Dice systems are more than just what math rock you are rolling. It affects your game’s skills, stats, player success rate, and more. Replacing Dungeons & Dragons’s D20 (20-Sided Die) with a D100 would greatly change the game mechanics and balance. 

From my experience, you can have some ideas for game mechanics, but that may hit the cutting room floor if the dice system isn’t compatible. Die systems can inspire other parts of your game. You may like the dice pool system and use a version for damage during combat. Here are four of my favorite systems.

1. D20 System

Our favorite icosahedron die used in Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Mutants and Masterminds, and so much more. It’s so common that it is the non-official mascot of the Tabletop RPG space. 

No wonder too, as it’s the easiest one to build around. It’s compatible with most RPG ideas and most importantly, there are no crazy numbers. Most D20 systems follow a roll die, then either add or subtract method. 

This simplicity is the system’s biggest strength. It allows fun mechanics like critical success/failure. That’s because of the odds of the die. Every roll always has a one in 20 chance of rolling any face on a D20.

This keeps a balanced win or lose scenario with each roll, even in late game. Unlike other dice systems that promote either player success or failure this keeps a dynamic stakes that leans towards player success as they level up.

Even though the D20 system is very common you will find games using a couple of stats that are linked to a medium amount of skills with gameplay that leans towards combat.

For anyone who is just starting making tabletop RPG I recommend using the D20 system to start with. It may feel like white bread, but it works. More than that it’s also very recognizable to players, making it easier for them to jump in and play.

2. D100/Percentile System

If the D20 is the mascot the Percentile die was the evil counterpart that everyone always forgets about. Found in Call of Cthulhu and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. The Percentile die in a way helps off load from the Game Master.

Unlike the D20 system from Dungeons & Dragons, the game master doesn’t create the roll difficulty. A player rolling successfully is dependent on the character’s skill. Ex. if your skill for Quick talk is 20, you would have to roll a 20 or lower to succeed. This allows the gamemaster to focus on other game features without over loading them.

This also means players can have lots of skills. Call of Cythulhu has 47 skills compared to D&D’s 18. This system tends to lean towards players failing their rolls more often. This is meant to add realism but also push players away from combat. 

In many cases the percentile system has stats but they are not connected to player skills unlike D&D. It’s like the opposite of the d20 system. The percentile system puts a focus on role-play and investigation. This is not one I would recommend for new designers, but it’s fun as its different.

3. Full-Set System

I added this one because my own game Corrupted Frontier uses a version of this system. I became aware of this system through Dimension 20’s show Misfits and Magic where they played the game Kids on Brooms. 

This system uses all the dice (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, and D20). Each die is linked to a stat. This creates swingy rolls. This is why a die feature like explosive dice is added. Explosive dice lets you roll the die again to add to your total, if you rolled the max face of the die.

I personally love this system, but this swingy nature can be hard to balance and can be frustrating for players. What does work is that it’s great for rules lite games. Makes the games feel engaging even when there are not a lot of rules.

You could also be insane like me and use it in a non rules lite game with skill and stats. To help with the swingingness I recommend removing the D20 away. Leaving D4, D6, D8, D10 and D12 makes balancing more manageable. 

Do I recommend this system? I feel like I have to since I use this system myself, but people have warned me that with good balance the game can suffer due to the system. So be careful.

4. Dice Pool System

Out of all the systems mentioned this has to be one of the more unique ones. Games like Vampire the Masquerade use this and it makes it really stand out compared to other games.

In a dice pool system, you are not necessarily rolling a die in adding a modifier. Games vary, but each stat/skill represents the number of dice the player will roll. The die traditionally being either a D6 or D10.

The player will then look at how many dice they rolled or successful. Already you can tell this gets complicated quickly. For me that would usually be a red flag of never to use, but it just sounds so much fun.

Since for the most part of this system runs off a fail/success there is no unneeded math. It can also give a classic board game vibe at times as well. 

When using the system, you do need to have some kind of skills so that dice pools can vary per roll. Outside of that the system is somewhat adaptable. I really recommend you play a game that uses this first before implementing it. 

Making Your Own System

Making your own dice system is what I would call an advanced “technique”. It’s not that hard but you lose any player familiarity a player may have. More importantly, you lose any references. The good thing about using an existing die system is you’re able to see what part of those games work and don’t work.

When making your own die system, you have to remember that this is what your players will be doing constantly. It’s gotta be simple and it’s gotta be quick. The device systems I discussed above, give you a general understanding.

The reason why I did not reference D12 or upgradable dice systems is that some of their concepts can be found in these existing ones. If you do want to learn more about other dice systems, please leave a like and subscribe to my newsletter.