The standard set of 7 dice
Every D&D player needs seven polyhedral dice. These are the building blocks of every roll in the game, from checking if you persuade a shopkeeper to determining how much damage your greatsword deals to a dragon.
d4 — the caltrop
Four sides, pyramid shape. Used for small weapon damage (daggers, handaxes: 1d4), Healing Word (2d4), and many cantrip damage dice at low levels (Fire Bolt deals 1d10, but Acid Splash deals 1d6 — the d4 appears in weaker spells). The d4 is infamously painful to step on.
d6 — the classic cube
Six sides, the familiar die from board games. Used for short swords (1d6), sneak attack damage (multiple d6s), many spells (Fireball: 8d6), healing potions (2d4+2 in 5e, though some editions use 2d4+2), and the iconic Thunderwave (2d8 in 5e, but Healing Word 2d4). Hit dice for rogues and bards are d8, but many wizard spells roll d6 damage dice.
d8 — the octahedron
Eight sides, used for longswords, battleaxes (1d8), and the hit dice for clerics, druids, rogues, and bards. Many mid-tier damage spells use d8s. Healing spells like Cure Wounds roll 1d8 + spellcasting modifier. The d8 is one of the most frequently used dice in D&D 5e outside of the d20.
d10 — the pentagonal trapezohedron
Ten sides, numbered 0–9. Used for heavy crossbows (1d10), polearms (1d10), the hit dice for fighters, paladins, and rangers. Also used as part of the percentile (d100) system — paired with another d10 representing tens digits. The d10 appears in slightly fewer contexts than the d8 but is critical for martial classes.
d12 — the dodecahedron
Twelve sides, the rarest die in standard play. Greataxes deal 1d12 damage — one of the few weapons to use it. Barbarians use d12 as their hit die. The Brutal Critical barbarian feature adds an extra d12 on critical hits. If you play a barbarian with a greataxe, you will roll d12s constantly. Otherwise, it collects dust.
d20 — the icosahedron
The star of the game. Twenty sides, used for ability checks (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, etc.), attack rolls, and saving throws. Rolling a natural 20 is a critical hit on attack rolls. Rolling a natural 1 on an attack roll is a critical miss (automatic failure, regardless of modifiers). Every player at the table rolls the d20 multiple times per session.
d100 (percentile) — two d10s
Not technically a single die in most cases — rolled as two d10s where one represents tens (00, 10, 20... 90) and one represents units (0–9). A roll of 30 + 7 = 37. A roll of 00 + 0 = 100. Used for wild magic surge tables, random encounter tables, and any mechanic requiring a 1–100 outcome. Some sets include a dedicated 100-sided die (a d100 sphere), but the two-d10 method is standard.
What dice do you need to start playing?
Buy one complete set of 7 polyhedral dice: d4, d6, d8, d10 (×2 for percentile), d12, d20. Dice sets cost $5–15 USD on Amazon or at game stores. If you are a spellcaster, consider buying extra d6s for spells like Fireball (8d6). Barbarians benefit from extra d12s for Brutal Critical.
How to roll ability scores (character creation)
The standard 5e method for rolling stats is called 4d6 drop lowest: roll four six-sided dice, discard the single lowest die, and sum the remaining three. Repeat six times to generate scores for Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
The average result per stat using this method is approximately 12.2, which is notably higher than the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8). Rolling stats is exciting but creates character power variance — ask your Dungeon Master which method they prefer before rolling.
Understanding advantage and disadvantage
Advantage means rolling 2d20 and taking the higher result. Disadvantage means rolling 2d20 and taking the lower result. Mathematically, advantage adds approximately +3.3 to your average roll (from 10.5 to 13.8), while disadvantage subtracts the same amount (down to 7.3).
These rules make situational bonuses and penalties highly significant. A Rogue with Sneak Attack who also has advantage is far more effective than the raw numbers suggest.
Critical hits: double the damage dice
When you roll a natural 20 on an attack roll, it is a critical hit. You roll all the attack's damage dice twice and add them together (then add modifiers once). A longsword normally deals 1d8 + modifier — on a crit, you roll 2d8 + modifier. A Rogue dealing 4d6 sneak attack damage rolls 8d6 + weapon dice on a crit. Some class features (such as the Champion Fighter's Improved Critical) allow crits on 19–20 or even 18–20.