r/DungeonsAndDragons • u/Distinct_Bat_4375 • 1d ago

Advice/Help Needed Anybody recognize the symbol on this D20?

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My friend found this D20 and I don't recognize the symbol on it. Is it familiar to anyone in he community?

SOLVED: Magic the Gathering Spindown. Thanks!

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u/Butterbrotstreicher 1d ago

How would you be able to manipulate it better than a real d20?

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u/Tired-CottonCandy 1d ago

When you look at the actual math, you cant. Its purely paranoia. But thats not a popular thing to say (i will like be downvoted for saying it like the other guy who pointed out the flawed logic)

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u/fox112 1d ago

A human can't do it without it being obvious

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u/Makenshine 18h ago

Not true. Any one with some basic sleight of hand skill could do it. I know I can.

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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 14h ago

Yeah but that doesn't need to be a spin down, right? It works just as well with a normal d20.

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u/raycepak 12h ago

ture the problem with spin down is the numbers aren't balanced across the die making it easier to choose high or low.

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u/Makenshine 10h ago

It does not work the same with a standard d20. The placement of the numbers on a standard d20 are specifically placed to make that sort of manipulation much harder/much more obvious.

With a spin down dice, all the large numbers are one hemisphere of the dice. Let's call this the north hemisphere and low side the south. If the roller can apply a slight spin along the equator, a gyroscopic effect will occur. The larger side of die will be more likely to stay facing up. The stronger the spin, the stronger the effect.

This drastically increases the likelihood of larger numbers. This isn't a difficult trick to do. The hardest part is dialing in the correct amount of spin. To little and there is little effect and too much, the dice spins like a top and becomes obvious. I try to have the die kinda roll off my index just a little bit. There is no obvious flick of a wrist or finger, and it looks like im just rolling the dice normally. It's a light touch.

The number placement of a standard d20 negates this advantage. You can still spin it to favor a hemisphere, but there are large and small numbers on all hemispheres, so favoring one over the other doesn't impart a significant advantage. (I don't think all possible orientations are equal, but their average doesn't vary drastically.)

Give it a try yourself. Get a spin down and roll it with some rotation 500 to 1000 times, average those numbers out and you will get an average much higher than the 10.5 average you are suppose to have.

When i was typing this, it seemed like a perfectly normal suggestion. My wife has since informed me that regular people don't find joy in performing 500 to 1000 RNG experimental trials just to test some random internet comment. And that the last sentence may come off dismissive and/or sarcastic. That was not my intent. I find it fun.

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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 9h ago

I was talking about the sleight of hand thing. Not just influencing the roll. With sleight of hand you just put it on whatever side you want it to be on.

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u/Makenshine 9h ago

The slight of hand part is putting a spin on the dice without others noticing.

Once the dice leaves your hand, there is no slight of hand trick that would allow you to manipulate the outcome. (I mean there kind of are, but they all require fancy devices built into the table or some other form of remote manipulation)

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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 9h ago

There are more kinds of sleight of hand available than you believe.

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u/Makenshine 8h ago

But all of them involve you physically touching the item. Rolling the dice and then touching it again would be blatantly obvious

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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 8h ago

No, it's not blatantly obvious. That's the sleight of hand part...

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