DMs Cheat Too (And That’s OK)

If you’ve been around any gaming table long enough, you’ll know one unavoidable truth about Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Masters (DMs) are not as saintly as they’d like to pretend. Yep, they cheat too. And before you grab that pitchfork, let’s aim for a little nuance here. Is it really “cheating” when it’s all about enhancing the game… or at least their ability to survive it with sanity intact? Yeah, we’re looking at you, Steve.

It turns out, there’s a whole toolkit of subtle (and not-so-subtle) tricks DMs use to nudge games in the “right” direction. Some of them are harmless, really. Others? Well, they’re the kinds of maneuvering that remind you the DM screen is there for more than just blocking your view of their hopeless dice rolls. If you’re on the player side of the table, buckle up. Here’s a peek behind the curtain of divine DM intervention.

When the Dice Just Don’t Add Up

Alright, this is the big one, folks. The most whispered-about “cheat code” in the DM arsenal? Fudging dice rolls. And yeah, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Rolling a d20 that just so happens to come up a 20 when the DM wants to crush your soul with a critical hit? Suspicious. Or that conveniently timed roll of a natural 1 to save the party cleric from getting diced by kobolds? Miraculously convenient.

“But it’s for the narrative!” cries the DM. Sure, Jan.

Here’s the deal. Does it suck when you realize the big bad wasn’t supposed to miss that lightning blast aimed at your rogue? Kind of. But storytelling is messy, unpredictable, and occasionally benefits from someone in the God seat tweaking the odds. Just don’t pull it too often, or the players will start rolling their own dice for the DM… and we all know how that chaos ends.

The Shameless “Adjust on the Fly” Strategy

Here’s another classic DM “cheat” move that some might call creative improvisation. Encounter too easy? Double the goblins. Encounter too hard? Whoops, did I say 12? I meant two. Look, no one wants the campaign to end because the whole party wiped against a pack of wolves in the opening act. (Unless you’re the kind of masochist who titles every campaign “The Blood-soaked Floor of the Tavern.”)

DMs will tweak stats, health points, and even entire combat encounters mid-game to keep things spicy. Those goblins might suddenly find themselves with glowing magical reinforcements when your mage gets cocky with Fireball. You can’t see their notes, so who’s to say the stats weren’t like this all along?

The Convenient NPC Savior

“Oh, no! The party made another gloriously idiotic decision, and it’s going to get everyone killed!” Enter the Deus Ex Machina NPC. You know the one. That oddly well-armed tavern keeper who “just happens” to be passing through the woods as you’re ambushed, blinks into existence to deal 40 damage, then tips their hat and fades back into the scenery.

This trick is equal parts irritating and hilarious. It’s the DM equivalent of a “reset button” for when the players go completely off the rails. Sure, it might feel like a cheat in the moment, but honestly? Most of these moments are the story beats players laugh about weeks later. Still, overuse it, and your players might start leaving Yelp reviews about “railroad-y plotlines.”

Combat Math: The Fast and Loose Edition

Combat in D&D is messy. Between movement, spells, resistances, distance, and conditions, DMs juggle a thousand details at once. Does that mean they occasionally “accidentally” miscalculate your rogue’s sneak attack damage? Oh, absolutely. Sometimes it’s intentional. Sometimes? Even the DM’s eyes glaze over halfway through your third multi-attack explanation.

But hey, unless it’s egregious or wildly unbalanced, most players never even notice. Truth be told, sometimes the rules as written (RAW) are unnecessarily obtuse anyway. If tweaking the math makes the flow of the game better? Consider it a white lie in the name of fun.

DM Fiat ≠ Democracy

One of the oldest tricks in the book? The DM’s absolute authority. They are the final word on everything. Rules lawyer in the corner insists it’s totally legal to tame a red dragon at level 3? DM looks them dead in the eyes and responds, “Not at my table.” No dice roll needed.

DM Fiat is where creativity and rule-breaking collide. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s what allows for homebrew flexibility and breathes life into narratives. But you bet players see it as “cheating” when a DM overrules what they thought was an ironclad rule just to keep their villain alive an extra round.

OK, But Why Do DMs Cheat?

At its core, it’s rarely about power trips (although there’s always that one DM). Most DMs cheat out of love for the game (aww), trying to balance fun, story, and challenge. It’s like being the referee of an utterly bizarre sport where the rules are partly in the players’ heads, partly in the manual, and partly invented on the spot.

Players might roll their eyes, but here’s the thing nobody admits out loud in the rage of “They cheated!” moments. DMs lie, fudge, and fake things because they care about the experience. Without their occasional meddling, campaigns risk grinding into chaotic deadlocks—or worse, boredom.

Final Thoughts on DM Shenanigans

At the end of the day, DMs are human (we think). They make mistakes. They improvise. They cut corners in ways that sometimes infuriate players and sometimes save the whole campaign. That’s the real DM “cheat”: weaving narrative gold out of rule-breaking chaos. And honestly? Most of us wouldn’t have it any other way.

Keep in mind that “cheating” exists on every level of the game. You’re just mad because it’s the DM’s turn. Now roll for initiative.