A brass dice set. From the top, in notation, going clockwise: d20, d12, d8, d10 (percentile), d10, d6, d4.

Dice notation (also known as "dice algebra," "common dice notation," "RPG dice notation," and several other titles) is a system to represent different combinations of dice in role-playing games. Image File history File linksMetadata 16mm_Brass_Dice. ... Image File history File linksMetadata 16mm_Brass_Dice. ... Typical role-playing dice, showing a variety of colors and styles. ... This article is about traditional role-playing games. ...

Standard notation

In most dice, die rolls required by the system are given in the form AdX+B, where:

• A is the number of dice to be rolled (1 if omitted)
• X is the number of faces of the dice (6 if omitted)
• B is a modifier which could be positive or negative (0 if omitted), or even further die rolls using the same notation (an example of recursion)

For example, if a game would call for a roll of: A Sierpinski triangle —a confined recursion of triangles to form a geometric lattice. ...

• d4 or 1d4 means "roll one 4-sided die."
• 3d or 3d6 means "roll three six-sided die and add them together."
• 2d8 means "roll two 8-sided dice and add them together."
• 3d6+2 means "roll three 6-sided dice, add them together and then add 2 to the result."
• 2d10+1d6-3 means "roll two 10-sided dice, add them together, then roll one 6-sided die, add that to the result, and then subtract 3 from the total."

Variations

Percentile dice (d%)

Often, the variable X in the above notation will be "100" or "%". Although a 100-sided die does exist, it is both more common and more uniformly random to use a combination of two ten-sided dice known as percentile dice, where one die represents tens and the other units; depending on the game, a roll of two zeroes can mean 100 or zero. The Zocchihedron (approx. ... In probability theory and statistics, the discrete uniform distribution is a discrete probability distribution that can be characterized by saying that all values of a finite set of possible values are equally probable. ... Two ten-sided dice are often used to simulate a percentile dice. ...

The d1000 is occasionally also seen, although it is more common in wargames than role-playing games. A d1000 is a roll used occasionally in some RPGs and wargames. ... This article is about the 1983 US movie. ...

"Keep" notation

Some games extend the standard notation to AdX(kY)+B where, in addition to the above, Y is the number of dice kept from the roll. Whether the dice omitted are the highest, lowest, or the player's choice depends on the game in question. Seventh Sea only uses 10-sided dice, and uses notation of the form 8k6, meaning "Roll eight ten-sided dice, keep the highest six, and sum them." Seventh Sea is a swashbuckling and sorcery themed role-playing game set in the world of Théah. ...

Fudge dice

The game system Fudge uses customised "Fudge dice", six-sided dice with two plus symbols, two minus symbols, and two blank faces, represented using "F" in place of the variable X. The plus faces count as a roll of +1; the minus faces as -1 and the blank faces as zero. Thus, 4dF+2 would be the total number of plus faces shown, minus the number of minus faces shown, plus two. Fudge is a generic role-playing game. ...

d666

The game In Nomine uses what it calls the "d666" - in fact this is simply 2d6 which are used to determine whether a player succeeds in a task, with a third die to show degree of success or failure. In Nomine is a role-playing game designed by Derek Pearcy and published in 1997 by Steve Jackson Games, based on the French game In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ...

Stress dice

In some games, notably Ars Magica and World Tree, dice are rolled differently when determining the outcome of particularly stressful situations. World Tree represents ordinary die rolls with the usul AdX notation, but stress rolls are represented as AsX, where A and X carry the usual meanings. Ars Magica is a role-playing game set in Mythic Europe, an idealized (or quasi-historical) version of Europe around 1200 AD. The game revolves around magic-using wizards and their allies. ... World Tree is an anthropomorphic fantasy role-playing game designed by Bard Bloom and Victoria Borah Bloom and published by Padwolf Publishing. ...