A path becomes unavailable
A calm refusal, a secured district or an order can close the obvious route. Decide what permission, negotiation or different approach would make sense.
When the way forward resists
Unhelpful
Flow d20
A route closes. Help is refused. Attention follows the party. Roll an authored obstructive turn, add a detail and decide how the scene responds.
A d20 obstructive turn with a d6 detailWindows access through Desktop Command Centre
Resistance with a reason
Give the party something to respond to.
Use an authored obstruction when the scene calls for friction. Choose how serious it becomes and whether its premise fits the campaign.
Information or help is withheld
Contacts decline involvement and institutions close ranks. Decide what the party can learn from that refusal and how other people might respond.
Attention changes the situation
Open surveillance, an accusation or a public incident can make quiet action harder. Establish what witnesses know before deciding what follows.
Progress carries a consequence
An ally suffers, an opportunity expires or a goal stops being viable. Read these stronger turns carefully and use them only when their scale fits.
Read the setback before using it
Fit the obstruction to your table.
The illustration shows a group considering a damaged crossing. Decide the cause and stakes of a setback yourself.
Review narration, the chosen detail and DM guidance before applying it. The table does not infer your scene or set its difficulty.
Two dice and your judgement
Choose the turn. Consider the detail.
Use random selection during play or deliberate values when preparing.
01 · Roll or choose the d20
Leave the main die on random, enter a physical roll or choose a known entry. The twenty authored results describe different forms of obstruction.
02 · Roll or choose the d6
Select one of that entry’s six details. Expand the whole spread when you want to inspect the alternatives before using the result.
03 · Review the consequence
Read the introduction and DM guidance together. Some entries call for retreat or close a goal. Decide whether that is appropriate before presenting it.
04 · Keep the result you need
Copy suitable text or save the result locally. Review player text before sharing and record any consequences you apply in your own campaign notes.
What the tool provides
An obstructive turn with room for judgement.
The current tool offers a fixed table, practical dice controls and a saved list on your Windows device.
Twenty authored obstructive turns
Select a refusal, closed route, disputed permission, public exposure or other setback. The table gives the scene resistance; you decide its consequences.
Six details for each main result
Roll a d6 within the selected turn. Read that detail or expand the complete six-detail spread before choosing what belongs in the scene.
Use random or physical dice
Leave either die on random or enter your own d20 and d6 rolls. Choose a known entry deliberately when preparing a scene.
Read-aloud narration and DM guidance
Review the introduction beside practical DM control notes. Adapt the people, location and seriousness to your campaign yourself.
Independent main and detail holds
Hold the main entry while changing its detail, or keep the detail number while changing the main entry. Held numbers take priority over typed values.
Optional avoidance of the last entry
Repeats are allowed by default. No-repeat excludes the current entry from the next random main roll. Typed and held entries can still repeat.
Separate player and DM copies
Copy narration and the chosen detail for players, or the fuller result with DM guidance for yourself. Review the selected detail for hidden information before sharing.
A device-local saved list
Save a result manually, reopen it or remove it from this Windows device. Each save creates a separate record, rather than account history.
Different forms of resistance
A refusal, a warning or a harder choice.
These examples paraphrase the actual table. They do not apply rules, remove resources or alter encounter state.
You are stopped politely
A calm authority prevents the current approach. The detail may concern clearance, timing or mistaken identity. Decide how that barrier fits the place.
Your plan collides with another
Another group is already pursuing an intersecting objective. Determine whether negotiation, competition or cooperation belongs in the scene.
A warning arrives quietly
Someone urges the party to stop before matters escalate. Choose what the warning reveals and what the characters can reasonably discover.
The cost is revealed late
An earlier choice affects trust, access or resources. Establish a clear connection to what happened and decide what can still change.
A setback in a wider scene
Decide what the party can try next.
The washed-out causeway illustrates an obstruction, with surrounding paths still visible. The table does not calculate routes or supply these images.
Entries use city and institutional language. Adapt them to your setting; some close paths or require a larger change of direction.
Keep the part that fits
Hold an entry and explore its detail.
Check the dice controls before rerolling so the result changes as you intend.
Hold main to retain the turn
Keep the current d20 entry while the d6 can change. A typed d6 still applies unless that die is also held. Useful when the kind of obstruction fits but the detail needs work.
Hold detail preserves a number
The hold preserves the d6 number, not its wording. A new main entry uses its own detail at that number. Holding both dice keeps the whole result.
Avoid the previous entry optionally
Repeats are allowed by default. No-repeat excludes only the current entry from random main selection. Typed and held entries take priority and can repeat.
Reroll with controls in mind
Fresh reroll requests a new random source while retaining typed values, holds and no-repeat. A supplied seed repeats with identical controls and prior result; an automatic label is not a guaranteed replay code.
Keep and share deliberately
Local records and two useful copies.
Choose the text for its audience and understand what the saved list restores.
Manual saves on this device
Save creates a separate local record each time. Open or delete records from the list. There is no account synchronisation, autosave, search, tagging or version history.
Reopen the result, review the setup
Loading restores the result and seed. It does not restore every dice, hold or repeat setting. Inspect those controls before another roll and keep important notes separately.
Review what players receive
The player copy contains narration and the detail without DM control notes. Read them before sharing: a detail can name hidden opposition or suggest future consequences.
Use DM text in your own notes
The DM copy includes the entry, dice values and guidance. It omits the complete spread and save metadata. There are no download or import controls and no direct Combat PRO transfer or live scene connection.
Choose access for your toolkit
US$1.99 per month for one selected generator.
Unhelpful Flow d20 is a paid standalone tool. Create a free account first, then review your selection and subscription.
One selected generator: US$1.99/month
Select Unhelpful Flow d20 individually. Creating a free account does not by itself include paid generator access.
Five selected generators: US$8.99/month
Choose a five-generator pack for eligible standalone tools alongside this one. It provides selection capacity, rather than automatic access to every VISINVOKE product.
Choose more capacity when needed
Review larger selected-generator packs in your account. Check generators, subscription and reselection terms before choosing your toolkit.
Separate products keep separate access
Combat PRO, Battlemaps and image systems have their own access models. Standalone generator subscriptions do not include image or animation credits.
A turn within reach
Choose an authored obstruction when the scene needs resistance.
Details worth considering
Read the selected detail or inspect its alternatives, then decide whether it fits.
Guidance beside the controls
Start Here and How Do I help cover dice, holds, repeats, copies and local saves.
Authority stays at the table
The prompt does not apply penalties, start combat or rewrite campaign state. Decide what changes through play.
Build your tabletop toolkit
Separate products. Connected account.
Each card opens that product’s own website. Review purpose and access separately; related products do not promise included access or automatic synchronisation.
Desktop Command Centre
Discover and open your supported Windows products through one connected VISINVOKE account.
VISINVOKE Battlemaps
Explore environment packs for tactical locations and the places your encounters unfold.
Combat PRO
Review prepared opposition, tune creature statistics and run tabletop encounters with its own access.
D&D Image System
Create focused character, monster, item and location images to complement your tabletop preparation.
Professional Image System
Create guided commercial visuals for websites, brochures and wider creative projects.
CYBERTECH
Explore a separate futuristic RPG experience with its own world, characters and progression.
Product artwork illustrates obstructive scene situations, not application screens or actual generated image output.
Quick answers
Dice, holds and saves in plain language.
Understand the table and the limits of copying and local records before opening the tool.
What does Unhelpful Flow d20 actually generate?
It selects from twenty authored obstructive scene turns, each with narration, DM guidance and six details. Results include denied access, scrutiny, interference, lost opportunities and changed objectives. Some close a route or require retreat; the tool does not guarantee a minor setback or several remaining options. Review the result and adapt it to your group. It does not create a bespoke scene from a description or infer campaign state.
Can I use my own dice or select a result?
Yes. Set the d20 from 1 to 20 and the d6 from 1 to 6, or leave either on random. A hold takes priority over a typed value for that die. Expand the selected entry’s six-detail spread to inspect its alternatives.
What do holds and no-repeat preserve?
Hold main keeps the current d20 entry. Hold detail keeps the d6 number, not its text; a new main entry has its own detail at that number. Holding both retains the result. No-repeat is optional and excludes only the current main entry during a random main roll. Typed and held entries bypass that exclusion.
How do seeds and fresh rerolls behave?
A supplied seed repeats with the same dice choices, holds, previous result and repeat settings. An automatically displayed seed is not a guaranteed replay code. Fresh reroll requests a new random source while retaining typed values, holds and no-repeat. Those controls may keep part or all of the result unchanged.
Where are results saved, and what does reopening restore?
Save creates a separate record in this Windows device’s application data. Reopen restores the result and its seed, but not every dice or hold setting. The list offers open and delete. There is no account synchronisation, autosave, search, tagging or version history. Keep important campaign notes separately.
What can I copy, and does it connect to Combat PRO?
The player copy contains narration and the selected detail without DM control notes. Read it before sharing: details may identify hidden opposition or future consequences. The DM copy includes the main entry, dice values and DM guidance. It is not a complete save backup. There are no download or import controls and no direct Combat PRO transfer or live scene connection. Apply any campaign consequences yourself.
Continue in VISINVOKE
One account. Another turn for the scene.
Create a free VISINVOKE account and choose the required generator access.
Get Desktop Command Centre from your account installer page. Sign in on Windows, then open Unhelpful Flow d20.