🔗 Share this article

As a Dungeon Master, I historically steered clear of significant use of luck during my tabletop roleplaying adventures. My preference was for story direction and session development to be guided by player choice as opposed to the roll of a die. That said, I decided to try something different, and I'm very pleased with the outcome.

The Spark: Watching 'Luck Rolls'

An influential streamed game features a DM who frequently calls for "luck rolls" from the adventurers. This involves choosing a specific dice and defining possible results contingent on the roll. This is fundamentally no unlike consulting a pre-generated chart, these are devised spontaneously when a course of events has no clear outcome.

I decided to try this technique at my own table, mostly because it appeared interesting and provided a departure from my usual habits. The outcome were remarkable, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated balance between pre-determination and randomization in a D&D campaign.

A Memorable In-Game Example

In a recent session, my party had survived a massive battle. Afterwards, a player inquired after two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had made it. Rather than deciding myself, I handed it over to chance. I told the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: a low roll, both died; on a 5-9, only one would die; on a 10+, they made it.

Fate decreed a 4. This led to a incredibly moving moment where the party discovered the remains of their allies, forever united in death. The group performed a ceremony, which was especially powerful due to previous story developments. As a final reward, I decided that the forms were miraculously transformed, showing a spell-storing object. By chance, the bead's contained spell was exactly what the party required to solve another major quest obstacle. One just orchestrate these kinds of magical moments.

Improving On-the-Spot Skills

This incident made me wonder if randomization and making it up are in fact the essence of D&D. While you are a detail-oriented DM, your skill to pivot can rust. Players frequently find joy in ignoring the most carefully laid narratives. Therefore, a skilled DM needs to be able to think quickly and create scenarios in the moment.

Utilizing luck rolls is a fantastic way to train these abilities without straying too much outside your comfort zone. The key is to deploy them for low-stakes situations that won't drastically alter the session's primary direction. As an example, I wouldn't use it to establish if the king's advisor is a traitor. But, I could use it to figure out if the PCs reach a location right after a major incident unfolds.

Enhancing Player Agency

Spontaneous randomization also works to make players feel invested and create the impression that the story is alive, progressing in reaction to their decisions immediately. It prevents the sense that they are merely pawns in a DM's sole narrative, thereby enhancing the shared foundation of roleplaying.

This approach has long been part of the core of D&D. The game's roots were enamored with encounter generators, which made sense for a game focused on dungeon crawling. Although current D&D frequently emphasizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, that may not be the required method.

Finding the Sweet Spot

Absolutely nothing wrong with thorough preparation. However, equally valid nothing wrong with stepping back and permitting the dice to decide some things instead of you. Control is a significant factor in a DM's role. We need it to manage the world, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, at times when doing so can lead to great moments.

My final recommendation is this: Don't be afraid of letting go of the reins. Try a little chance for inconsequential details. It may discover that the surprising result is significantly more memorable than anything you might have planned by yourself.