot keeps its definitions vague so they can seem to apply to as many situations as possible... you could probably pull several major arcana from the deck and apply them to your fellow.

Plus, I can make the name a pun (Fool Gold, like Fool's Gold).

 

[Asita]

Eh, the tricky part with Tarot is that you have a LOT of meanings that can be applied, as Tarot is always subject to interpretation. This is made even more complicated through the fact that the cards take on opposed meanings when inverted. Ultimately, what arcana represents a given character is as much spin and emphasis on the right traits as anything else. As a case in point: If you're starting on an adventure, there is always a strong case to be made that the [upright] Fool best applies to the character at that point in time. If the character's also the motivator of the group, the one who tries to get them to investigate the next mystery or gamble for that map that maybe leads a city of gold, then you also have a good case for the Magician arcana. If the character would look at a Disney princess (or Quasimodo) and say "Oh my god, that's me!" you've got an argument for High Priestess. And so on.

The best crash course in the subject you'll probably get comes from Persona, and there's a decent analysis of the various arcana here.

 

[DarklordKyo]

Eh, the tricky part with Tarot is that you have a LOT of meanings that can be applied, as Tarot is always subject to interpretation. This is made even more complicated through the fact that the cards take on opposed meanings when inverted. Ultimately, what arcana represents a given character is as much spin and emphasis on the right traits as anything else. As a case in point: If you're starting on an adventure, there is always a strong case to be made that the [upright] Fool best applies to the character at that point in time. If the character's also the motivator of the group, the one who tries to get them to investigate the next mystery or gamble for that map that maybe leads a city of gold, then you also have a good case for the Magician arcana. If the character would look at a Disney princess (or Quasimodo) and say "Oh my god, that's me!" you've got an argument for High Priestess. And so on.

The best crash course in the subject you'll probably get comes from Persona, and there's a decent analysis of the various arcana here.

Well, given my description, what are your thoughts? Going to third The Fool?, or do you have any other thoughts?

 

[Asita]

Well, given my description, what are your thoughts? Going to third The Fool?, or do you have any other thoughts?

Eh, the Fool is the easy answer, but as I said, it's one that applies to the entire party at a new adventure. It's perhaps telling that for at least Persona 3 and Persona 4[footnote]I lack personal experience with the other installments[/footnote], the Fool social link is represented by the party as a group and directly advanced through the main story.

If you want a more concrete representation of your character, that's going to be determined less by the past and more by personality and/or emotional baggage.

As I said before, the Magician arcana tends to be represented by fun loving characters who are excited about the call to adventure and pushing forward. In OCEAN[footnote]Openness to New Experiences, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism[/footnote] terms, they'd score very high on Openness to new experiences and at least reasonably high on extraversion, and tend to score lower on Conscientiousness.

High Priestess is perhaps best summed up by the feeling of insecurity. They're often better than they think they are, and as much as anything else their social links tend to be about them becoming more confident in who they are and often realizing that the thing they were looking for is closer to home than they realized.

Empress tends to be level headed and in control. They're nurturers who foster natural growth.

Emperor tends to be about assertiveness and self-actualization, with a bit of control freak mixed in (whether that involves others or oneself varies somewhat).

Hierophant can be seen as the "sage" card. It's the teacher of the bunch, imparting wisdom unto others.

Lovers...well, aside from the obvious, it's a card of duality and choice. If a major aspect of your character is being torn between two [metaphorical] worlds or paths in life, this is your card.

See where I'm going with this? If you want to know what card fits your character, it's more a question of how he's characterized. What drives him? If you were to describe his personality in 5 words, what would they be? What is he trying to accomplish and why? What do you see as his greatest strengths and weaknesses? What do you see him doing after the adventure ends? If we're to identify an arcana to represent him, we have to know who he is, not what he is.

 

[DarklordKyo]

snip

Drive-wise, he's like a nicer Judge Dredd. He aims to protect society, uphold law, and defeat all who threaten either.

Personality-wise, nice, flamboyant, respectful, laeful, impatient (as a justification for him carrying playing cards, he tends to get bored easily, and keeps a deck to pass the time with).

One of the causes that drives him is to honor his god, Helm, along with emulating the knights and heroes in tales, plays, and other works he's partaken in since childhood.

One of his great strengths is that he's driven to achieve hus goals no matter what. As for weaknesses, the aforementioned boredom prone-ness, and potential zealotry in his lawfulness (which he's aware of, and tries not to have).

As for retirement, I see him becoming a politician when he's able to rear in his being bored easily. Maybe he'll use any connections he makes as an adventurer to help with alliances and such.

Any thoughts?, does he seem generic?

 

[Asita]

snip

Drive-wise, he's like a nicer Judge Dredd. He aims to protect society, uphold law, and defeat all who threaten either.

Personality-wise, nice, flamboyant, respectful, laeful, impatient (as a justification for him carrying playing cards, he tends to get bored easily, and keeps a deck to pass the time with).

One of the causes that drives him is to honor his god, Helm, along with emulating the knights and heroes in tales, plays, and other works he's partaken in since childhood.

One of his great strengths is that he's driven to achieve hus goals no matter what. As for weaknesses, the aforementioned boredom prone-ness, and potential zealotry in his lawfulness (which he's aware of, and tries not to have).

As for retirement, I see him becoming a politician when he's able to rear in his being bored easily. Maybe he'll use any connections he makes as an adventurer to help with alliances and such.

Any thoughts?, does he seem generic?

Bored easily and driven to achieve his goals? That screams Magician to me. Borrowing from the page I linked earlier:

The Magician is all about all about self-motivation, perseverance and getting shit done. The card represents wanting to achieve something and having the self-power to achieve it. It can also represent taking the first step towards one?s plans (or personal growth), but is generally more about the fact that one has all of the resources to do something at hand and they just need to push forward. ?On the down (aka reversed) side, having power to do something can lead to corruption and intoxication with power (yay). The Magician can also represent a manipulator ?The best kind of badass evil character, but in real life? Not so much.

"But Asita", I hear you say, "why the heck does boredom play into your rationale?" Good question. That's admittedly based in large part on Persona 4's "Magician" Yosuke, whose biggest insecurities are boredom and lonliness, which is quickly cast in an incredibly unfavorable light by his shadow (as shadows are wont to do).

Spoiler

 

[DarklordKyo]

snip

Point, but it was also established that the Magician is also the one who drives the group. One of ol' Captain Ressentement's schticks is that he was Narukami's primary mouthpiece in the game proper (if memory serves), due to everyone's favorite Sister Complex Kingpin of Steel being a voiceless player avatar in P4.

JoGio's primarily motivates himself to adventure. He'll do his best for the party, but I'm not the best "party leader" roleplayer, so, while I'll do so as much as possible, I'm not expecting him to be the party's main leader or driver.

 

[Kae]

I did something similar with a Bard, it was a Vistani Bard and I used the Tarokka deck that came with Curse of Strahd rather than using an actual Tarot Deck, however, I was killed before I could do much by an asphyxiation constitution save so I was not able to do much with her.

In any case, none of the cards have fixed meanings, try to make up stuff that is vague and has some real punch behind it, I read up on Tarot in preparation and all I got out of it is that it's an obvious scam which I already knew but there is some method to it.

 

[Asita]

snip

Point, but it was also established that the Magician is also the one who drives the group. One of ol' Captain Ressentement's schticks is that he was Narukami's primary mouthpiece in the game proper (if memory serves), due to everyone's favorite Sister Complex Kingpin of Steel being a voiceless player avatar in P4.

JoGio's primarily motivates himself to adventure. He'll do his best for the party, but I'm not the best "party leader" roleplayer, so, while I'll do so as much as possible, I'm not expecting him to be the party's main leader or driver.

I don't think it's so much the 'main leader' as it is that the character embodies what Bacon Battalion called the adventurer character role, which he sums up as the catalyst "who opens doors, opens chests, walks through the hatch, presses the button, answers the unknown incoming hail from the enemy starship, is the one who kickstarts the whole ball rolling. Someone who is constantly looking for the next thing. It's the guy who while the leader is negotiating the details of the mission goes "Oh, a closed door. What's behind it? ...That's a dragon...um...guys? We've got a situation" It's the character that prods the artifact of doom with a stick. The basic thought is not "I need to corral the party" like the leader, it's "oh god that sounds interesting. I wanna do it! Can we do it?"