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When I am a DM, I traditionally shied away from extensive use of luck during my tabletop roleplaying sessions. I preferred was for story direction and session development to be determined by player choice rather than random chance. That said, I chose to try something different, and I'm truly pleased with the outcome.

The Inspiration: Watching a Custom Mechanic

An influential actual-play show features a DM who regularly calls for "luck rolls" from the players. He does this by choosing a specific dice and assigning potential outcomes contingent on the number. While it's fundamentally no distinct from rolling on a pre-generated chart, these are devised spontaneously when a player's action lacks a predetermined conclusion.

I opted to test this technique at my own game, primarily because it looked interesting and presented a change from my standard routine. The outcome were fantastic, prompting me to reflect on the perennial balance between preparation and spontaneity in a tabletop session.

A Powerful Session Moment

In a recent session, my party had survived a massive battle. Later, a cleric character inquired after two friendly NPCs—a sibling duo—had survived. Instead of choosing an outcome, I handed it over to chance. I told the player to roll a d20. The possible results were: a low roll, both died; on a 5-9, a single one succumbed; on a 10+, they both lived.

The die came up a 4. This led to a deeply poignant moment where the characters found the corpses of their companions, still holding hands in their final moments. The group conducted funeral rites, which was uniquely meaningful due to prior character interactions. As a final gesture, I decided that the forms were miraculously transformed, showing a spell-storing object. By chance, the item's contained spell was perfectly what the group needed to resolve another major situation. One just plan this type of serendipitous coincidences.

Sharpening DM Agility

This incident made me wonder if improvisation and spontaneity are in fact the beating heart of D&D. Although you are a meticulously planning DM, your improvisation muscles can rust. Players reliably excel at upending the most carefully laid plans. Therefore, a effective DM must be able to think quickly and invent scenarios on the fly.

Utilizing similar mechanics is a fantastic way to develop these talents without venturing too far outside your preparation. The trick is to use them for low-stakes circumstances that don't fundamentally change the session's primary direction. As an example, I wouldn't use it to determine if the central plot figure is a secret enemy. Instead, I would consider using it to figure out whether the PCs enter a room just in time to see a major incident unfolds.

Empowering Collaborative Storytelling

This technique also serves to keep players engaged and cultivate the feeling that the game world is responsive, progressing in reaction to their actions in real-time. It reduces the feeling that they are merely pawns in a rigidly planned script, thereby bolstering the cooperative aspect of the game.

This approach has always been part of the original design. Early editions were enamored with encounter generators, which fit a game focused on exploration. Although contemporary D&D tends to focuses on plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, this isn't always the best approach.

Finding the Sweet Spot

There is absolutely no issue with being prepared. But, it's also fine no issue with relinquishing control and permitting the whim of chance to determine certain outcomes rather than you. Direction is a significant factor in a DM's role. We use it to run the game, yet we often struggle to release it, in situations where doing so could be beneficial.

A piece of advice is this: Do not fear of temporarily losing your plan. Try a little randomness for inconsequential details. The result could find that the surprising result is significantly more memorable than anything you would have scripted in advance.