🔗 Share this article

As a game master, I historically avoided significant use of luck during my tabletop roleplaying adventures. My preference was for narrative flow and what happened in a game to be shaped by character actions instead of the roll of a die. However, I decided to try something different, and I'm incredibly happy with the result.

The Inspiration: Observing 'Luck Rolls'

An influential streamed game utilizes a DM who regularly asks for "fate rolls" from the players. This involves choosing a polyhedral and outlining consequences tied to the roll. It's at its core no different from using a random table, these are devised spontaneously when a character's decision lacks a clear outcome.

I opted to test this approach at my own session, mainly because it appeared novel and provided a departure from my normal practice. The experience were eye-opening, prompting me to think deeply about the ongoing dynamic between planning and spontaneity in a roleplaying game.

A Powerful Session Moment

At a session, my players had survived a massive fight. Afterwards, a player asked about two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had made it. In place of picking a fate, I handed it over to chance. I told the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both would perish; on a 5-9, only one would die; a high roll, they survived.

The die came up a 4. This led to a deeply emotional moment where the adventurers found the bodies of their allies, forever holding hands in death. The group conducted funeral rites, which was uniquely significant due to earlier story developments. As a final touch, I decided that the NPCs' bodies were suddenly restored, containing a magical Prayer Bead. I randomized, the bead's contained spell was exactly what the group needed to resolve another pressing story problem. It's impossible to plan these kinds of serendipitous moments.

Improving DM Agility

This event caused me to question if improvisation and spontaneity are truly the core of tabletop RPGs. Even if you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt may atrophy. Groups often excel at upending the most detailed plans. Therefore, a effective DM has to be able to adapt swiftly and fabricate scenarios in real-time.

Employing luck rolls is a great way to develop these skills without straying too much outside your usual style. The trick is to apply them for low-stakes circumstances that have a limited impact on the campaign's main plot. For instance, I wouldn't use it to establish if the central plot figure is a traitor. However, I could use it to figure out if the PCs arrive just in time to see a key action unfolds.

Empowering Player Agency

Luck rolls also serves to make players feel invested and create the impression that the adventure is responsive, evolving in reaction to their choices as they play. It combats the perception that they are merely actors in a rigidly planned narrative, thereby enhancing the shared nature of storytelling.

This philosophy has always been part of the game's DNA. Early editions were filled with encounter generators, which fit a playstyle focused on treasure hunting. Even though contemporary D&D tends to emphasizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, it's not necessarily the required method.

Striking the Healthy Equilibrium

There is absolutely no issue with thorough preparation. Yet, there is also no problem with stepping back and allowing the dice to decide some things in place of you. Control is a significant part of a DM's role. We require it to manage the world, yet we often struggle to give some up, in situations where doing so might improve the game.

The core suggestion is this: Have no fear of letting go of control. Try a little improvisation for smaller story elements. It may discover that the surprising result is significantly more memorable than anything you might have scripted by yourself.