The dice we think of and use today with table top role playing games is a more elaborate form of what Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR, later renamed TSR Hobbies) first distributed. The introduction of new decahedron dice, and changes to the d20, improve on classic use. The original TSR classic dice can still be used with modern games based around the use of a d20 as d20 (read on for explanation). The following are the dice typically found today:
There are two types of decahedron dice: a d10, with a count of 0-9 (the zero being high, i.e. 10), and a similar count-by-decade die with 00-90 (i.e. 10...20...90). Sometimes the count-by-decade form of a die is directly referenced as the percentile die (commonly referenced in shorthand as d%), but it is perhaps more acurately called a decader die (introduced in 1990). The percentile die (d%) technically refer to a d100, but typically imply the combination of two d10s: a common d10 plus the decader. However, two common d10s can accomplish the same thing, identifying which will act as decader, or even two d20s (the classic approach). As an example, rolling a 0 and 00 counts for 100, whereas a 1 and 00 counts for 1, but a 1 and 10 counts for 11. The original D&D didn't have the decahedron, either as a d10, or dacader.
The d20 from TSR (resold from Creative Publications[H24]) counted 0-9 twice, coloring one of the black 0-9 set of numbers red to differentiate. This d20 acted as a d10, mainly out of lack of statistical trust of the various forms of d10s at the time until the pentagonal trapezohedron style became trust. To use a modern d20 as a d10 requires not counting the 1 on a number above 10: 11-20 count for 1-10 (where 20 is 10, and 19 is 9). It means that in buying a modern 7-dice kit, you have the equivalent of three d10s already (a standard percentile die of 00-90 can also be rolled for a d10), and a d20 that can act as a fourth.
When buying dice, make sure that the dice are weighted correctly (so that particular numbers, such as a 1, don't have a greater likelihood to be rolled than other numbers). When first starting play, only one set of dice is needed. Anything can be rolled multiple times. Buying dice is addictive, so don't anticipate beyond the first set. When leveling up, or with certain kinds of encounters, rolling a die multiple times can tedious. This is the time to buy the particular dice to fit need and preference. The most common die rolled in the original D&D was the d6, and is still a common die. Others are common depending on character and level of play. Skimping on the d10/d100 due to the above mentioned duplication makes sense.
©2024-2025 David Egan Evans.