Any Problems with COMPUTERIZED DICE

[DanM]

I have had problems with DnD rules for Magic Missiles, Lightning Stroke, and Shadow Magic. For instance, the DnD dice roller can't do things like divide by five or change 1's into 2's... Anyone know of any other rules that cannot be rolled by the computer???

 

[cmanos]

the other problem is that computerized die rollers are not random

 

[Nifft]

Just pull some from /dev/random. At least your seed with be random.

Cheers, -- N

 

[usdmw]

What program are you using the roll these dice?

Any dice scheme can be handled with ease by something as simple as a spreadsheet.

Oh, and while random number generation by computer isn't truly random, it's certainly random enough unless your application is ridiculously primitive.

 

[SeRiAlExPeRiMeNtS]

Just pull some from /dev/random. At least your seed with be random.

Cheers, -- N

Linux geek!

(like myself :-D)

 

[Thanee]

I have had problems with DnD rules for Magic Missiles, Lightning Stroke, and Shadow Magic. For instance, the DnD dice roller can't do things like divide by five or change 1's into 2's... Anyone know of any other rules that cannot be rolled by the computer???

There are no usable rules, that cannot be rolled by the computer.

And random, while not true random, is certainly random enough if based on random events.

http://random.org/essay.html

Bye
Thanee

 

[bigdamnnerd]

Yeah, these days, any standard random number source on a computer should be good enough.

Back in my undergrad days, I wrote up a large-scale die roller for testing probability. I used the school's Sun workstations to do so, and I discovered a strangeness with Sun's random number generator:

If the die type was divisible by 8, the output was *exactly* evenly distributed. (this was for a homebrew chargen system that involved rolling ~40-50 d8) I can only assume there was some incrementing going on with the random seed, as well as a mod 8 calculation.

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

Sounds like the server you were based on was using a random number generator based solely on something to do with chemistry.

 

[Krafen]

While your computer's random number generator is not truly random, you could argue that the dice are not either. For one, they wear over time. Beyond that, they are not truly balanced since the numbers cut into them vary in size. The dice are certainly close enough, however. Just like the computer.