🔗 Share this article

As a Dungeon Master, I historically avoided significant use of chance during my D&D sessions. I tended was for the plot and session development to be guided by character actions instead of pure luck. However, I decided to alter my method, and I'm very pleased with the outcome.

The Spark: Seeing an Improvised Tool

An influential streamed game features a DM who often requests "fate rolls" from the players. The process entails picking a type of die and outlining possible results contingent on the number. It's at its core no different from using a random table, these are devised on the spot when a character's decision has no obvious resolution.

I decided to try this method at my own table, mostly because it appeared interesting and provided a break from my normal practice. The results were eye-opening, prompting me to reflect on the ongoing dynamic between planning and spontaneity in a tabletop session.

A Powerful Story Beat

At a session, my party had just emerged from a massive battle. Afterwards, a cleric character wondered if two key NPCs—a pair—had survived. Rather than picking a fate, I asked for a roll. I asked the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. I defined the outcomes as: a low roll, both were killed; on a 5-9, only one succumbed; on a 10+, they survived.

The player rolled a 4. This triggered a incredibly moving scene where the party discovered the corpses of their companions, still united in their final moments. The cleric conducted funeral rites, which was uniquely significant due to prior character interactions. In a concluding touch, I improvised that the forms were suddenly restored, showing a spell-storing object. I rolled for, the bead's contained spell was exactly what the group required to solve another pressing situation. It's impossible to script this type of perfect coincidences.

Improving DM Agility

This incident led me to ponder if chance and making it up are actually the beating heart of D&D. Even if you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt may atrophy. Players reliably excel at derailing the most carefully laid plots. Therefore, a effective DM needs to be able to adapt swiftly and create scenarios on the fly.

Utilizing on-the-spot randomization is a excellent way to develop these abilities without venturing too far outside your comfort zone. The strategy is to deploy them for small-scale decisions that won't drastically alter the session's primary direction. As an example, I wouldn't use it to decide if the main villain is a secret enemy. Instead, I would consider using it to figure out whether the characters arrive just in time to see a critical event takes place.

Enhancing Shared Narrative

This technique also works to maintain tension and create the impression that the game world is alive, progressing in reaction to their actions in real-time. It prevents the sense that they are merely characters in a DM's sole narrative, thereby strengthening the shared aspect of storytelling.

Randomization has historically been embedded in the core of D&D. Early editions were filled with charts, which fit a game focused on exploration. While current D&D tends to focuses on narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the only path.

Achieving the Right Balance

Absolutely no problem with doing your prep. However, there is also no problem with stepping back and permitting the dice to decide some things rather than you. Direction is a major factor in a DM's role. We require it to manage the world, yet we can be reluctant to cede it, in situations where doing so might improve the game.

The core suggestion is this: Have no fear of relinquishing a bit of the reins. Experiment with a little improvisation for minor details. It may discover that the organic story beat is far more rewarding than anything you could have scripted by yourself.