D&D 5e: Using Random Tables Like a Pro
by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
Random tables are a hallmark of D&D content; they harken back to a time of pen-and-paper dungeons with huge spreads of variance that would radically shift the mood and tension in a dungeon.
Today, random tables pop up all over the place- from the Dungeon Master’s Guide to every player's background you can find lists of randomized options to roll from. They’re also almost always tied to “roll or pick from” notes, hinting at some other ways you can make the most out of these tables.
This article includes five tips that you can take to optimize your usage of random encounters.
Tip #5: Know When to Roll
Our first tip is knowing when to roll on a random table and when to do something you’ve got planned ahead of time. A few key indicators can aid in deciding when it's a good idea to throw a random encounter into the mix, or when to give out specific items or random ones.
First, you can consider how similar some plot beats have been. If you’ve just finished a third goblinoid encounter in a row, it may be helpful to shake up the game’s flow with a random encounter highlighting a different creature or encounter type. Alternatively, after a single undead encounter in a crypt, it may feel out of place to suddenly drop a random encounter with some demons or celestials into the mix and break up the pace you’re looking to establish.
Second, consider if variance adds or detracts from people’s investment. When creating your character, rolling on a random table can spice up some people’s role-play experience, but others may find that a random element of their character doesn’t belong in their vision.
The same can go for loot- random items can be exciting, but some players may be looking to improve in certain ways and be expecting a +1 weapon or a Rod of the Pact Keeper. Having a read on what the feelings around this kind of variance are can help determine when to roll for loot and when to pick it out yourself.
Tip #4: A Font of Inspiration
Random tables don’t just need to be rolled on; for me, their primary usage is to offer me inspiration.
If I’m stuck in a rut trying to figure out where to take the players next, rolling a few times on some random encounter tables and seeing what variance offers me can spark ideas that fuel a passionate creative flame.
Some truly fantastic character motivations can come from random tables on different backgrounds and subclasses mingled together. Reading through character trait tables can spur the creation of characters you’ll love playing for the full 20 levels you’d otherwise never have thought of.
Tip #3: Change the Final Results to Taste
I view random tables as a starting point, not as a fixed outcome, regardless if I’m using them as inspiration or rolling on them to add some additional variance to gameplay.
The context of how the party is doing when you roll for the random encounter should shape how the encounter begins. If you roll on a random encounter table and the party stumbles across a lone green hag, how that green hag engages them and what she’s doing prior can offer a lot of personal input that should be shaped by the party’s goals and status.
A grievously wounded party might find a green hag collecting herbs disguised as a jovial potion brewer; this can lead to a bargaining social encounter, ending with the players in debt to a hag in exchange for a bit of hit point restoration.
A healthy, eager-to-fight group might instead find that same random green hag has three captives she’s preparing to eat and two additional bullywug lackeys at her command ready to defend her. Each encounter can come from the same random table result, but serve different purposes that react to the state the group is in.
The same can be true for a character’s personality traits, bonds, flaws, or player rewards. What your result is the starting point- take what you like, throw out what you don’t, and build on top of the idea to get something you can be excited about that works with the broader context of the situation.
Tip #2: Prepare the Environments, Not the Monsters
Preparing for random encounters can feel overwhelming- after all, a random encounters table can contain hundreds of results. It isn’t practical to prepare all of these encounters and stat blocks ahead of time, but you still want to craft encounters that are exciting to play in.
My solution to this problem is to craft the environment that the random encounter is aimed to take place in during prep instead of the monsters. This usually means figuring out the random encounter objective ahead of time and building a map that serves the encounter goal first and foremost.
What monsters are added in will vary how the encounter goes- this means it's a good idea to have some basic tactical elements in place like ample cover and routes melee-focused creatures can take to get around freely, but also have some locations that offer a tactical height advantage that can challenge players that rely on ground-based movement only.
As an example, the players could be seeking a magical artifact. They come to a room with a random encounter in it that contains the artifact. Their objective is to defend a central pillar from destruction while a magical ritual proceeds. During the ritual, the players may need to maneuver some objects back to the center or activate a glyph at the correct time while fighting for their lives.
What monsters attempt to stop them here can come from a random table. You’ve done 99% of the prep ahead of time for how the encounter will go agnostic of what monsters are chosen- as long as hostile creatures threaten the players, all you need to do is dig up the stat blocks and plop them in place.
Tip #1: Tie the Randomness to the Story
My top tip (and often the hardest to do well) is to tie random encounters to core story beats. D&D narrative is a living and breathing thing. It usually is full of plot holes and mistakes, and that’s okay- crafting a narrative over months or years with four to five other people playing through it live is a challenging task. What takes it from a good to a great story is developing the skills to incorporate random events into the overarching plot as if they belonged there in the first place.
Random Encounters Becoming Recurring Villains
As an example, a party on a long journey to retrieve a magic rock from deep in the mountains may roll on a random encounter table and get a bunch of gnolls raiding a farmstead. The players step in, stop the gnolls, and move on with life.
Good DMs will run the encounter and never return to these gnolls- a great DM will have a gnoll or two escape, returning to a hidden benefactor. Now, the gnolls are a recurring threat- on the surface, they were raiding the farmstead for food, but on a deeper level, they were exerting control over the region and keeping an eye out for people moving towards the benefactor’s secret treasure.
Random Background Elements Tie to Broader Narrative
Similarly, rolling randomly on a character trait obtained within a subclass, such as on the Shadow Sorcerer Quirks table, can contribute more than just an aesthetic look. How your character got that quirk, or what that quirk means on a larger scope, can contribute to your backstory and integrate into the larger narrative down the line.
Trinket tables are the best example of this- a random locket with a portrait in it can be meaningless and quickly forgotten about. Alternatively, you can work it into your backstory, having received it from a dying single parent with next to no context otherwise. Down the road, this figure can come up and offer a unique goal your character desperately needs to achieve in meeting them and learning about why they’re in this locket.
How you incorporate the random encounter into the overall plot will vary from encounter to encounter, and not every encounter needs to tie into the core narrative. Building towards a central plot point though will up player engagement and get everyone eager to make every session, all while still adding in the variance random encounters bring to the table.
Add Tables Encounters to Your Games
Whether you’re just rolling to create a custom character or want to spice up a dungeon, random tables are fantastic tools to build off of. With these five tips you’ll have a better grip on how and when to use them, making them a truly excellent tool in your toolbelt.
Thank you for visiting!
If you’d like to support this ongoing project, you can do so by buying my books, getting some sweet C&C merch, or joining my Patreon.
The text on this page is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.
‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 6.0.
A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
