How Many Dice in an RPG Dice Set? The Seven Dice Explained
Nov 4, 2026 · The Editors
A standard roleplaying dice set has seven dice. What each one is for, how the percentile dice work, and what to look for in a good set.
A standard dice set for tabletop roleplaying games — Dungeons & Dragons and most games like it — has seven dice. Each has a different number of sides, written as "d" plus the number: a d20 is a twenty-sided die.
The seven dice
- d4 — four sides, a pyramid. Read the number at the top point (or at the base, depending on the die). Small damage rolls.
- d6 — the familiar cube. Damage, ability scores, and anything a board game would roll.
- d8 — eight sides. Weapon damage and hit points for many classes.
- d10 — ten sides, numbered 0 to 9 (the 0 counts as 10 on its own).
- Percentile d10 (d%) — another ten-sided die, numbered 00, 10, 20 … 90.
- d12 — twelve sides. Big weapons and tough characters.
- d20 — twenty sides. The most important die in the set: attacks, skill checks and saving throws are all rolled on it.
Rolling percentiles
To roll a number from 1 to 100, roll the percentile die and the d10 together. The percentile die gives the tens, the d10 gives the units: 40 and 7 is 47. 00 and 0 together is 100.
Why so many?
Different results need different spreads. A d20 gives an even chance of every result from 1 to 20 — good for "did it work?". Two d6 added together cluster around 7 — good for damage that is usually average. The shapes are the classic polyhedra: tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron, plus the ten-sided die designed for games.
How many sets do you need?
One set is enough to play. Many players own several, because some rolls use many of the same die — a spell might call for eight d6 at once — and because collecting dice is half the pleasure of the hobby.
Metal, resin or plastic?
- Plastic dice are light and cheap.
- Resin dice come in every colour and finish imaginable.
- Metal dice are heavy, land with a satisfying thud, and last forever. They can mark a wooden table, so roll them into a dice tray — a padded tray keeps them quiet and on the table, not under the sofa.
A good set as a gift
For anyone who plays, a handsome metal set in a proper box is the gift that gets used every week. It is the one piece of kit that is entirely theirs at a shared table.
