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When I am a Dungeon Master, I traditionally steered clear of significant use of luck during my Dungeons & Dragons sessions. I preferred was for narrative flow and what happened in a game to be guided by deliberate decisions instead of pure luck. However, I decided to change my approach, and I'm very glad I did.

The Inspiration: Observing an Improvised Tool

A popular streamed game features a DM who regularly calls for "fate rolls" from the adventurers. He does this by selecting a polyhedral and defining potential outcomes contingent on the result. While it's fundamentally no different from rolling on a pre-generated chart, these are devised in the moment when a course of events lacks a predetermined resolution.

I opted to test this technique at my own session, primarily because it appeared interesting and presented a break from my standard routine. The results were eye-opening, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing dynamic between pre-determination and spontaneity in a roleplaying game.

An Emotional Story Beat

At a session, my players had survived a massive conflict. When the dust settled, a player asked about two friendly NPCs—a brother and sister—had survived. In place of picking a fate, I asked for a roll. I told the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both were killed; on a 5-9, only one would die; a high roll, they both lived.

The player rolled a 4. This led to a deeply emotional scene where the party found the corpses of their friends, forever holding hands in their final moments. The party performed a ceremony, which was uniquely powerful due to prior roleplaying. As a final touch, I decided that the forms were suddenly restored, revealing a enchanted item. I randomized, the bead's magical effect was perfectly what the party needed to address another major story problem. It's impossible to orchestrate such serendipitous story beats.

Improving Your Improvisation

This experience caused me to question if randomization and thinking on your feet are actually the core of D&D. Although you are a prep-heavy DM, your skill to pivot need exercise. Groups frequently find joy in ignoring the best constructed plots. Therefore, a skilled DM must be able to pivot effectively and fabricate content on the fly.

Utilizing on-the-spot randomization is a great way to practice these talents without going completely outside your usual style. The trick is to use them for low-stakes circumstances that don't fundamentally change the overarching story. To illustrate, I would avoid using it to decide if the main villain is a secret enemy. However, I might use it to determine whether the characters enter a room moments before a critical event occurs.

Enhancing Collaborative Storytelling

Spontaneous randomization also helps make players feel invested and create the feeling that the story is dynamic, shaping in reaction to their actions immediately. It prevents the feeling that they are merely actors in a DM's sole script, thereby enhancing the collaborative foundation of the game.

This approach has historically been part of the core of D&D. The game's roots were filled with charts, which fit a playstyle focused on exploration. Although modern D&D frequently prioritizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, that may not be the required method.

Achieving the Healthy Equilibrium

There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing your prep. But, it's also fine no issue with relinquishing control and permitting the dice to decide some things in place of you. Direction is a big part of a DM's role. We use it to facilitate play, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, even when doing so might improve the game.

My final recommendation is this: Do not fear of temporarily losing control. Experiment with a little randomness for inconsequential outcomes. The result could create that the organic story beat is far more powerful than anything you would have planned in advance.