Chance Rolls
Chance rolls are a method that can be used to generate random outcomes for various game aspects using dice results.
A chance roll is a type of dice roll used to determine random outcomes or uncertain events. The outcome of a chance roll helps guide where the story goes next. Chance rolls can also make the game feel more dynamic and exciting for players who see the game direction is determined by random chance through dice rather than director fiat.
Types of Chance Rolls
The following are some examples of where a director may choose to use a chance roll.
Combat Damage: Used to determine the physical region and type of damage when taking damage during combat.
Disease and Poison Effects: Use to determine the effects and progression of diseases and poisons.
Magical Effects: Random tables can determine the outcomes of spells or enchanted items or determine the consequences of wild magic.
Market Prices: When characters want to buy or sell items, a chance roll could decide whether the prices are higher, lower, or average.
NPC Reactions: To determine how an NPC reacts to a character's action, especially if the reaction isn't predetermined.
Random Encounters: Use to decide if the characters stumble upon a group of travelers, wildlife, or potential enemies while traveling.
Random Events: To introduce unexpected events or incidents that affect the storyline, such as a sudden blackout or a minor earthquake.
Resource Scarcity: Use to decide if a certain resource is plentiful or scarce in the area.
Rumors: When characters are gathering information, a chance roll could determine the accuracy of rumors they hear.
Search Outcomes: To determine if characters find hidden items or clues while searching an area.
Travel Conditions: To establish the condition of roads, paths, or modes of transportation for a journey.
Weather Conditions: Use to determine seasonal weather effects and random climate effects for an adventure day or a specific scene.
Making a Chance Roll
Chance rolls can be made using a variety of dice methods from rolling a single die, to using dice pools and choosing the highest or lowest to skew probability if needed.
A relatively simple and straightforward approach is to use a percentile dice and assign each potential outcome a percentage range. For simple binary decisions, above or below 50%. For a wider range of results, percentiles make it easy to split the result into a variety of outcomes.
Player Rolls
Keeping with the design goals of the system when the director requires a chance roll, instead of rolling themselves, they can choose one of the players to make the roll.
Random Tables
Chance rolls work well with random tables. Random tables can be used to match the results of a chance role with pre-generated outcomes, such as the example random weather table shown below.
| D100 Roll | Result |
|---|---|
1-2 | Thunderstorms |
3-5 | Heavy Rain |
6-20 | Rain |
21-50 | Scattered Clouds |
51-80 | Clear Skies |
81-90 | High Winds |
91-99 | Scorching Heat |
100 | Weather Anomaly |
Random Table Examples
See Random Tables for a collection of random tables to help support game play.
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