🔗 Share this article

When I am a Dungeon Master, I historically avoided heavy use of luck during my Dungeons & Dragons games. My preference was for the plot and what happened in a game to be shaped by deliberate decisions rather than pure luck. That said, I decided to try something different, and I'm truly glad I did.

The Inspiration: Observing a Custom Mechanic

An influential podcast features a DM who regularly calls for "luck rolls" from the adventurers. This involves picking a type of die and outlining consequences contingent on the roll. It's fundamentally no different from using a pre-generated chart, these are created in the moment when a character's decision doesn't have a clear resolution.

I chose to experiment with this method at my own game, mostly because it appeared interesting and offered a change from my standard routine. The experience were eye-opening, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing tension between preparation and randomization in a tabletop session.

A Powerful In-Game Example

In a recent session, my group had concluded a large-scale fight. When the dust settled, a cleric character inquired after two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had made it. In place of deciding myself, I asked for a roll. I told the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both were killed; on a 5-9, only one would die; a high roll, they made it.

The die came up a 4. This triggered a deeply poignant moment where the party discovered the remains of their friends, still holding hands in their final moments. The party conducted last rites, which was especially significant due to earlier story developments. As a final reward, I decided that the NPCs' bodies were strangely transformed, revealing a spell-storing object. I randomized, the bead's contained spell was exactly what the party required to solve another critical story problem. You simply orchestrate such perfect story beats.

Sharpening On-the-Spot Skills

This event made me wonder if improvisation and making it up are truly the core of D&D. While you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt can rust. Adventurers frequently find joy in upending the best constructed plans. Therefore, a skilled DM has to be able to adapt swiftly and invent details in the moment.

Using similar mechanics is a excellent way to train these abilities without venturing too far outside your preparation. The key is to deploy them for low-stakes circumstances that won't drastically alter the session's primary direction. For instance, I wouldn't use it to decide if the central plot figure is a traitor. Instead, I would consider using it to decide whether the PCs reach a location just in time to see a critical event takes place.

Empowering Player Agency

Spontaneous randomization also helps keep players engaged and create the feeling that the story is dynamic, progressing based on their actions in real-time. It prevents the perception that they are merely pawns in a DM's sole story, thereby bolstering the collaborative foundation of storytelling.

Randomization has long been integral to the core of D&D. Early editions were filled with encounter generators, which fit a game focused on dungeon crawling. While modern D&D frequently focuses on story and character, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the required method.

Finding the Healthy Equilibrium

Absolutely no problem with thorough preparation. But, it's also fine no problem with stepping back and allowing the rolls to decide some things instead of you. Direction is a major part of a DM's role. We use it to facilitate play, yet we can be reluctant to cede it, in situations where doing so might improve the game.

My final advice is this: Have no fear of temporarily losing the reins. Embrace a little improvisation for smaller details. It may create that the unexpected outcome is infinitely more powerful than anything you would have scripted in advance.