Chance Rolls in D&D May Assist You Become a More Effective DM

As a DM, I usually steered clear of significant use of luck during my tabletop roleplaying sessions. My preference was for story direction and session development to be determined by deliberate decisions rather than random chance. That said, I opted to try something different, and I'm very pleased with the outcome.

The Catalyst: Seeing an Improvised Tool

A well-known streamed game showcases a DM who regularly asks for "fate rolls" from the participants. He does this by choosing a polyhedral and defining consequences based on the number. This is fundamentally no unlike consulting a pre-generated chart, these get invented on the spot when a course of events has no obvious resolution.

I chose to experiment with this method at my own session, primarily because it looked engaging and provided a change from my usual habits. The experience were remarkable, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated tension between pre-determination and improvisation in a D&D campaign.

A Memorable In-Game Example

In a recent session, my party had survived a city-wide fight. Later, a cleric character inquired after two friendly NPCs—a pair—had lived. Instead of picking a fate, I let the dice decide. I asked the player to roll a d20. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both would perish; on a 5-9, only one succumbed; a high roll, they made it.

The player rolled a 4. This triggered a incredibly emotional scene where the adventurers discovered the corpses of their allies, forever united in their final moments. The party performed funeral rites, which was especially meaningful due to prior roleplaying. In a concluding reward, I chose that the NPCs' bodies were suddenly restored, showing a spell-storing object. By chance, the item's contained spell was perfectly what the party required to solve another major story problem. You simply script such perfect coincidences.

Sharpening On-the-Spot Skills

This incident made me wonder if improvisation and thinking on your feet are in fact the essence of tabletop RPGs. While you are a meticulously planning DM, your skill to pivot may atrophy. Players reliably take delight in ignoring the best constructed plans. Therefore, a good DM must be able to adapt swiftly and invent scenarios on the fly.

Employing similar mechanics is a fantastic way to practice these talents without going completely outside your usual style. The strategy is to use them for low-stakes circumstances that don't fundamentally change the session's primary direction. For instance, I would not employ it to decide if the main villain is a traitor. Instead, I might use it to figure out if the party arrive just in time to see a critical event occurs.

Strengthening Shared Narrative

This technique also works to make players feel invested and cultivate the feeling that the game world is responsive, shaping according to their decisions in real-time. It prevents the feeling that they are merely pawns in a DM's sole narrative, thereby strengthening the cooperative nature of storytelling.

Randomization has historically been part of the core of D&D. Early editions were reliant on random tables, which fit a game focused on treasure hunting. Even though contemporary D&D tends to emphasizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, that may not be the best approach.

Achieving the Healthy Equilibrium

There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing your prep. But, there is also nothing wrong with stepping back and letting the dice to guide minor details in place of you. Direction is a significant aspect of a DM's job. We require it to manage the world, yet we can be reluctant to cede it, at times when doing so could be beneficial.

A piece of suggestion is this: Do not fear of relinquishing a bit of control. Experiment with a little chance for minor details. The result could create that the organic story beat is far more rewarding than anything you could have planned in advance.