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Lolzords
2007-05-12, 08:56 AM
Rolling decently is both a curse and a gift. First off, I constantly get accused of cheating, because I roll so decently in just about everything.

For example, I just rolled up the stats for my ranger I'm about to create: 15, 11, 16, 18, 17, 17, and all that is BEFORE racial adjustments. :smallfrown:

My friend Chris tells everyone that my dice is weighted, just because I roll natural 20's like it's no ones buisness and he rolls awful, he picks up my dice, rolls a 17. *CHEAT!*

What should I do?

Talya
2007-05-12, 09:01 AM
Make sure you always take the "Luck of Heroes" feat and blame it on that.

Amiria
2007-05-12, 09:08 AM
Use Point-buy. I my RL-groups, we never ever rolled ability scores.

Yvian
2007-05-12, 09:24 AM
Well, maybe your dice are off. All you need to do is to roll them about 100 times, dump the results into a statical program [excel will work in a pinch] and that will tell if you dice are off. I am sure most dice are more or less "balanced" when you first buy them, but after years of use I know that my dice have lost their edge and must be biased one way or the other.

Lolzords
2007-05-12, 09:26 AM
Well, maybe your dice are off. All you need to do is to roll them about 100 times, dump the results into a statical program [excel will work in a pinch] and that will tell if you dice are off. I am sure most dice are more or less "balanced" when you first buy them, but after years of use I know that my dice have lost their edge and must be biased one way or the other.

I'll give it a go, but I don't think so, I've only had these dice since January.

Emperor Tippy
2007-05-12, 11:43 AM
They could have come weighted. It happens every now and then. An air pocket gets trapped in the plastic making the dice which makes 1 side lighter than the other and results in a disproportionate number of similar results being rolled.

Townopolis
2007-05-12, 12:01 PM
I believe there's a trick where you put the dice in a glass off water, if they consistently turn so that the same side is up, that means they're slightly weighted in favor of that side.

I think.

[Edit]:


At home, you can test for loaded dice by filling a tall glass with water and dropping the cubes in gently. Repeat this action several times with a different number on top. If the same number appears repeatedly, they're loaded. Why? Because the weighted dice will turn toward the bottom as they fall each time.
Found Here. (http://www.markpilarski.com/column53.html)

Person_Man
2007-05-12, 12:26 PM
Buy a new, sealed set of dice in front of your DM. Use those dice. Problem solved.

Yvian
2007-05-12, 12:44 PM
Buy a new, sealed set of dice in front of your DM. Use those dice. Problem solved.


Then, between sessions, drill a hole, seal, repaint. ;^)

Shinkoro
2007-05-12, 12:51 PM
Reminds me of a 20 sided dice I had some years ago. I rolled so many 20's with it, 6 in a row was my record. This dice affectionately became know by my group as the mystic 20.
Sadly I lost that dice when I moved, I still miss it.

I still roll very well and it does cause some hate in my group. My last stat rolls produced 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 10. I know this may sound strange but I have to let my dice roll half way across the table and my rolls turn out great. Its ridiculous but I swear it works for me.

lacesmcawesome
2007-05-12, 01:01 PM
My DM's brother, who's been playing with us rolls this one die that rolls 20's about every three rolls. Seriously, it got me really really mad one session. Of course, I couldn't do much, since it ultimately helped us.

Dang he rolls well...

Spiryt
2007-05-12, 01:07 PM
stats for my ranger : 15, 11, 16, 18, 17, 17,

Can you send me this dice :smallbiggrin:

Solo
2007-05-12, 01:11 PM
If you want to do a test to see if the dice are weighted, check out the link in my sig. You'll need a graphing calculator though.

tobian
2007-05-12, 01:21 PM
I've had my own cases of stupidly lucky rolls with the dice.

My bards stats before modifiers are 12 13 14 17 17 18; I was so freaking happy that day.

After template and items:
Str 28
Dex 15
Con 19
Int 16
Wis 12
Cha 20

Though in game, my dice hate me with saving throws. I failed 2 reflexs in a row (good save for bards), causing me to come down to 2 hp last session.

Dice karma balances out imo :smallwink:

Amphimir Míriel
2007-05-12, 01:33 PM
If the dice in question were weighted, you would be rolling an almost equal number of 2's, 8's and 14's than 20's...

There is a reason why the numbers on dice are arranged in such a fashion.

Seffbasilisk
2007-05-12, 04:19 PM
Also, the 17 is almost on the opposite side of the die from a 20. If he rolled 7, 14, 11, or 20 a large number of times in a row, he might have half a case. Here? He has nothing.

Make sure your D20 has the 20 and the 1 on opposite sides and the numbers randomly distributed. Some old D20's don't, and older players sometimes attempt to cheat by spinning them so that only one side (the side with the higher numbers) comes out.

JaronK
2007-05-12, 04:37 PM
And then there's my online rolling, where in my current game I rolled three natural 20s in six rolls, followed by three natural 1s (on d20s) in the next three rolls.

Yeesh.

JaronK

Stephen_E
2007-05-12, 04:43 PM
As has been mentioned, there are several types of D20's out there. There is the one that has the 20 bordered by a 2,8 and 14. This is a legal dice by DnD Minins definition.

The other two, the Spin down, where all the high numbers are on one side, and one where the 20 is bordered by two double digit numbers adjacent (I have one, but I don't have my dice on me) aren't considered legal in DnD Minis tournaments. The latter isn't considered quite such a crime, but is still dubious and normally disallowed if noticed.

I suggest you check your D20's, and retire any of the latter two. Other than that, and the water test suggested, you can try sharing your dice and using other peoples dice. They aren't left with much of a complaint if you roll great with their dice. "Hey, you're cheating . You're using my weighted dice" is a rather self destructive complaint.

Stephen

PlatinumJester
2007-05-12, 04:49 PM
Once I there was an 80 foot canyon and the final boss was on the other side. Foolishly I rolled a jump check and rolled a natural 20 but the DM said no.

Aethir
2007-05-12, 08:20 PM
Dang. I just checked the D20 that came with the starter set I bought years ago and it's a spin down. Now I have to actively try to keep my DM from noticing >_>

Well crap I just checked the rest of the dice and I have another one :smallannoyed: and it's a really new one.

ocato
2007-05-12, 09:46 PM
I had a friend with 3 d20s, a red, white, and a blue one, and he was regularly our DM. And he did the 3 20s = death rule. And he'd roll them all at once whenever he attacked us, with the red one as the 'base' one, the blue as the secondary, and the white as the tertiary. He killed so many good and interesting characters with those jerk dice.

I hate those jerk dice.

technomancer
2007-05-12, 10:15 PM
I've got a friend who has insanely good luck. She doesn't have her own dice, so she just uses any old dice. Her stats were all 16+ (base), and she rarely rolled less than 17 on a d20. That's with using different sets of dice pretty much every time.

Just to experiment, we made up various d6 dice games, where you have to roll various combinations in various orders to win. She always won. Even if we wrote down different rules than what we told her, she still won (even if she thought she lost that toss).

We've been trying to convince her to head to Vegas.

de-trick
2007-05-12, 10:25 PM
I've had my own cases of stupidly lucky rolls with the dice.

My bards stats before modifiers are 12 13 14 17 17 18; I was so freaking happy that day.

After template and items:
Str 28
Dex 15
Con 19
Int 16
Wis 12
Cha 20

Though in game, my dice hate me with saving throws. I failed 2 reflexs in a row (good save for bards), causing me to come down to 2 hp last session.

Dice karma balances out imo :smallwink:

wat kind of bard has that strenght

lacesmcawesome
2007-05-12, 10:29 PM
I've got a friend who has insanely good luck. She doesn't have her own dice, so she just uses any old dice. Her stats were all 16+ (base), and she rarely rolled less than 17 on a d20. That's with using different sets of dice pretty much every time.

Just to experiment, we made up various d6 dice games, where you have to roll various combinations in various orders to win. She always won. Even if we wrote down different rules than what we told her, she still won (even if she thought she lost that toss).

We've been trying to convince her to head to Vegas.

no, see, you should be trying to convince her to head to Vegas, and give you 60%

Seatbelt
2007-05-12, 11:14 PM
I had a friend with 3 d20s, a red, white, and a blue one, and he was regularly our DM. And he did the 3 20s = death rule. And he'd roll them all at once whenever he attacked us, with the red one as the 'base' one, the blue as the secondary, and the white as the tertiary. He killed so many good and interesting characters with those jerk dice.

I hate those jerk dice.

We use the same rule. But modified. It's gotta be critical threat - nat 20 - confirm the hit, and that results in an instant slay. But PCs cannot, under ANY circumstances, be instantly slain, because, as everyone knows, anything that favours chance favours NPCs. If PCs could be slain, odds are they will be over the course of 20 levels.

Townopolis
2007-05-13, 01:45 AM
wat kind of bard has that strenght

One who uses Inspirational Boost, Inspire Courage, and Words of Creation (spell, class ability, feat) to give himself (and everyone else, but that's not important) +9 to attack and damage (at level 20). Maybe he also has Power Attack.

I dunno, but I kicked a bunch of bandit butt the other day with Ghostly Visage for defense, Inspire Courage, and Power Attack.

lumberofdabeast
2007-05-13, 05:15 PM
FOUR consecutive rolls of a d20 by my half-brother.

6
6
6
13

DaMullet
2007-05-13, 07:43 PM
Wow, your brother rolled so high (or possibly low) that the dice stopped existing. That's awesome.

lumberofdabeast
2007-05-13, 11:31 PM
Wow, your brother rolled so high (or possibly low) that the dice stopped existing. That's awesome.

Sh... Shut up. D:

Dhavaer
2007-05-13, 11:33 PM
I once had a character who got natural 20s about half the time. The other half was generally about 13 - 17.

Exarch
2007-05-14, 12:23 AM
My dice have a tendency to roll crits at sensitive times.

For instance, I roll a natural 20 on a charge against a red dragon, confirmed on a 20, then rolled like a 16 to hit. Lance crit + power attack + Spirit Charge = red dragon dropping from triple digits to nearly nothing. Then it proceeded to fail its massive damage save. So, I one-hitted a red dragon in front of a town of villagers and proceeded to talk them into becoming my vassals (I was a knight-oriented fighter, great times).

Tor the Fallen
2007-05-14, 12:33 AM
If I wanted to load some d6s for stat generation, how would I do it?

lumberofdabeast
2007-05-14, 01:09 AM
If I wanted to load some d6s for stat generation, how would I do it?

I cannot believe that you would actually ask a public forum for advice! I am offended that anyone would even *consider* cheating, much less admit to a desire to do so!

ATTN: EVERYONE!

No one, and I mean NO ONE, tell him to drill a hole into the corner shared by the 1, the 2, and the 3, fill it with lead, and give the entire die a fresh coat of paint, so that he'll roll more 4s, 5s, and 6s! And advising him to do something similar with the 4-5-6 corner and something lighter than usual is also out of the question!

DArva
2007-05-14, 01:25 AM
I once had a combat oriented character in a oWOD game that didn't get hit for 30 consecutive games, from the first game he was in. High dex and doge. Insanely high. Worse though, was that he was a vampire pretending to be a werewolf.

daggaz
2007-05-14, 06:42 AM
I had a dwarf with bad charisma who rolled insanely high 18+ on each and every single skill check we made in one session... I saved thousands on a few magic items by convincing a giant of all things that I was a cool guy and would help him out later... not to mention nailing every single spot and listen check we had until we made into the jungle and had our first encounter. Where I promptly began to roll natural 1's with every swing, nearly lost my magic halberd...

Vik
2007-05-14, 07:13 AM
When you have unusual rolls, the best method is :

1. Roll 100 times, write the results.
2. Roll 100 times with a cup, write the results.
3. Buy a new dice set, repeat 1 and 2.

PaladinBoy
2007-05-14, 02:52 PM
Not so much in D&D, but in some other dice games I have a tendency to get exactly what I need when I need it. Me and my brother actually did some tests on my dice rolls with a graphing calculator and found that my rolls didn't fall outside the bounds of probability, yet I still won every game.

.......Needless to say, my brother and my dad never wanted to play that game with me as much for a while. :smallamused:

Yiel
2007-05-14, 08:27 PM
My dice just don't like me.

For example last game:
Natural 20 on a balance check to run along a fence rail.
<5 on all saves.

Genome
2007-05-14, 10:00 PM
Playing Star Wars d20, stat rolls: 18, 16, 18, 17, 18, 17
No tricky dice throwing, either. I threw the character out and started over, for the sake of balance between players.

Argent
2007-05-15, 01:16 PM
No interesting stat generation stories, but one good in-game lucky roll:

The party was in your average, sleepy mid-sized town -- walking down the street, minding their own business, when the Big Bads decided to attack the town with a bunch of summoned creatures. Big honkin' centipedes the size of a building. While we were fighting a few of them, the town guards (1st-level warriors) show up. Most get wiped out, but one lone guard remains. He attacks the creature with his non-magical longsword... and rolls a twenty, twenty, hit. Instakill. A 1st-level NPC red-shirt flunky managed to wipe out what was probably a CR 8 creature with one hit. Unbelievable.

Kiroho
2007-05-15, 03:15 PM
I have a friend with amazingly BAD luck with dice. We were playing a homebrew space war game using d6's with opposing rolls. I was unfortunate enough to accidentally come up on one of his larger fleets. I had just a couple of smaller ships with fair weapons. There was almost no way that I was going to win this battle and had all but given up on it. All of a sudden, I've wiped out his armada with very few casualties.

I swear my buddy could roll a die with 6's on all 6 faces and still manage to roll a 1. :biggrin:

LotharBot
2007-05-15, 03:31 PM
It's hard to determine much of anything from in-game die rolling. There's too much of what we might call "ascertainment effect" and "confirmation bias" -- you don't generally notice five 12's in a row, but you'll notice 3 20's or 3 1's in a row... and once you've determined the dice roll "high" or "low" you'll tend to notice every time they roll a good number at a good time or a bad number at a bad time.

You can test them statistically. For d6's you can probably roll a hundred times each and just track how many times each number comes up. For d20's you need an awful lot more rolls. Whatever you do, though, do this testing outside the game. In-game circumstance distorts your perception too much.

Most dice aren't perfectly fair. Whether they're plastic, metal, or stone, they have some imperfections. If you're really concerned about it, pick up some gamescience dice -- they put a lot of effort into making their dice as evenly weighted as possible. But even so, dice aren't perfect, so live with it. If you have to, just swap dice around the table. Make sure the DM gets the "lucky" dice sometimes and the "crap" dice sometimes. That way nobody can complain that a certain set of dice is giving someone an advantage over the course of a campaign.

DaMullet
2007-05-16, 05:49 AM
This seems to be the thread I'm looking for.

We were in a cave fighting an aboleth. The Cleric decides he doesn't want to swim, so he uses Control Water to create a Moses rift in the middle of the underground lake. The aboleth crawls off into the water, and we enter the rift.
Several rounds pass, and the DM lets slip that the aboleth is at 2 hp. As a last ditch effort, it's going to charge us.

It's at this point that the cleric's player makes a snarky comment about Free Willy, and we know we're doomed.

Then, my Beguiler gets a smart idea and casts Hesitate so it can't take the second move action. The Aboleth needed a 6 to succeed on the will save. He got a 4.

Bender
2007-05-16, 09:19 AM
for your convenience, I present the dice checker (http://student.kuleuven.be/~m0122975/Count%20Dice/)!!

It's very basic, but it does what it's supposed to do, just click on the number you rolled, and roll a lot. It gives you the total of die rolls you made and the percentage of each number.
you only need the .bat and .class files, the .java files are for those interested...

cheers,
Bender

edit: you need to download them to your PC of course, I did it very quickly and don't have time to embed it in a website right now.

manda_babylon
2007-05-18, 03:15 PM
I roll high pretty consistently. Once, we played a BESM campaign where combat consisted of a series of one-on-one duels between NPCs and other PCs. I was never defeated in combat, even against the NPCs, the last of whom was a god. I would crit like nobody's business. :smallcool:

When I started GMing my own campaign, my players, four of which had played with me before, all bemoaned the fact that my NPCs were going to obliterate them due to my high rolls. I rolled the sheets, and a lot of them were very high. I had a couple of characters with two 18s and a few 16s and 17s scattered in. The lowest roll total was a 6, and I only rolled five numbers under ten out of 18 characters. :smallamused:

However, one of the new players has a curious tendency to maul the NPCs. Whenever I or one of the other players attempts to oppose her character, we will botch, or low painfully low. She rolled pretty high several times, and we would always roll crap. The running gag became that her character, Lamont, came equipped with a ten-foot Fail Radius surrounding him. [Similarly, it was decided that Lamont was hard of hearing, because she has never once rolled above a six on a Listen check.]

One night, she rolled something, and happened to be sitting next to me. I could only see the edge of her die, and I looked at my D20, and decided she must have rolled a seven. She gave her total, with her skill, which was above 20. I knew she only had six ranks in this skill, so I called her on it, and asked to see the roll. That's when everyone, including her, realized she had a Spin Down. She asked me if I wanted her to use another D20, and we took a vote, since I thought it was hilarious that her criminal/scoundrel character uses a cheat die, and couldn't decide. The group okayed it, and we call it Lamont's Rotten Dice of Cheating. It doesn't really affect the Fail Radius, since she can't control what we roll. ...or can she? :smalleek:

However, I just helped my boyfriend roll character sheets for his game, and I rolled awesome stats for the NPCs.:smallbiggrin: ...when the girl who plays Lamont is currently vacationing across the country. :smallfurious: Dang.

Shas aia Toriia
2007-05-18, 03:41 PM
The worst I have ever rolled for a character is an 8, and that has only happened once. I frequently get stats like this.

18
17
16
16
16
14