With the recent kicking off of my TTRPG group’s third journey into the homebrew world of Xenia, I have lots of fun and new twists and mechanics I am introducing.

When you have been gaming consistently with the same group for more than 20 years(!) and around the table sits more than 200 years(!!) of collective TTRPG experience, you gotta come up with ways to keep them engaged.

Now, mind you, this is a fabulous group of guys I get to play with, so rather than having any worries about them being bored, it’s more like their engagement gets me more engaged, which gets them more engaged, and round and round we go.

One such mechanic I am introducing in this campaign is the Miracle Die.

The Miracle Die: How it Works

Whenever a player character finds themselves in a truly dire, life-and-death, no-way-out situation, they can hope for a miracle to save their bacon.

If you haven’t been following along since the beginning - and that’s okay! - my homebrew world of Xenia is heavily influenced by the gods. Their pettiness, animosity, and constant competition for followers and influence always impact society, and generally not in a positive way. Mankind is truly a pawn in a sadistic chess match that has spanned millennia.

The Miracle Die allows the player to ask for their deity to hopefully influence their roll.

For instance, when the player is making a Death Save, they can ask for the Miracle Die. It is a smoky white D20 they can roll along with their own D20. The Miracle Die can allow them to succeed on their roll, even if they fail the check on their personal die.

If I left it at that, it’s a cute mechanic but not really a very interesting one.

That’s where the Disaster Die comes in.

The Disaster Die. How it Works Against You

Every deity has a polar opposite who doesn't particularly want to see their enemy’s followers survive and potentially increase their influence. So, when the player rolls the Miracle Die, they also must roll the Disaster Die.

The Disaster Die is a smoky black D20, and it can cause dire consequences even if the player succeeds on their roll. And if the player fails on their roll? Rub your hands together menacingly, DMs. It’s time to get medieval on their ass.

The Miracle / Disaster Dice System

Here are the rules if you ever want to incorporate the Miracle and Disaster Dice into your campaign.

Remember: The player must roll both D20s along with their own D20. The player’s D20 and corresponding bonuses or negatives ultimately determine success or failure. None of that changes with this mechanic. The Miracle and Disaster Dice just add flavor.

Outcome #1: Success and also the Miracle Die is Higher than the Disaster Die

• Player is not just successful, but wildly so. The god’s influence adds extra benefits. For instance, they not only make their Death Save but heal a certain amount of hit points.

Outcome #2: Success but Disaster Die is Higher than the Miracle Die

• Player is successful, but some sort of negative side effect occurs. For instance, they make their Death Save but they are temporarily blind or mute or lame. Tailor it to their class for ultimate impact!

Outcome #3: Failure but Miracle Die is Higher than the Disaster Die

• The player is successful because the Miracle Die overrode the failed roll, but the impact is less than expected or there is a negative side effect. For instance, a player makes their Death Save, but they remain unconscious or have some side effect.

Outcome #4: Failure and Disaster Die is Higher than the Miracle Die

• Bad things happen. Get wicked, DMs. These are the scenarios we dream about!

For now, since this is my first time using this mechanic, I have not put any rules around what situations or how often the player can call upon their gods for a miracle (and therefore the Miracle Die). I am leaving it open-ended but told my players I’ll monitor it’s use and may cap it to once per session or once per level or something down the road if need be.

What do you think of the Miracle / Disaster Dice system? Send me your thoughts. I’d love to hear from other players who have experimented with it to know what you experienced and how you might have adapted its usage or outcomes.

Buy your own Miracle / Disaster Dice

I bought these off Amazon. Very inexpensive, good quality, and you get both your Miracle and Disaster Dice in the same package: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N4VJY9Y?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details