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View Full Version : Oh, god. My new dice RULE!



SoD
2008-12-16, 08:40 PM
Long story short, I've owned these dice for nearly 5-6 months, and just opened them. Rolled them all in one go and...

D4=4
D6=6
D8=8
D10=0 (read; 10)
D12=12
D20=20
D00=90

If these dice continue like that, they may TPK my party 10 times in one encounter.

Keld Denar
2008-12-16, 08:44 PM
Gartz?

You've just rolled all of the luck out of that particular dice set. Put them back in the box, and bury them in your backyard with a sandwich to apease the dice spirits. They will never roll max numbers again.

Starscream
2008-12-16, 08:47 PM
I find that the only way to ensure good behavior on the part of my dice is to give them each names and play them music every night. Timmy-Twelve likes euro-techno, but Tommy-Twenty is a hard rock fan.

Tsotha-lanti
2008-12-16, 08:48 PM
Just as likely as any other set of numbers.

SoD
2008-12-16, 09:11 PM
Just as likely as any other set of numbers.

Ah, wrong, I'm afraid. The rules of chance, data, and logic don't actually apply to dice. Some dice are lucky, some aren't lucky. It's a simple as that, I seem to have gotten lucky dice. Or, as previously mentioned, I've rolled all their luck away!

Actually...just rolled:

d4=4
d6=1
d8=8
d10=6
d12=10
d20=20
d00=20

Maybe now they're merely slightly lucky?

Squidmaster
2008-12-16, 09:23 PM
oh no. youre rolling away all your twenties. Quick, get an unsuspecting person to roll some ones so that the luck will return. Its the only way.

Fan
2008-12-16, 09:27 PM
Actually its proly because of the slight indent in the bottom of each die has a slightly tilted axis that causes its center of gravity to pul it towards the higher numbers. (For realz. They fill this small gap with paint, but its still lighter than the rest of the die.)

dragonhand
2008-12-16, 09:27 PM
oh no. youre rolling away all your twenties. Quick, get an unsuspecting person to roll some ones so that the luck will return. Its the only way.

and fours and eights!:smalleek:

Zocelot
2008-12-16, 09:49 PM
You've clearly got a set of dice that really want to do well. You have to show them that you're really grateful for what they do by thanking them every time they roll high. They will probably roll low soon, just to test you, but you can't get angry. Encourage them, and tell them that they'll do better the next time. It's very important that you make a good impression now, because the dice will remember it for as long as they exist.

Assassin89
2008-12-16, 10:13 PM
There is no such thing as lucky dice. One might believe that rolling 20s multiple times is lucky, but each time the chance of rolling a twenty is 1/20. The scenario is similar for the other dice as the probability for each number is nearly equal.
d4: 1/4
d6: 1/6
d8: 1/8
d10: 1/10
d12: 1/12
d20: 1/20
d00: 1/10

Now if you excuse me, the laws of probability dictate that there is no such thing as lucky dice and therefore *stabs illogical mathematics*

Curmudgeon
2008-12-16, 10:16 PM
Do you and your dice want a private room so you can be alone together? If so, why did you invite us to the party? :smallbiggrin:

monty
2008-12-16, 10:19 PM
There is no such thing as lucky dice. One might believe that rolling 20s multiple times is lucky, but each time the chance of rolling a twenty is 1/20. The scenario is similar for the other dice as the probability for each number is nearly equal.
d4: 1/4
d6: 1/6
d8: 1/8
d10: 1/10
d12: 1/12
d20: 1/20
d00: 1/10

Now if you excuse me, the laws of probability dictate that there is no such thing as lucky dice and therefore *stabs illogical mathematics*

Blasphemy!

Dogmantra
2008-12-16, 10:23 PM
Blasphemy!

The Random number god is a vengeful god! (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RandomNumberGod)

Sounds like you've got some nice dice. Be kind to them.

mikeejimbo
2008-12-16, 10:30 PM
There is no such thing as lucky dice. One might believe that rolling 20s multiple times is lucky, but each time the chance of rolling a twenty is 1/20. The scenario is similar for the other dice as the probability for each number is nearly equal.
d4: 1/4
d6: 1/6
d8: 1/8
d10: 1/10
d12: 1/12
d20: 1/20
d00: 1/10

Now if you excuse me, the laws of probability dictate that there is no such thing as lucky dice and therefore *stabs illogical mathematics*

Huh, I hope all these disbelievers in this thread don't upset the dice gods.

JackMage666
2008-12-16, 10:35 PM
There is no such thing as lucky dice. One might believe that rolling 20s multiple times is lucky, but each time the chance of rolling a twenty is 1/20. The scenario is similar for the other dice as the probability for each number is nearly equal.
d4: 1/4
d6: 1/6
d8: 1/8
d10: 1/10
d12: 1/12
d20: 1/20
d00: 1/10

Now if you excuse me, the laws of probability dictate that there is no such thing as lucky dice and therefore *stabs illogical mathematics*

You're assuming, of course, that the dice were made correctly. There's a good chance that these dice were created poorly, so their center of gravity pulls more towards rolling max that anything else. In other words, the dice might seem amazing, but that's because they weren't made well and are actually defective, as the dice are supposed to roll randomly.

Mr.Bookworm
2008-12-16, 11:10 PM
You've clearly got a set of dice that really want to do well. You have to show them that you're really grateful for what they do by thanking them every time they roll high. They will probably roll low soon, just to test you, but you can't get angry. Encourage them, and tell them that they'll do better the next time. It's very important that you make a good impression now, because the dice will remember it for as long as they exist.

Trust a weak man to bow to his dice.

Conquer your dice. Make them cower in fear every time you draw them. When they are being particularly uncooperative, decimate them. Force the d10s to make the choice.

If there is one dice that is a leader among the rebels, scar him. Take a knife to his faces, and scratch ones over them. Then hang him in a place where the other dice can see the consequence of failure.

Zeful
2008-12-16, 11:18 PM
There is no such thing as lucky dice. One might believe that rolling 20s multiple times is lucky, but each time the chance of rolling a twenty is 1/20. The scenario is similar for the other dice as the probability for each number is nearly equal.
d4: 1/4
d6: 1/6
d8: 1/8
d10: 1/10
d12: 1/12
d20: 1/20
d00: 1/10

Now if you excuse me, the laws of probability dictate that there is no such thing as lucky dice and therefore *stabs illogical mathematics*

This is only true if the dice a perfectly uniform. They are not. Not now, not ever. The only way I can think of to make a perfect die would be to mill them in the deep, dark recesses of space, where there is not gravitational influence on the material and can be tested with an eight point gyroscope.

Otherwise the die will favor a set of numbers. If you don't believe me, roll each of your dice 50 times and record the outcome. You'll get a bell-curve where the lightest side is.

jcsw
2008-12-16, 11:34 PM
There is no such thing as lucky dice. One might believe that rolling 20s multiple times is lucky, but each time the chance of rolling a twenty is 1/20.

Technically, rolling 20s n-times consecutively has a probability of (0.05)^n.
Assuming the definition of lucky is "reaching a rare and fortuitous outcome", and that 20s are good, then rolling 20 multiple times is, indeed, lucky. While 20s are as rare as all other numbers, luck is defined by the positive effects of the outcome. Since 20s are generally defined by the gaming community to be a good outcome, a result of 20, is lucky.

AslanCross
2008-12-16, 11:36 PM
Trust a weak man to bow to his dice.

Conquer your dice. Make them cower in fear every time you draw them. When they are being particularly uncooperative, decimate them. Force the d10s to make the choice.

If there is one dice that is a leader among the rebels, scar him. Take a knife to his faces, and scratch ones over them. Then hang him in a place where the other dice can see the consequence of failure.

I heard about a guy suggesting the microwave treatment.

Mr.Bookworm
2008-12-16, 11:38 PM
I heard about a guy suggesting the microwave treatment.

Only if the dice can see the treatment. The objective to to make your dice so afraid of ticking you off that they will go into the fetal position and cry if they come up as a one.

Dairun Cates
2008-12-17, 12:18 AM
Pshaw. All this illogical banter and superstition. There is only one dice god...

THE DICE OF IMPROBABILITY!

Yeah. I have a dice that rolls 20's and 1's at only the most dramatically appropriate or inappropriate times... And I'm the GM. So yeah. It's led to some interesting scenarios to say the least.

Trizap
2008-12-17, 12:24 AM
My friends, your all mistaken, the luck isn't in the dice, it is in you.......

Random NPC
2008-12-17, 01:44 AM
My friends, your all mistaken, the luck isn't in the dice, it is in you.......

believe in the heart of the dice too!

http://www.pojo.com/yu-gi-oh/cartoon/images/YuGiDice.jpg

Superglucose
2008-12-17, 02:00 AM
Trust a weak man to bow to his dice.

Conquer your dice. Make them cower in fear every time you draw them. When they are being particularly uncooperative, decimate them. Force the d10s to make the choice.

If there is one dice that is a leader among the rebels, scar him. Take a knife to his faces, and scratch ones over them. Then hang him in a place where the other dice can see the consequence of failure.

Me, personally, I keep a large set of dice around. One low roll (a 1 or a 2 on a d6, d8, or d10, a 1,2,3,4 or 5 on a d20) gets them a warning. If they get a second warning (or if they're a d20 and they roll a failure on something I had greater than a 60% chance of success on) they go to the bench for the rest of the encounter, and are replaced by the next dice in line.

Except on initiative rolls... a single roll below a 10 on an initiative roll gets you automatically placed on the bench. That being said, it's been about five sessions since I've not placed a dice on the bench after rolling initiative.

elliott20
2008-12-17, 02:31 AM
what you need to do for all these new dice is show them whose boss. take an old delinquent dice, lecture it in front of all the new dice, and then as punishment for rolling bad, execute it by smashing it with a hammer. that oughta put the fear of god into the rest of them, and make them obey you.

kjones
2008-12-17, 02:36 AM
This is only true if the dice a perfectly uniform. They are not. Not now, not ever. The only way I can think of to make a perfect die would be to mill them in the deep, dark recesses of space, where there is not gravitational influence on the material and can be tested with an eight point gyroscope.

Otherwise the die will favor a set of numbers. If you don't believe me, roll each of your dice 50 times and record the outcome. You'll get a bell-curve where the lightest side is.

Even if this is true, the change in the average over time will be very slight, probably not even noticeable. If the dice was deformed enough to roll 20s every time, it would be very visibly deformed.

Except that everyone knows that dice follow their own twisted logic and fate. Regardless of what anyone else on this thread says, DO NOT let anyone else touch your dice! They'll steal all the luck.

Falconer
2008-12-17, 02:47 AM
I think you ought not be too nice to your dice, lest they begin to think they can get away with ones and such mischief. But on the other hand, don't be overy cruel, otherwise they may mutiny, thinking its better to die free dice than to live as cowardly, forced 20's. I suggest you do this: treat them like they're in the army. Be stern. Be strong. Don't be a tyrant, but let them know who's boss and don't let them forget it for a second. If they fail, reprimand them, punish them, or even court-marshal them if it's serious enough. If they succeed, promote them and otherwise reward them. If normally awesome dice start to fail, give them an honorable discharge.




c'mon admit it: superstition CAN be fun! :smalltongue:

mroozee
2008-12-17, 02:50 AM
Technically, rolling 20s n-times consecutively has a probability of (0.05)^n.
Assuming the definition of lucky is "reaching a rare and fortuitous outcome", and that 20s are good, then rolling 20 multiple times is, indeed, lucky. While 20s are as rare as all other numbers, luck is defined by the positive effects of the outcome. Since 20s are generally defined by the gaming community to be a good outcome, a result of 20, is lucky.

Just out of curiosity, if I pull out a coin, show you the heads and tails of it, flip it 50 times and each time it comes up heads, are you willing to bet even money on tails against me for the next flip?

Assuming your answer is "no", how would you say this is different from your above argument (technically speaking)?

lisiecki
2008-12-17, 02:56 AM
You know.
There's a guy I play warhammer with
Good guy
Nice guy
Very smart guy
He insists on this thing called "probability"
He swears that each number on a die has an equal chance of being rolled
then, he rolls a hand full of dice, and while he plays he rolls FAR less than he should mathematically

his mistake was saying it in front of the dice

Zeful
2008-12-17, 03:07 AM
Just out of curiosity, if I pull out a coin, show you the heads and tails of it, flip it 50 times and each time it comes up heads, are you willing to bet even money on tails against me for the next flip?

Assuming your answer is "no", how would you say this is different from your above argument (technically speaking)?

I can get a coin to flip heads or tails at my leisure. It's a skill. People can get dice to roll a specific number every time.


Even if this is true, the change in the average over time will be very slight, probably not even noticeable. If the dice was deformed enough to roll 20s every time, it would be very visibly deformed.

Except that everyone knows that dice follow their own twisted logic and fate. Regardless of what anyone else on this thread says, DO NOT let anyone else touch your dice! They'll steal all the luck.

Not really, All you do is with a good rag and "polish" all the sides except for the "1" side. Do this for about 250 hours (broken up as necessary). The die will look no different but will be more likely to roll 20's because you've changed the shape of a die.

SolkaTruesilver
2008-12-17, 03:11 AM
Seriously.. There should be some sort of study on the psychological imbalance of gamers in general. Are we insane?

Usually, I use the Power of Friendship. If a friend and I have the exact same dice set (ex: Werewolf dice sets) we pool our dices together, and share them un-conditionnally for the whole game. usually, one of us gets very lucky, while the other is very unlucky. But the lucky one is usually the one that has to save the group, so we win!! :smallbiggrin:

mroozee
2008-12-17, 03:13 AM
I can get a coin to flip heads or tails at my leisure. It's a skill. People can get dice to roll a specific number every time.

I can "flip" a (relatively) fair coin in such a way as to always get the side I want yet fool a significant percentage of people into believing it was fairly flipped.

I have never seen a person "roll" a (relatively) fair die in such a way as to always get the called side and fool anyone over the age of 6.

Lord Herman
2008-12-17, 03:15 AM
Seriously.. There should be some sort of study on the psychological imbalance of gamers in general. Are we insane?

Yes. Yes, we are.

Falconer
2008-12-17, 03:18 AM
Yes. Yes, we are.

And isn't it magnificent?

herrhauptmann
2008-12-17, 03:20 AM
Long story short, I've owned these dice for nearly 5-6 months, and just opened them. Rolled them all in one go and...

D4=4
D6=6
D8=8
D10=0 (read; 10)
D12=12
D20=20
D00=90

If these dice continue like that, they may TPK my party 10 times in one encounter.

When my dice are being good like, I make sure to thank them. If someone else rolls them without permission, I take them back and apologize.

Now the problem with rolling out all your luck, you've done 2 twenties in a row. That's a 1 in 400 right? What's the chance it's going to roll another 20 in a row? 1 in 20 for just that roll. But a 1 in 8000 over the course of those three rolls.
It reminds me of something from Darths and Droids http://www.darthsanddroids.net/archive.html I'll find the exact link later.

jcsw
2008-12-17, 05:56 AM
Just out of curiosity, if I pull out a coin, show you the heads and tails of it, flip it 50 times and each time it comes up heads, are you willing to bet even money on tails against me for the next flip?

Assuming your answer is "no", how would you say this is different from your above argument (technically speaking)?

Way to misinterpret me. I am merely addressing the fact that someone thinks that rolling, for example, 3 three 20s in a row, is not lucky.

It is lucky, because "lucky" is defined as a "rare and fortuitous outcome".
Rare? Yes, its probability is (0.05)^3. It is just as rare as any specific outcome of the dice (assuming all numbers are equally common), but rare nonetheless.
Fortuitous? Yes, because whether something is considered Fortuitous is dependent on human opinion, and the general opinion of gamers (logically or not) is that 20s are good.

kamikasei
2008-12-17, 06:09 AM
Way to misinterpret me. I am merely addressing the fact that someone thinks that rolling, for example, 3 three 20s in a row, is not lucky.

It is lucky, because "lucky" is defined as a "rare and fortuitous outcome".

If you roll three 20s in a row, you were lucky. You had good luck. But that doesn't mean that you are lucky, or that the dice are/were lucky. You can look back and say that a random-chance process came out in your favour, and that was lucky. You can't look forward and say that you can expect it to continue to do so "because you are lucky".

If someone flips a coin fifty times and it comes up heads every time, I'm going to expect that they're influencing the toss or have a trick coin, because that outcome is so improbable. I'm not going to assume they have supernatural ability to make what should be a random process deterministic. Same if they roll a d20 fifty times and get fifty 20s - or are just able to say each time what the outcome of the given roll will be before they roll it. A random process cannot be predicted. Having had a "run of luck" is simply an observation about the past; there is never any reason (in a random process) to expect luck to hold. "Lucky" is a description of a set of events, not a trait that someone or something can possess.

jcsw
2008-12-17, 06:19 AM
If you roll three 20s in a row, you were lucky. You had good luck. But that doesn't mean that you are lucky, or that the dice are/were lucky. You can look back and say that a random-chance process came out in your favour, and that was lucky. You can't look forward and say that you can expect it to continue to do so "because you are lucky".

If someone flips a coin fifty times and it comes up heads every time, I'm going to expect that they're influencing the toss or have a trick coin, because that outcome is so improbable. I'm not going to assume they have supernatural ability to make what should be a random process deterministic. Same if they roll a d20 fifty times and get fifty 20s - or are just able to say each time what the outcome of the given roll will be before they roll it. A random process cannot be predicted. Having had a "run of luck" is simply an observation about the past; there is never any reason (in a random process) to expect luck to hold. "Lucky" is a description of a set of events, not a trait that someone or something can possess.

Yes, and I never disagreed with that. I'm merely saying that the original poster didn't seem aware that just because something is equally improbable as every other outcome, does not mean it is equally lucky, because "lucky" is based on the opinion of the observer.

You're using (and debasing) the other meaning of lucky, which implies it is an inherent quality of an object or person. (Rather than of an outcome.)

ForzaFiori
2008-12-17, 06:20 AM
When my dice are being good like, I make sure to thank them. If someone else rolls them without permission, I take them back and apologize.

Now the problem with rolling out all your luck, you've done 2 twenties in a row. That's a 1 in 400 right? What's the chance it's going to roll another 20 in a row? 1 in 20 for just that roll. But a 1 in 8000 over the course of those three rolls.
It reminds me of something from Darths and Droids http://www.darthsanddroids.net/archive.html I'll find the exact link later.

but its easy to get the dice's luck back. You have to give them what they want. There is one thing dice like better than anything else. CATS! If you have a cat, let them play with your dice (somewhere without furniture, so that you don't loose anyone) for like 15 minutes every week. The dice get so giddy with happiness that they'll do whatever you ask just to get their 15 min next week.

Oracle_Hunter
2008-12-17, 06:24 AM
Seriously.. There should be some sort of study on the psychological imbalance of gamers in general. Are we insane?

It's not just gamers. Humans are a strange lot; they can have Optimism Biases ("oh sure, 1 in 10 people die doing this every year, but it won't be me), see patterns in random events (conspiracy theorists), and find causality where there is none (superstitions).

That said, claiming probability rules for most RPG dice just can't stand up. As the Colonel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR2fxoNHIuU) says (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxmkWrDbn34), most dice you buy are awfully uneven thanks to the polishing process they go through. Knowing this, it is perfectly plausible that a particular person who uses a given set of dice for a long time may notice certain traits about their dice that are the result of the unique defects of a given set. It could also be argued that some of the "superstitions" that people go through (only rolling dice a certain way, always picking the die up with a given face showing) result from the person's experience with those dice being subconsciously analyzed and correlated and turned into habits.

Of course, most superstitions are just that. Heck, my dice seem to have their own karmic states at times: at the end of one session my d20 would not roll above a 10, so for the next session I used it when low rolls were necessary. It kept up for 6 straight rolls (enough to get us through the random events table on a sea voyage) and then it went back to normal. My d6 then refused to roll above a 3 unless I let it roll from my hand in a particular way. Then it would always roll a 4 or better. So that's how I rolled it when doing Sneak Attack damage - and it worked!

But there are some universally true facts about dice. A set of dice will always roll better in the hands of a DM than in the hands of a player. Always.

kamikasei
2008-12-17, 06:29 AM
Yes, and I never disagreed with that. I'm merely saying that the original poster didn't seem aware that just because something is equally improbable as every other outcome, does not mean it is equally lucky, because "lucky" is based on the opinion of the observer.

You're using (and debasing) the other meaning of lucky, which implies it is an inherent quality of an object or person. (Rather than of an outcome.)

I was not speaking solely to you but to the thread; I feel it is you who were addressing the wrong use of "lucky", since the whole point of dice superstition is the claim that a person or a die can be "lucky" and that you can predict or influence a random process. "The other meaning of lucky" is the one relevant to the OP.

Kantur
2008-12-17, 06:49 AM
Seriously.. There should be some sort of study on the psychological imbalance of gamers in general. Are we insane?

Usually, I use the Power of Friendship. If a friend and I have the exact same dice set (ex: Werewolf dice sets) we pool our dices together, and share them un-conditionnally for the whole game. usually, one of us gets very lucky, while the other is very unlucky. But the lucky one is usually the one that has to save the group, so we win!! :smallbiggrin:

No more insane than pigeons:

http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Skinner/Pigeon/

and something similar with people:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IDi2NlsA4nI

RavKal
2008-12-17, 07:21 AM
I just have a pile of dice and choose them at random, then I roll them on a piece of foamboard for better reaction (there's nothing worse than a natural 1 that didn't even roll, am I right?).

Anyone else do something similar, or roll on a special material?

Hzurr
2008-12-17, 12:35 PM
But there are some universally true facts about dice. A set of dice will always roll better in the hands of a DM than in the hands of a player. Always.

Not really true. We have one die in my group that we refer to as the DM die, because whenever the DM is about to make a roll that could kill us, we always have him roll that dice, because of it's uncanny ability to roll low. It truely is terrifying.

That being said, the current set of dice I use are pretty good, but tend to roll lots of 2-3s and 16-17s, as well as a slightly higher than normal number of 20s. Overall, I'm a fan of them.

Immutep
2008-12-17, 12:59 PM
If someone flips a coin fifty times and it comes up heads every time, I'm going to expect that they're influencing the toss or have a trick coin, because that outcome is so improbable. I'm not going to assume they have supernatural ability to make what should be a random process deterministic. Same if they roll a d20 fifty times and get fifty 20s - or are just able to say each time what the outcome of the given roll will be before they roll it. A random process cannot be predicted. Having had a "run of luck" is simply an observation about the past; there is never any reason (in a random process) to expect luck to hold. "Lucky" is a description of a set of events, not a trait that someone or something can possess.

Actually, with practise. It's possible to get a coin to do exactly what you want in terms of heads/tails. get a feel for the weight first and you can control the rate of spin. You then catch the coin in exactly the right moment for it to be the opposite outcome you want then slap it down onto the top of your other hand. To the observer it appears perfectly fair, but in reality it was your skill not chance that led to this result.

The Minx
2008-12-17, 01:14 PM
There is no such thing as lucky dice. One might believe that rolling 20s multiple times is lucky, but each time the chance of rolling a twenty is 1/20. The scenario is similar for the other dice as the probability for each number is nearly equal.
d4: 1/4
d6: 1/6
d8: 1/8
d10: 1/10
d12: 1/12
d20: 1/20
d00: 1/10

Now if you excuse me, the laws of probability dictate that there is no such thing as lucky dice and therefore *stabs illogical mathematics*

There are no "lucky" dice, but there are such things as poorly-balanced dice. Old TSR used to produce twenty sided dice which were shoddily made and asymmetric so as to favor 5, 6, 15 and 16, IIRC. Others are deliberately designed to be imbalanced. So whenever a player comes to my gaming table and says "I gotta use these dice! They are my lucky dice, and never let me down!" I take them at their word, give them the stink-eye, and hand them a proper set. :smallsmile:

kamikasei
2008-12-17, 01:55 PM
Actually, with practise. It's possible to get a coin to do exactly what you want in terms of heads/tails. get a feel for the weight first and you can control the rate of spin. You then catch the coin in exactly the right moment for it to be the opposite outcome you want then slap it down onto the top of your other hand. To the observer it appears perfectly fair, but in reality it was your skill not chance that led to this result.

As I said: influencing the toss.

Zeful
2008-12-17, 02:28 PM
As I said: influencing the toss.

The real problem is there's no way to prove that they're influencing the toss. The coin spends much of the time in the air, where you can't effect it's outcome. It's the spin they put on it, the point in the air where they catch it, where the outcome is insured.

mroozee
2008-12-17, 02:34 PM
Way to misinterpret me. I am merely addressing the fact that someone thinks that rolling, for example, 3 three 20s in a row, is not lucky.

It is lucky, because "lucky" is defined as a "rare and fortuitous outcome".
Rare? Yes, its probability is (0.05)^3. It is just as rare as any specific outcome of the dice (assuming all numbers are equally common), but rare nonetheless.
Fortuitous? Yes, because whether something is considered Fortuitous is dependent on human opinion, and the general opinion of gamers (logically or not) is that 20s are good.

Hey, no problem. Actually, the odds of rolling three 20's in a row is significantly higher for most gamers (I'm pretty sure my grandmother never rolled three 20's in a row). But if the dice are fair and we specify which three rolls of the die, then 1/8000 is pretty close :).

In an average gaming session, I probably roll about twenty-five d20's as do the other 4 players, while the DM probably rolls about 60. If three 20's in a row by one person is considered lucky (and my math is right), the probability that someone "gets lucky" during an average gaming session is about 2%. Does this qualify as rare? Maybe.

Gerrtt
2008-12-17, 03:14 PM
Can we at least see what they look like?

Fiery Diamond
2008-12-17, 03:27 PM
I can get a coin to flip heads or tails at my leisure. It's a skill. People can get dice to roll a specific number every time.

I was wondering when someone was going to point this out. It's a true statement. A while back I was training myself to get 0s (10s) on every d10 roll (I was a fighter and I wanted lots of hitpoints).

herrhauptmann
2008-12-17, 03:33 PM
I was wondering when someone was going to point this out. It's a true statement. A while back I was training myself to get 0s (10s) on every d10 roll (I was a fighter and I wanted lots of hitpoints).

This works better with the old d10's. Where one half was 6-0, and the other half was 1-5. Get good enough to get the dice to spin on their points coming out of your hand, and you're halfway there. The rest is just ensuring the d10 spun on the correct point. (Had a set like that in Dragonstrike when I was a kid. Never got the hang of it)

chiasaur11
2008-12-17, 03:48 PM
I can get a coin to flip heads or tails at my leisure. It's a skill. People can get dice to roll a specific number every time.



Not really, All you do is with a good rag and "polish" all the sides except for the "1" side. Do this for about 250 hours (broken up as necessary). The die will look no different but will be more likely to roll 20's because you've changed the shape of a die.

Huh.

Torture does work in this case.

Heliomance
2008-12-17, 04:42 PM
My dice are somewhat cowardly, what does the Playground recommend? They tend to roll very well for me out of combat, but as soon as it's time to roll for initiative the rolls go downhill fast. How can I teach my dice that this behaviour is unacceptable? I'm generally a proponent of being nice to them - I don't want them to hate me. I find that kissing my d20 before important rolls often works well, but again, never in combat.

Tacoma
2008-12-17, 04:45 PM
Do you and your dice want a private room so you can be alone together? If so, why did you invite us to the party? :smallbiggrin:

He wants us to watch.

The d6 is an exhibitionist.

Tacoma
2008-12-17, 04:48 PM
My dice are somewhat cowardly, what does the Playground recommend? They tend to roll very well for me out of combat, but as soon as it's time to roll for initiative the rolls go downhill fast. How can I teach my dice that this behaviour is unacceptable? I'm generally a proponent of being nice to them - I don't want them to hate me. I find that kissing my d20 before important rolls often works well, but again, never in combat.

You must inspire either fear or respect from your dice. You cannot have both, and if you have neither they will disobey like a pack of horny students at Carnival. I suggest setting them out where they can see you, then dressing in an intimidating yet classy manner. Keep your features stern from a distance yet accessible in person. Walk into the room and acknowledge them in an earnest yet slightly condescending manner.

Or, throw them at hot, lit lightbulbs and dunk them in water overnight until they submit.

Do not try to become friends with them. They will see you as an equal. This must never happen.

Heliomance
2008-12-17, 05:00 PM
I'll go for respect, I think. Inspiring fear isn't really my thing, and if you have to make examples of them too often it can get expensive. I think my normal mode of dress would actually be good enough - long military-style dress coat and top hat.

SoD
2008-12-17, 05:00 PM
Can we at least see what they look like?

Sure. I'll put a photo up soon(ish). I've taken a few photos of them now, but I'm not sure where the cord for my camera is.

Tacoma
2008-12-17, 05:03 PM
Oh man you're gonna get him to put pictures of his dice out on the Internet.

chiasaur11
2008-12-17, 05:15 PM
My dice are somewhat cowardly, what does the Playground recommend? They tend to roll very well for me out of combat, but as soon as it's time to roll for initiative the rolls go downhill fast. How can I teach my dice that this behaviour is unacceptable? I'm generally a proponent of being nice to them - I don't want them to hate me. I find that kissing my d20 before important rolls often works well, but again, never in combat.

Just get a seperate set of combat dice.

Feed the combat dice blood after every really successful combat, to reward them.

Or just give them red Kool Aid and say it's blood, if you're squeemish. I mean, they probably can't tell.

Tacoma
2008-12-17, 05:21 PM
And give your cowardly dice a fun trip through your digestive system. (Do not do this, you will probably die, especially with d4s)

herrhauptmann
2008-12-17, 11:13 PM
And give your cowardly dice a fun trip through your digestive system. (Do not do this, you will probably die, especially with d4s)

Nah, just wish you did. Assuming of course that you don't have the huge dice.

Assassin89
2008-12-17, 11:24 PM
*increases spell resistance against blasphemy*

There are no dice gods. It is just a matter of probability. Just because you roll high numbers every time does not equate to good luck, although it may appear that way.

*stabs illogical worship of dice*

monty
2008-12-18, 01:47 AM
*increases spell resistance against blasphemy*

With the caster level needed for an effective Blasphemy, you're probably not going to have enough spell resistance.

Oracle_Hunter
2008-12-18, 08:53 AM
Just get a seperate set of combat dice.

This is truth.

Ideally, one should have several sets of dice, devoted to particular tasks. Combat Dice, Skill Dice, Stat D6's (if you still roll), and so on. Most importantly, maintain a cache of Loaner Dice so that your thieving fellow PCs don't try to steal the luck off your personal dice. This is key.

Question though: everyone personalizes their D20 set of dice, but does anyone do that for other systems? A case of d10's in WoD or d6's for Shadowrun just don't have the character needed to hold Destiny effectively, IMHO.

DarkKnightCuron
2008-12-18, 09:14 AM
I have a particular set of dice (1d20, 1d12, etc) that are exceptionally large. I might be able to fit two of these dice in my hand at any one time (then again, my hands are a bit on the small side) and are the color red. For some reason, these dice love me. Its almost as if my dice and I are spiritually linked in a strange way. I've had this set of dice for about 5 months now, been in multiple games, and my d20 has never rolled a 1, 2, or 3. Maybe I'm provoking chance by saying it, but even people around the game store have noted how much my dice love me.

In addition, I have a set of huge d6s that I use for Warhammer 40,000. These, too, love me. Maybe its just a size thing.

metagaia
2008-12-18, 09:19 AM
Now if you excuse me, the laws of probability dictate that there is no such thing as lucky dice and therefore *stabs illogical mathematics*

On the contrary, my penetrating friend. Probability suggests that some dice are going to be luckier than others. Since the probability of all d20s having an exact average of 10.5 for their rolling history is remote in the extreme.

Of course, there is no way of telling which dice will remain lucky, but it's best to sacrifice a few 1's to the RNG just in case.

Lappy9000
2008-12-18, 03:42 PM
Sacrificing a Grey Render on the altar of the patron deity of Natural Twenties is usually good enough to keep your rolls sustained for at least a few games. Be sure to prepare the Grey Render in question with the right amount of material components (a festive blend of honey mustard ooze, and garlic elemental) as well as a few dozen pre-prepared wooden d20 idols, carved from the bark of an Awakened Pine Tree with at least 10 levels in druid. The smell of fresh pine, along with scent of honeyed garlic mustard is usually putrid enough to attract the Natural Twenty deity to notice your presence. However, he is known to throw icosahedroic orbs of lightning at those who dare to disturb his rest. Just make the DC 75 Reflex save, and you'll be rolling like a pro!

Let's recap:

Kill Grey Render
Carve d20's out of Awakened pine tree
Apply seasonings liberally
Go to altar on the 6th level of the Nine Hells
Make Reflex save
???
Profit!


Study well; you will be quizzed on this information.

Zeful
2008-12-18, 03:44 PM
*increases spell resistance against blasphemy*

There are no dice gods. It is just a matter of probability. Just because you roll high numbers every time does not equate to good luck, although it may appear that way.

*stabs illogical worship of dice*

Again only if the dice are perfect, which no dice are. Each one is a different shape than the rest, this changes the whole probability issue.

Lappy9000
2008-12-18, 04:27 PM
*increases spell resistance against blasphemy*

There are no dice gods. It is just a matter of probability. Just because you roll high numbers every time does not equate to good luck, although it may appear that way.

*stabs illogical worship of dice*

Before striking his enemies with his icosahedroic mace, threadomancer-turned cleric Lapay Nin-Thozand took a moment to pray to his deity. "Oh power and magnificient Diceostliclese! Please bless my next strike with your divine power, so that non-believers and heretics may fear your dicey wrath!"

Divine pwnge (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1861555/)

*Crushes logical disbelief of dice worship*

Random NPC
2008-12-18, 04:29 PM
But there are some universally true facts about dice. A set of dice will always roll better in the hands of a DM than in the hands of a player. Always.

My dice tend to roll poorly on me when I'm trying to kill my PCs, but do wonders on theirs.

I could've decimated them with 6 hobbos and 2 worgs easily, but they rolled so well on their attacks and I did so poorly on mine.

I mean, the wizard with AC of 11 was DODGING ARROWS!

Oracle_Hunter
2008-12-19, 03:04 AM
My dice tend to roll poorly on me when I'm trying to kill my PCs, but do wonders on theirs.

I could've decimated them with 6 hobbos and 2 worgs easily, but they rolled so well on their attacks and I did so poorly on mine.

I mean, the wizard with AC of 11 was DODGING ARROWS!

Killing PCs
ur doing it wrong :smalltongue: