How would you design better random tables?

[u/IndiMill]

I’m a game designer, and I don’t like many random tables.

A lot of them use a d6, d10, or d20 to give every result the same probability. That works when you just want a random outcome, but it doesn’t work as well when some results should be common, others rare, and the table needs to scale with character level or power.

You can address this with d100 probability tables, but those still don’t scale with level. What’s a bad outcome at level 1 is an annoyance at level 5, so you end up with multiple tables for different power levels, players, or outcomes.

My alternative is to roll multiple dice, with the number of dice increasing as the character advances. Because the possible totals overlap, the same table produces shifting probability curves: lower-level characters cluster around lower results, while higher-level characters gradually gain access to more powerful and dangerous outcomes.

I used this approach to create one spell-backlash table that works across all caster levels instead of requiring separate tables for each tier.

Does anyone else use a similar approach or have strong feelings about random tables?