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In my role as a Dungeon Master, I historically steered clear of heavy use of luck during my Dungeons & Dragons games. My preference was for the plot and session development to be determined by deliberate decisions rather than pure luck. Recently, I decided to change my approach, and I'm truly glad I did.

The Catalyst: Seeing 'Luck Rolls'

An influential actual-play show showcases a DM who regularly calls for "chance rolls" from the participants. The process entails choosing a polyhedral and assigning consequences contingent on the result. While it's fundamentally no distinct from consulting a random table, these are created in the moment when a course of events has no predetermined resolution.

I chose to experiment with this method at my own game, mainly because it looked interesting and presented a departure from my standard routine. The results were remarkable, prompting me to think deeply about the ongoing balance between preparation and randomization in a tabletop session.

A Powerful Story Beat

During one session, my party had survived a large-scale battle. Afterwards, a player wondered if two beloved NPCs—a brother and sister—had lived. Instead of deciding myself, I handed it over to chance. I instructed the player to roll a d20. I defined the outcomes as: on a 1-4, both died; a middling roll, a single one would die; on a 10+, they made it.

The die came up a 4. This triggered a profoundly emotional sequence where the party discovered the corpses of their allies, still united in death. The group conducted funeral rites, which was particularly significant due to prior character interactions. In a concluding gesture, I improvised that the NPCs' bodies were suddenly restored, containing a spell-storing object. By chance, the bead's contained spell was precisely what the group needed to resolve another pressing story problem. One just orchestrate these kinds of serendipitous moments.

Sharpening DM Agility

This incident caused me to question if improvisation and spontaneity are in fact the essence of this game. Although you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt need exercise. Players often excel at upending the most carefully laid plans. Therefore, a skilled DM must be able to pivot effectively and fabricate scenarios on the fly.

Using similar mechanics is a great way to practice these abilities without venturing too far outside your usual style. The trick is to use them for minor circumstances that don't fundamentally change the overarching story. As an example, I wouldn't use it to establish if the central plot figure is a traitor. However, I could use it to decide if the characters enter a room just in time to see a major incident takes place.

Enhancing Player Agency

Luck rolls also serves to make players feel invested and foster the impression that the story is alive, evolving according to their choices immediately. It combats the sense that they are merely characters in a pre-written script, thereby bolstering the shared aspect of storytelling.

This philosophy has long been integral to the core of D&D. Original D&D were filled with encounter generators, which fit a playstyle focused on exploration. While modern D&D frequently focuses on narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, this isn't always the only path.

Achieving the Healthy Equilibrium

Absolutely nothing wrong with doing your prep. But, it's also fine no problem with stepping back and allowing the dice to guide minor details rather than you. Control is a significant factor in a DM's job. We use it to run the game, yet we often struggle to release it, even when doing so could be beneficial.

My final recommendation is this: Have no fear of temporarily losing your plan. Experiment with a little randomness for smaller details. It may find that the organic story beat is significantly more memorable than anything you could have scripted on your own.