Everybody has the occasional bad roll, and for some of us, like myself, it happens more often than it seems to for others. As a result of this dread curse, some of us, like myself, turn to the dark arts to counteract this. This is a thread for us to share techniques to combat our curse. I'll start.
I turn all of my dice so the lowest number is facing up whenever I'm not using them, so as to trick the dice mojo into believing that it has already given a bad roll.
Anyone else have any advice?
I went and counted my dice collection for kicks a couple months ago and I am a little shocked to find that I have 800+
But it always seems like the dice I like the most always roll horribly. Those gorgeous Chessex Scarab / Gemini / Borealis sets always seemed to mock me with their low rolls when I needed them most.
Thus, when tabletop lives are on the line I bring out my battered green D20 that has followed me from table to table for nearly 3 decades (I bought it from a FLGS in the mid-1980s). This die rests in its own little pouch to avoid picking up low-rolling habits from mixing with the other snazzier dice...
I set my dice with the highest number facing up, thinking that maybe gravitational forces on a molecular level will pull the atoms of the die to the "bottom," making it more likely that the light end(the highest number) will face up. It's still a work in progress.
I keep my very first set of dice, which came from an old AD&D board game, in a special little mock-stone hinged box, with a small gargoyle protecting it. I plan on giving these dice to whichever of my 2 daughters winds up playing RPG's.
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If you can find a copy of the Hackmaster 4th ed. players guide has and entire chapter on dice ediqute and mojo/luck/superstition. Complete with various ways of testing new dice, blessing new dice, removing curses, and a list of circumstances that a die should be thrown away and the proper disposal procedure.
The chapter also has various rules about where to place dice when not being rolled and "fame rubs" signatures of various TT gaming superstars like Gygax that you rub your dice on for luck.
Dice get three chances once they get into a string of bad rolls.
They blow the third chance, they get reeducated by being melted down and reformed into new dice.
Dice that hit a third need to be melted down are instead melted down and never reconstituted.
Dice get three chances once they get into a string of bad rolls.
They blow the third chance, they get reeducated by being melted down and reformed into new dice.
Dice that hit a third need to be melted down are instead melted down and never reconstituted.
Do you make your own dice?
I have enough spare dice that if I'm not rolling well I can toss them back in the bag and get another. The poor luck doesn't seem to be contagious.
That said my metal GM dice stay in a separate bag from my plastic Playerside dice. If I'm having a particularly poor night, I have been known to switch to the GM dice, which are fairly reliable compared to the plastic ones, which can be all over the place.
My DM dice are lethal in games. I've had many nights where I never rolled lower than a 17 on the d20. CR's are practically raised due to how accurate and damaging every encounter becomes.
However, if I use the same dice as a player, they completely rebel against me and won't roll higher than a 5. They are very specific about their use.
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I've learned that dice do not respect kindness. They respect fear. I threaten them, yell at them. One time I hammered a dice to pieces while the other dice watched. Dice will yield to a firm and confident hand. Show them any mercy and they will turn on you. So sayeth the Odraude!
I have a d20 that I call my chaos die. For whatever reason, it likes "1s" and "20s" leading to some craziness. I just keep it with my other d20s, so when I grab one, I can grab that one at random. Good times.
Dice get three chances once they get into a string of bad rolls.
They blow the third chance, they get reeducated by being melted down and reformed into new dice.
Dice that hit a third need to be melted down are instead melted down and never reconstituted.
Do you make your own dice?
I have enough spare dice that if I'm not rolling well I can toss them back in the bag and get another. The poor luck doesn't seem to be contagious.
That said my metal GM dice stay in a separate bag from my plastic Playerside dice. If I'm having a particularly poor night, I have been known to switch to the GM dice, which are fairly reliable compared to the plastic ones, which can be all over the place.
I do ^^ One of the benefits of attending a liberal arts high school was that I learned how to do things like that.
In my group, there is a standing joke about whether I can roll over a 10 in any gaming session. I have gotten to the point of rolling every die I have 200times to chart the rolls, and have sets that actually average almost a full point higher than expected.
Doesn't matter. on throwaway rolls like random knowledge checks, I can roll in the 15-20 range, but when I need to make a roll (attack, save, active skill check) I can't break 10.
The worst part? I'm currently playing a cleric of Desna, the goddess of luck.
Other players now won't let me anywhere near their dice, in case I infect them.
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My first PFS game I played a rogue. Rolled decently on initiative and saves. Attack rolls? I attacked 7 times that module. Rolled six 1s. Even the GM was amazed at my bad luck and the party and I all decided I'd be on scouting, trap-finding and coup-de-grace duty.
...mind you a lot of this is projected after I played this whacked up crinti shadow marauder back during 3.5e and for three sessions straight rolled a 1 every round. Which isn't saying much when you get ~15 attacks per round...
If you can find a copy of the Hackmaster 4th ed. players guide has and entire chapter on dice ediqute and mojo/luck/superstition. Complete with various ways of testing new dice, blessing new dice, removing curses, and a list of circumstances that a die should be thrown away and the proper disposal procedure.
The chapter also has various rules about where to place dice when not being rolled and "fame rubs" signatures of various TT gaming superstars like Gygax that you rub your dice on for luck.
I searched and found it on the Kenzerco site:
Hackmaster - On DiceThe most in-depth treatment I have ever read on the history, use, and traditions of gaming dice.
In my group, there is a standing joke about whether I can roll over a 10 in any gaming session. I have gotten to the point of rolling every die I have 200times to chart the rolls, and have sets that actually average almost a full point higher than expected.
Doesn't matter. on throwaway rolls like random knowledge checks, I can roll in the 15-20 range, but when I need to make a roll (attack, save, active skill check) I can't break 10.
The worst part? I'm currently playing a cleric of Desna, the goddess of luck.
Other players now won't let me anywhere near their dice, in case I infect them.
I feel ya, man. I really do. At our PF session last week, I actually rolled descending integers; I rolled a 5 on a skill check, a 4 on the next one, a 3, a 2, then 3 1's in a row. On a random Perception check to notice the craftsmanship of the cave, of course I roll a 19.
I have to min/max and power-game my characters just so they can do anything useful in the game. On paper, my characters all look broken as hell, yet they consistently botch save after save, check after check, and rarely live longer than a few sessions.
And I thought this only happens in Knights of the Dinner Table....