
Seisho |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |

...are d4 REALLY unsatisfying to roll?
My current character is a Redeemer of Desna and is using a Starknife.
But honestly, I would kick two of it's trait out of the window to have it up to d6. I kind of hoped it would be better once I have the rune of striking.
And then, seeing two pyramids slide on the table to show me that I did 5 damage (including Strength modifier) is just no fun...

Steve Geddes |

Seisho |

I once found a d4 which was basically shaped like a d6 but had 2 sides rounded so it could not get stuck on a blank
My gf was very happy since she hates d4 even more then me.
But still, even id they would roll. It kind of feels like d4 weapons are rarely worth the hassle. I am perfectly fine with not making the most damage, rolling d6.
But when I have a d4 weapon and roll for damage I am never really satisfied.
(But I love the concept of the friggin starknife >_>)

Halgur |

I purchased a dice tower at a con last year. It is really satisfying using it to roll all dice, even d4s.
Dice Tower This one is pretty simple. It folds down and is pretty easy to transport to game days. There are plenty of much more elaborate towers out there. I've also seen a video or two on youtube showing how to make a simple dice tower if you're on a budget.

Megistone |

I'm fond of my old dice set, so I'll probably keep using my black pyramid-shaped d4 forever; but a friend of mine has one of those d4 with a different shape (Four faces (square prisms)) that actually rolls. That would solve most issues I think.

Bluenose |
D4 is basically a gamified caltrop.
Only if you keep the points sharpened, which means you can't roll them too often. But who likes rolling d4 anyway?
You can (or could) get sets of dice that are pencil-like, I've got a set with a d4 (eight faces, 1 to 4 repeated), d6 (six faces), d8 (eight faces) and d10 percentile (ten faces, one has number 0 to 90, the other 1 to 19). I've always liked them.

thenobledrake |
If you mean the physical act of jostling them about only to watch them plop and slide and maybe tip over just the once on the table... no.
But 25% chance of rolling maximum? I'm in to that feel.
My significant other has some 8-sided d4s she really likes (they are blunt-tipped d8s numbered 1-4 twice rather than 1-8) though. They're the only d4s she'll roll.

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...are d4 REALLY unsatisfying to roll?
If you are referring to the physical die, then as mentioned above, get yourself some 12-sided d4's and roll the hell out of them!
If you are referring to damage results, d4 really isn't all that different mathematically compared to a d6. The advantage of the starknife is in its flexibility and multipurpose functionality. It does a lot more than just poke your enemy. If you are not building your character to take advantage of those features, might as well just use a dagger. Make sure you are optimizing your static damage so the d4 has less of a statistical impact on the result.
At higher levels you are really going to "feel the burn" when you are rolling 2d4+x vs the martials rolling 2d8(or more)+x. If you are a rogue, make sure you are sneaking attacking. If you are a caster, take advantage of any magic that can help you. Guidance, true strike, enlarge, etc. all boost your effective DpR.
Wihtout seeing the build its hard to respond, but another thing to consider is the character's theme. Sometimes, sticking true to the theme of your build is more important that a few more points of damage.
Explore! Report! Cooperate!

Lycar |

...are d4 REALLY unsatisfying to roll?
Try stepping on one...
But since they don't roll on the table, I suggest just tossing them upwards more then sideways, sliding your hand under them as you make the movement to impart some spin on them. That way, they do the spinning and tumbling in the air, and you can get a bounce out of them on the right surface too.

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Not sure if this helps but:
How about put the Returning quality on your starknife, and dual-wield it with a second higher-die weapon?
This would allow you to faithfully find a use for your deity's favored weapon by adding optional but lethal range to your melee arsenal.
Lastly, I share with above posters the joy of rolling caltrops - the sound they make is "clackier" as a result of their greatest divergence from a spherical shape compared to their brother and sister pythagorean solids...

Watery Soup |

Buy a d120 and throw out all your other dice.
Divide by 30 to get a d4.
Divide by 20 to get a d6.
Divide by 15 to get a d8.
Divide by 12 to get a d10.
Divide by 10 to get a d12.
Divide by 6 to get a d20.

jplukich |
You are right a d120 is very versatile. You can even have rare dice like:
Divide by 40 get a d3.
Divide by 24 get a d5.
Divide by 8 get a d15.
Divide by 5 get a d24.
Divide by 4 get a d30.
Divide by 3 get a d40.
Divide by 2 get a d60.But man are d120s difficult to read.
Just make it larger... roll a small bowling ball...

Cevah |

And then, seeing two pyramids slide on the table to show me that I did 5 damage (including Strength modifier) is just no fun...
You think that is bad? I rolled 5d6 and rolled 10 damage... against a creature with DR 10.
On another note you can get a wide range of dice: PIC
This set has: D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, D%10, D11, D12, D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, D18, D19, D20, D22, D24, D26, D28 & D30
/cevah

Unicore |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |

Seisho wrote:And then, seeing two pyramids slide on the table to show me that I did 5 damage (including Strength modifier) is just no fun...You think that is bad? I rolled 5d6 and rolled 10 damage... against a creature with DR 10.
On another note you can get a wide range of dice: PIC
This set has: D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, D%10, D11, D12, D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, D18, D19, D20, D22, D24, D26, D28 & D30/cevah
That picture is like a dice based nightmare horrorscape. Most of them look like they are in the process of melting and falling apart.