Gambling in D&D?

[Gwazi Magnum]

Is there a gambling system/mechanic in D&D?

If so how does it work?
And can skills, feats etc. be used to increase your odds?

[Kudaku]

There are numerous different systems and rules set that deal with games and gambling. If you want to keep it simple, at its most basic you have Profession: Gambler, which works like pretty much any other profession.

[Shining Wrath]

No games are provided but you can use the existing ones or modify them.

There's spell [evil subtype] that lets you cheat.

[Brookshw]

Star wars d20 had a gambling skill you could port over.

[Palanan]

Wizards created Three Dragon Ante (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ante/welcome) for characters to play in-game. Apparently it's also playable as a stand-alone card game.

[FinnDarkblade]

Wizards created Three Dragon Ante (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ante/welcome) for characters to play in-game. Apparently it's also playable as a stand-alone card game.

It is a pretty fun game even as a stand-alone. D20 Modern also has a gambling skill if I recall correctly.

[Gwazi Magnum]

There are numerous different systems and rules set that deal with games and gambling. If you want to keep it simple, at its most basic you have Profession: Gambler, which works like pretty much any other profession.

What books can I find the rules and games in?

Also at those who suggest porting in a skill

As for Profession. That's a guaranteed profit though, but actual gambling comes with the risk of losing gold.


No games are provided but you can use the existing ones or modify them.

There's spell [evil subtype] that lets you cheat.

Which spell is this exactly?


Wizards created Three Dragon Ante (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ante/welcome) for characters to play in-game. Apparently it's also playable as a stand-alone card game.

Does this mix with a skill or something though?

[Devronq]

I have a few times allowed my players to play poker with me in real life using there in game gold to represent gambling in the game. You could do with with any gambling game you were capable of playing in your game room. Also the deck of many things is gambling :p very very risky gambling mind you .

[FinnDarkblade]

Does this mix with a skill or something though?

No, it doesn't mix with any of your character's skills.

[Gwazi Magnum]

I have a few times allowed my players to play poker with me in real life using there in game gold to represent gambling in the game. You could do with with any gambling game you were capable of playing in your game room. Also the deck of many things is gambling :p very very risky gambling mind you .

True. But I'm looking for skill/feat related ones so you can make a character that works like a professional gamble even if you yourself isn't so good at it.

[FinnDarkblade]

What books can I find the rules and games in?

The d20 Modern one is in the D20 Modern core culebook. It can also be found here (http://www.d20resources.com/modern.d20.srd/skills/gamble.php).

Hmm, this is actually a bad option, as D20 Modern uses purchase DC's and a wealth bonus rather than actual money.

[Elvenoutrider]

I once had the players play liars dice and blackjack against the god of chaos betting their class abilities for the lives of their fallen. Definitely an intense session. No skill rolls we just played. At a few points the players rolled slight of hand to cheat while another player actually distracted me. Definitely one of my more fun sessions

[HaikenEdge]

Doesn't Fatespinner have to have ranks in Profession (Gambler)?

[FinnDarkblade]

Doesn't Fatespinner have to have ranks in Profession (Gambler)?

Yeah, you need 5 ranks in it. Profession's not really a good way to represent gambling though.

[Hamste]

Which spell is this

http://dndtools.eu/spells/draconomicon--92/cheat--1030/

[Gwazi Magnum]

I once had the players play liars dice and blackjack against the god of chaos betting their class abilities for the lives of their fallen. Definitely an intense session. No skill rolls we just played. At a few points the players rolled slight of hand to cheat while another player actually distracted me. Definitely one of my more fun sessions

Sounds awesome, though I plan for more casual/mortal gambling most of the time :P


Doesn't Fatespinner have to have ranks in Profession (Gambler)?

Yes, but the skill doesn't have a risk to lose gold.
Neither does it scale with the amount of gold you have or want to gamble with.


http://dndtools.eu/spells/draconomicon--92/cheat--1030/

Thanks :)

[Coidzor]

Profession (Gambler) or (Gambling) details that a character knows when to hold 'em, knows when to fold 'em, knows when to walk away, and knows when to run. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn481KcjvMo)

Others have you actually, y'know, throw the dice in meatspace to reflect gambling dice games in-game, or play three dragon ante as a truncated version IRL to reflect how the game goes in-game.

[lunar2]

there's a 3rd party book, book of roguish luck, that iirc has some gambling related stuff in it. it also has an entire luck subsystem, which definitely plays into gambling. stuff like free rerolls and things like that.

[Gwazi Magnum]

Profession (Gambler) or (Gambling) details that a character knows when to hold 'em, knows when to fold 'em, knows when to walk away, and knows when to run. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn481KcjvMo)

Others have you actually, y'know, throw the dice in meatspace to reflect gambling dice games in-game, or play three dragon ante as a truncated version IRL to reflect how the game goes in-game.

Knowing when to hold and such doesn't make you immune to the risk of losing cash.

Also, it still doesn't scale according too much gold you wager.


there's a 3rd party book, book of roguish luck, that iirc has some gambling related stuff in it. it also has an entire luck subsystem, which definitely plays into gambling. stuff like free rerolls and things like that.

Interesting, I'll have to give it a look later. Thanks :)

[Coidzor]

Knowing when to hold and such doesn't make you immune to the risk of losing cash.

Also, it still doesn't scale according too much gold you wager.

Considering that the profession check is itself an abstraction that works on a weekly basis, it abstracts out your losses and expenditures and just has your net profit.

If you're using it as an opposed roll you need to come up with your own framework of how that works.

[Gwazi Magnum]

Considering that the profession check is itself an abstraction that works on a weekly basis, it abstracts out your losses and expenditures and just has your net profit.

If you're using it as an opposed roll you need to come up with your own framework of how that works.

You're still assuming that gambling is guaranteed to come out with an overall profit. But it's not, you can walk out after that week with a loss. Which profession doesn't account for so it's not an appropriate representation.

[Kudaku]

I'd say a professional gambler probably can guarantee a small amount of income per week by fleecing tourists and touring low stakes tables with less experienced gamblers.

If you want to play for larger amounts of money where you can both win and lose I'd say that's more of a social encounter using a series of skills - bluff, intimidate, sense motive and sleight of hand spring to mind.

As for systems... Hm. I know Spycraft covered it, Pathfinder has some notes on gambling and a simplistic game in the Game Mastery Guide, the first book in Curse of the Crimson Throne has a game called knivesies, and I've seen at least one 3rd party book covering inns that had a section on various games.

[Crake]

http://dndtools.eu/spells/draconomicon--92/cheat--1030/

Looks like it lost the [Evil] descriptor in spell compendium, which is the most up to date version.

[gorfnab]

Does this mix with a skill or something though?
Yes it does. Page 19 of the Three Dragon Ante rulebook (download here from wotc) (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ante/welcome) has options for using character skills to modify game play.

[Gwazi Magnum]

Yes it does. Page 19 of the Three Dragon Ante rulebook (download here from wotc) (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ante/welcome) has options for using character skills to modify game play.

Is there a free pdf for this I can get like for the rest of 3.5 content?
Or do I need to pay the 15 dollars to get a look at it?

I can't seem to find a pdf for this game like I can for d&d books.

[Helcack]

I know you probably want some free stuff, and people don't like dragon magazine for shenanigans... BUT at the beginning of dragon #346 they have a couple games that you can play which are very interesting fluff-wise in my opinion.

[Kudaku]

Turns out Pathfinder has a fairly comprehensive article on gambling hosted on PFSRD. I don't have access to the Game Mastery Guide at the moment so I can't check, but I'm reasonably sure this is the content I mentioned earlier. Link here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/gambling-and-games-of-chance).

[gorfnab]

Is there a free pdf for this I can get like for the rest of 3.5 content?
Or do I need to pay the 15 dollars to get a look at it?

I can't seem to find a pdf for this game like I can for d&d books.
The rulebook can be downloaded for free from the link in my previous post (listed on that page as the link: Download the Rulebook). Otherwise it is a card game with its own cards (so you would most likely have to purchase a set).

[Pathagaron]

Running a business (DMG2) plays a lot like gambling and could easily lose money. I'm sure you could abstract a system off of that.

[killem2]

Dragon Issue 346 has a TON of gambling games.

[Rainshine]

Is there a gambling system/mechanic in D&D?

If so how does it work?
And can skills, feats etc. be used to increase your odds?

Yes, it's called sneak attacking a sleeping dragon that's eight levels above you.
Oh, actual gambling. I'd ask a larger question, do you want to represent it with traditional D&D mechanics -- dice -- or are other methods on the table, and how much focus do you want to put on it? Related, do you want it to be completely random, or do you want players to be able to boost their ability in it This thread is already replete with suggestions. Craps is an easy completely random game with fairly simple rules, and you already have all the materials. I seem to recall a poker variation that allowed you to make a gambling skill check -- you got to trade up to your check result / NUMBER here, where number had to do with the overall DC usually, 5 for simple cases, 10 for difficult games, etc. The house got to take 20 usually, but that varied by establishment -- higher class meant higher result.

I personally have added a luck attribute into the game before; there were generally only a couple ways to get points in it -- trading in starting traits/taking flaws without any recompse, a few strange items (amulets from gypsies, rings found on dead bodies in enchanted towers), or instead of one of the training feats my players sometimes have the option to take. It in turn modifies what are normally straight up random rolls -- what item did you blindly pickpocket, what direction did the guard turn on his patrol, etc. Helps to give a little bit more feel of being storied heroes -- runs of luck, it turning on them -- without it being totally DM fiat.

[Gwazi Magnum]

I know you probably want some free stuff, and people don't like dragon magazine for shenanigans... BUT at the beginning of dragon #346 they have a couple games that you can play which are very interesting fluff-wise in my opinion.

Dragon Issue 346 has a TON of gambling games.

I'll check out the Magazine, thanks :)


Turns out Pathfinder has a fairly comprehensive article on gambling hosted on PFSRD. I don't have access to the Game Mastery Guide at the moment so I can't check, but I'm reasonably sure this is the content I mentioned earlier. Link here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/gambling-and-games-of-chance).

I'll give it a look, thanks :)


The rulebook can be downloaded for free from the link in my previous post (listed on that page as the link: Download the Rulebook). Otherwise it is a card game with its own cards (so you would most likely have to purchase a set).

Missed that, thanks for pointing it out :)


Running a business (DMG2) plays a lot like gambling and could easily lose money. I'm sure you could abstract a system off of that.

That would be homebrew though, I was looking for a non-homebrew method first if possible.

[Kudaku]

Yes, it's called sneak attacking a sleeping dragon that's eight levels above you.

:smallbiggrin:

[killem2]

if you do use those dragon mag games, you need alot of d4s, d6s and d8s :) Easily 2 handfulls