Every RPG Dice Type Explained: From D4 to D100
Pick up a standard set of tabletop RPG dice and you will find seven different shapes. Each one has a specific purpose in games like Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder. If you are new to tabletop gaming — or if you are playing online and need to know which die to reach for — this guide explains what each die does, when you roll it and what the results mean.
The D4 — the caltrops die
The D4 is a four-sided tetrahedron and the smallest die in a standard set. Its range is 1 to 4. It is famously difficult to read and uncomfortable to step on — players joke that it is the caltrop of the dice world.
In D&D, the D4 is used for small weapons (daggers deal 1d4 piercing damage), for minor healing effects and as a hit die for Wizards — the class with the fewest hit points per level. It also appears in certain cantrips and low-level spells. Outside combat, it sometimes appears in random encounter tables for minor items or effects.
Physically, the D4 is read by looking at the number at the base of the die, not the apex — the result is the number at the bottom edge of each face, not the point at the top.
The D6 — the everyday cube
The D6 is a standard six-sided cube and the only die in the set that most people have encountered before picking up an RPG. Range: 1 to 6. It is used for shortswords (1d6 damage), for many spells including Magic Missile (1d4+1) and Fireball (8d6 damage at higher levels) and as the hit die for several character classes including Rogues and Bards.
The D6 is also used for character ability score generation. The classic method is rolling 4d6 and dropping the lowest result, repeating six times to generate scores for Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
The D8 — the mid-range die
The D8 is an octahedron with a range of 1 to 8. It sits in the middle of the standard set in terms of power. In D&D, it is the damage die for longswords, rapiers and war picks. It is also the hit die for Clerics, Druids, Monks and Warlocks — classes with moderate hit points.
The D8 is less common than the D6 and D20, but if you are playing a melee character who wields a longsword, you will roll it constantly in combat. 1d8+Strength modifier per hit, or 2d8+Strength modifier if you wield it two-handed.
The D10 — percentage rolls and heavy weapons
The D10 has two personalities. As a standalone die, it ranges from 1 to 10 and is used for heavy crossbows (1d10 damage), pikes and halberds. It is the hit die for Fighters and Rangers. As part of a pair, two D10s together create a percentile roll (D100).
Standard D10 sets are often sold in pairs: one numbered 1–10 and one numbered in tens (00, 10, 20, 30, up to 90). Together they produce results from 1 to 100. A roll of 00 and 0 equals 100; a roll of 00 and 3 equals 3; a roll of 40 and 7 equals 47.
The D12 — the greataxe die
The D12 is the rarest die in regular D&D play. Its range is 1 to 12. It is famous for being the damage die for the greataxe — one of the highest single-die damage weapons in the game — and as the hit die for Barbarians, who have the most hit points per level of any class.
Rolling a D12 feels significant precisely because it happens so rarely. A Barbarian hitting with a greataxe rolls 1d12+Strength modifier per attack — and with the Brutal Critical feature at higher levels, they add additional D12s on a critical hit, which makes a high-level Barbarian crit one of the most satisfying dice moments in the game.
The D20 — the centrepiece of D&D
The D20 is the defining die of tabletop RPGs. Its range is 1 to 20, and it is used for almost every core mechanic in D&D: ability checks, attack rolls and saving throws. Any time you attempt something with a chance of failure, you roll a D20, add the relevant modifier and compare the total to a target number (called the Difficulty Class or DC for checks, or the target's Armour Class for attacks).
A roll of 20 on the die (a "natural 20") is a critical hit on an attack — you roll weapon damage dice twice and add modifiers once. A roll of 1 (a "natural 1") is a critical failure on an attack — the attack automatically misses. For ability checks and saving throws, natural 1s and 20s only mean success or failure in certain specific circumstances, though many tables play with house rules that apply them more broadly.
D&D 5e's Advantage and Disadvantage system uses the D20 in an interesting way: roll two D20s and take the higher (advantage) or lower (disadvantage) result. This single mechanism replaced the older system of applying numerical bonuses and penalties for different conditions.
The D100 — wild magic and random tables
The D100 (or percentile die) produces results from 1 to 100 and is primarily used for random tables, wild magic surges and percentage-based mechanics. In D&D 5e, a Sorcerer with the Wild Magic Surge feature rolls a D20 after casting a spell; on a 1, they then roll a D100 to consult the Wild Magic Surge table, which contains 50 entries numbered in pairs (01–02, 03–04, etc.) ranging from amusing inconveniences to significant effects.
The D100 also appears in random encounter tables, treasure generation tables and any mechanic that expresses probability as a percentage. "You have a 35% chance of encountering guards" means roll D100: a result of 1–35 triggers the encounter.
Roll any die online — D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20 or D100 — with the Dice Roller. Roll multiple dice at once and get individual results plus a total. Useful when you don't have physical dice to hand or are playing in a digital session.
When you need multiple dice
Many rolls in RPGs involve multiple dice of the same type. 8d6 for a Fireball means rolling eight D6s and summing the results. 2d8+5 for a Paladin's Divine Smite means two D8s plus 5. When playing digitally, a dice roller that accepts multiple dice of a type and returns both individual results and a total saves significant time and prevents arithmetic errors in the heat of combat.
This guide covers standard dice usage in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition and Pathfinder. Rules vary by system and edition.