Tips/Tricks/Rituals to "bless" new dice?

[NewJeffCT]

OK, for many years now, I have had famously bad luck in rolling dice, either as a player or as a DM. Though, maybe every 8-10 sessions, I roll fantastically well and either score a memorable crit as a player, or kill a player or two as DM. We make our rolls on the table so everybody can see the natural 20 or natural 1 come up and either cheer or groan, as appropriate.

With that in mind, as we start a new leg of my current campaign, I bought a new set of dice. Almost all of my old dice are some form of black, white, grey, or maybe black & brown mixed together. So, pretty plain colorwise.

I bought a more colorful set of bright blue dice this time around, hoping to change my rolling luck.

But, does anybody do anything special before using dice for the first time to help ensure luck?

Thanks

 

[jonesy]

But, does anybody do anything special before using dice for the first time to help ensure luck?

Of course not. The mere idea is preposterous. We most certainly do not wrap our dice in silken cloth or place them in a crystal bowl. And to say that we would place the bowl upside down on the floor and would then hop one-legged around it in anti-clockwise fashion is totally absurd, and we definitely do not do it while reciting Kubla Khan. No, because that would be crazy.

Besides, we only tried that the one time, and it only produced bad dice.

 

[TheVengefulKoala]

I like to annoint my dice with the fresh blood of virginal chickens before every game. In full view of my players.

Blesses the dice for luck, and reminds them who the GM is.

 

[kitsune9]

But, does anybody do anything special before using dice for the first time to help ensure luck?

Thanks

The Prayer of the Fourth Standard Deviation

Oh Gods of Randomness and Probabilities, hear my plea!
May thy glory to the bell curve of the Universe favor me!
May I be one of those who is on the tail end beyond the fourth standard deviation of rolling well
Bless this d20 for it is roll critical hits and score successes!
Bless this d12 so that I always roll high on the hp of barbarians!
Bless this d10 and d100 for the myriad of possibilities I may need of it!
Bless this d8 for the damage of my longsword and the clerical healing my character may need!
Bless all the d6's when I blast my enemies into dust with a well-placed fireball!
Bless this d4 so that magic missiles strike my enemies square in the face or when I have need of my dagger!

May your tender mercies shine upon this pious soul. Amen.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Of course not. The mere idea is preposterous. We most certainly do not wrap our dice in silken cloth or place them in a crystal bowl. And to say that we would place the bowl upside down on the floor and would then hop one-legged around it in anti-clockwise fashion is totally absurd, and we definitely do not do it while reciting Kubla Khan. No, because that would be crazy.

Besides, we only tried that the one time, and it only produced bad dice.

Yes, that would be crazy.

 

[NewJeffCT]

The Prayer of the Fourth Standard Deviation

Oh Gods of Randomness and Probabilities, hear my plea!
May thy glory to the bell curve of the Universe favor me!
May I be one of those who is on the tail end beyond the fourth standard deviation of rolling well
Bless this d20 for it is roll critical hits and score successes!
Bless this d12 so that I always roll high on the hp of barbarians!
Bless this d10 and d100 for the myriad of possibilities I may need of it!
Bless this d8 for the damage of my longsword and the clerical healing my character may need!
Bless all the d6's when I blast my enemies into dust with a well-placed fireball!
Bless this d4 so that magic missiles strike my enemies square in the face or when I have need of my dagger!

May your tender mercies shine upon this pious soul. Amen.

reminds me of the Holy Hand Grenade...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOrgLj9lOwk]YouTube - Monty Python-Holy Hand Grenade[/ame]

 

[jonesy]

Yes, that would be crazy.

Surprisingly fun, though.

 

[Micp]

As far as DM'ing goes the solution is simple:

1: Get DM screen
2: Cheat

although be fair about it. the main job as a DM is to make sure that everyone has a good time, and if your is either continuously good or bad they will stop having fun. it's great to win a battle but if it's always easy then it looses it's shine.

as a player i guess you'll just have to get used to suck. i feel with you, i'm in the exact same position, but the only alternative is to get weighted dies and believe me you don't want to turn into that kind of player...

 

[NewJeffCT]

As far as DM'ing goes the solution is simple:

1: Get DM screen
2: Cheat

although be fair about it. the main job as a DM is to make sure that everyone has a good time, and if your is either continuously good or bad they will stop having fun. it's great to win a battle but if it's always easy then it looses it's shine.

as a player i guess you'll just have to get used to suck. i feel with you, i'm in the exact same position, but the only alternative is to get weighted dies and believe me you don't want to turn into that kind of player...

well, going back to 2E days, the groups I've been a part of have always had the DM and players make all of their rolls on the table - though rolls by the DM that requires secrecy (NPC reactions, opposed skill checks, etc) were done in secret.

The reason for rolling on the table was from an old DM. He was a terrific DM and his explanation was that years earlier, he and some other players started a game as prisoners aboard a ship... they decided to try to escape and they all rolled terrifically - 18/19/20 - on all their attacks. However, they kept missing on everything but natural 20s, and were beat down by the guards, who never missed. They figured that the guards must be very powerful, so went quietly back to the brig, and they had no more thoughts of escaping and awaited their fate, as the guards took their best shots. However, at the prodding of an NPC, they reluctantly tried to escape yet again. This time, they rolled poorly - many rolls under 10 - yet, kept hitting the guards and won their freedom. The first attempt was just not the right time in game, so the players called BS on the DM and demanded all combat rolls be done on the table, which they stuck to over the years.

Ever since, I've stuck with the idea that the DM should make as many rolls as possible in full view of the players. However, it is tempting at times, but then I think my players would think the change odd.

I'm rarely a player anymore, though, so bad rolling is not that big an issue for me there.

 

[Micp]

Yes, there is a problem in explaining the players your need for the screen, but if you explain it to them without any BS they should be able to understand it.

Personally i am a player in two campaigns and running another as DM and in all the campaigns we use the screen and EXPECT the DM to cheat once in a while to keep the game interesting. When i'm running the game i use my own rolls typically 17 out of 20 times. when i do cheat i purely do so in the interest of the game, more specifically making sure the creeps hit when it's going too easy for the players and they miss when they're close to dying (it's okay for one of the players to go down, but in a game with three PCs anymore could easily lead to TPK).

It's never enough for the players to actually know when i cheat, but they know i'm doing it and accept it, in the interest of the game.