History Main / CardsOfPower

* ''TensouSentaiGoseiger'' has the heroes insert cards into their Tensouder to cast spells.

* Hitomi Kanzaki from ''Manga/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' uses Tarot cards for what she thinks is ordinary fortune-telling. However, while she is on Gaea, her psychic talent actually ''creates'' the future she foretells.

* Hitomi Kanzaki from ''Anime/VisionOfEscaflowne'' uses Tarot cards for what she thinks is ordinary fortune-telling. However, while she is on Gaea, her psychic talent actually ''creates'' the future she foretells.

* ''DigimonTamers'': Takashi's Guilemon went through a card swiper and became real. Any other tamer could power up his digimon by swiping a card in his digivice.

* In ''{{Bleach}}'', one minor Bount villain could summon traps from a distance using what looking suspiciously like a TradingCardGame.

* In three separate ''KamenRider'' series (''KamenRiderRyuki'', ''KamenRiderBlade'' and ''KamenRiderDecade''), cards are used to give the heroes weapons. In the case of the last one, the hero also inserts a card into his [[TransformationTrinket transforming belt]] in order to Henshin. ''KamenRiderDragonKnight'', being an adaptation of ''Ryuki'', also qualifies.

* In [[RogerZelazny Roger Zelazny's]] ''ChroniclesOfAmber'' novels, the royalty of Amber uses Tarot cards for communication and teleportation.

* The early ''{{Persona}}'' games had monsters summoned from cards... though ''{{Persona 3}}'' seems to favor pseudo-suicide as a method of demon-summon. For some reason Tarot-cards and related motifs are still hanging around in the more recent games, and influence what monsters you can create through fusion, among other things, but there's no indication that those cards are actual physical objects, rather than just a fanciful way of showing your progress with the various Links...

* In three separate ''KamenRider'' series (''KamenRiderRyuki'', ''KamenRiderBlade'' and ''KamenRiderDecade''), cards are used to give the heroes weapons. In the case of the last one, the hero also inserts a card into his [[TransformationTrinket transforming belt]] in order to Henshin.

* ''{{Lucifer}}'': The Basanos; a magical set of tarot cards with the power of prophecy (amongst other things), created by the angel Meleos. Not merely magical, but also sentient. The Basanos also have a few more Arcana than a standard Tarot deck, including several cards representing major angels such as Lucifer (as The Lightbringer, not The Devil).

* Ian Watson's ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' trilogy ''The Inquisition War'' had The Emperor's Tarot; a special Tarot deck for use by Ordo Malleus Inquisitors to divine the future using their psychic powers. The cards had a link to the God-Emperor himself as well as being powered by the user; thus they actually had genuine precognitive ability. Each card was a screen, the images on which altered from Inquisitor to Inquisitor depending on their personality and also shifted to match situations; when Draco conducted a reading in ''Inquisitor'', the Daemon card took the form of a Hydra and the Harlequin card took that of Zephro Carnelian.

* ''DungeonsAndDragons''.

* Triple Triad cards from ''FinalFantasyVIII'' can be magically turned into magic items and spells. Monsters drop them, and you can polymorph a critter to a card bearing its likeness.

* ''{{Homestuck}}''. The Midnight Crew's have playing cards that become weapons (and vice versa).

* Ian Watson's {{Warhammer40000}} trilogy ''The Inquisition War'' had The Emperor's Tarot; a special Tarot deck for use by Ordo Malleus Inquisitors to divine the future using their psychic powers. The cards had a link to the God-Emperor himself as well as being powered by the user; thus they actually had genuine precognitive ability. Each card was a screen, the images on which altered from Inquisitor to Inquisitor depending on their personality and also shifted to match situations; when Draco conducted a reading in ''Inquisitor'', the Daemon card took the form of a Hydra and the Harlequin card took that of Zephro Carnelian.

** The Deck of Many Things in various editions.

* North Pole Publications' ''The Serpent Islands'' (a generic RPG adventure) had Ardol's Gateway Deck. These enchanted tarot-like plaques depicted various people or places. Intently gazing at the picture of a place would teleport the gazer to that place. Gazing at the picture of a person would open a Gate between the user and that person. Passage through the gate was possible only with the permission of the person depicted.

* North Pole Publications' ''The Serpent Islands'' (a generic RPG adventure) had Ardol's Gateway Deck. These enchanted tarot-like plaques depict various people or places. Intently
gazing into the picture of a place will teleport the gazer to that place. Gazing into the picture of a person will open a gate between the user and that person. Passage through the gate is possible only with the permission of the person depicted.

* ''DungeonsAndDragons''. More Cards of Power:

[[AC:Anime & Manga]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* ''{{Lucifer}}'': The Basanos; a magical set of tarot cards with the power of prophecy (amongst other things), created by the angel Meleos. Not merely magical, but also sentient. The Basanos also have a few more Arcana than a standard Tarot deck, including several cards representing major angels such as Lucifer (as The Lightbringer, not The Devil).

* ''JackieChanAdventures'' used Japanese Hanafuda as scrying tools in its last season.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': When a mage and his partner form a Pactio, the partner receives a card allows them to summon a powerful artifact, such as Asuna's [[AntiMagic fan/sword]] and Nodoka's [[MindProbe magic diary]].

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': When a mage and his partner establish a bond, that card allows the partner to summon a powerful weapon, like Asuka's fan and superspeed or Nodoka's magic book that tells her the enemy's stats.

* In RogerZelazny's ''Amber'' novels, the royalty of Amber uses Tarot cards for communication and teleportation.

* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'', Chrono eventually gets a [[MagicWand Storage Device]] [[SimpleStaff Durandal]], that has a card form when on standby.

* Magnus from the ''BatenKaitos'' series are cards that are used to store the essence of objects within them. This allows characters to carry otherwise impractically heavy or clumbersome things and occasionally even intangible objects like "good times" or "chronic fatigue". These cards also form the basis of the game's [[FightLikeACardPlayer battle system]].

* Triple Triad cards from ''FinalFantasyVIII'' can be magically lurned into magic items and spells. Monsters drop them, and you can polymorph a critter to a card bearing its likeness.

A form of AncientArtifact, CardsOfPower are small, rigid pieces of paper which possess paranormal or magical powers. The abilities the posses vary widely from one narrative to another. In some works they can summon creatures or monsters. In others they are used to cast spells or as a TransformationTrinket. They are also often tarot cards and may apply TarotMotifs.

Compare DeathDealer, when the cards are used physically.

For a videogame-specific version, see FightLikeACardPlayer.

* Anime/CardfightVanguard: The cards allow access to another relm that you can summon the monsters/characters from (though you also need a special ability to use the cards in this way).

* Hitomi Kanzaki, from ''Anime/VisionOfEscaflowne'' uses Tarot cards for what she thinks is ordinary fortune-telling. However, while she is on Gaea, her psychic talent actually ''creates'' the future she foretells.

* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Naturally, for an anime based on a card-fighting game. In that world, cards played summons a monster in a field that fights the opponents creature.
* ''DigimonTamers'': Takashi's Guilemon was created by going through a card swiper and becoming real. Any other tamer could power up their digimon by swiping a card in their digivice.
[[AC:Literature]]
* In Roger Zelany's ''Amber'' novels, the royalty of Amber uses Tarot cards for communication and teleportation.

* ''{{Lucifer}}'': The Basanos; a magical set of tarot cards with the power of prophesy (amongst other things), created by the angel Meleos. Not merely magical, but also sentient. The Basanos also have a few more Arcana than a standard Tarot deck, including several cards representing major angels such as Lucifer (as The Lightbringer, not The Devil).

[[AC:Live Action TV]]
* In three separate KamenRider Series(KamenRiderRyuki, KamenRiderBlade, and KamenRiderDecade), cards are used to give the heroes weapons. In the case of the last one, the hero also inserts a card into his [[TransformationTrinket transforming belt]] in order to Henshin.

* In ''BarKarma'', the magic card deck shows 3 possible outcomes, or "timelines" for its patrons, who wandered into the bar mysteriously, because their decisions will dictate the direction of their destiny. In most cases, many lives will be at stake in order for a patron to be drawn into the bar.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* ''DungeonsAndDragons''. More Cards Of Power:

* ''DungeonsAndDragons''
** Module X2 ''Castle Amber''. In one room the {{PC}}s can turn over special cards from a Tarot deck. Each card has a specific magical effect on the person who turns it over, such as The Moon (going insane), Death (make a Saving Throw or die), or The Fool (Feeblemind spell cast on character).
* ''{{TabletopGame/Deadlands}}'': Hucksters are The Weird West equivalent of mages; their 'spells' are based around poker hands, in keeping with the significance of poker cards and hands throughout the game rules
[[AC:Video Games]]

* The early ''{{Persona}}'' games had monsters summoned from cards... though {{Persona 3}} seems to favor pseudo-suicide as a method of demon-summon. For some reason Tarot-cards and related motifs are still hanging around in the more recent games, and influence what monsters you can create through fusion, among other things, but there's no indication that those cards are actual physical objects, rather than just a fanciful way of showing your progress with the various Links...
* Triple Triad cards from FinalFantasyVIII can be magically lurned into magic items and spells. Monsters drop them, and you can polymorph a critter to a card bearing its likeness.
* {{Dungeon Crawl}} plays this straight with an item type being magical card decks with different themes such as destruction, escape, etc.

* ''JackieChanAdventures'' used Japanese Hanafuda as scrying tools in its last season.