Two 20s, no 1s - how often do you use altered dice?

[Driddle]

It happens all the time: The DM is marking something off his encounter master sheet, your friends are reviewing their spell lists or staring intently at the figurines on the table for tactical options, and no one is paying attention to the fact that you've swapped out your trusty red and silver-flecked 20-sider for a more mundane black die. The "lucky" one. Heh.

You grin slightly, because you know there's no chance you'll fumble the attack, and you've just gained a 5-percent bonus to crit. Roll 'em, baby!

Let's be reasonable about it. The DM has ALL the power in the game. If he cheats on a die roll it's OK because the world reacts to his whimsy. "Oooh, sorry about that, Fang -- the monster ducks at the last moment. Now he's going to eat you." So there's really no reason you shouldn't even out the odds a teensy bit. Everyone does, even your sainted mother.

But my question is how often do you do it? Once a game for the "important" kill shots, or all the way through?

 

[Vrecknidj]

The only dice I use that aren't standard are some d6 dice that have 2,3,3,4,4,5 on them. I use these when I really want the damage for something to be mostly average.

When I play, I'll sometimes lie about the result I rolled, for a skill check perhaps, but I don't use unusual dice. I'd say that I do this, as a player, maybe once every 10 sessions or less.

As a DM I "cheat" every session, probably dozens of times, 99% of the time to the players' advantage.

Dave

 

[Crothian]

Never, I don't even own one of these altered dice. I think you are really wrong into thinking that everyone does this. Actually, no one im my group does this, and I've known very few people who ever have. If you think you need to cheat to have fun or to even the odds in the game, they you should reconsider playing the game. And ya the DM can cheat to make the game more fun, he's responsible for that. The role of the player and DM are not equal, what is good for one is not always good for the other. But I also think DMs alter the dice far more infrequantly then their PCs think they do.

 

[CarlZog]

It's pretty rare that I use dice with two '20's and no '1's.

Taking those kinds of chances seems silly to me. I nearly always use dice with only '20's printed on 'em....

<Standing up, Zog sighs deeply, hoping this really is just a joke, but steps quickly away from this table all the same -- never to return.>

 

[Wombat]

Altered dice?

Nah.

Well ... maybe in Paranoia ... but only if The Computer says so...

 

[JimAde]

Altered dice?

Nah.

Well ... maybe in Paranoia ... but only if The Computer says so...

Ah, Paranoia. Where cheating is the rule and the rulers always cheat.

Other than that, though, I say if you have to cheat at a game go play solitaire.

 

[wedgeski]

But my question is how often do you do it? Once a game for the "important" kill shots, or all the way through?

??

I think you're way off-beam if you think that 'most' other players do this. I have dice that I claim are loaded, and everyone smiles and groans when I pull them out, but let's be honest, if I rolled it 10000 times I'd probably find it was as inherently average as every other die in my bag.

But, no. I don't have any blatant cheat dice, and if I ever found as a DM someone using one, I would reprimand them about it. One of my players is so anal about this that when he's DM'ing everyone rolls one of his six dice or none at all.

 

[Jim Hague]

I've had exactly one player cheat like this. I introduced him to a simple metaphorical concept:

"Boot, meet a**. Apply vigorously. Don't let the door hit you again on the way out."

Look, genius, it's the DM's job to make the game fun, and to have fun themselves. If that means altering rolls to that end super. There're groups whose playstyle doesn't fit that. YMMV. 'Altered' dice just ruin the game, period. Like the other Jim said - you want to cheat as a player? Go play solitare.

Beyond this, don't feed the troll.

 

[Henry]

Oh, all the time -- when the DM or other players get suspicious, I merely fake a coronary infarction, and scoop the tricked-out dice into my palm as I scatter books, dice, and miniatures across the room in my act.

I think my DM's on to me, however; I had to stop when he started bringing a defibrillator to the games. Now, any time I even look pale, he starts warming up the unit and grinning wickedly.

 

[Dextolen]

Man, I certainly have never cheated like that, and I hope that nobody in my group does. If I somehow found out I'd force them to treat a month or two's worth of 20's to count as 1's.