Unusual Dice (5e Variant Rule)
Unusual Dice
Sometimes, certain homebrew items will require special dice. Some of them are simply unusually-numbered dice, while others give strange letters or symbols. Note: at the time of writing this, no homebrew content actually requires these; they are completely optional, and can be used for things like deciding a character's name or birthday.
Alphabetical Die (a20 or a26)
The alphabetical die is used to determine a letter of the alphabet. The a20 removes the six least common letters, while the a26 contains all the letters (though it is more complicated to use). For instance, an attack may require you to roll a vowel to succeed.
a20
| d20 | Letter | d20 | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 11 | M |
| 2 | B | 12 | N |
| 3 | C | 13 | O |
| 4 | D | 14 | P |
| 5 | E | 15 | R |
| 6 | F | 16 | S |
| 7 | G | 17 | T |
| 8 | H | 18 | U |
| 9 | I | 19 | W |
| 10 | L | 20 | Y |
a26
| 5d6 | Letter | 5d6 | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Q | 18 | T |
| 6 | J | 19 | O |
| 7 | V | 20 | N |
| 8 | P | 21 | H |
| 9 | G | 22 | D |
| 10 | W | 23 | C |
| 11 | U | 24 | M |
| 12 | L | 25 | F |
| 13 | R | 26 | Y |
| 14 | S | 27 | B |
| 15 | I | 28 | K |
| 16 | A | 29 | X |
| 17 | E | 30 | Z |
Zodiac Die (z12)
The zodiac die is used to determine zodiac symbols, their elements, and their dates. For instance, an attack may require you to roll a water symbol or a player's birth sign to succeed.
z12
| d12 | Symbol | Symbol Name | Element | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ♈ | Aries | Fire | Mar. 21 - Apr. 20 |
| 2 | ♉ | Taurus | Earth | Apr. 21 - May 21 |
| 3 | ♊ | Gemini | Air | May 22 - Jun. 21 |
| 4 | ♋ | Cancer | Water | Jun. 22 - Jul. 23 |
| 5 | ♌ | Leo | Fire | Jul. 24 - Aug. 23 |
| 6 | ♍ | Virgo | Earth | Aug. 24 - Sep. 23 |
| 7 | ♎ | Libra | Air | Sep. 24 - Oct. 23 |
| 8 | ♏ | Scorpio | Air | Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 |
| 9 | ♐ | Sagittarius | Fire | Nov. 23 - Dec. 21 |
| 10 | ♑ | Capricorn | Earth | Dec. 22 - Jan. 20 |
| 11 | ♒ | Aquarius | Water | Jan. 21 - Feb. 19 |
| 12 | ♓ | Pisces | Water | Feb. 20 - Mar. 20 |
Mathematical Die (m6)
The mathematical die uses the numbers and symbols most often seen in mathematics. For instance, an attack may require you to roll an imaginary number (i) to succeed.
m6
| d6 | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | i | √-1 |
| 4 | ϕ | 1.61803 |
| 5 | e | 2.71828 |
| 6 | π | 3.14159 |
Additional Dice (d3, d5, d7, d9, d11, d16, d24, d30, d32, d36, d48, d60, d120, d144, d1000, d1000000)
These dice are simple numerical dice, designed to measure from one to the number shown. For instance, an attack may deal 3d9 fire damage or 2d24 radiant damage. It should be noted that many of these are actual dice that can be found in game stores or online.
d3, d5, d7, d9, d11
Roll a die with a number of sides just above the one you want to use (for example, using a d8 for a d7). If you roll the highest number on that die, reroll until you get a valid number.
d16
1d16 is [(1d4-1)×4]+1d4.
d24
1d24 is [(1d6-1)×4]+1d4.
d30
1d30 is [(1d3-1)×10]+1d10.
d32
1d32 is [(1d4-1)×8]+1d8.
d36
1d36 is [(1d4-1)×9]+1d9.
d48
1d48 is [(1d6-1)×8]+1d8.
d60
1d60 is [(1d6-1)×10]+1d10.
d120
1d120 is [(1d12-1)×10]+1d10.
d144
1d144 is [(1d12-1)×12]+1d12.
d1000
1d1000 is [(1d10-1)×100]+1d100.
d1000000
1d1000000 is [(1d10-1)×100000]+[(1d10-1)×10000]+[(1d10-1)×10000]+1d1000.
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