-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Don't Add Up Damage - Use a blank d6
- Thread starter varden
- Start date
varden
First Post
That could be a big problem.
Conjure I'll use combos of different colored dice and ink. The lowest value is different for each set of damages, so I'll put a dot next to it. I might outline the edges of some dice, like their main attack.
Aberzanzorax
Hero
The op has a very cool idea to do it manually...I like it.
However, I know for sure that there are web apps for it (diceroller programs) and some are downloadable (check rptools.net).
I'd be SHOCKED if there wasn't an app for it on smartphones, or even, heck...those old graphics calculators from th 90s...I wonder what they go for now (TI-81, TI-82 and so on).
However, I know for sure that there are web apps for it (diceroller programs) and some are downloadable (check rptools.net).
I'd be SHOCKED if there wasn't an app for it on smartphones, or even, heck...those old graphics calculators from th 90s...I wonder what they go for now (TI-81, TI-82 and so on).
Radiating Gnome
Adventurer
There are a ton of dice apps for iphone and ipad. But, depending upon the app and how you use it, I'm not sure it'll save time. Either there's time spent at the table for each roll (creating each roll as you need it) or a lot of prep time programming in each attack you might need so you have them at your fingertips (if the app allows for that sort of programming -- many do).
It's one thing for the player -- they have relatively limited set of attacks and damage rolls -- but the DM has new things to put together for every encounter. Also, the player has repeated utility, but the Dm will probably need almost entirely new die roll macros for every encounter.
-rg
It's one thing for the player -- they have relatively limited set of attacks and damage rolls -- but the DM has new things to put together for every encounter. Also, the player has repeated utility, but the Dm will probably need almost entirely new die roll macros for every encounter.
-rg
If you often use the same amount of dice, you could also preroll your damage. Just grab a piece of paper, start rolling and record each the result of each row. When you need to roll damage, just scratch off the next entry on your table. You may want to talk about this with your DM if he's afraid your fudging the rolls.
I guess I'll be the voice of reason, or disssent, or whatever.
Why not work on performing the calculation faster in your head?
The OP sounds like a reasonably smart chap. I supposed he could have some learning disability or something. But barring that, he could work on doing math faster in his head, which is one of the things RPGs tends to encourage improvement in.
Barring adding up multiple dice larger than a d10, adding numbers 10 or less together should be mentally ingrained, like multiplication tables.
You should know 3+8=11 by rote, not by counting apples in your head.
From there, sort the dice into piles that add up to 10 with one remaining pile of the spare dice that didn't make up a whole 10. Your eye-brain system should automatically be able to count the piles to see there are 3 piles of 10s, and a small pile adding to 7, telling you the total is 37.
As part of this process, of sorting the dice, your brain should automatically spot combinations that add up to 5 or 10, to aid in rapid sorting of the dice. Pair up 2's with 3's, 6's with 4's, 1's with 4's, and you'll quickly sort out the pile into 10s and the remainder.
As for adding the bigger numbers in your head (like the total of the dice plus the modifier), there's tricks for that as well.
Add up the 10's digit seperately from the 1's digit. So if we need to calculate 37 + 14, we would do it in our head as follows:
doing the 10's digit: 30+10 = 40, remember that.
doing the 1's digit: 7+4 = 11
combining the two values: 40+11 = 51
In this way, you're not trying to do old-school adddition on the chalkboard where you add the 7+4, write down the 1 from the one's digit of 11, and carrying the 1 from the ten's digit in 11 to then add 1+3+1 and writing 5 next to the 1 at the bottom. It takes that much verbiage to explain what's happening mentally. the other way is simpler to handle the operations in your head.
Why not work on performing the calculation faster in your head?
The OP sounds like a reasonably smart chap. I supposed he could have some learning disability or something. But barring that, he could work on doing math faster in his head, which is one of the things RPGs tends to encourage improvement in.
Barring adding up multiple dice larger than a d10, adding numbers 10 or less together should be mentally ingrained, like multiplication tables.
You should know 3+8=11 by rote, not by counting apples in your head.
From there, sort the dice into piles that add up to 10 with one remaining pile of the spare dice that didn't make up a whole 10. Your eye-brain system should automatically be able to count the piles to see there are 3 piles of 10s, and a small pile adding to 7, telling you the total is 37.
As part of this process, of sorting the dice, your brain should automatically spot combinations that add up to 5 or 10, to aid in rapid sorting of the dice. Pair up 2's with 3's, 6's with 4's, 1's with 4's, and you'll quickly sort out the pile into 10s and the remainder.
As for adding the bigger numbers in your head (like the total of the dice plus the modifier), there's tricks for that as well.
Add up the 10's digit seperately from the 1's digit. So if we need to calculate 37 + 14, we would do it in our head as follows:
doing the 10's digit: 30+10 = 40, remember that.
doing the 1's digit: 7+4 = 11
combining the two values: 40+11 = 51
In this way, you're not trying to do old-school adddition on the chalkboard where you add the 7+4, write down the 1 from the one's digit of 11, and carrying the 1 from the ten's digit in 11 to then add 1+3+1 and writing 5 next to the 1 at the bottom. It takes that much verbiage to explain what's happening mentally. the other way is simpler to handle the operations in your head.
Nytmare
David Jose
The words have been taken out of my mouth.
You're a gamer, this is one of those skills that we're supposed to master so that we can use it when we take over the world.
Barring that, and if all else failed, I'd vote for the "list of rolls in a spread sheet" method. Better to spend time before the game so that you can save time during.
I'd do something simpler.
When you are prepping the adventure, figure out the average damage of each monster (make sure you are using the updated monster damage).
When you hit, use that damage, and roll a d6 / d8 / d10. Add or subtract (your choice) that much damage from the average. Gives a decent variance, and simplifies the math.
When you are prepping the adventure, figure out the average damage of each monster (make sure you are using the updated monster damage).
When you hit, use that damage, and roll a d6 / d8 / d10. Add or subtract (your choice) that much damage from the average. Gives a decent variance, and simplifies the math.
varden
First Post
Because my idea of fun is not doing flash cards. These are the skills I would prefer to work on:
Trollhaunt Warrerns spoilers coming!
- Preparing to run an old-school AD&D adventure for my nephew and his friends before their too-short summer break is over - in addition to running KotTHW.
- Figuring out a way to make Skalmad sound smarter and more powerful the second time he appears, kinda like Charlie in Flowers for Algernon?
- Figuring out how to get the party to hate the oni mage and how to make him a recurring villain because he's looks like a hoot to roleplay.
- Can I mod a $1 Star Wars mini too look bad-ass instead of shelling out 6 or 8 bucks for the oni mage miniature I have now committed to needing and using more than once?
- Working on several different versions of my Stewie Griffin voice because, in my game group, all eladrin sound like Stewie Griffin and Moonstair is full of eladrin.
- How do I get the party to really care about the family in the farmhouse so it's more dramatic when they get attacked? ... and Moonstair, for that matter.
- Trying to understand how the Eye and the Couldron even have anything to do with each other and how to lead the party to see the connection without Rualliss just giving it to them.
- Getting the party to like and trust Rualliss without making him a 'Marty Stu.' ... and Kelana, for that matter
- Finding out where exactly Moonstair is in relation to the map in the DMG, and what the rivers are called.
- Artfully describing the life-draining, thick, oppresive conditions in the Trollhaunt, versus the delightful, beach-resort atmosphere of Moonstair.
- Most importantly: weaving the party's backstories and goals into the adventure: How will Ruallis react to our eladrin wizard? How will the townspeople react to our dwarf cleric who worships Correllon? Will our dwarf fighter find his sister who was kidnapped by fire giants before she is transformed into an azer? How to take advantage of our brush with the feywild to I call our feypact warlock on his abuse of his powers and make it fair and fun? How will Bax react to our
dragonborn paladin?
Last edited:
Similar Threads
