Chance Rolls in D&D Can Help You Become a Superior Dungeon Master

As a game master, I historically avoided heavy use of randomization during my Dungeons & Dragons adventures. My preference was for the plot and session development to be shaped by character actions as opposed to pure luck. That said, I chose to alter my method, and I'm incredibly glad I did.

The Catalyst: Watching 'Luck Rolls'

A well-known streamed game features a DM who frequently calls for "chance rolls" from the players. This involves selecting a polyhedral and assigning potential outcomes based on the number. While it's at its core no distinct from using a random table, these get invented spontaneously when a player's action lacks a predetermined conclusion.

I opted to test this approach at my own game, mainly because it looked engaging and offered a break from my usual habits. The results were fantastic, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing tension between planning and spontaneity in a roleplaying game.

An Emotional Session Moment

At a session, my party had concluded a city-wide conflict. Later, a player wondered if two friendly NPCs—a sibling duo—had lived. Instead of choosing an outcome, 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, a single one would die; on a 10+, they survived.

The player rolled a 4. This led to a incredibly emotional scene where the party discovered the remains of their allies, still clasped together in death. The group held a ceremony, which was particularly significant due to prior story developments. As a final gesture, I decided that the forms were suddenly transformed, showing a enchanted item. I randomized, the item's contained spell was exactly what the party lacked to resolve another major situation. You simply plan this type of perfect coincidences.

Improving Your Improvisation

This experience caused me to question if chance and making it up are actually the essence of this game. While you are a meticulously planning DM, your skill to pivot need exercise. Groups frequently excel at upending the best constructed plans. Therefore, a effective DM needs to be able to pivot effectively and fabricate details on the fly.

Employing luck rolls is a excellent way to train these talents without going completely outside your preparation. The trick is to deploy them for low-stakes situations that don't fundamentally change the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I would not employ it to establish if the king's advisor is a traitor. Instead, I could use it to figure out if the PCs arrive moments before a major incident takes place.

Enhancing Shared Narrative

Spontaneous randomization also works to make players feel invested and foster the feeling that the story is responsive, evolving according to their actions in real-time. It prevents the perception that they are merely actors in a pre-written script, thereby bolstering the cooperative foundation of roleplaying.

This approach has long been part of the game's DNA. Original D&D were reliant on charts, which fit a game focused on treasure hunting. Although modern D&D frequently focuses on story and character, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the required method.

Striking the Sweet Spot

There is absolutely no problem with doing your prep. However, there is also no issue with relinquishing control and letting the rolls to guide minor details in place of you. Control is a major factor in a DM's job. We require it to manage the world, yet we often struggle to release it, in situations where doing so could be beneficial.

My final recommendation is this: Don't be afraid of temporarily losing your plan. Try a little improvisation for smaller outcomes. It may create that the unexpected outcome is infinitely more memorable than anything you would have scripted in advance.