The Minor Arcana of the Imperial Tarot consist of fifty six cards. It comprises four suits, most commonly named Chalices, Batons, Swords and Thrones, although there are a wide variety of different names and suit symbols used in different decks. Learned adepts, for example, tend to use the High Gothic names for the suits – Adeptio, Discordia, Excuteria, and Mandatio.

The suits are sometimes associated with one of the four classical elements (Batons with Fire, Chalices with Blood, Swords with the Void, and Thrones with Earth – although other associations are sometimes made in different decks and by different users) or alternatively the four 'modern' Imperial elements (Immaterium instead of Fire, Quintessence instead of Blood, Aether instead of the Void, and Materium instead of Earth).

Adeptio (Cups): The suit of Adeptio is associated with destiny, emotions and love (primarily taken to mean love for the Divine Emperor and the endless devotion of the Imperium's citizens). It is symbolized either by the old element of Blood, or by the slow tides of Quintessence that dominate the nearer parts of the Immaterium. The suit is often taken to represent the members of the Adeptus Terra and their blessed works, as well as the heroes, prophets and saints of the Imperium (and the sacrifices they have made). The Chalice symbol is also a common sight in all Imperial temples as part of the Holy Communion between the Emperor and his subjects.

Discordia (Batons): The suit of Discordia is strongly associated with change and conflict, but also with energy and growth. It is symbolized either by the ancient element of fire or the raging chaos of the deep Immaterium. Discordia is different from the other minor suits in that the upright meaning of the card is mostly negative, while the reverse meaning of the cards are usually positive. Since cards are more likely to be drawn upright it means that the appearance of Discordia cards in a spread is usually a sign of trouble. The suit is also a representation of the masses, the unguided voices of the many, and the dangers of freedom and free will. The Baton symbol used for the suit is eerily reminiscent of the Adeptus Arbites power maul; symbolizing the need for control to be exerted over the masses and for energy to be harnessed and given direction.

Excuteria (Swords): The suit of Excuteria is associated with ephemeral things like the future and the unknown – and how it can be overcome by persistence and sacrifice. It is represented by the Void, or the Aethry as scholars call it – that airless space that exists between the stars which separates the Terrestrial and the Immaterial. The suit also symbolizes the martial prowess and unflinching leadership of the Imperium; its warriors, scholars, explorers, and Tech-priests – people with the drive and determination to face both enemies and the unknown. The sword brings forth martial images of war and duels, but is equally intended to imply that these classes stand between the Imperium and oblivion.

Mandatio (Throne): The suit of Mandatio is often associated with wealth and material possessions, as wells as procedure, tradition and obedience (often taken to mean that service and loyalty to the Imperium is worth more than all the gold of the galaxy). Symbolized by unyielding earth or alternatively all of the Materium. This suit covers all of mankind – from the High Lords of Terra to the savages that live outside the Imperium – and its manifest destiny to rule the galaxy. The Throne can be taken both as a symbol of the Golden Throne, from which the power of the Adepta flows, or as a symbol of wealth – the Throne is a common name for Imperial currency.

Each suit has 14 cards, made up from ten Common Cards and four Court Cards. The Common Cards being the Ace (1), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. The four Court Cards are Novice, Champion, Lord, and Master. One common variation in some decks is the replacement of some of the Court Cards, or even the inclusion of more Court Cards (at the expense of the higher numbered Common Cards). The higher the card, the greater is its significance – generally speaking. The exception is the Ace, which is something of a wild card – it can be of either great or small significance, and can also alter the relative value of the other suit cards.

Decks made in the 41^st Millennium often have the numbered minor arcana cards named and numbered (the Ace of Discordia is named the Harlequin, for example), but older decks often have no titles or numbers on those cards. The numbered minor arcana cards usually have the appropriate number of symbols for the suit depicted, and the court cards usually have the corresponding person depicted holding the symbol of their suit. Such modern decks will also often have a symbolic scene depicted on the numbered Minors, although this was generally not the case before the The Age of Apostasy. Before this, with only the exception of a handful of decks, the numbered cards of the Minors showed merely a geometric arrangement of the appropriate number of suit symbols.