How do you fix cursed dice?

[TrashTrash]

Hi, I'm working on finding some new dice to use in future games, but I want to know if anyone has any fun little rituals they do to cleanse "cursed" dice.

I'd really like to not have to set aside brand new dice mid-session because they're rolling poorly, but the only things I can think of to "fix" them would be to metagame (which is really not an option) or involves making a thingy that would be a pain to use/explain.

What's the best way you (or someone you know) has tried to bless/remove a curse from their die?

[Anonymouswizard]

Accept that it's all based on physical processes and just buy a load of cheap dice in the hopes that one set is viable.

[Zhorn]

Dice curse you say? Do I have the video for you

Spoiler: Seth Skorkowsky, the gift that keeps on giving.

Show

[Mr.Sandman]

Threaten them with a wd40 bath. It works, I swear.

[Grod_The_Giant]

My friend had a d20 he called his "die of pain," because it always rolled badly for him. At one point it got mixed up with my dice, and I wound up bringing it home over summer break. My friend ran some online games and I used his die, only to find it rolling spectacularly. Turns out that it was cursed to cause him pain, not whoever was rolling it.

So I'd say "trade with the GM."

[Glorthindel]

Threaten them with a wd40 bath. It works, I swear.

I find a cheese grater a more effective threat. And you need to do it in front of the other dice too, so they know whats coming if they start playing up.

[Jay R]

The purpose of dice is to give an unpredictable result. You bought them specifically so you would have no control over the result. The game uses them precisely to give you no control over the result. That’s why there is so much effort spent trying to control the result.

Having said that, here’s my take on how to control the result.

Dice are pedantic mathematicians, and if you want to them to treat you well, then treat them well.

1. One die; two dice. Never anger them by referring to a singular dice or plural die.

2. Proper dice have opposite sides that add up to n+1. If the opposites sides of your die don’t add up to the same number, then they are not proper dice, and cannot be trusted. Wrap them up in fancy paper and give them to some kid you don’t like.

3. It’s not a twelve-sider, it’s a dodecahedron. Once you’ve made friends with it, you may get less formal and call it a d12. But it’s still not a twelve-sider.

4. Use correct plurals. They are not polyhedrons (tetrahedrons, octahedrons, etc.); they are polyhedra (tetrahedra, octahedra, etc.) How can you expect them to give you high numbers if they know you can’t handle numbers larger than one?

5. Don’t mix dice from different manufacturers. If you put Koplow dice and Gamescience dice in the same bag, the Koplow dice get envious and the Gamescience dice get insulted. They can tell the difference.

6. The five basic dice (tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron) are Platonic solids, or regular polyhedra. Many dice out are Catalan solids (the d10, d24, d30). Any dice whose faces aren’t all the same shape (d5, d7) or which isn’t a polyhedron (d100, d3), should be kept in a separate bag. The Platonic and Catalan solids know that these upstarts aren’t “real” dice.

Finally, I offer one serious suggestion: use the right die. I once had a player upset that he was rolling low numbers. I eventually noticed that he was rolling attack rolls with a d12.

[denthor]

Use them as the DM your players will give them love

[Segev]

A friend of mine punished bad dice with a purifying gin bath.

I personally roll them with another die, making sure to declare which counts before releasing. This actually does tend to break streaks, and I suspect it has to do with streaks being a case of me throwing the solo dice in a way that reduces their randomness. The extra die causes more chaotic bouncing.

Could still be superstition, but it also is pretty simple and may have genuine impact. I will note that so-called “buddy rolling” is not guaranteed to roll “well;” it only tends to break streaks.

[AntiAuthority]

You uncurse them by breaking the curse, rendering them normal dice... Or you can do the easier thing and just threaten them into submission via, "If you don't shape up, I'm throwing you into molten lead!" or something along those lines. Either one works, but your results may vary, but the submission one tends to take a while to kick in before they know their place.

Or skip all of that and just new dice, which you're already doing lol.

[Mastikator]

When you're not using them build a tower of your dice. It will align their dice-chakra... or something

[Glorthindel]

Finally, I offer one serious suggestion: use the right die. I once had a player upset that he was rolling low numbers. I eventually noticed that he was rolling attack rolls with a d12.

One of my players has a 20-side d10 (every number is on it twice) and I have lost count of the number of times he has realised he has been using it as a d20 for several rounds.

[GloatingSwine]

Cheap dice can frequently be biased due to poor manufacture.

It is important to remember which way they are biased and use them for the appropriate rolls.