Where the d6 shows up
- Weapons. Shortsword, scimitar, handaxe, javelin, mace, spear and shortbow: 1d6 each.
- Fireball. 8d6 fire damage in a 20-foot radius, half on a successful Dexterity save. Set the dice count above to 8 and see what the wizard would have done.
- Sneak Attack. A rogue adds 1d6 at 1st level and one more d6 at every odd level after, up to 10d6 at 19th.
- Hit dice. Sorcerers and wizards roll a d6 for hit points each level.
- Old-school stats. 3d6 in order was how characters were made for years. It averages 10.5, and rolling an 18 happens about once in 216 tries. The modern habit of rolling four and dropping one has its own page.
Many d6 at once
Big damage in D&D mostly means more d6s, not bigger dice. More dice also means the total clusters near the middle: one d6 is as likely to show 1 as 6, but 8d6 lands between 22 and 34 far more often than near 8 or 48.
Your odds on a d6
Every face of a fair d6 is 1 in 6, about 16.7%. For games that ask you to roll a number or higher:
| You need | Chance |
|---|---|
| 2 or higher | 83.3% |
| 3 or higher | 66.7% |
| 4 or higher | 50% |
| 5 or higher | 33.3% |
| 6 | 16.7% |
Waiting for a 6? The chance of at least one climbs with every roll:
| Rolls | At least one 6 |
|---|---|
| 1 | 16.7% |
| 2 | 30.6% |
| 4 | 51.8% |
| 6 | 66.5% |
| 10 | 83.8% |
| 13 | 90.7% |
Two dice add up differently: roll 2d6 and 7 is the most common total, 1 in 6, while 2 and 12 are 1 in 36 each. Roll 3d6 and 10 or 11 are the likeliest totals. The dice calculator works out any roll.
Spells that roll 1d6
Base damage in the SRD, before upcasting or cantrip levels.
- Acid Splash (cantrip)
- Ensnaring Strike (1st level)
- Hex (1st level)
- Hunter's Mark (1st level)
- Searing Smite (1st level)
Questions
What are the odds of rolling a 6 on a d6?
1 in 6, about 16.7%, on every roll. Two 6s in a row is 1 in 36 (2.8%). You have a better than even chance of at least one 6 in four rolls (51.8%).
What does 1d6 mean?
One six-sided die. The number in front is how many dice, so 2d6 is two d6 added together and 8d6 is the Fireball spell. A number after a plus sign is a modifier. The Dice Notation Guide covers the rest.
What is the average roll on a d6?
3.5, halfway between 1 and 6. Each extra d6 adds 3.5 to the average, so 2d6 averages 7, 3d6 averages 10.5 and 8d6 averages 28.
Is this d6 roller random and fair?
Yes. Each roll comes from your browser's cryptographic random number generator, the same kind used for passwords, with no bias towards any face. Every face is exactly 1 in 6.
Can I roll more than one d6 at once?
Yes. Use the stepper to roll up to 20 d6 together and add a modifier; each die is shown and totalled. For mixed dice, such as 1d8+2d6, use the main roller.
Why do opposite faces of a d6 add up to 7?
It is the standard layout: 1 opposite 6, 2 opposite 5, 3 opposite 4. It spreads the high and low numbers evenly around the cube, so no side of the die is heavier with big numbers.