[RPG] What happens if you just start drawing from the Deck of Many Things without declaring any number of cards

dnd-5emagic-items

In the Dungeon Master's Guide, the description for the Deck of Many Things contains the following.

Before you draw a card, you must declare how many cards you intend to draw and then draw them randomly.

It doesn't say what happens if you don't declare anything and just start drawing. So what happens?

Best Answer

As the deck notes.

Any cards drawn in excess of this number have no effect

If you don't name a number then any cards you draw will be in excess of that and have no effect.

The rules as you note also state.

Before you draw a card, you must declare how many cards you intend to draw and then draw them randomly.

So, if you want to trigger the magical effect, you need to declare a number.

Exactly what happens if you try to draw a card before you declare a number isn't stated. Maybe it doesn't work, stopped by powerful magic. Maybe nothing happens. It depends on the whims of the DM and the artifact.