🔗 Share this article

When I am a DM, I historically shied away from significant use of chance during my Dungeons & Dragons adventures. My preference was for the plot and session development to be guided by character actions instead of pure luck. Recently, I opted to change my approach, and I'm truly pleased with the outcome.

The Catalyst: Watching 'Luck Rolls'

A well-known streamed game features a DM who regularly asks for "fate rolls" from the players. The process entails choosing a type of die and assigning potential outcomes tied to the roll. This is essentially no distinct from using a pre-generated chart, these get invented in the moment when a player's action lacks a obvious outcome.

I chose to experiment with this method at my own session, mainly because it seemed engaging and presented a change from my standard routine. The experience were eye-opening, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing dynamic between planning and spontaneity in a roleplaying game.

A Memorable Story Beat

During one session, my party had concluded a large-scale battle. Afterwards, a cleric character wondered if two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had made it. Rather than picking a fate, I let the dice decide. I instructed the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both would perish; a middling roll, only one succumbed; a high roll, they survived.

The die came up a 4. This resulted in a deeply moving scene where the adventurers came upon the bodies of their allies, still united in death. The party conducted funeral rites, which was especially significant due to previous story developments. As a parting touch, I improvised that the NPCs' bodies were strangely transformed, containing a spell-storing object. I randomized, the item's magical effect was perfectly what the party lacked to resolve another major story problem. You simply plan this type of serendipitous story beats.

Sharpening On-the-Spot Skills

This incident led me to ponder if chance and spontaneity are truly the beating heart of this game. Even if you are a prep-heavy DM, your skill to pivot need exercise. Players often find joy in upending the most detailed plots. Therefore, a skilled DM has to be able to think quickly and fabricate details on the fly.

Using on-the-spot randomization is a great way to train these talents without going completely outside your preparation. The strategy is to deploy them for minor situations that won't drastically alter the campaign's main plot. As an example, I would avoid using it to decide if the main villain is a traitor. However, I could use it to figure out if the PCs reach a location right after a major incident unfolds.

Enhancing Shared Narrative

This technique also serves to maintain tension and create the feeling that the adventure is dynamic, shaping in reaction to their choices as they play. It combats the perception that they are merely actors in a pre-written narrative, thereby strengthening the cooperative aspect of the game.

Randomization has historically been embedded in the game's DNA. Early editions were reliant on random tables, which fit a game focused on dungeon crawling. Although contemporary D&D tends to focuses on narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, this isn't always the only path.

Achieving the Healthy Equilibrium

It is perfectly no issue with doing your prep. However, equally valid no problem with letting go and letting the rolls to decide some things instead of you. Direction is a big part of a DM's job. We require it to manage the world, yet we often struggle to release it, at times when doing so can lead to great moments.

My final advice is this: Do not fear of temporarily losing control. Embrace a little randomness for inconsequential details. The result could create that the unexpected outcome is far more rewarding than anything you could have scripted by yourself.