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In my role as a game master, I traditionally avoided heavy use of chance during my Dungeons & Dragons games. I preferred was for the plot and session development to be shaped by deliberate decisions rather than the roll of a die. Recently, I chose to try something different, and I'm very pleased with the outcome.

The Spark: Seeing 'Luck Rolls'

An influential actual-play show features a DM who often requests "chance rolls" from the adventurers. The process entails selecting a polyhedral and assigning possible results based on the result. This is at its core no unlike using a pre-generated chart, these get invented on the spot when a character's decision doesn't have a obvious conclusion.

I opted to test this method at my own session, mainly because it looked interesting and presented a departure from my usual habits. The outcome were remarkable, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated balance between pre-determination and spontaneity in a tabletop session.

A Powerful In-Game Example

In a recent session, my group had survived a city-wide fight. Afterwards, a cleric character inquired after two key NPCs—a pair—had made it. Rather than choosing an outcome, I handed it over to chance. I asked the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The possible results were: on a 1-4, both would perish; a middling roll, a single one succumbed; a high roll, they both lived.

The die came up a 4. This triggered a deeply moving sequence where the party came upon the corpses of their allies, forever united in death. The group conducted funeral rites, which was uniquely significant due to prior character interactions. As a parting gesture, I improvised that the NPCs' bodies were miraculously restored, revealing a enchanted item. I rolled for, the bead's magical effect was precisely what the party needed to resolve another pressing quest obstacle. It's impossible to script this type of magical moments.

Improving Your Improvisation

This event made me wonder if chance and making it up are in fact the core of this game. While you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt can rust. Adventurers frequently take delight in upending the best constructed plans. Therefore, a skilled DM must be able to think quickly and create details in real-time.

Employing luck rolls is a great way to practice these talents without going completely outside your preparation. The strategy is to deploy them for minor decisions that have a limited impact on the overarching story. As an example, I would not employ it to establish if the main villain is a secret enemy. However, I could use it to figure out whether the party arrive just in time to see a major incident unfolds.

Empowering Player Agency

Spontaneous randomization also helps keep players engaged and create the impression that the adventure is responsive, evolving based on their decisions immediately. It combats the perception that they are merely pawns in a pre-written story, thereby bolstering the collaborative aspect of roleplaying.

Randomization has always been embedded in the game's DNA. The game's roots were enamored with random tables, which made sense for a game focused on treasure hunting. Even though contemporary D&D often focuses on story and character, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, this isn't always the required method.

Striking the Healthy Equilibrium

It is perfectly no problem with doing your prep. However, equally valid no problem with stepping back and permitting the dice to decide some things instead of you. Control is a big aspect of a DM's responsibilities. We require it to run the game, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, at times when doing so might improve the game.

My final advice is this: Don't be afraid of relinquishing a bit of the reins. Experiment with a little improvisation for inconsequential story elements. You might just discover that the unexpected outcome is far more powerful than anything you might have planned on your own.