Heh I'm just curious if any other players that just can't foll well for certain things or in general.
But heres the question, do you use the same dice all the time or do you use a particular one for skills only? It can happen that when dice are made they can become slightly loaded due to problems during the manufacturing process. This accounts for some peoples insistance that some dice are 'lucky'.
The other option is that you're just considering the bad roles all the time or that you've just had a bit of bad luck.
Had a really strange run of luck as a DM and managed to roll 2 instant deaths (20-20-confirm) against one player in the same night when they were fighting mooks. We took the rule out after that.
On another note we have a player in our group who whenever faced with a life or death role will consistantly fail to make the DC. Regardless of DM, character or dice. DC5 wall, he falls, DC12 posion, figther fails, DC15 reflex, rogue get crushed/burnt etc.
Good player with good characters but if someone is going to die in a strange manner its going to be him.
When i DM, all my monster just keep
missing, missing, missing...
If i get a 8 or 9 it's almost a miracle...
But strangely...(as i have just one d20. a yellow one)
When i play as a PC this doesn't happen!
I roll in the 10-15 range most of time:P
And i know...
It's very awful when you keep rolling bad.
A guy who used to play with me was the complete opposite:
We call him the Maximizer mage because he plays casters and every spell does almost maximum damage...he's very,very luck with dice
But heres the question, do you use the same dice all the time or do you use a particular one for skills only? It can happen that when dice are made they can become slightly loaded due to problems during the manufacturing process. This accounts for some peoples insistance that some dice are 'lucky'.
This is a good point, and actually, I have even found that some dice, after having them for like 10 years or something, seem to get a little 'worn down' maybe, and the edges get rounded just enough that they roll strangely. Yes, I know it's still a random chance for any number to be generated, but as you point out, some die might have a flaw or two in their shape or weight and end up having a predisposition to rolling certain numbers more than others.
Maybe switch out all your dice and see if that makes a difference in your rolls. Besides, it gives you an excuse to go get some shiny new dice. :D
One of the few DM-ing sessions where I haven't critted at all. Strangely, unsatisfying...
So with my current character, I picked up a couple Paladin levels because she already had pretty decent Charisma and Divine Grace would help boost her saves so my low rolls mattered less.
... and then after that I started consistently rolling really awesomely on saves for her. *headdesk*
That's right, a program set up to be random...
Yea, I think I win(?)
The dice looked like this <=> with a number of edges filling in the equal sign part.
Sure, it might not be so bad when you roll as bad as everyone else, but in my group, the guy who sits next to me ALWAYS rolls good, I mean 15 or above on each roll. I have the horrible feeling that he is sucking all the dice luck out of me!
Oh, and when the DM got ****** and took his dice and tried the just to see, he rolled two natural ones in 3 rolls and the other roll was below 10 also.
I feel like a midget, oh no, not among normal people, but around friggin' giants!
As for me, I picked up the whole tray of d20s at the shop and rolled them, removing every die that rolled 10 or less, until there was one left.
In all honesty, I think it's actually a fair die. But I tell the story to anyone that will listen.
At several points during each session, the die will roll right off whatever surface it is on, hit the floor, and immediately take off for parts unknown. Yes, even the d4s. After searching (sometimes an extended search) I will usually find the die hiding under something, or sitting on something that matches its colour so that there is a camouflage effect. There have been occasions, though, where the die is never seen again.
As for switching dice...I do so quiet often, usually at the request of the tank/cleric who's set off the third trap I missed in a row.
Actually you lose. Computers cannot be random. It goes against their most basic design. They can seem random. But in the end they are always predictable.
A computer RNG is not predictable by the end user, though. It is effectively the same thing.
The the "monster is going to kill you" checks, those I miss.
One of the guys at the table constantly says, "Dice hate me!" even though he rolls pretty well.
When I DM, I use a black with red lettering d20 I have used since 1990, which tends to roll very high or very low. It makes for an interesting evening.
My personal worst (or best) is 9 natural 1's in a row (or at the same time - I was rolling for a squad of stormtroopers). Half of them forgot to recharge their weapons (at least that's what I decided happened).
The best I've ever seen was my friend, who stated that he hit another character with a natural 20 (as he wasn't there) and then rolled a natural 20. All of us PC's thought seriously about leaving.
At several points during each session, the die will roll right off whatever surface it is on, hit the floor, and immediately take off for parts unknown.
I too suffer from this. It is my own fault however, because I have some sort of weird compulsion to spin dice. I don't even realize that I'm doing it until the die has shot off the table and either into someone's eye or across the room. We used to play DND after school in a wide open room with a tiled floor. It's amazing how high dice can bounce off of tile.
On the off note, who else here can spin a d4 for more than 20 seconds? :D
I have 16 hp.
Beat that.
(Oddly enough, we're already into our 6th session, and yet he has managed to survive!)
I play a cleric of Kelemvor in a FR setting. I chose to go with an UA cleric called the Cloistered cleric (d6 hp, but a few extra stuff). My cleric has a Constitution score of 12 and is 5th level.
I have 16 hp.
Beat that.
(Oddly enough, we're already into our 6th session, and yet he has managed to survive!)
Thats not acutally possible: 8 (first level)+ 4(hd) + 5(from con) =17
Thats not acutally possible: 8 (first level)+ 4(hd) + 5(from con) =17
The Cloister cleric from UA rolls d6 hp.
So at 1st level, I got 6 full hp.
Thanks to my Constitution of 12 (+1) and being 5th level, I got 5 extra hp (11 so far)
Due to my amazingly awful rolls between levels 2 and 5 (I chose to roll rather than getting the fixed amount listed in the DMG), I ended with a total of 16 hp.
When i DM, all my monster just keep
missing, missing, missing...
If i get a 8 or 9 it's almost a miracle...
But strangely...(as i have just one d20. a yellow one)
When i play as a PC this doesn't happen!
I roll in the 10-15 range most of time:P
That sound like me, except in reverse. My dice are PC killers (myself included).
If I play as a PC, I roll terrible a lot (it is sad to see a cleric in Tomb of Horrors, the current game we are in, roll a 2 on his reflex (which, same as the rest of his saves, was buffed to sky high levels) on the first pit trap in the game, fall 60ft, roll his highest on the dice (a 10) for fort on the poison, fail (because fort was only +12, roll another 2 on secondary damage, and is left with 7 con damage and 2 hp.
As a DM on the other hand, my dice seem to roll 20s, 19s and 18s almost every roll.
I am seriously considering buying another d20 for use as a PC.
Alot.
Every character he rolls has at least one 18. Some have two. One instance of dice rolling gave him the stats of 18, 18, 17, 18, 16, 18.
The dice aren't defective or loaded, they're not even his. They're MY dice. And every time I sit down to roll characters, I get 9s. 7s. Once a month I'll actually roll a 3.
When it comes to actual gameplay, it's even between attack rolls being low with damage high (since I roll both at the same time, wasted high damage) or attack rolls being high with damage rolls low. PC or DM, really.
My group has taken to calling my halfling rogue, "Hapless the Halfling" because during one session I rolled nothing better than a 4 for the entire night. It made for a comical, if frustrating, time.
My uncle bought the 2nd edition DnD set ages ago and never played it. He gave it to me ages ago but I never used it. Anyway I was checking out some old Heroquest etc pieces for models and furniture and found the old boxes so checked them out for floor tiles etc. Found this old mottled darkish green D20 thats never been used but just sat in a box for about 10+ years. Anyway it is now my primary D20 for rolling stuff and never seems to let me down (too much).
My mate/DM/player has a see-through extremely dark purple d20 that he insists (and after letting him roll it on different occasions we believe) that likes to kill players.
unfortunetly on our first session , he rolled so badly that the favoured soul in our group looked more powerfull then him
My mate/DM/player has a see-through extremely dark purple d20 that he insists (and after letting him roll it on different occasions we believe) that likes to kill players.
It kills players?
Remind me never to game with him.Now on a different note, I've got this red d20. I love it, I used it two game times ago, and whenever I actually had to roll something, it wouldn't roll any lower than 16. All of my fellow gamers as wittnesses. Unfortunately my DM outlawed that dice, so now I've gotta find another good one.
I also roll in the open now, just because of the phenominal luck the two that roll well have. Saves a hassle when (like in the last session I ran) I roll 2 d20's for both attacks vs the same party member. Both come up 20. Grab the die and reroll, come up 18 and 20. After this round I generally switch over to ole lumpy.
I only point this out because more than one poster has attributed unnatural luck to air bubbles rather than more likely factors :P.
I've got a blue d20 that I've been DMing with for years and years. It likes to roll reasonably well for skill checks, rarely if ever miss an attack roll, and never succeed saves. I'm not discounting coincidence or superstition, but when I'm running a combat that's going poorly for the heroes, I'll switch dice. More often than not, they'll come out on top afterwards.
A couple sessions ago we had a player using a white d20 from his own collection that rolled 75% ones and twos, and 25% twenties. He was complaining about how it rolled, and was like 'you throw it. Use it in our next combat' and he heaved it over the DM screen. I told him my rules (it's the blue die - cos you'll die - or no die,) and dropped it on his side of the screen. It landed a one. This was the fifth time that die had come up a one in ten throws that night.
We ended up throwing it away. :D
BTW, I won that game of Monopoly.
There was however one time where he couldn't have rolled worse but it turned out great for me. I had just broken into the jewlery store and set off the alarm. I was a monk azer (obsessed with gems) and wouldn't give up what I stole. I tumbled through them and started making some distance. The 3 guards then charged me and I though I was dead for sure. Luckily for me he rolled 6 1's in a row for their attacks. We play when you roll a 1 you have to roll to confirm critical fumble, the confirmation is another 1. So all of the guards ended up tripping over each other and landing at my feet prone. I'm happy to say I made it out of town alive and with my giant gem. Only to be turned in by my own pary
I have 11 solid rogue levels and am a walking trap-trip.
The cleric who has 3 rogue levels decides he's going to saunter into the next room, doesn't even check the door, gets missed by a trap in the room (a few scratches) and opens a locked closet, again without even checking it first. He then pulls the chest out into the room and calls my rogue in to unlock it.
I'm wondering why after doing 7 things in a row without even looking he suddenly wants me to do it. Of course I find a trap so I attempt to disable and BAM! prismatic beam right in the face. Now I'm insane for the forseeable future.
It doesn't help that my party thinks the halfing rogue is some kind of point character and makes me go first into everything be it pit, hole or hallway. It does no good for me to scout when A) I can't roll worth sheeit and B) the dwarf is breathing down my neck in the hallway.
In the last 6 game sessions I've never not rolled at least two natural 1s. I've been knocked out twice, broke my bow, hit myself, lost additional attacks and of course tripped (all house rules). Lucky for me I leveled and (once I get sane) can use the "better lucky than good" up to four times a day (makes nat. 1's function as nat. 20's)
Meanwhile the 6' tall golden Elf fighter is sitting across the table rolling 5 d20s at a time and going "crit, crit, crit, ah that's a crit too"... lets see, thats 180 before any bonuses, do I need to figure the bonus and crit damage?
Eventually I ran the chi square statistical analysis from the Dragon Magazine Compendium. Sure enough, my dice weren't balanced. They rolled 1's and 19's regularly, 9's most often, and averaged below 10.
So I picked up some new dice. I opted for precision-edge dice (they're not tumbled to round the edges) and the difference is obvious, though a good Chessex set probably would have been fine, too. I ran the test again to make sure it wasn't just me and the new dice passed. If you're having issues, I'd recommend inspecting your dice.
You can take 20 on the search check to find traps. And I'm pretty sure you can take 10 on the disarm check provided you're not in combat.
You are incorrect on this issue.
You can not take a 10 or a 20 if there is a chance at failure resulting in something bad happening.
I.E. you fail to spot the trap, you don't disarm it because you didn't know it was there and then you hurt yourself when you set it off.
Now there are some feats/class abilities that allow 10's to be taken, however they are few and far bhetween.
My current character--a paladin of St. Cuthbert. With her, I have never rolled to confirm a critical hit. Granted, she uses a heavy mace, so her crit range is 20, but still, in four levels of fighting, not one 20.
The other day, we were fighting a BBEG of our chapter of the adventure, the rogue was flanking, with her, the archer was unconscious, the cleric was off in another part of the inn (she was a new PC we hadn't worked in yet), so pretty much it was up to my paladin, 1st round of combat, she cast divine sacrifice (take 10 damage do an extra 5d6 damage to your foe on a hit.) Next round, she attacks, law devotion, flanking bonuses, using a smite, hits for about 75% of his hit points. She's down at 9 hit points at this point. Next round, goes to use it again, knowing she'll go down, sort of a heroic last stand.
And I botch.
I needed a 2 to hit the guy's AC. Later in the session, she used a 4d6 fireball from a necklace of fireballs. I rolled a total of 5. There was another session where she botched every single knowledge religion check she made. Not failed per se (though that was a tragic consequence), but ones. That's like, the one skill she's supposed to be useful for. (Although it was funny because the other paladin botched too on them ;) ).
However, she's not worthless, she's never rolled below a 15 on a bluff check >.> ...
If I play as a PC, I roll terrible a lot (it is sad to see a cleric in Tomb of Horrors, the current game we are in, roll a 2 on his reflex (which, same as the rest of his saves, was buffed to sky high levels) on the first pit trap in the game, fall 60ft, roll his highest on the dice (a 10) for fort on the poison, fail (because fort was only +12, roll another 2 on secondary damage, and is left with 7 con damage and 2 hp.
Oh, god, don't even remind me of Tomb of Horrors. I think in running through the first hall in that, my wizard I rolled up botched a reflex save on that same trap, and the fort save, got like a 3 on the secondary fort save for a poison trap. I think for the rest of the night, her con was like, a 3. >.>
You are incorrect on this issue.
You can not take a 10 or a 20 if there is a chance at failure resulting in something bad happening.
I.E. you fail to spot the trap, you don't disarm it because you didn't know it was there and then you hurt yourself when you set it off.
Now there are some feats/class abilities that allow 10's to be taken, however they are few and far bhetween.
I think you're misinterpriting here- you can take 20 on spotting the trap as the theory is you could sit at the table and roll roll roll until you hit a 20. Taking 20 is the equivalent of taking as many turns as it might take to roll a 20, so you could search every splinter of the door taking several hours if you wanted.
You're right though that you cannot take 20 to disarm as the first failure would activate the trap.
Not trying to be a rules lawyer, that's just how I understand it from the PHB.
Not trying to be a rules lawyer, that's just how I understand it from the PHB.
You understand it correctly. As long as there is no direct penalty for failure and you have the time to do so you may take 20.
I'd been suspicious of my dice for a few months. Every session I'd roll at least two natural 1's. It was balanced by the occasional 20, but I started keeping track to make sure it wasn't all in my head.
Eventually I ran the chi square statistical analysis from the Dragon Magazine Compendium. Sure enough, my dice weren't balanced. They rolled 1's and 19's regularly, 9's most often, and averaged below 10.
So I picked up some new dice. I opted for precision-edge dice (they're not tumbled to round the edges) and the difference is obvious, though a good Chessex set probably would have been fine, too. I ran the test again to make sure it wasn't just me and the new dice passed. If you're having issues, I'd recommend inspecting your dice.
The issue is titled Dragon Magazine compendium? I have all(I thought) of the Dragon Magazines and I can't find this one...please to point me in the right direction.
The issue is titled Dragon Magazine compendium? I have all(I thought) of the Dragon Magazines and I can't find this one...please to point me in the right direction.
It is not an actual issue, but a compilation of all of the more useful articles into book form.(IIRC, i saw something titled like that in Barnes and noble and browsed it)
Good luck... time to start rolling.
I think you're misinterpriting here- you can take 20 on spotting the trap as the theory is you could sit at the table and roll roll roll until you hit a 20. Taking 20 is the equivalent of taking as many turns as it might take to roll a 20, so you could search every splinter of the door taking several hours if you wanted.
You're right though that you cannot take 20 to disarm as the first failure would activate the trap.
Not trying to be a rules lawyer, that's just how I understand it from the PHB.
You maybe right. I'll double check later on. I might be thinking of a house rule we put in. DMs kind of got tired of the players always taking 20 to search.(we had players that by the time thier characters were 4th level they would have a search of +16 or higher)
You can take 20 on the search check to find traps. And I'm pretty sure you can take 10 on the disarm check provided you're not in combat.
You must pick a rogue class ability in order to to that. But you can do it, so you're basically right.
To the thread starter: I once saw a monk 17th roll six attacks (flurry of blows and haste spell active). Roll dice: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1.
Found it- Dragon Magazine Compendium Appendix C p. 231 "Be Thy Die Ill Wrought? The Chi-Square Test"
Good luck... time to start rolling.
Thanks, a quick google tells me it is also in Dragon #78 p. 62 for those that do not have the compendium.
reminds me of one player who made this uber artificer of doom wich could like blast his way through the inside of mr. T
unfortunetly on our first session , he rolled so badly that the favoured soul in our group looked more powerfull then him
I have not the slightest idea what this means, but it sounds impressive.