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In my role as a DM, I historically avoided significant use of luck during my D&D sessions. My preference was for narrative flow and session development to be shaped by player choice instead of the roll of a die. Recently, I opted to change my approach, and I'm incredibly pleased with the outcome.

The Inspiration: Seeing 'Luck Rolls'

A well-known actual-play show utilizes a DM who frequently calls for "fate rolls" from the adventurers. This involves choosing a polyhedral and defining potential outcomes based on the number. This is at its core no different from consulting a pre-generated chart, these get invented spontaneously when a course of events lacks a predetermined outcome.

I decided to try this approach at my own session, mostly because it looked interesting and offered a break from my normal practice. The results were fantastic, prompting me to think deeply about the ongoing tension between pre-determination and spontaneity in a roleplaying game.

A Powerful In-Game Example

In a recent session, my group had just emerged from a large-scale fight. Later, a cleric character inquired after two friendly NPCs—a pair—had survived. Rather than deciding myself, I handed it over to chance. I asked the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both were killed; a middling roll, a single one succumbed; on a 10+, they made it.

The player rolled a 4. This led to a deeply emotional sequence where the party found the remains of their friends, still holding hands in death. The cleric performed funeral rites, which was especially meaningful due to prior character interactions. In a concluding touch, I decided that the remains were miraculously transformed, containing a spell-storing object. I randomized, the item's contained spell was precisely what the group required to resolve another major quest obstacle. It's impossible to script such perfect moments.

Improving On-the-Spot Skills

This event led me to ponder if improvisation and making it up are in fact the beating heart of D&D. Even if you are a prep-heavy DM, your improvisation muscles may atrophy. Players frequently take delight in derailing the most detailed narratives. Therefore, a skilled DM needs to be able to adapt swiftly and invent scenarios in the moment.

Employing on-the-spot randomization is a fantastic way to practice these abilities without going completely outside your preparation. The strategy is to use them for small-scale circumstances that have a limited impact on the campaign's main plot. As an example, I would avoid using it to decide if the main villain is a secret enemy. But, I might use it to determine whether the PCs reach a location right after a major incident takes place.

Enhancing Collaborative Storytelling

Spontaneous randomization also serves to maintain tension and cultivate the feeling that the story is alive, progressing based on their decisions immediately. It prevents the sense that they are merely characters in a pre-written story, thereby enhancing the cooperative nature of roleplaying.

This approach has long been embedded in the core of D&D. The game's roots were filled with random tables, which made sense for a playstyle focused on exploration. Even though current D&D often focuses on story and character, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the only path.

Striking the Sweet Spot

Absolutely no problem with being prepared. But, equally valid nothing wrong with relinquishing control and allowing the rolls to decide some things in place of you. Authority is a significant aspect of a DM's responsibilities. We need it to run the game, yet we can be reluctant to give some up, even when doing so can lead to great moments.

A piece of advice is this: Do not fear of letting go of control. Experiment with a little chance for minor outcomes. The result could create that the organic story beat is significantly more memorable than anything you could have scripted on your own.