🔗 Share this article

In my role as a DM, I usually steered clear of significant use of chance during my D&D sessions. I preferred was for narrative flow and session development to be determined by deliberate decisions as opposed to random chance. However, I decided to alter my method, and I'm incredibly happy with the result.

The Inspiration: Seeing a Custom Mechanic

A well-known podcast showcases a DM who regularly asks for "fate rolls" from the adventurers. He does this by choosing a type of die and assigning consequences based on the number. This is fundamentally no unlike using a random table, these get invented on the spot when a course of events has no clear resolution.

I chose to experiment with this technique at my own session, primarily because it looked novel and presented a change from my usual habits. The results were remarkable, prompting me to reflect on the perennial balance between preparation and improvisation in a D&D campaign.

An Emotional In-Game Example

In a recent session, my group had survived a city-wide fight. Afterwards, a cleric character wondered if two friendly NPCs—a pair—had made it. Instead of choosing an outcome, I let the dice decide. I instructed the player to roll a d20. The possible results were: on a 1-4, both were killed; a middling roll, a single one succumbed; a high roll, they both lived.

The die came up a 4. This triggered a deeply emotional scene where the adventurers found the corpses of their allies, still clasped together in death. The cleric held last rites, which was especially meaningful due to earlier story developments. As a final reward, I improvised that the remains were strangely restored, containing a magical Prayer Bead. I randomized, the bead's contained spell was precisely what the group required to resolve another pressing situation. It's impossible to orchestrate these kinds of magical coincidences.

Improving DM Agility

This experience caused me to question if chance and thinking on your feet are in fact the essence of D&D. While you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt may atrophy. Groups frequently excel at ignoring the best constructed plots. Therefore, a good DM must be able to pivot effectively and fabricate details on the fly.

Utilizing on-the-spot randomization is a excellent way to train these abilities without going completely outside your comfort zone. The trick is to deploy them for minor decisions that won't drastically alter the campaign's main plot. For instance, I would not employ it to determine if the central plot figure is a traitor. Instead, I could use it to figure out whether the party arrive moments before a critical event takes place.

Empowering Player Agency

Luck rolls also serves to keep players engaged and create the feeling that the game world is responsive, evolving according to their choices immediately. It prevents the sense that they are merely actors in a DM's sole script, thereby bolstering the cooperative nature of roleplaying.

This philosophy has historically been integral to the game's DNA. Original D&D were reliant on encounter generators, which made sense for a game focused on dungeon crawling. Even though modern D&D frequently prioritizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the best approach.

Striking the Sweet Spot

Absolutely no problem with thorough preparation. But, equally valid no problem with stepping back and permitting the whim of chance to determine certain outcomes in place of you. Control is a major factor in a DM's job. We require it to manage the world, yet we can be reluctant to cede it, even when doing so might improve the game.

The core advice is this: Do not fear of relinquishing a bit of your plan. Embrace a little chance for inconsequential details. You might just create that the surprising result is infinitely more rewarding than anything you would have planned in advance.