D&D Urban Legends: I new this guy who...

[Rel]

To tell the truth, he just might be right, though not for mathematical reasons. Most gamers do not rock the dice nearly enough in their hands before rolling, so that the position it was in when you picked it up can have a non-irrelevant influence on the outcome. Just picking them up and throwing them isn't entirely random. Depending on the way you throw the dice, the top number might be a little less likely or a little more likely to be rolled. I make sure to shake the dice for at least a couple of seconds before rolling.

If Torm is able to roll the dice this consistantly, he needs to take a week off from gaming and head to Vegas.

There's no question that dice aren't entirely random. In fact, they're not random at all. It is ALWAYS the physics that determines the outcome. But I think that (particularly for a d20) that it is nearly impossible for a player to exert fine enough control over his die roll to predetermine the outcome with any accuracy worth mentioning.

 

[Zappo]

There's no question that dice aren't entirely random. In fact, they're not random at all. It is ALWAYS the physics that determines the outcome. But I think that (particularly for a d20) that it is nearly impossible for a player to exert fine enough control over his die roll to predetermine the outcome with any accuracy worth mentioning.

Of course. Did I say "predetermine" or "accuracy" anywhere in my post? But maintaining the exact same way of rolling a d20 can lead to a number showing up maybe 5.5% of the times rather than (almost) exactly 5%. Over the course of a character's career, with all those save or die effects and critical hits, this just might save your behind once or twice. Or kill you, if you're unknowingly doing it the opposite way. Luckily, the effect isn't too relevant on a d20, but you can learn to roll a d4 in such a way to skew the probabilities in a very noticeable way. I think it could be done with a d6 as well.

 

[Rel]

Of course. Did I say "predetermine" or "accuracy" anywhere in my post? But maintaining the exact same way of rolling a d20 can lead to a number showing up maybe 5.5% of the times rather than (almost) exactly 5%. Over the course of a character's career, with all those save or die effects and critical hits, this just might save your behind once or twice. Or kill you, if you're unknowingly doing it the opposite way. Luckily, the effect isn't too relevant on a d20, but you can learn to roll a d4 in such a way to skew the probabilities in a very noticeable way. I think it could be done with a d6 as well.

Sorry for my previous post. You're actually correct, Zappo, particularly with regard to the d4 and d6 examples. And if the player is doing that with the d20 then I suppose that he's cheating just as much as if he learns how to throw the d4 or d6 so that it produces the desired result.

I got off track from my original point that (assuming a fair and "random" shaking of the die) having the die sitting on "1" before you pick it up to roll it is no better a way at preventing a "1" on the next roll than saying, "Please don't roll a one!"

 

[Henry]

...it is no better a way at preventing a "1" on the next roll than saying, "Please don't roll a one!"

Oh! That is ANOTHER superstition at Torm's and my table; NEVER say the number you want to avoid out loud, and NEVER let the DM say, "all you need to do is not roll an X or lower", because as SURELY as the Sun Sets in the West that's the number that will come up.

I still do it when I DM, just to harrass people.

 

[eris404]

And I do have a legend-ish thing: I've just remembered that I have a female DM. They do exist.

HEY! I am female and I am a DM! I'm legendary! YAY!

 

[shilsen]

Oh! That is ANOTHER superstition at Torm's and my table; NEVER say the number you want to avoid out loud, and NEVER let the DM say, "all you need to do is not roll an X or lower", because as SURELY as the Sun Sets in the West that's the number that will come up.

I still do it when I DM, just to harrass people.

I do this to my group all the time. I don't have any dice superstitions and all of them do, and it's fascinating to see how they remember the one time I'll say "Roll a 1" and someone does, and forget all the times they didn't.

 

[Turanil]

I do the same thing with my dice, best side up, but for a much more logical reason: I'm teaching them what their proper positions are. The 20 goes on the side farthest from the table, silly die.

LOL

Everywhere I did play, I did see people with numerous supersttions about dice. A friend of mine has a green d20 for rolling high numbers, plus a yellow d20 for rolling low numbers.

I have no rpg urban legend to tell. The only "great" thing I remember to have experienced (but in 20 years of gaming) was to say twice in a row "now I rolled a 19" (for some reason I cannot remember I hade decided for 19 rather than 20), and actually it happened both times I rolled the die one after tyhe other.

Of course, whenever I would need to roll a 100 to get psionic powers (it was back during AD&D 1e), it never worked.

 

[BlackMoria]

The Accused D20

The story goes - A gaming group is playing out of a gaming store which has a area for playing. For a number of weeks, one of the players is having uncommonly bad luck with a particular D20, in fact, the only D20 he owns. The dice rolls a seeming abnormal number of 1s.

According to the story, the others, being somewhat superstitious, will not loan him any of their D20s for fear that his use will 'jinx' their dice.

Finally after weeks of bad luck, the player's character dies after rolling a 1 on the saving throw, the last of a series of 1s rolled by that character that night.

Now at the breaking point, the player heads out back of the store and gets a golf club from the golf bag in his car's trunk. The others follow to see what is happening.

The angry gamer throws the offending D20 to the ground and with a wild swing overpowered by rage, drives the dice skyward with the golf club. By happenstance, the force of the blow shatters the dice into pieces. Only one piece of the dice remains at his feet. The player looks down....

and stares at a 1, the topmost number of the remaining piece of the dice sitting undamage side up.

Apparently a true story, but as I stated, cannot be verified or validated as to it truthfulness.

 

[PugioilAudacio]

Truth:

you can make cheater dice with a microwave.

Method:

due to the variable power of microwaves your mileage may vary. plus there is a chance of the die actually imploding.

but 30 sec on high with the number you want up. will weight most of the nonmetal, non mineral dice. ... chessex, koplow, gamescience... etc..

I'm gonna try this on one of those cheap ones that you buy in little bags of 6 at the (former) Wizard's store. The ones that always have the same color dice (d20 is orange). Just to confirm, this die is "safe" and I won't blow up my house/microwave/die?

 

[snarfoogle]

"Fatal Magic: the Gathering"

I feel sorry for the player who gets finished off by Uncle Istvan.