DICE GUIDE

Dice rolling notation: modifiers and examples

A dice expression describes count, sides and calculation rules. Reading it makes tabletop play and digital integrations easier.

Editorial artwork · tap to expand
01

Count and sides

In NdS, N is the number of dice and S is the number of sides. d20 is one twenty-sided die; 3d8 is three eight-sided dice. Arithmetic adds constants such as in 2d6+3.

Individual faces and the final total are different pieces of information. Keeping both explains how the result was reached.

3d8Try in playground ↗
02

Keep, drop and reroll

2d20kh1 rolls two d20s and keeps the higher one. 4d6kh3 keeps the best three of four dice. Other modifiers reroll or explode dice; their limits and order matter.

Similar-looking notation can mean different things across systems. Check the exact grammar before encoding a game rule.

4d6kh3Try in playground ↗
03

From text to 3D

Dice Core validates and resolves the expression. Dice View then receives resolved values for presentation. V3 physics shows the result without changing the game rule.

In the playground you can try examples and inspect individual dice.

Sources and references