Tabletop RPG Dice (D4 to D20): A Beginner's Guide for New D&D Players

The full set of polyhedral dice

A standard set of role-playing dice includes seven pieces: D4 (tetrahedron, 4 triangular faces), D6 (the traditional cube, 6 faces), D8 (octahedron, 8 faces), two D10s (decahedron, 10 faces — one regular and one percentile, numbered in tens from 00 to 90), D12 (dodecahedron, 12 faces) and D20 (icosahedron, 20 faces, the most iconic of the hobby).

The "DX" convention always refers to the number of faces: a D20 is a 20-sided die, a D6 is the common six-sided die you probably already know from traditional board games.

What each die is used for

The D20 is the star of D&D: it is used for practically every action roll — attacks, skill checks, saving throws. Rolling a natural 20 is usually an automatic critical success; rolling a natural 1, a critical failure. The D12 appears mainly for the damage of certain large weapons (like the greataxe) and some specific classes.

The D8 and D10 are commonly used for damage from medium-sized weapons and certain spells. The D6 appears in small-weapon damage and many spell effects (for example, "3d6 fire damage" means roll three D6 and add the results). The D4 is typically reserved for very small weapons like daggers, and the percentile D10 (numbered in tens) is combined with a regular D10 to produce results from 1 to 100 on random tables.

Dice notation: how to read "2d6+3"

The standard role-playing notation follows the format NdX+M: N is the number of dice to roll, X is the type of die (number of faces), and M is a fixed modifier added to the result. "2d6+3" means: roll two six-sided dice, add both results, and add 3 to the total. If you roll a 4 and a 5, the final result would be 4+5+3 = 12.

Understanding this notation is the key to reading any character sheet or rulebook without confusion — almost everything in the game, from a spell's damage to the result of a skill check, is expressed in this format.

Getting started without physical dice

You do not need to buy a physical set to start playing or learning the mechanics — a fair virtual die (one that does not favor certain numbers because of a poorly implemented algorithm) serves exactly the same purpose for practicing, playing over a video call, or when you simply do not have your dice at hand.

Frequently asked questions

What does "natural roll" mean in D&D?

It is the result on the die without adding any modifier — "a natural 20" means the die literally showed 20, not that the total with bonuses reached 20.

Do I need all seven dice from day one?

No, with a D20 you can play most basic action rolls. The rest come into use depending on your character's specific weapons and spells.

Are physical role-playing dice perfectly fair?

Quality varies — cheap or poorly made dice can have slight biases from manufacturing imperfections. Quality dice and well-implemented virtual dice with cryptographic generation do not have that problem.

What is the percentile D10?

A D10 numbered in tens (00, 10, 20... 90) that is combined with a regular D10 to generate any number from 1 to 100, used on random event tables.