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When I am a Dungeon Master, I historically shied away from heavy use of chance during my tabletop roleplaying sessions. My preference was for narrative flow and session development to be shaped by player choice as opposed to pure luck. That said, I chose to alter my method, and I'm very glad I did.

The Catalyst: Observing 'Luck Rolls'

An influential podcast showcases a DM who frequently asks for "chance rolls" from the participants. He does this by choosing a polyhedral and outlining potential outcomes tied to the roll. While it's essentially no unlike rolling on a pre-generated chart, these get invented on the spot when a course of events has no predetermined conclusion.

I chose to experiment with this technique at my own game, mostly because it looked novel and presented a change from my standard routine. The outcome were fantastic, prompting me to think deeply about the often-debated balance between planning and spontaneity in a tabletop session.

An Emotional Story Beat

At a session, my players had concluded a large-scale conflict. Afterwards, a player inquired after two friendly NPCs—a pair—had lived. Rather than choosing an outcome, I handed it over to chance. I asked the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The possible results were: on a 1-4, both were killed; on a 5-9, only one succumbed; on a 10+, they survived.

Fate decreed a 4. This triggered a deeply emotional sequence where the characters found the corpses of their companions, forever holding hands in their final moments. The group held funeral rites, which was especially powerful due to previous roleplaying. As a parting reward, I improvised that the remains were suddenly transformed, showing a spell-storing object. I rolled for, the item's contained spell was exactly what the group lacked to address another pressing quest obstacle. It's impossible to plan these kinds of perfect story beats.

Sharpening DM Agility

This event caused me to question if improvisation and thinking on your feet are truly the beating heart of this game. While you are a prep-heavy DM, your improvisation muscles can rust. Players frequently find joy in derailing the most carefully laid narratives. Therefore, a good DM needs to be able to think quickly and create scenarios on the fly.

Using luck rolls is a excellent way to develop these abilities without venturing too far outside your comfort zone. The key is to deploy them for low-stakes situations that have a limited impact on the session's primary direction. To illustrate, I would avoid using it to decide if the king's advisor is a secret enemy. However, I might use it to figure out if the party reach a location right after a key action unfolds.

Empowering Player Agency

Luck rolls also serves to maintain tension and create the feeling that the story is dynamic, progressing according to their choices immediately. It reduces the sense that they are merely pawns in a pre-written story, thereby strengthening the cooperative foundation of storytelling.

Randomization has always been part of the core of D&D. Early editions were enamored with random tables, which suited a game focused on treasure hunting. Although current D&D often prioritizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the best approach.

Achieving the Healthy Equilibrium

There is absolutely no problem with doing your prep. But, it's also fine no problem with letting go and letting the whim of chance to decide some things rather than you. Control is a big factor in a DM's responsibilities. We require it to run the game, yet we often struggle to cede it, in situations where doing so might improve the game.

A piece of recommendation is this: Don't be afraid of relinquishing a bit of control. Embrace a little improvisation for minor story elements. It may discover that the surprising result is infinitely more rewarding than anything you would have scripted on your own.