Uses for a d30?

[gurgleflep]

Don't laugh, I'm being serious :smalleek: What uses are there for a d30 in 3.5?
One of my players recently came across one when looking through a family members stuff and has been trying to convince me to let him use it. Problem being, I can't find any uses for one anywhere! Having only ever seen the one, everybody in the group wants to use it somehow.... Any ideas as to what can be done with it?

[Dr.Gara]

Nothing at all uses a d30 that I'm aware of. You could use it to decide which way you're going it ignore it that session?

[thethird]

You can use it on the grid as an unknown enemy that uses d30 instead of d20s.

[Datguy96]

technically you could use it as a d3. or you could make some d30 charts

[Cog]

The difference between a d20 and a d30 is loosely equivalent to a +5 bonus. Depending on level, it might not be unreasonable to find an item that grants +5 to a skill - or, instead, allows you to roll d30 instead of d20 for that skill. This works better with skills than e.g. attacks or saves, since you don't have to worry about adjusting critical successes.

[Sith_Happens]

The difference between a d20 and a d30 is loosely equivalent to a +5 bonus. Depending on level, it might not be unreasonable to find an item that grants +5 to a skill - or, instead, allows you to roll d30 instead of d20 for that skill. This works better with skills than e.g. attacks or saves, since you don't have to worry about adjusting critical successes.

The best part is, it would stack with an actual +5 bonus.:smallbiggrin:

[Gadora]

One of my group's DMs allows us each a single d30 roll in place of a d20 roll, once per session. It's kind of fun.

[ArqArturo]

You can use it on the grid as an unknown enemy that uses d30 instead of d20s.

Or use it when fighting Beholders.

[Slylizard]

Create a custom magical item that had 30 different effects (Rod of Wonders-esque... but not so annoying), put it in the next loot drop/reward...

[Bakkan]

A fairly prosaic option is randomly determining the day of the month (if you use months with about 30 days in them).

Making a reincarnate table with 30 possibilities would be fun.

I like the idea of having a BBEG use one for everything.

[TuggyNE]

A fairly prosaic option is randomly determining the day of the month (if you use months with about 30 days in them).

Tangentially, are there any published settings with exactly 30-day months?

[ArendK]

Forgotten Realms? Or is it 4-ten days?

[some guy]

One of my group's DMs allows us each a single d30 roll in place of a d20 roll, once per session. It's kind of fun.

I also do this for special days, my players like it. And I'm very fond of d30 tables (much less work than d100 tables and more variation than d20 tables).

But other uses for a d30 as a player? None that I know of.

[KillianHawkeye]

There is only one time when I ever used a d30 for anything. It was back in my old RP-heavy group where the campaigns were a lot more story-based and character-driven compared to my current group which is more hack-n-slash.

Anyway, the d30 was used when myself and another of the PCs hooked up during a one-year period of downtime between adventures. I rolled the d30 to set the chance of pregnancy, and the other player rolled a d%, where a roll equal or lower than mine resulted in a little bundle of joy.



Basically, the d30 is only useful through the application of house-rules or through DM fiat to cover places where the rules are silent.

[Chronos]

The primary use of a d30 is to impress other players, by saying "Hey, look, I have a d30!". Which it sounds like you're already using it for.

You could also use it for anything with a 50% chance. At my table, whenever we have one of those, someone will roll a die and first say "Evens succeed, odds fail", or "I want a high number", or the like. Since basically all dice have an even number of faces, this can be used with basically any die, so it might as well be the d30.

[John Longarrow]

At my table the D30 is often used.


It is the perfect size to represent a flaming sphere.

[Big Fau]

Tangentially, are there any published settings with exactly 30-day months?

FR has 30 days/month across the board (each month divided into three weeks), and apparently 5 days that aren't counted towards any month.

[torrasque666]

So like Ancient Egypt?

[Big Fau]

So like Ancient Egypt?

Something like that.

On-topic: If you have enough dungeon tiles you can assign numbers to individual tiles and roll the d30 to create a random dungeon.

[Spore]

FR has 30 days/month across the board (each month divided into three weeks), and apparently 5 days that aren't counted towards any month.

Or is the Toril's way around the sun just 360 days and you don't need to destroy this OCD pleaser with five odd holidays?

[Zombulian]

One of my group's DMs allows us each a single d30 roll in place of a d20 roll, once per session. It's kind of fun.

Man now I want to get one :smallsmile:

[TuggyNE]

Or is the Toril's way around the sun just 360 days and you don't need to destroy this OCD pleaser with five odd holidays?

A planet with a slightly different orbital period? That's astrologinomically unpossible!

[MrNobody]

I use it to threaten my players when they get me mad.

"Stop being silly or i start using my d30 instead of d20, without adjusting rules! Everything over 20 is an automatic hit & a critical! And maybe i'll give rapiers to all you enemies!"

[Umbranar]

I use it to threaten my players when they get me mad.

"Stop being silly or i start using my d30 instead of d20, without adjusting rules! Everything over 20 is an automatic hit & a critical! And maybe i'll give rapiers to all you enemies!"

If everything above 20 is auto crit, why not give your mobs scythes for x4 crit damage fun?

[Spore]

That's astrologinomically unpossible!

Excellent!

[Hecuba]

Forgotten Realms? Or is it 4-ten days?

Fantasy Calendar fun time! Hooray!

Year length by planet

Krynn - 360 days - 12 months of 30 days

roll d12 and d30 for date
Black and White moon line up to a 1 year calendar: you need a 14 month calendar for Red

Toril - 365 days - 12 months of 30, 5 1-day intercalary holidays

roll d12 and d30 for date
intercalary days cannot be rolled

Oerth - 364 days - 12 months of 28, 4 7-day intercalary festivals

roll d12 and d30 for date
for 29 on d30, start in the prior festival
for 30 on d30, start in the following festival

Eberron - 336 days - 12 months of 28

roll d12 and d4*d7 for date
Used to be 13 months before the last moon died: the Blood of Vol still use this calendar.
Because the calendar appears to be lunisolar without need for intercalation, this implies that the year used to be 364 days long.

Aebrynis - 388 days - 12 months of 32 days with 4 intercalary holidays (solstices & equinoxes)

roll d12 and d4*d8 for date
intercalary days cannot be rolled

Mystara - 336 days - 12 months of 28

roll d12 and d4*d7 for date

[weckar]

Eberron - 336 days - 12 months of 28

roll d12 and d4*d7 for date
Used to be 13 months before the last moon died: the Blood of Vol still use this calendar.

Good old Baker's Dozen.

As to d30s.... Might make for a more realistic age randomizer, for classes where it isn't quite as clear.