🔗 Share this article

When I am a game master, I usually avoided heavy use of luck during my tabletop roleplaying sessions. I preferred was for the plot and what happened in a game to be shaped by player choice instead of pure luck. Recently, I opted to alter my method, and I'm incredibly happy with the result.

The Catalyst: Observing 'Luck Rolls'

An influential actual-play show showcases a DM who frequently requests "luck rolls" from the adventurers. This involves selecting a polyhedral and outlining possible results contingent on the result. While it's fundamentally no distinct from consulting a random table, these are created on the spot when a character's decision has no clear resolution.

I opted to test this method at my own session, mostly because it seemed novel and provided a break from my usual habits. The outcome were fantastic, prompting me to think deeply about the often-debated dynamic between pre-determination and spontaneity in a roleplaying game.

A Memorable In-Game Example

At a session, my party had survived a large-scale conflict. When the dust settled, a player asked about two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had lived. In place of choosing an outcome, I asked for a roll. I instructed the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: a low roll, both would perish; a middling roll, a single one would die; a high roll, they survived.

Fate decreed a 4. This triggered a profoundly moving scene where the adventurers came upon the bodies of their allies, still clasped together in their final moments. The group conducted last rites, which was particularly significant due to previous roleplaying. As a parting reward, I chose that the forms were suddenly transformed, showing a enchanted item. By chance, the item's contained spell was perfectly what the group needed to resolve another critical quest obstacle. It's impossible to script this type of serendipitous story beats.

Honing Your Improvisation

This incident caused me to question if chance and spontaneity are truly the beating heart of tabletop RPGs. Even if you are a prep-heavy DM, your ability to adapt need exercise. Adventurers frequently excel at ignoring the best constructed narratives. Therefore, a good DM must be able to adapt swiftly and invent scenarios in the moment.

Utilizing similar mechanics is a great way to train these abilities without venturing too far outside your usual style. The strategy is to use them for small-scale circumstances that won't drastically alter the session's primary direction. To illustrate, I would not employ it to determine if the main villain is a secret enemy. However, I might use it to determine whether the PCs reach a location just in time to see a key action takes place.

Strengthening Player Agency

Luck rolls also helps keep players engaged and foster the feeling that the story is alive, evolving in reaction to their actions immediately. It prevents the sense that they are merely characters in a pre-written narrative, thereby strengthening the shared aspect of storytelling.

Randomization has long been integral to the original design. Early editions were filled with random tables, which fit a playstyle focused on dungeon crawling. While modern D&D frequently prioritizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the only path.

Achieving the Healthy Equilibrium

Absolutely no issue with being prepared. Yet, equally valid no problem with relinquishing control and permitting the whim of chance to guide minor details instead of you. Authority is a significant part of a DM's responsibilities. We require it to manage the world, yet we can be reluctant to release it, 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 minor outcomes. It may find that the surprising result is far more powerful than anything you would have pre-written by yourself.