D&D General Multiply Die?

[Baldurs_Underdark]

We have a big box full of dice. The pure joy to have 14 dice in your hand and roll them all for damage... I would not like that to be taken away in the name of efficiency.

 

[atanakar]

I use average results when DMing. Players refuse to do it because they are addicted to dice rolling, but complain when they get low results on damage or healing...

If I could convince the players the attack themselves instead of me rolling the foe attack dice that would be great.

 

[plisnithus8]

I use average results when DMing. Players refuse to do it because they are addicted to dice rolling, but complain when they get low results on damage or healing...

If I could convince the players the attack themselves instead of me rolling the foe attack dice that would be great.

I use the average a lot when using pre-made NPCs/monsters mostly to speed up combat.
I also make a lot of NPCs on character sheets (yeah, I know) so end up rolling damage.

 

[LordEntrails]

No way I could use average damage. Several of my players can already calculate int heir by the end of the first round (if not sooner) exactly what tactics to use and how many rounds the combat will last and who will take an average of what damage. I have to keep randomness in the game (we re-roll initiative every round too!)

 

[GMMichael]

The pure joy to have 14 dice in your hand and roll them all for damage...

Players refuse to do it because they are addicted to dice rolling, but complain when they get low results on damage...

And how quickly pure joy turns to misery. This might be related to the addictive quality of gambling.

There's a design reason related to the mathematical reason. It's hard to create level-appropriate monsters and adventures when PC capabilities are swingy. You get fewer complaints about something being too easy or too hard when outcomes are funneled into average results.

 

[Uller]

If you want to reduce die rolling and math, just roll 1 or 2 dice and add the result to half the max...so 10d10? 50+1d10. Gives the same average. Results are evenly distributed between 51 and 60.

A lot of DMs do this. I think it was Chris Perkins who said he just rolls two or three dice but doesn't even look at them and instead just makes up a result around the average...

 

[plisnithus8]

I think it was Chris Perkins who said he just rolls two or three dice but doesn't even look at them and instead just makes up a result around the average...

On a related note, how many of you use a DM Screen, or -- more precisely -- hide dice rolls?
I used to but have really felt a freedom having players see my results.
If you want to fudge encounters, there are plenty of other ways to do that.

 

[thom_likes_gaming]

Wait...what? Gamers,, who find rolling 'too many dice' an annoyance? I'm baffled

I remember getting to roll those 8d6 for a decent fireball as one of the biggest joys in my career as a mage. Well, unless over half turned up 1s or 2s, sure

 

[Esker]

If you want to reduce die rolling and math, just roll 1 or 2 dice and add the result to half the max...so 10d10? 50+1d10. Gives the same average. Results are evenly distributed between 51 and 60.

This seems like a pretty good compromise between just using the average (no variance) and multiplying dice (too much variance). You get much reduced variance but still have some randomness.

If you really want to be fancy you could replace every 4d4 by alternating 1d8+5 and 1d8+6 (so 8d4 becomes 2d8+11), every 4d6 with alternating 1d12+7 and 1d12+8 (8d6 becomes 2d12+15), or every 4d10 with alternating 1d20+11 and 1d20+12 (8d10 becomes 2d20+23). This preserves both the mean and variance nearly perfectly.

For d8s and d12s you can go the other way, replacing 4d8 with 4*1d4+8, and 4d12 with 4*1d6+12.

 

[Baldurs_Underdark]

And how quickly pure joy turns to misery. This might be related to the addictive quality of gambling.

Yes, it actually is. You roll the dice, you see the numbers and the higher the numbers the larger the shot of dopamine you get. I'm no doctor, but I believe that it's something like that. And if you roll high (i.e. you got lucky) it feels good. If you roll low (unlucky), you will curse the dice.

Again, I am not a doctor and I don't have any numbers except personal experiences, but I don't know of anyone who races directly to the casino after a D&D session. I don't think that rolling a couple of dice once per week with friends is a gateway drug into a heavy gambling addiction.

There's a design reason related to the mathematical reason. It's hard to create level-appropriate monsters and adventures when PC capabilities are swingy. You get fewer complaints about something being too easy or too hard when outcomes are funneled into average results.

We seem to have a radically different experience of D&D. For me as a DM, the fun is actually coping with unforeseen actions of the players, both in and out of combat. I never plan many details ahead (but I do have a good storyline), because with 6 chaotic players (and chaotic characters) there isn't much planning you can do before they all jump off the railroad in a particular session. Big events in the world keep them on the main storyline though.