🔗 Share this article

When I am a Dungeon Master, I traditionally shied away from heavy use of luck during my Dungeons & Dragons games. I tended was for the plot and session development to be determined by deliberate decisions instead of random chance. Recently, I decided to try something different, and I'm incredibly glad I did.

The Spark: Observing 'Luck Rolls'

A popular podcast showcases a DM who regularly asks for "fate rolls" from the adventurers. He does this by selecting a specific dice and assigning consequences contingent on the number. It's fundamentally no unlike consulting a random table, these get invented on the spot when a course of events doesn't have a clear resolution.

I decided to try this approach at my own session, primarily because it looked interesting and presented a departure from my usual habits. The results were fantastic, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing balance between preparation and randomization in a tabletop session.

An Emotional Session Moment

At a session, my group had just emerged from a large-scale fight. When the dust settled, a player asked about two key NPCs—a pair—had survived. Instead of choosing an outcome, I asked for a roll. I instructed the player to roll a d20. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both would perish; a middling roll, a single one would die; a high roll, they survived.

The player rolled a 4. This led to a incredibly poignant moment where the party discovered the bodies of their friends, forever united in death. The cleric held last rites, which was uniquely significant due to previous character interactions. As a parting reward, I chose that the remains were miraculously transformed, showing a spell-storing object. I randomized, the bead's magical effect was perfectly what the party needed to solve another major story problem. It's impossible to orchestrate such perfect story beats.

Sharpening DM Agility

This experience led me to ponder if improvisation and making it up are actually the essence of this game. While you are a meticulously planning DM, your skill to pivot may atrophy. Groups reliably take delight in upending the most carefully laid plans. Therefore, a skilled DM must be able to pivot effectively and create scenarios on the fly.

Using on-the-spot randomization is a fantastic way to train these abilities without straying too much outside your preparation. The strategy is to use them for minor circumstances that have a limited impact on the session's primary direction. As an example, I wouldn't use it to decide if the king's advisor is a traitor. Instead, I would consider using it to determine whether the PCs arrive right after a critical event unfolds.

Enhancing Player Agency

Spontaneous randomization also serves to keep players engaged and cultivate the sensation that the game world is responsive, progressing in reaction to their actions as they play. It prevents the sense that they are merely pawns in a pre-written narrative, thereby enhancing the collaborative aspect of storytelling.

Randomization has historically been embedded in the original design. The game's roots were enamored with encounter generators, which made sense for a game focused on treasure hunting. Even though current D&D tends to focuses on story and character, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, that may not be the only path.

Striking the Right Balance

Absolutely no problem with doing your prep. But, equally valid no issue with stepping back and letting the dice to determine certain outcomes rather than you. Authority is a big aspect of a DM's role. We need it to manage the world, yet we can be reluctant to give some up, in situations where doing so might improve the game.

A piece of advice is this: Have no fear of temporarily losing the reins. Experiment with a little improvisation for smaller story elements. You might just find that the surprising result is significantly more rewarding than anything you might have planned in advance.