Can you Push it? | … are pushed rolls a thing in D&D?

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I’ve been listening to a bunch of Call of Cthulhu actual plays recently and was interested in the dynamic of a “Pushed Roll “ and it’s potential use in D&D-like games …

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I am an enthusiast of Free League games, at least the ones I have run - Forbidden Lands and Dragonbane. Both of which have pushed rolls, which bring the risk of attaining injuries / conditions.

I think pushed rolls can work regardless in the D&D family of games, if the same logic applies - so a risk of a harm / penalty. Be it injury, fatigue, stress (if you have such a mechanic - I want to implement one). I think the table in your article goes in the right direction on this.

Alternatively you could always look at a push roll as coming with a penalty / complication regardless of the outcome - think "Yes, but… or No, and…

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I definitely like the pushed roll and bring it into all my dungeon games. Devil’s Bargains, too. Anything for extra mischief.

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Tom van Winkle has some great blog posts on this topic, and the second covers introducing them to D&D.

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Pushed roll is also a nice “skill” or “feat” if you want to gatekeep it a bit. A defining characteristic for a character in classless systems, a class ability for a quick and dirty gambler class, or a diegetic advancement (blessing from the gambling God).

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Death in Space does a neat thing called ‘Risky Attack’. You can choose to make a risky attack, where if you hit you roll an extra damage die, but if you miss your target gets an immediate counterattack and takes control of initiative.

Mechanics where you can make the stakes more extreme in the first place can be quite neat, since you avoid the re-roll question, keep the pace up, and avoid having to re-write the fiction. That said pushing a roll is a much more generalist tool and I see the appeal of incorporating it!

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Dragonbane’s push system would be an easy addition. When you push you get a reroll, but you choose a stat and related skills you’ll have disadvantage on until your next rest. Can clear one of these conditions on a short rest and all on a long rest.

Personally, I love this system. Gives the players some power to succeed without too much work on the DM’s side with an easy to understand consequence.

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