Dice Superstitions: Before The Game

With some high stakes rolls for your character or situation, it all comes down to the dice you use. This inevitably leads to dice superstitions forming. Some people hold lots of different theories on how to get the best rolls out of their collection, while some don't hold any superstitions. In the end, you are likely to have at least one person at the table with something to say about how to get good rolls.

Naming

A bond between a player and their dice is special, and as you introduce yourself to your dice, they need a name to really give them life. Naming is just as it sounds. Naming is a personal connection that can help set the theme of the set, give you a laugh, something to inevitably curse, and help you keep track of which ones are good rollers if you tend to forget.

This can be an adopted name, such as what it would receive from our shop, you could rename them, or if they’re blank, give them their first name. This personal connection could help foster the bond to convince them to roll better.

Pre-Game Testing

Of course, we don't trust an untested die to not kill your character. It needs to be tested. The larger the sample size of roll trials the more accurate the overall average of the die.

A good trial run is 25, but if you're in a pinch, roll it 10 times and find the average roll. If it's 9 or lower, don't worry. Though this may look low, they might still be good for roll where you get possessed by a ghost and start attacking your friends, so you’ll want to roll low (unless they pissed off you as well as the ghost). Another reason they could be rolling low now is that they are performance shy. Use them for a session and see how they do.

Storage Transfer

Monkey see, monkey do. Beware of this one and try to stay consistent when you find which style of this superstition works for your dice. This works two ways: keep the bad dice separate from the good dice to not influence the good dice, or you can mix the bad dice with the good dice to get the bad dice to roll better.

In addition, if you find a lucky die that does really well for you, it must be protected and kept safe away from the other dice in your collection, perhaps in a special bag, case, or other pretty holding container.

Firsts

The first set that you purchase or are gifted to you, should hold a special place in your collection. This set should be your sacred set and should be kept separate from other dice. Do not mix them and never discard them. My first set was cheap, but it rolled really well, and most of the time still does. It’s like almost having a good luck charm to look back to that inspired the birth of a fixation collection.

Rolling Before Rolling

Before a game session, it is common for players to roll all their dice they brought, or just the D20s they brought to see which dice are hot that night. This helps set a precedent for which dice are doing well, so you know which ones to use for sneaking past an Ancient Dragon versus which ones to use on “do these pants fit” checks (yes, that has come up in one of my games and it was hilarious!). You probably don’t want to use the one rolling below 10 during the pre-game check for the prior scenario, but you do you.

Another theory on rolling before rolling is that you want to roll all your dice and remove the highest rolling ones. The thinking behind this is that if you have a consistent bad roller, the actual in-game roll will be good. This die will switch their luck.

No Touch!

It is generally considered bad luck to roll a die before the owner of the dice has had their chance to. This might make the dice think that you’re not the one that they are supposed to be rolling well for. The non-owner could also roll them badly and cause the die to be cursed for the rest of their days.

Sorry, but this also can continue to in-game dice sharing. Unless a player gives you their dice for you to use in your 5th level 10d6 fireball, or some other crazy good thing for the party, please don’t take them without asking first.

Share your dice superstitions in our discord channel with other dice goblins. We’d love to hear about what you do with your dice, and maybe they’ll show up in the Journals!