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In my role as a Dungeon Master, I usually avoided significant use of chance during my D&D sessions. I preferred was for the plot and what happened in a game to be determined by deliberate decisions rather than pure luck. That said, I opted to alter my method, and I'm incredibly happy with the result.

The Spark: Observing an Improvised Tool

A popular streamed game utilizes a DM who regularly asks for "chance rolls" from the participants. This involves picking a polyhedral and outlining consequences based on the result. It's at its core no different from using a random table, these get invented in the moment when a course of events has no clear outcome.

I chose to experiment with this method at my own game, mainly because it looked novel and offered a break from my normal practice. The outcome were fantastic, prompting me to think deeply about the ongoing tension between planning and improvisation in a tabletop session.

A Memorable Story Beat

In a recent session, my players had concluded a massive conflict. Later, a cleric character inquired after two key NPCs—a brother and sister—had survived. Rather than picking a fate, I handed it over to chance. I told the player to roll a d20. The stakes were: a low roll, both died; on a 5-9, only one succumbed; a high roll, they both lived.

The player rolled a 4. This resulted in a incredibly emotional moment where the party discovered the remains of their allies, still clasped together in their final moments. The group conducted last rites, which was particularly powerful due to earlier story developments. As a final touch, I chose that the NPCs' bodies were strangely transformed, containing a magical Prayer Bead. By chance, the bead's contained spell was exactly what the group needed to solve another major story problem. You simply plan these kinds of serendipitous moments.

Sharpening Your Improvisation

This experience made me wonder if improvisation and making it up are actually the beating heart of this game. Although you are a meticulously planning DM, your improvisation muscles can rust. Groups often take delight in upending the most carefully laid plans. Therefore, a skilled DM must be able to think quickly and create details in real-time.

Utilizing luck rolls is a excellent way to practice these skills without venturing too far outside your comfort zone. The strategy is to deploy them for low-stakes circumstances that won't drastically alter the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I would not employ it to determine if the central plot figure is a secret enemy. Instead, I might use it to figure out whether the party arrive moments before a key action takes place.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

This technique also serves to maintain tension and create the impression that the game world is dynamic, shaping based on their choices in real-time. It reduces the feeling that they are merely pawns in a rigidly planned story, thereby enhancing the shared aspect of roleplaying.

This philosophy has always been embedded in the core of D&D. The game's roots were filled with encounter generators, which fit a game focused on exploration. Even though current D&D often prioritizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, this isn't always the required method.

Achieving the Right Balance

Absolutely no issue with thorough preparation. But, there is also no problem with relinquishing control and allowing the rolls to determine certain outcomes in place of you. Direction is a significant part of a DM's role. We require it to manage the world, yet we can be reluctant to release it, in situations where doing so could be beneficial.

A piece of recommendation is this: Have no fear of temporarily losing your plan. Embrace a little improvisation for inconsequential story elements. It may discover that the surprising result is significantly more rewarding than anything you would have planned by yourself.