Backwards Dice roller?

[Palskane]

I know this is an odd request, and maybe I just haven't looked hard enough.

I am looking for a backwards dice roller. In other words, I'd like to be able to put in a range of numbers, say (2-11), and it spits back that I have to roll 1d10+1.

Has anyone seen anything like that? If so, I would appreciate greatly if I could get a link or at least pointed in the right direction.

 

[Land Outcast]

You warned us so but...

It sounds just plain odd
So, my curiosity (akin to that of cats) just calls in and desperately begs for a kind answer.
What the-infinite-layers-of-the-nine-times-deaded-cancerous-blob-of-a-spawning-pit-that-the-abyss-is you want that for?????

 

[Conaill]

Do you just want a simple formula to turn a range like [a-b] into 1dx+y? because that's easy:

[a-b] == 1d(b-a+1) + (a-1)

If you have to worry about multiple dice, things get... well, more dicey! For one, there may be multiple solutions. For example, [4-13] could be done as 1d10+3 or 3d4+1. Or [6-25] could be 1d20+5 or d10+2d6+3.

 

[jester47]

which dice and how many actually depends on the type of statistical curve that you want.

Is it linear? Is it a skewed curve?

A program that sucked in the number range and then showed you the dice combinatons with thier bell curves would be really handy from the game design point of view.

It actually brings up some questions-
While it seems obvious that character stats are bell curves, should damage rolls always be linear?
What are the statistics of capability and acievement? Is this linear or bell curved? How much does skill influence the outcome of attempted tasks and how much is really just dumb luck?

Interesting question.

Aaron.

 

[Palskane]

Land Outcast: Well, it is for a homebrew setting, based loosely on the Final Fantasy games. More on Final Fantasy Tactics then any of the others. I want to be able to invent various weapons and inform players that this weapon does (x-y) damage. I just wanted a tool to make it easy for me to keep track of what dice will be needed. The players will only know the range of damage. I will be the one that has to keep track of the rolls.

Conaill: That formula looks good. There are a lot of weapons, so I may use that, but it would take me awhile. I'm lazy. I'd still like to find some type of backwards generator, but that formula is nice. Thanks!

 

[Conaill]

I want to be able to invent various weapons and inform players that this weapon does (x-y) damage. I just wanted a tool to make it easy for me to keep track of what dice will be needed. The players will only know the range of damage. I will be the one that has to keep track of the rolls.

Are they just so used to seeing damage listed as (x-y)? That has always seemed like a very nonintuitive representation to me.

Instead, you could simply tell them how much damage the weapon does on average, plus give them some indication of its variability. For example, you might have a very "precise" rapier and a very "imprecise" axe that boh do 6.5 points of damage on average. But the first one might be 1d6+3, whereas the other could be 1d12.

Just pick a standard die size based on the level of variability (inaccuracy, imprecision, whatever you want to call it), then add a constant to match the average you have in mind. (You can round down damage for simplicity - so you'd count a d6 as doing 3 points of damage and a d20 doing 10 points of damage on average, instead of the correct 3.5 and 10.5 average.)

 

[Voadam]

The 1e MMII had a chart with a bunch since they used to only list damage ranges for monsters and it was all pretty much ad hoc.

 

[jester47]

The problem with your approach palscane is that if it is not linear you start to get weird stuff.

For example a weapon that does 1-12 (1d12) vs a weapon that does 2-12 (2d6) are different in the average department.

the 1d12 has an average roll of 6.5, but all sides are equal so the chances of getting a 1 a 7 or even a 12 are all the same.

the 2d6 roll has an average roll of 7 and is twice as likely to roll a 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 than you are a 2, 3, 4, 10, 11 or 12.

so its not just 2-12, its 2-12 with a likelyhood of being more middle range.

Thats why you generally want a weapon that uses multiple dice over one that is a single die. so a really kick ass weapon would be the 3-12 using 3d4. with an average 7.5 and the chance of rolling a 6,7,8,9 or 10 is almost 70% where the chance of rolling 3, 4, 5, 11, or 12 is 30%. the chances of getting greater than average is in the ball park of 80-85%. The chance you will roll below a 6 is 15%. Given that the average is 7.5, thats a pretty darned good weapon. With 3d4 you are rolling near, at or above average most of the time.

This is the real reason the rogues sneak attack is so deadly only at lower levels!

hope this helps.

Aaron.

 

[Palskane]

Interesting ideas. I think that I might reconsider my original inclination.

Thanks, everyone!

If you have any ideas on a cool and versatile damage system, send it my way!

 

[Conaill]

Thats why you generally want a weapon that uses multiple dice over one that is a single die. so a really kick ass weapon would be the 3-12 using 3d4. with an average 7.5 and the chance of rolling a 6,7,8,9 or 10 is almost 70% where the chance of rolling 3, 4, 5, 11, or 12 is 30%. the chances of getting greater than average is in the ball park of 80-85%. The chance you will roll below a 6 is 15%. Given that the average is 7.5, thats a pretty darned good weapon. With 3d4 you are rolling near, at or above average most of the time.

Uhm... you do realize 3d4 is a symmetric distribution, right? So the chance of rolling above average on 3d4 is... exactly 50%!

3d4 does give you a much more *reliable* damage output, so you're more likely to get something which is close to the average. That's not always a good thing, mind you, especially if you're fighting something with DR. Faced with a creature with DR10, I would much rather have a 1d10+2 weapon than a 3d4 weapon, even though the average damage output before DR is identical.