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One of the most fun aspects ofDungeons & Dragonsis rolling dice to decide a character’s fate. The instances can be as simplistic as determining if a player can perform well enough to earn some extra coins. Or they can have lasting consequences that affect the characters and the world as a whole.
But if the randomness is one of the big draws that keep players and Dungeon Masters (DMs) coming back for more, why would you fudge your rolls? As a DM, it can be difficult to navigate the reasons why you should or shouldn’t, and determine when it’s best to tell a little fib for the benefit of all.
What Does It Mean, “Fudging” Rolls?
If you haven’t run a campaign as a DM before, or you haven’t thought about concealing or changing the results of a roll, you may not even be too familiar with what it means to “fudge” a roll.
When you fudge a roll as a DM,it means that you aren’t entirely truthful about the result.This isn’t a malicious lie or something most DMs do often.
When running a game, there are times when you are hoping to roll lower than you did, just as there are times you are desperate for anything higher than a ten.
Why Would You Want To Fudge A Roll?
A true list stating every reason someone might want to tell a little white lie about a roll would be never-ending. Even all the different motivations a DM could have would differ from person to person.
But at the end of the day, it breaks down to a simple commonality.You didn’t get the result you wanted or needed.
An example of wanting to roll lower than you did is when your party has incredibly low health and you end up rolling a Natural 20 for the enemy to finish the team off. You’re then faced with the question: do I want to TPK (Total Party Kill)? Do I really want their adventure to end here?
So, you may instead say that the enemy rolled a 19. This still maintains that heightened sense of urgency and fear for the players. Their characters can still fall unconscious or die.But you’ve now allowed them an opportunityto flee or heal up and finish the foe off.
When Should You Fudge A Roll?
This isn’t every time you aren’t happy with a result.After all, part of the fun is having things go sideways and seeing what strange and clever plans the players hatch to deal with the new or worsening circumstances. But, like in the above example, there are times when a roll can be too high or too low and severely impact the player characters or the game itself.
You’ll know these kinds of rolls when they happen.The “oh god no” moments when you realize thatthis roll is going to completely alter everything.
Does yourmain villain, often referred to as a BBEG, fail a crucial saving throw against a group of players? In a moment like this, it can not only benefit you to fudge a roll. Saving your bad guy is probably what you want to do.
However, it can also impact the players. After all, if your story’s main villain falls during an unimportant moment,it will leave your players with a flat, unexciting experiencethat keeps everyone from having fun or reveling in a well-fought victory.
How Do You Successfully Fudge Rolls?
Some DMs love to display what they roll for the players to see in high-intensity moments. Nothing really beats sitting around a table all holding your breath to see what’s going to happen next. However, you may’t take that roll back once it’s happened.
That leads us tothe beauty of a DM Screenwhen you are playing in person.You can instead opt to roll your dice behind the protection of a Screenyou put up that blocks the players from seeing not just your rolls, but also your notes and anything you have prepared for the session.
This allows you to see the result and decide in the moment to say it was something else. Will a Natural 1 on the dice mean the death of a beloved NPC? Then you’re able to just say that it was two. Or go ahead and let them roll what they need to save themselves.
To be as successful as possible, you should also practice or keep a poker face on. After all, if your expression changes, your players can catch on that there’s fudging afoot.
What If You Play Online?
There are ways to make it easier for you as the DM to hide your rollsif you’re playing online. If you’re using a client like Roll20, there are options for you to hide your rolls.
you’re able to also opt for either rolling physical dice or using an appso that the players can’t see what the number on the dice is.
Doing things like this, in a sense, recreates the feeling of having a DM Screen.And it’s not just for fudging rolls, but hiding your notes, maps, and monsters you have waiting in the wings.
Should Players Fudge Their Rolls?
The short answer is no.As contradictory or unfair as it may sound, the players need to be honest about their rolls to the DM or else the wheels fall off. Meaning,the DM needs access to all of the information around the table, digital or otherwise.
If you think of the campaign as a novel, how could you enjoy your time reading if the main protagonist was constantly keeping the reader in the dark? You need to know that they are planning something, that they are feeling regret, that they are goofing around and not taking the conflict seriously. The same holds true of a campaign.How could the DM tell the story if key facts are kept from them?
There’s no reason why, at times, players can’t keep their rolls from other players. Like a rogue deciding to sneak off to spy on someone, they can roll their dice and only let the DM know they are doing this.
Likewise, there may be times when a DM wants a player to roll something secretly. An NPC could attempt to charm a player character and the DM doesn’t want the rest of the party knowing just yet.
In either situation,it’s vital that players share what they’ve rolled with their DMso that they can keep the story going.
