🔗 Share this article

In my role as a game master, I historically avoided significant use of luck during my D&D sessions. I tended was for narrative flow and session development to be determined by player choice rather than pure luck. That said, I chose to alter my method, and I'm incredibly pleased with the outcome.

The Spark: Watching a Custom Mechanic

A well-known podcast utilizes a DM who frequently calls for "fate rolls" from the adventurers. This involves picking a type of die and assigning possible results tied to the number. This is essentially no different from using a random table, these get invented on the spot when a character's decision has no clear outcome.

I decided to try this method at my own session, mainly because it appeared engaging and presented a change from my normal practice. The outcome were remarkable, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing balance between preparation and randomization in a D&D campaign.

An Emotional In-Game Example

During one session, my group had survived a city-wide conflict. When the dust settled, a player wondered if two beloved NPCs—a sibling duo—had lived. In place of picking a fate, I asked for a roll. I instructed the player to roll a d20. I defined the outcomes as: a low roll, both were killed; on a 5-9, only one would die; on a 10+, they made it.

Fate decreed a 4. This triggered a incredibly poignant sequence where the party found the bodies of their allies, forever united in their final moments. The group performed a ceremony, which was uniquely meaningful due to prior story developments. As a final reward, I chose that the NPCs' bodies were strangely transformed, revealing a spell-storing object. I randomized, the item's contained spell was perfectly what the party needed to resolve another major story problem. It's impossible to script such serendipitous moments.

Sharpening Your Improvisation

This experience caused me to question if improvisation and making it up are in fact the essence of this game. Even if you are a meticulously planning DM, your skill to pivot need exercise. Players often find joy in ignoring the most detailed plans. Therefore, a good DM must be able to think quickly and fabricate scenarios on the fly.

Utilizing luck rolls is a excellent way to develop these talents without going completely outside your usual style. The strategy is to apply them for minor situations that have a limited impact on the campaign's main plot. For instance, I would not employ it to decide if the central plot figure is a traitor. But, I could use it to determine if the PCs arrive just in time to see a critical event unfolds.

Enhancing Shared Narrative

This technique also serves to maintain tension and create the sensation that the adventure is alive, progressing based on their actions immediately. It reduces the sense that they are merely actors in a rigidly planned story, thereby bolstering the collaborative nature of the game.

This approach has historically been part of the core of D&D. Early editions were filled with charts, which made sense for a game focused on dungeon crawling. Even though contemporary D&D tends to prioritizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, it's not necessarily the best approach.

Achieving the Sweet Spot

Absolutely no issue with being prepared. But, equally valid no problem with letting go and letting the rolls to decide some things instead of you. Authority is a major factor in a DM's role. We use it to run the game, yet we frequently find it hard to give some up, in situations where doing so could be beneficial.

My final suggestion is this: Do not fear of temporarily losing the reins. Try a little randomness for inconsequential story elements. The result could find that the unexpected outcome is significantly more memorable than anything you would have scripted on your own.