History Main / LuckManipulationMechanic

* ''FinalFantasyCrystalChronicalsCrystalBearers'' has artifacts (ring, earring, and "accessory" items) that effect all of your skills, including Luck. Luck is mainly used for what items drop when defeating enemies, or whether they drop anything at all.

Many games that involve an element of luck use dice rolls (or an equivalent, such as random number generators for video games, drawing cards in card games, and so on) as a means of determining the outcome of a certain attempted action. In many cases the total "success" of the attempt is determined by adding static modifiers to the number rolled, but the dice roll itself cannot be changed beyond that: A poor roll represents bad luck, whereas a high roll represents good luck.

Some games, however, incorporate mechanics that allow a player to alter their luck by re-attempting the die roll if they do not like the original result, usually in an effort to achieve something more satisfactory. By re-rolling the original die, the player can in this fashion pull victory from the jaws of defeat.

The exact nature of this mechanic, and the limitations on its use, vary from game to game. While some games may only allow the player a single re-roll of the die and force them to accept the new result, other games may include a means of rolling multiple dice at once and allowing the choice of the result that is most preferable for the player. This type of mechanic can sometimes be used offensively, by allowing the player using it to force ''another'' player to re-roll their (formerly good) die result.

The Luck Manipulation Mechanic may be used as a means of representing the in-universe nature of a character that is BornLucky, or one who has the power to invoke WindsOfDestinyChange. When the mechanic is inverted (by forcing a player to choose the ''least'' preferable result), it can represent BornUnlucky instead.

Compare LuckStat, which is a stat that passively provides bonuses or penalties to random game elements. Contrast HonestRollsCharacter, where the player or Game Master limit themselves to only accepting their initial stat rolls at character creation, with no re-rolling or "dice fudging" allowed.

Please note that in order to qualify for this trope, the Luck Manipulation Mechanic must be deliberately designed into the game. Cheating methods that allow for similar results (such as SaveScumming, including the ToolAssistedSpeedRun type and[=/=]or placating the RandomNumberGod) don't count.
----
!!Examples:

[[folder:Board Games]]
* ''DescentJourneysInTheDark'' has "Aim" and "Dodge" abilities that allow players to re-roll dice used in an attack (Aim) or force the player attacking them to re-roll (Dodge). Hero players can set either one as an order, the Overlord has cards that allow him to use these abilities.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Talisman}}'':
** Fate tokens, introduced in the revised fourth edition, allow the player possessing them to re-roll any single die at-will, expending the token in the process. Players are given a certain amount of fate tokens at the beginning of the game based on the character they are playing, and have means of gaining (or losing) more tokens throughout the game.
** The Warrior character has this mechanic directly incorporated. During battle, the player controlling the Warrior rolls two dice instead of the standard one, and chooses the result they wish to keep.
** The Misfortune spell allows a player to negatively affect another player's luck, by changing the result of any single die roll to a "1".
** The Prophetess character allows the player controlling it to manipulate the "luck of the draw" by re-drawing cards from the adventure deck if they do not wish to keep their original draw. The Orb of Knowledge object offers a similar mechanic to characters who possess it.
* ''ArkhamHorror'' has "Clue Tokens" that represent various bits of Mythos-lore the characters have learned through their combing the city. Spending a clue token after a die roll lets you roll an additional die, and you can continue to roll as long as you have tokens to spend, some Skills even add 2 dice instead of 1 per token to certain kinds of rolls.

[[folder: Card Games]]
* Some card games, such as the original ''StarWarsCustomizableCardGame'' and the ''{{Warhammer 40000}} Trading Card Game'' use numbers printed on the cards in place of die rolls, so a 'random' number is generated by revealing the top card of your deck. Naturally, this opens up plenty of combo opportunities with abilities that let you know (or even choose) what that next card will be.

* ''MagicTheGathering'':
** [[http://magiccards.info/mi/en/190.html Krark's Thumb]] and [[http://magiccards.info/ug/en/43.html Goblin Bookie]], allow you to re-flip a coin if you lose the flip.

* ''[[{{Yu-Gi-OhCardGame}} YuGiOh]]'' has [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Second Coin Toss]], and a similar card for die rolls.

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''DungeonsAndDragons'' has numerous examples of this:
** In the ''ForgottenRealms'' setting during 2nd Edition certain clerics of Tymora, the goddess of luck, have the granted power to re-roll a die once per day. Similarly some clerics of Beshaba, goddess of misfortune, have the ability to force enemies to re-roll their dice.

** The ''DarkSun'' campaign setting in 4th edition suggests an optional rule that allows a player the choice to re-roll the D20 attack roll whenever they originally roll a "1" (indicating a "critical miss"). The new die roll must be accepted, however, and if the result is a 5 or less the character's weapon breaks.
** The Elf race in 4th edition has an innate power that allows the player to re-roll a single attack roll during an encounter, though they must accept the second result.
** Most leader-type classes in ''DungeonsAndDragons'' 4th edition have powers that allows one to do this, such as the Bard's Unluck which allows him to swap an enemy good roll for a bad one and a friendly bad roll for a good one. In fact, The Virtue of Prescience build for Bards is BASED AROUND LUCK/FATE MANIPULATION. Halflings have the power to force an enemy to re-roll a hit.

* Early editions of ''{{Shadowrun}}'' had the Karma Pool, which allowed a character to re-roll dice for failed tests, buy additional dice for a test or even buy successes directly. 4th Edition calls it Edge.
* Most species in ''StarWars Saga Edition'' have the ability to roll a single skill twice and pick the best result.
* In West End Games' ''StarWars'' game, a character could spend Force Points to double his skill and attribute codes, which greatly increased his chance of success.
* ''CthulhuTech'' has Drama Points. Spending them adds to your dice pool or subtracts from your opponent's dice pool.
* In the ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' RPG, Drama Points can be used to increase the chance of success for Heroic Feats.
* ''{{Dreamblade}}'', a short-lived WOTC miniatures game, had an ability called Fortunate which let you re-roll attack dice as well as one called Rewind that let you re-roll your initiative die.
* ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' is loaded with them. The Twin-Linked rule allows re rolls with missed shooting attacks. Master crafted allows one re-roll per weapon in close combat. Preferred Enemy allows rerolls in close combat. The psychic powers Doom (inverted example that harms enemy luck), Fortune, Guide, and Warp Time all allow re-rolls.
* The Hatred special rule in ''WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'' functions like Preferred Enemy above. The Always Strikes First special rule when combined with base initiative being faster than an enemy works in a similar fashion.

* ''{{The Lord of the Rings}}'' Strategy Battle Game has Might, Will and Fate points, which nearly all the named characters and generic leaders get. The first two can be spent in order to modify certain dice rolls, whereas Fate points are spent to give a character a one-in-two chance of avoiding taking damage they would otherwise have suffered.
* ''[[TabletopGame/TrinityUniverse Adventure!]]'' has Inspiration, which, in the grand pulp tradition, can be used for "creative editing." "Oh, we crashed fifty miles out from Tripoli in the middle of the desert? I know a guy in the French Foreign Legion who set up shop in a small village fifty miles out from Tripoli! It might be a day's hike east..."
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' features the Persistent spell feat which can modify a spell so that the target has to save against it twice. Especially effective with multiple targets.

* DarkHeresy, RogueTrader, and TabletopGame/DeathWatch all have Fate Points, which allow you to do this in a {{Warhammer40000}} setting. The system will eat those fate points up even if you don't have a KillerGameMaster; someone with a 60 in a skill is one of the best in the sector at that thing but will still fail well 40% or more of the tests they have to make. Combat is a rare exception as it's easy to get plenty of bonuses from choosing tactics well, but your enemies can do the same. Lethality ensues.

* In ''{{Paranoia}}'''s latest edition, Perversity points are a combination of this and ExperiencePoints. On skill rolls, they can be used to push someone's chances to succeed in an activity up or down. However, spending them to force a fellow Troubleshooter to fail a skill roll is a treasonous waste of [[TheComputerIsYourFriend Friend Computer's]] resources, and is punishable by termination and erasure. [[MoodWhiplash Have a nice daycycle!]]

[[folder: Video Games]]
* ''{{Arcanum}}'' has fate points, which may be used to force a critical success (or do something else if you prefer).
* ''BillyVsSNAKEMAN'' has this in a few areas.
** [=BillyCon=]'s Cosplay minigame lets you reroll once per level of Combat Sewing you have.
** High level opponents in Mahjong and Flower Wars [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard can redraw cards]] to make them more formidable. You can do the same, but doing so causes you to lose your "No Cheating" bonus, and puts you at risk of getting caught cheating.
** Once per Zombja map you can [[Film/{{Zombieland}} break Rule 17 and "Be a Hero"]], automatically giving you the best rollable result for one attack[[hottip:*: not counting the flamethrower's special effect; that's still an honest roll]].
** "This Fist Of Mine" does the same thing with Worldkai, but with a stamina cost instead of a frequency limit.
** "Escape Jutsu" lets you reroll what [[RandomEncounters Mission you're assigned]], and "Sight Beyond Sight" forces your next Mission to be the same as your last one.

* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'' features an ([[InfinityPlusOneSword incredibly hard to get, but extremely powerful]]) item that works like this. It is the [[spoiler:[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome all-mighty D6 dice]]]], which allows you to transmute power-ups & activated-items into another random item of either kind. This allows to try to swap {{Powerup Letdown}}s or MutuallyExclusivePowerups for something potentially more useful [[{{Roguelike}} for your current playthrough]].

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* When playing ''Race For The Galaxy'', the "Exploration" phase is the only method by which you can gain new cards. During exploration, depending on how you play it, you draw three cards and keep two, or draw five cards and keep one. Some of the improvements you play allow you to draw more cards as well, but you'll never get to keep more than two. If you're looking for a specific card, then you'll want to draw more (it also denies cards to other players, at least temporarily).

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}'' card game has several cards and extra collectibles that allow manipulating the dice. Also, cheating at the game actually does qualify for this trope, as NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught is an actual part of official rules.

* Most species in ''StarWars Saga edition'' have the ability to roll a single skill twice and pick the best result.

* ''{{Exalted}}'' has several versions of this. Most Exalted have access to a Third (something) Excellency, which lets them re-roll on a failure. The Sidereal Exalted have ''several'' varieties of this, as befits their office as Fate Ninjas. For example, they can cause long-term bless/curse effects on other people by manipulating Astrology, and they can change what numbers on their dice count for success.
* ''MageTheAwakening'' has the Fate-arcanum, which is involved with luck and [[WindsOfDestinyChange messing with destinies]].

* ''[[TrinityUniverse Adventure!]]'' has Inspiration, which, in the grand pulp tradition, can be used for "creative editing." "Oh, we crashed fifty miles out from Tripoli in the middle of the desert? I know a guy in the French Foreign Legion who set up shop in a small village fifty miles out from Tripoli! It might be a day's hike east..."
* ''Pathfinder'' features the Persistent spell feat which can modify a spell so that the target has to save against it twice. Especially effective with multiple targets.

* ''FengShui'' has the [[LuckStat Fortune stat]], which you can spend points from to add a die to any roll.

* ''CallOfDutyBlackOps'': The "care package" killstreak is a random drop of any of the other killstreaks, plus the nearly worthless box of ammo. The Hardline Pro perk allows players to "re-roll" those care packages to try their luck again.

* DarkHeresy, RogueTrader, and DeathWatch all have Fate Points, which allow you to do this in a {{Warhammer40000}} setting. The system will eat those fate points up even if you don't have a KillerGameMaster; someone with a 60 in a skill is one of the best in the sector at that thing but will still fail well 40% or more of the tests they have to make. Combat is a rare exception as it's easy to get plenty of bonuses from choosing tactics well, but your enemies can do the same. Lethality ensues.

* ''{{Pokemon}}'' Trading Card Game: Sabrina's ESP from "Gym Heroes" lets you re-flip coins for attacks.

* ''DarthsAndDroids'' has a mention of the "Fate Manipulation Re-roll" Jedi power. Jim's misunderstanding of how the rule works turns out to be important: he refrains from using it at first because he thinks it refers to re-rolling ''in-game'' dice. Later, confusion over whether this power's "one use per day" restriction applies to in-game days or real life days contributes to Qui-Gon Jinn's death. Much later, Annie uses a re-roll to help Anakin survive Pete's factory sequence.

* ''TheBindingOfIsaac'' features an ([[InfinityPlusOneSword incredibly hard to get, but extremely powerful]]) item that works like this. It is the [[spoiler:[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome all-mighty D6 dice]]]], which allows you to transmute power-ups & activated-items into another random item of either kind. This allows to try to swap {{Powerup Letdown}}s or MutuallyExclusivePowerups for something potentially more useful [[{{Roguelike}} for your current playthrough]].

** She suffers an extremely IronicDeath because of this: [[spoiler: Terezi]] flips a coin to determine her fate. Vriska predictably manipulates the outcome and leaves - only to be backstabbed because the toss ''didn't actually matter''.

* The ''Game/{{Munchkin}}'' card game has several cards and extra collectibles that allow manipulating the dice. Also, cheating at the game actually does qualify for this trope, as NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught is an actual part of official rules.

* ''Game/{{Talisman}}'':

[[folder: Webcomics]]

----

Many games that involve an element of luck use dice rolls (or an equivalent, such as random number generators for video games, drawing cards in card games, and so on.) as a means of determining the outcome of a certain attempted action. In many cases the total "success" of the attempt is determined by adding static modifiers to the number rolled, but the dice roll itself cannot be changed beyond that: A poor roll represents bad luck, whereas a high roll represents good luck.

** Most leader-type classes in ''DungeonsAndDragons'' 4th edition have powers that allows one to do this, such as the Bard's Unluck which allows him to swap an enemy good roll for a bad one and a friendly bad roll for a good one. Halflings have the power to force an enemy to re-roll a hit.

* In ''TheDresdenFiles'' RPG, you have the option to spend a Fate Point in order to reroll all the dice in a given exchange if you really blow the roll, or your opponent rolls exceedingly well. This is meant to represent the character's mortal free will asserting itself.

* ''TheBindingOfIsaac'' features an ([[InfinityPlusOneSword incredibly hard to get, but extremely powerful]]) item that works like this. It is the [[spoiler:[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome all-mighty D6 dice]]]], which allows you to transmute power-ups & activated-items into another random item of either kind. This is extremely beneficial because it allows to try to swap {{Powerup Letdown}}s or MutuallyExclusivePowerups for something more useful in [[{{Roguelike}} your current playthrough]].

* ''TheBindingOfIsaac'' features an ([[InfinityPlusOneSword incredibly hard to get, but extremely powerful]]) item that works like this. It is the [[spoiler:[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome all-mighty D6 dice]]]], which allows you to transmute power-ups & activated-items into another random item of either kind. This is extremely beneficial because it allows to try to swap {{Powerup Letdown}}s or MutuallyExclusivePowerups for something more useful in [[{{Rougelike}} your current playthrough]].