🔗 Share this article

When I am a Dungeon Master, I usually steered clear of significant use of luck during my Dungeons & Dragons sessions. I preferred was for story direction and session development to be determined by deliberate decisions as opposed to the roll of a die. That said, I chose to alter my method, and I'm incredibly pleased with the outcome.

The Spark: Observing 'Luck Rolls'

A well-known streamed game features a DM who frequently requests "fate rolls" from the players. This involves picking a type of die and defining potential outcomes based on the number. While it's at its core no distinct from consulting a random table, these get invented spontaneously when a player's action has no clear outcome.

I decided to try this method at my own table, mostly because it appeared engaging and presented a break from my normal practice. The results were eye-opening, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated tension between pre-determination and improvisation in a roleplaying game.

A Memorable Story Beat

At a session, my players had survived a massive fight. Afterwards, a player wondered if two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had survived. Rather than picking a fate, I handed it over to chance. I instructed the player to roll a d20. I defined the outcomes as: a low roll, both would perish; a middling roll, a single one would die; on a 10+, they made it.

The player rolled a 4. This resulted in a deeply moving sequence where the party discovered the bodies of their friends, still united in death. The party conducted a ceremony, which was uniquely powerful due to earlier character interactions. As a parting reward, I improvised that the forms were suddenly transformed, showing a spell-storing object. I randomized, the bead's contained spell was precisely what the party lacked to solve another pressing quest obstacle. It's impossible to plan this type of magical coincidences.

Improving Your Improvisation

This experience made me wonder if improvisation and thinking on your feet are actually the core of tabletop RPGs. While you are a detail-oriented DM, your skill to pivot can rust. Adventurers frequently find joy in derailing the most carefully laid plots. Therefore, a good DM needs to be able to think quickly and fabricate scenarios in real-time.

Using luck rolls is a excellent way to develop these talents without straying too much outside your comfort zone. The strategy is to use them for small-scale situations that don't fundamentally change the campaign's main plot. As an example, I wouldn't use it to decide if the central plot figure is a traitor. However, I could use it to figure out whether the PCs reach a location right after a critical event occurs.

Empowering Collaborative Storytelling

Luck rolls also works to make players feel invested and cultivate the feeling that the story is alive, shaping based on their actions as they play. It reduces the sense that they are merely pawns in a pre-written script, thereby bolstering the cooperative nature of storytelling.

Randomization has historically been part of the original design. The game's roots were reliant on encounter generators, which made sense for a playstyle focused on treasure hunting. While contemporary D&D tends to prioritizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, that may not be the best approach.

Achieving the Sweet Spot

There is absolutely no issue with being prepared. But, equally valid no problem with relinquishing control and permitting the dice to guide minor details instead of you. Control is a big aspect of a DM's role. We use it to run the game, yet we can be reluctant to release it, even when doing so can lead to great moments.

A piece of recommendation is this: Have no fear of letting go of control. Try a little improvisation for smaller story elements. You might just find that the organic story beat is far more rewarding than anything you would have scripted on your own.