D&D 5E The 5E Dice Aesthetic

[Mark CMG]

Some editions of the game have us constantly opening the drawstrings on our fancy dice bags or digging through that pile of polyhedrons we dump on the table at the beginning of each game night. But with others, and this can depend largely on character choices, once we're locked into a character and his weaponry, we might use our favorite d20 and a chosen damage die for weeks without ever picking up another from our often extensive collections.

So why buy a whole set of dice to play in a game where we only use a couple/few of them? Some of us have multiple sets because it can be helpful when we run a game but even then use relatively few of what we bring or have purchased. d20s are great but how bout a little love for the other dice? How about some unusually numbered dice like my d14 and d24? Or my d12 with months on it or that cool d12 with body part hit locations?

For 5E, do we want to use all sort sof dice? Are we happy having purchased a set only to use mostly a couple and pick up a few others every now and then? Does it slow the game down to have to dig through all those dice for the odd d4 or occasional d12 roll? Can we ever have enough d6s? Do you have a favorite d20?

But mainly, should 5E be designed to really get all of the dice rolling?


(Also, I've added a poll with the d20 missing that asks what dice should see regular use in 5E. I figure the d20 is a given but if you think it should be gone from 5E please add a post so the rest of us can know who you are and invite you to our games.)

 

[Number48]

 

[Dausuul]

All of the standard six (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20) should see regular use, but mostly because they're a legacy of the game. If I were making D&D from scratch, with no polyhedral dice industry to support and no decades-old gaming traditions to uphold, I would pick a single die type and forget the rest; either d20 for granularity or d6 for ubiquity.

5E definitely should not build in any reliance on dice beyond the standard six. Leave that to third-party publishers aiming for the "wonky dice collector" demographic. Likewise, the number of dice you need should be on the low side, at least if you're a player. You should be able to get by okay with just a couple standard sets.

The more dice you need to play the game, the higher the barrier to entry, and barriers to entry have always been the millstone around D&D's neck. I'm a grognard from away back with a big sackful of dice, but I have no great urge to roll them all every session. I'd rather loan some of my dice to a newbie so they can try the game without having to shell out cash up front.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Well, I think d6, 8 10 and 20 are enough. d12 does not offer enough and the d4 is a pain to roll (as is the d12, it rolls a long time)

Other dice an be used for odd things. For god's sake though, no d5 or d7.

 

[Stormonu]

If 5E doesn't use d12, it's dead to me.

I'd actually prefer the game to use all the well-known dice d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20 & d100. If it only used one or two - say d20 or xd6 - well, let's say it just wouldn't feel like D&D.

Magic Missile and Wizzies need d4's.
Fireballs need d6's.
Longswords and monsters need d8's.
Fighters need d10's.
Greatswords and dragons need d12s.
Everyone needs d20's.
Random charts need to return, and they need d100's.

 

[Sunseeker]

d6, d10, d12.

And to be honest d12 can really be accomplished with 2xd6.

Traditional pyramid d4's are a pain to roll. d8's aren't bad but I don't really see the benefit to them over d6's. D10's are a good low-end percentile die. I think d100's are fun, but they're a pain in the butt to roll and honestly I think they're more for novelty than effective RNG.

And obviously, d6's are the staple of the genre.

 

[Ichneumon]

Studies have showed that people who think a d100 has an even probability distribution are far more likely to believe in Santa Claus.

Yes, the five classic solids and the non-classic one will do just fine. I hope to see a few d% rolls in play as well. Seeing a 00 has a thrill quite unlike any other.

 

[Tallifer]

Four, six, eight, ten, twelve and twenty sided dice are de rigeur for D&D. Ten siders for per centiles as well.

There should also be random charts (such as treasure, monsters, wandering harlots) which allow for five, seven, twenty four and thirty sided dice. And charts or formulae which work with "three sided" dice (1,2; 3,4; 5,6) and weighted three sided diced (1-3=1; 4,5=2, 6=3).

And I really liked the "open ended roll" from Rolemaster: if you roll a 96-100, you can roll again and add. If you roll 96-100 again you can roll again and add once more. And so on. Likewise 01-05 could open up a bottomless pit of failure.

 

[Ahnehnois]

d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, d%.

I'd like to see them all well-used (including the d12)

I'm putting this under the category of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

 

[Hassassin]

You left out D3, but it's D12 that needs moar luv.