🔗 Share this article

In my role as a Dungeon Master, I historically shied away from heavy use of luck during my Dungeons & Dragons sessions. I preferred was for story direction and what happened in a game to be shaped by deliberate decisions instead of random chance. However, I decided to change my approach, and I'm very glad I did.

The Catalyst: Observing a Custom Mechanic

A popular streamed game features a DM who often asks for "luck rolls" from the players. He does this by choosing a specific dice and outlining possible results contingent on the number. It's at its core no different from consulting a pre-generated chart, these are created on the spot when a character's decision has no obvious outcome.

I opted to test this approach at my own session, mainly because it looked interesting and provided a departure from my normal practice. The outcome were fantastic, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated dynamic between pre-determination and spontaneity in a tabletop session.

An Emotional Story Beat

During one session, my players had concluded a massive battle. Later, a player inquired after two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had survived. Instead of deciding myself, I let the dice decide. I asked the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The possible results were: a low roll, both were killed; a middling roll, only one succumbed; a high roll, they made it.

The player rolled a 4. This triggered a deeply emotional sequence where the adventurers found the bodies of their allies, still holding hands in death. The party held a ceremony, which was especially significant due to prior character interactions. As a parting touch, I chose that the forms were miraculously transformed, revealing a spell-storing object. I rolled for, the item's magical effect was exactly what the group lacked to solve another critical quest obstacle. It's impossible to orchestrate these kinds of serendipitous coincidences.

Improving Your Improvisation

This event made me wonder if randomization and spontaneity are actually the beating heart of this game. Even if you are a prep-heavy DM, your skill to pivot can rust. Adventurers reliably excel at ignoring the best constructed plots. Therefore, a skilled DM needs to be able to pivot effectively and create details in the moment.

Employing similar mechanics is a excellent way to train these talents without going completely outside your preparation. The trick is to apply them for minor situations that don't fundamentally change the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I wouldn't use it to establish if the central plot figure is a traitor. However, I might use it to figure out whether the PCs enter a room moments before a major incident occurs.

Enhancing Shared Narrative

Luck rolls also works to maintain tension and foster the feeling that the story is dynamic, shaping based on their decisions as they play. It reduces the sense that they are merely actors in a DM's sole script, thereby enhancing the cooperative aspect of the game.

Randomization has long been integral to the core of D&D. The game's roots were reliant on random tables, which made sense for a game focused on dungeon crawling. While modern D&D tends to focuses on story and character, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, this isn't always the best approach.

Finding the Right Balance

There is absolutely nothing wrong with thorough preparation. Yet, there is also no issue with letting go and letting the rolls to determine certain outcomes in place of you. Control is a major factor in a DM's responsibilities. We require it to facilitate play, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, even when doing so could be beneficial.

My final advice is this: Do not fear of relinquishing a bit of your plan. Experiment with a little improvisation for smaller details. It may create that the organic story beat is significantly more rewarding than anything you would have scripted on your own.