RPG a Day 2025, Day 6

The hammer has a name...

Day 6: Motive

Prompts: "Why?" "Lucky" "Lesson"

Luck. Ok, I’ve got an idea for this now. 

Luck means different things in the TTRPG space. In most games, it's just a thing that happens when you need that critical success to pull off something magnificent in the story.

But as a proud Dungeon Crawl Classics Judge, I see Luck differently. In DCC, it’s not just in the background; it’s a stat. And, it's a spendable stat. And any PC, at any level, can burn it for a mechanical edge of +1 per point "burned".

In most RPGs, luck is just implied. “We survived that fight—we got lucky.”

In DCC, it’s thematic. It fits the pulp sword and sorcery vibe where fate is capricious and the gods are as callous as they are unfathomable. Luck isn’t just something that happens; it’s something the character chooses to use.

So, why spend it? What’s a player’s motive for burning something so important? (See what I did there? I said motive… You know.. Like the prompt.. I’ll move on..)

The beauty of Luck in DCC is that it’s both mechanical and emotional. When a player burns Luck, they’re not just adding numbers to a roll; they’re making a statement. They’re showing what their character values. What they’re willing to risk.

For Thieves and Halflings, it’s a safer gamble. They can regain Luck over time, and they get to spend it before they roll. The number of points they can use is randomized, and that’s their dance with fate.

But for everyone else, it’s a big deal. They can only spend it after they roll, and they seldom get it back. It’s a pain in the ass to get luck back and always as fickle as the gods themselves. That makes every point spent a crystal-clear moment of: “This is what matters to me.”

Often, it’s survival. Maybe the Cleric is on their ass, and now it's down to one last desperate pitchfork jab at a mutant raccoon or else you’re rolling up a new party.

And if they keep pushing their luck? They’ll learn the lesson: luck is fleeting. In fact, “Fleeting Luck” is what the mechanic is called in DCC’s Lankhmar setting. (I could go on about how AWESOME that works, but that’s another post)

This is why I preach the glory of DCC from the rooftops. Watching a character go from hoarding every point to burning it freely? That’s a story arc. That’s growth. That’s emergent gameplay as storytelling.

So yeah, Luck is a spendable resource.

But more importantly? It’s a spotlight.