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When I am a Dungeon Master, I usually steered clear of extensive use of luck during my tabletop roleplaying adventures. My preference was for the plot and what happened in a game to be shaped by character actions as opposed to random chance. Recently, I chose to change my approach, and I'm truly glad I did.

The Inspiration: Watching an Improvised Tool

A popular actual-play show utilizes a DM who regularly requests "luck rolls" from the adventurers. This involves choosing a polyhedral and assigning potential outcomes based on the result. While it's fundamentally no distinct from rolling on a random table, these are created on the spot when a character's decision has no predetermined resolution.

I chose to experiment with this approach at my own table, mostly because it looked novel and provided a change from my usual habits. The experience were fantastic, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated balance between pre-determination and spontaneity in a roleplaying game.

A Memorable In-Game Example

At a session, my party had just emerged from a massive battle. Afterwards, a cleric character asked about two beloved NPCs—a brother and sister—had lived. In place of deciding myself, I handed it over to chance. I asked the player to roll a d20. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both were killed; a middling roll, only one succumbed; a high roll, they made it.

The die came up a 4. This resulted in a profoundly emotional scene where the party came upon the bodies of their friends, forever holding hands in death. The cleric held last rites, which was especially powerful due to previous roleplaying. In a concluding reward, I chose that the forms were strangely restored, containing a spell-storing object. I randomized, the item's contained spell was exactly what the group needed to solve another pressing situation. One just plan these kinds of serendipitous coincidences.

Improving On-the-Spot Skills

This event caused me to question if chance and spontaneity are in fact the essence of tabletop RPGs. Even if you are a prep-heavy DM, your ability to adapt may atrophy. Players often take delight in ignoring the best constructed plans. Therefore, a good DM has to be able to pivot effectively and fabricate scenarios on the fly.

Using similar mechanics is a great way to develop these abilities without going completely outside your preparation. The key is to deploy them for minor decisions that won't drastically alter the session's primary direction. To illustrate, I wouldn't use it to decide if the main villain is a secret enemy. However, I could use it to decide if the party arrive moments before a critical event occurs.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

This technique also works to maintain tension and cultivate the feeling that the adventure is alive, progressing according to their decisions in real-time. It reduces the sense that they are merely characters in a rigidly planned narrative, thereby bolstering the shared nature of storytelling.

This approach has historically been part of the original design. Early editions were enamored with charts, which made sense for a playstyle focused on exploration. Even though contemporary D&D often emphasizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the best approach.

Finding the Healthy Equilibrium

It is perfectly no problem with doing your prep. However, there is also no problem with relinquishing control and permitting the whim of chance to decide some things rather than you. Direction is a big factor in a DM's responsibilities. We need it to run the game, yet we often struggle to give some up, even when doing so might improve the game.

A piece of suggestion is this: Don't be afraid of temporarily losing control. Try a little improvisation for inconsequential story elements. It may find that the surprising result is far more memorable than anything you would have scripted on your own.