What are the Best DnD Dice?
Published on October 22, 2019, Last modified on November 28th, 2022
Dice are probably the single most personalized piece of equipment in any DnD players arsenal.
Table of Contents
Dice and D&D
We all have that one set of dice that we keep coming back to. Be it their colour, material, or simply a fond memory associated with them, the dice we use to play DnD or other tabletop games can hold a special place in our hearts. But the question arises – are all dice created equal? Are some dice more equal than others? (Animal Farm, anyone?)
The fact of the matter is, some dice may have a tendency to favour certain rolls. This can be the result of inconsistencies in the manufacturing process, such as small pockets of air that make some sides of the die lighter.
If you’re looking for a new set of DnD dice, or are wondering about the quality of your own set, then keep reading!
What are the best places to buy dice for DnD?
There are tons of places to buy dice for D&D but very few of these places have tenure and quality customer support. We have compiled a list of the best D&D dicemakers so you don’t have to! Below, we will be listing our preferred dicemakers in alphabetic order and make note of their offering, general price range for a D&D dice set, and geographic location.
Artisan Dice
Offering: Acrylic ($170 – $200), Metal ($125 – $500) , Bone ($300 – $1,000+) , Gemstone ($428 – $510), Wood ($65 – $1,000+)
Geography: Texas, United States
Artisan Dice are the producers of the most luxury dice on the planet. Each of their dies are hand-crafted using the finest materials possible. Their dice materials range from exotic woods to insanely unique and rare materials such as mammoth ivory.
Awesome Dice
Offering: Acrylic ($7 – $12), Metal ($20 – $150), Gemstone ($60 – $70)
Geography: Alabama, United States
Awesome Dice is a premier online dice store and one of the best places to buy dice sets online. They carry a vast selection of really cool sets that range from 7 dice sets (for D&D) to other, more niche TTRPGs like World of Darkness or Shadowrun.
Critit
Offering: Acrylic (£10 – £20), Metal (£25), Gemstone (£50 – £75)
Geography: Norwich, England
Critit is a family run, small Business nestled in the lovely city of Norwich. They offer a wide variety of TTRPG gaming goods that are all designed and made themselves.
Dice Envy
Offering: Acrylic ($14), Metal ($35)
Geography: United States
A newer entry to the market, Dice Envy has some hilariously named dice sets that nonetheless look awesome such as the America’s Ass.
TheDiceShopOnline
Offering: Acrylic ($6 – $20), Metal ($20 – $60), Gemstone ($60 – $120)
Geography: Gisburn, England
TheDiceShopOnline is one of the highest volume retailer of dice. They started in May 2007 and now supply a huge selection of gemstone, acrylic, metal, and specialty dice.
DieHardDice
Offering: Acrylic ($5 – $24), Metal ($45 – $55)
Geography: Utah, United States
DieHardDice has a wide variety of metal and polymer dice sets, as well as individual dice available for purchase online. Their dice are set out into categories for each DnD Class which is a great way to find a set of dice for your new long term character. Here is an example for the Paladin Class.
FanRoll Dice
Offering: Acrylic ($6 – $40), Metal ($40 – $60), Gemstone ($37 – $120)
Geography: Indiana, United States
Established in 2014, FanRoll Dice (formerly Metallic Dice Games) originally only carried Metal Dice sets. They have since expanded their store to include Gemstone, Acrylic, and other unique dice sets.
They continue to innovate in the gaming dice space with their Kickstarter for Elixir Dice launched on June 18th, 2020. Elixir Dice are hand-crafted, sharp-edged liquid core dice. For more information, check out their Kickstarter page.
Norse Foundry
Offering: Wood ($135 – $160) , Bone ($300 – $375), Metal ($35), Gemstone ($80 – $95)
Geography: Florida, United States
Norse Foundry are the go-to for your upper class level dice. They specialize in metal dice and gemstone dice both of which feel amazingly sturdy in hand and roll like a dream. I would high recommend getting a padded dice tray to help cushion these heavier than normal dice so they don’t dent your table!
Q-Workshop
Offering: Acrylic ($5 – $25), Metal ($50 – $80)
Geography: Poznań, Poland
Q-WORKSHOP is a Polish company located in Poznań that specializes in design and production of polyhedral dice and dice accessories for use in various games.
Testing your dice
Most of us only have anecdotal evidence to go on. If your friend rolls three natural 20’s in a row, you may begin to question their dice (and maybe their honesty!). However, it is important to remember that although the odds of a certain outcome may be low, it is still a non-zero probability. Therefore, we can use a slightly more scientific method to determine if our dice roll true. Get out your lab coats and safety goggles.
The simplest method to determine if your dice are random is to use the saltwater test, a method also used to test the balance of golf balls.
To perform the saltwater test, partially fill up a cup with water and put the die you want to test in, dissolving salt in the water until the die floats. Then push and spin the die around with your finger. If you find that the die constantly returns to the same number, it is not properly balanced.
Unfortunately, some dice are quite heavy and do not float at all, regardless of the salt content in the water. These dice cannot be tested using this method.
If you’d like a visual representation of the saltwater method, check out this video.
Comparing consistencies of dice
Luckily for us, there have already been some more extensive tests conducted on die randomness.
The first of these tests we found was done over at Awesome Dice. To summarize, they compared Chessex dice (one of the most popular and cheap brands) to GameScience dice, the founders of which created them in order to maximize randomness. After rolling each type 10,000 times, they came to the conclusion that although Chessex dice deviated more from the expected results (500 of each roll) than GameScience, it shouldn’t matter which you use when playing games.
The second test was conducted using an automatic dice roller to compare the roll values of many different brands. It is a very interesting article, albeit long, but it is definitely worth a read if you are interested. You can do so here.
If you want a quick summary:
While some brands tended to be more fair than others on average, there also exists variability between dice from the same company. This basically means that buying dice from a reputable source can improve your chances of getting more balanced ones, but does not guarantee it.
Cheap dice for beginners
It’s possible that you’ve chosen your class and created a sweet backstory for your character for your first campaign, only to realize you haven’t got any dice! While you could simply use an online DnD dice roller or app, physically rolling dice is part of the fun.
If you’re just looking at picking up a cheap set of DnD dice to get started, we would recommend looking for translucent ones. You can buy a Bag of Holding from Amazon and get 140 random dice (20 sets of d4, d6, d8, d10, d10(00), d12, and d20) for ~$40 which will be plenty for you and your crew. Some people claim that translucent dice are more fair than their opaque counterparts, especially in cheaper price ranges.
The logic behind this thought process does seem valid. With opaque dice, you don’t know what the interior looks like, meaning manufacturers have less incentive for quality control when it comes to pockets of air or cheap materials. Obviously, with a translucent die you can spot these types of inconsistencies more easily and avoid using it.
Don’t use spindown dice
We recommend not using a Magic: The Gathering “spindown” die as your main D20. These are primarily used to count lifepoints in the card game and are not created with the intention of rolling. Therefore, the likelihood that they are unbalanced is greater. In addition, since the numbers descend from highest to lowest as you turn the die (hence the name spindown) there is a greater incentive to “strategically” roll the die.
To avoid this, simply don’t play with spindown dice, or better yet, don’t play with people who would try to cheat.
Precision dice
Most dice you find in a store or online will have rounded edges due to being tumbled during the manufacturing process. This can naturally cause inconsistencies in the shape and weighting of a die.
Precision dice, on the other hand, are created to have sharp edges and an accurate balance. They also have the benefit of quickly reaching a standstill when rolled, as opposed to most regular dice that jump and tumble all over the place before finally coming to a stop, often somewhere under a piece of furniture, never to be seen again!
If you or the people you play with value consistency, especially in games where dice are rolled many times, definitely consider picking up a set of these dice. In the long run, they could save you from arguments about the integrity of your favorite “lucky” dice, as well as time spent crawling under tables and re-rolling.
Metal dice
Because they are solid metal, the likelihood that they are balanced is high, making them another great option for players that value true randomness. On top of that, their durability means that they could last you until you’re rolling new characters with your best mates in the old folks home.
Keep in mind that metal dice are heavy! To get a proper roll, greater force is required than with your standard plastic or acrylic set. Be warned: if playing on a sensitive surface like a wooden table, these bad boys could cause a lot of damage. It goes without saying that you can’t whip these out when playing on a glass surface.
To be safe, especially when playing on somebody else’s table, ask before rolling. Also, it is worth thinking about buying a dice tray for you to roll in.
It’s really up to you!
Ultimately, use whatever dice you favor. The differences between sets of dice may have no apparent impact on your games, or they could. Other factors also come into play, such as your rolling technique and the surface you play on.
The bottom line is that as long as you and your friends are having fun, there is no wrong answer. You could head to your local game store or a website and pick out a perfect set of dice for your needs, or simply purchase a big bag of random dice to distribute among your friends and get rollin’!
Fill out the form below to receive Escape From Mt. Balefor for free!
What is the most luxurious dice I can buy?
Based on what I’ve seen, that would be the Mammoth Ivory dice: https://www.artisandice.com/order/mammoth-ivory/. Happy shopping 😉