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When I am a DM, I usually shied away from significant use of luck during my D&D games. I preferred was for the plot and what happened in a game to be guided by player choice as opposed to the roll of a die. Recently, I decided to alter my method, and I'm incredibly glad I did.

The Inspiration: Seeing an Improvised Tool

A popular podcast utilizes a DM who often calls for "luck rolls" from the adventurers. This involves choosing a polyhedral and assigning consequences tied to the number. It's at its core no different from using a random table, these get invented on the spot when a character's decision lacks a obvious conclusion.

I opted to test this approach at my own game, primarily because it looked engaging and provided a change from my standard routine. The results were remarkable, prompting me to reflect on the perennial dynamic between planning and randomization in a roleplaying game.

A Powerful Session Moment

During one session, my group had concluded a large-scale conflict. When the dust settled, a cleric character wondered if two friendly NPCs—a sibling duo—had survived. Rather than deciding myself, I let the dice decide. I instructed the player to roll a d20. The possible results were: on a 1-4, both were killed; on a 5-9, a single one would die; a high roll, they both lived.

The player rolled a 4. This resulted in a profoundly poignant sequence where the adventurers came upon the remains of their companions, forever clasped together in death. The party conducted a ceremony, which was uniquely significant due to prior story developments. In a concluding gesture, I chose that the forms were strangely transformed, revealing a spell-storing object. I randomized, the item's contained spell was perfectly what the party lacked to solve another critical situation. It's impossible to script such serendipitous story beats.

Improving On-the-Spot Skills

This incident led me to ponder if chance and thinking on your feet are truly the beating heart of this game. While you are a prep-heavy DM, your improvisation muscles can rust. Players reliably excel at derailing the most carefully laid plans. Therefore, a good DM has to be able to think quickly and invent details in the moment.

Using luck rolls is a excellent way to train these skills without straying too much outside your preparation. The key is to deploy them for low-stakes circumstances that don't fundamentally change the overarching story. To illustrate, I would avoid using it to determine if the central plot figure is a secret enemy. Instead, I would consider using it to determine whether the party enter a room just in time to see a critical event unfolds.

Enhancing Collaborative Storytelling

This technique also works to maintain tension and create the feeling that the game world is alive, progressing based on their choices immediately. It reduces the feeling that they are merely pawns in a pre-written script, thereby enhancing the cooperative foundation of roleplaying.

This approach has always been integral to the original design. The game's roots were enamored with encounter generators, which made sense for a game focused on exploration. Although current D&D frequently focuses on story and character, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, that may not be the only path.

Striking the Right Balance

There is absolutely no issue with being prepared. Yet, equally valid no problem with stepping back and permitting the dice to decide some things instead of you. Authority is a significant factor in a DM's role. We need it to facilitate play, yet we often struggle to give some up, even when doing so might improve the game.

A piece of advice is this: Don't be afraid of letting go of your plan. Embrace a little randomness for inconsequential outcomes. You might just find that the unexpected outcome is far more powerful than anything you might have pre-written in advance.