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I'm playing this module, so please, please keep answers spoiler free!

I just obtained an official Curse of Strahd Tarokka Deck. My character just obtained one tarokka deck as well. My character has Augury prepared and of course wants to use the deck as spell-casting focus for that spell. But are there any other ways for the deck, both as a prop and as in-game item to be useful and add fun, dread and mystery to the game?

I'm not looking for your ideas. I'm looking for ways described in the module, or lore from previous editions and visits to Barovia. Anything published goes.

If there will be story parts when a deck owned by character will make a difference, please liberally use spoiler tags so I, and other readers, can decide if we want to see them. If there are skills that characters can pick up, describe them and only hide specific story surprises associated with them, or with learning them, please. As far as I understand deck is only available after Madam scene, so that's no spoiler.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Related and potential duplicate: How do I make the Tarokka Deck reading in Curse of Strahd suitably dramatic? \$\endgroup\$
    – Purple Monkey
    Oct 13, 2021 at 9:04
  • \$\begingroup\$ @PurpleMonkey related, but not duplicate. There, someone reads cards for them, and question is about what to do after. Here, my character has his own deck and wants to use it himself. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mołot
    Oct 13, 2021 at 9:07
  • \$\begingroup\$ So what do you consider spoilers? While writing my answer, all of the information appears to me as spoilers. \$\endgroup\$
    – Akixkisu is on Strike
    Oct 13, 2021 at 9:40
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Akixkisu Yes. To be honest, I never thought about game mechanics as something that can have spoilers, at all :) For me, these are not spoilers. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mołot
    Oct 13, 2021 at 10:25
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    \$\begingroup\$ @StuperUser For now, DM confirmed Augury can use the deck. Of course I'll discuss other uses with the DM when I know if and what is there to discuss. But she's inexperienced DM so I want to gather materials beforehand, to make it easier. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mołot
    Oct 13, 2021 at 10:48

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There are no mechanical descriptions (for PCs) of the Tarokka deck in the current edition.

Looking at Curse of Strahd and Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (and using D&D Beyond to search through other official sources), the deck doesn't appear as an Item with any associated actions, abilities or mechanics.

They appear in the stat block of a character in Curse of Strahd:

Tarokka Deck. [Character] keeps a deck of tarokka cards in [their] wagon. Although the cards aren’t magical, [Character] can use them to perform a card reading for the characters, like the one that can be performed by Madam Eva.

In Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, the advice is given to the DM, rather than a player:

Tarokka decks allow you run encounters where fortune-tellers predict characters’ fates. Once you’re familiar with the cards and their meanings, you can interpret them in ways that tie in to the characters’ pasts or events in your adventures. You can also use the results of tarokka readings to guide your campaign and make sure predictions come to pass.

Currently, officially in RAW, they are mundane cards and essentially a focus for the magic of the Vistani.

However,

in the details of the Tarokka Deck in Appendix E of Curse of Strahd, it states:

Anyone can craft a deck of tarokka cards, but only someone of Vistani blood can imbue the cards with the gift of prophecy. Once they are crafted and empowered, they must be stored in accordance with ancient tradition, or they lose their efficacy. When not in use, tarokka cards must be wrapped in silk and stored in a wooden box.

If your PC has obtained a deck in this state and they have been given this power, you will be able to use the gift of prophecy, if your character knows how to perform a tarokka reading. However, the rules for this are aimed at the DM, since it will likely drive the plot.

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    \$\begingroup\$ You might also want to emphasise this line from the Appendix E "In the hands of a Vistani seer, a deck of tarokka cards can tell tales of the future and provide answers to many a dark and mysterious question." and this "Once they are crafted and empowered, they must be stored in accordance with ancient tradition, or they lose their efficacy. [...]" \$\endgroup\$
    – Akixkisu is on Strike
    Oct 13, 2021 at 15:30

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