In Dungeons & Dragons (DND) and other d20 games, rolling a d20 dice is a key act in determining the fate of the character. However, many players find that their D20s always seem to tend to have low scores or uneven rolls, affecting the game experience and fairness.
So, how do you ensure that the results of rolling a d20 dice are more random and fair? Here are 6 practical tips to help you get fairer dice rolls and make your DND adventure smoother!
#Using a dice tower vs. hand roll vs. dice cup: Which method is fairest?
Different ways of rolling will affect the randomness and fairness of rolling a d20 dice. Here are three common ways of rolling a D20 and their fairness comparisons:
Dice Tower
✅ Advantages: There are slopes and obstacles inside the dice tower to make the dice roll fully and reduce human influence. Prevent cheating, such as deliberately throwing lightly to make the dice stop on a specific side.
❌ Disadvantages: Additional equipment is required, and not all players like to use it.
Throwing
✅ Advantages: Throwing is the most traditional and widely used throwing method. Players pinch the D20 with their fingers and throw it onto the table. No additional props are required, and any game table can be used for throwing. In fast-paced games, throwing by hand is the most convenient choice
❌ Disadvantages: If the throwing angle is not enough, the dice may not roll enough, thus affecting the randomness of the d20 dice roll. Different tabletops may also affect the final landing point of the D20.
Dice Cup
✅ Advantages: Ensure that the dice are fully rolled, avoid cheating in throwing, and improve the fairness of rolling a d20 dice.
❌ Disadvantages: The shaking strength of different players may cause the dice to roll differently. If the inner surface of the dice cup is too soft, it may reduce the number of dice rolls, resulting in a less fair dice roll than a dice tower or hand throwing.
💡 Best solution: Hand-rolling is still a good option if you make sure you can fully roll the D20 at least 3 times each time. But if you suspect someone may be cheating or controlling the results during the roll, it is recommended to use a professional dice tower to improve fairness.
#Replace your D20 regularly to make the dice wear more evenly
If you keep using the same D20 to throw, long-term impact may cause wear or shape changes, affecting the fairness of the throw. Plastic or resin D20 dice may show slight wear after long-term use, making some sides smoother than others, affecting the rolling method. Although metal 20-sided dice are durable, if they are always thrown on a hard table, they may damage the edges and corners and affect the trajectory of the dice.
Recommendation: Change the dice regularly, rotate different D20s, and avoid overusing the same dice. Or try to use a dice tray or soft pad to reduce wear.
#How to clean and maintain your D20 to ensure that it does not favor certain numbers due to wear?
Long-term accumulation of dust, grease, etc. may affect the way the dice rolls, making your d20 dice roll uneven.
✔ Cleaning method:
Soft cloth wipe: suitable for resin and plastic dice, avoid chemical cleaners.
Warm water + soap solution: suitable for metal dice, wipe with a dry cloth after cleaning to prevent oxidation.
Avoid high temperature environment: Resin dice may deform at high temperatures, affecting the result of rolling a d20 dice.
#How to adjust throwing habits to avoid unfair throwing?
✔ Do not deliberately "place" the D20 dice before throwing, and make sure that each roll a d20 dice is a random start.
✔ Make sure that the D20 can roll at least 3 times when throwing to avoid the dice staying on a specific side due to inertia.
✔ Use a higher angle to throw (at least 10cm above) to avoid throwing too low and causing the dice to roll insufficiently.
💡 Solution: If you find yourself always rolling a d20 dice in the same way, try changing the way you roll it, such as high toss + tumble, to increase randomness.
#How to test if your dice is biased
If your d20 dice roll result is abnormal, you can use the following method to test if it is biased:
- Salt water buoyancy test: Let the D20 float in salt water and observe whether it always faces the same number.
- 100 dice roll experiment: Record the results of 100 rolls and analyze whether the data distribution is abnormal.
#Why are some D20 dice more likely to be biased towards extreme values than others?
- Bubbles inside the resin: may cause some numbers to be heavier or lighter than others.
- Uneven depth of engraved numbers: Some D20 numbers are engraved deeper, and the weight of the engraved surface is lighter, so that surface may be more likely to face up, making the opposite surface (the surface with lighter numbers) more likely to face down.
- Uneven filling of specially designed D20 (such as liquid core dice, etc.) may affect the center of gravity of the dice.
- Throwing method: If the throwing force is too small, the dice may not roll fully, but stop on certain sides along inertia. If you always hold the dice in the same way and throw them, it may unconsciously affect the results of the dice.
#Can players' "superstitious behavior" really improve the fairness of throwing?
Many players think:
- "A certain dice is a lucky dice, so it is more likely to throw a high value."
- "Shaking it first and then throwing it can increase the probability of a good number."
- "Throwing the dice with a specific gesture can increase the probability of 20."
In fact, these are all psychological effects. The factors that really affect the fairness of throwing are the balance of the dice and the throwing method, not superstitious behavior.
#Choose high-quality D20 dice
💡 Recommend Bear Dice's high-quality D20 series to help you improve the fairness of throwing!
✔ High-precision resin solid D20 – uses bubble-free casting technology to ensure balanced center of gravity.
✔ CNC precision engraved metal solid D20 – ensures uniform digital engraving and balanced weight distribution.
#How to ensure your D20 throw is fairer?
✔ Choose high-quality D20 (Bear Dice recommended)
✔ Use a dice tower or dice tray to reduce human influence
✔ Make sure the dice are rolled at least 3 times
✔ Replace the dice regularly to avoid wear and tear affecting balance
✔ Test the dice for deviation
What is your favorite way to roll a d20 dice? Have you ever encountered an "unfair" dice? Welcome to share your throwing experience in the comment area!
