What are the dice types used in D&D?

D&D uses polyhedral dice — d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and d100 (often rolled with two d10s). A standard set includes all of them.

What is the most important die in D&D?

The d20. Attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws in 5e almost always start with a d20.

Is a d100 a separate die?

Sometimes. Many sets include a percentile d10 (00–90) paired with a 0–9 d10 instead of one giant 100-sided die.

D&D Dice Types Explained

Every D&D session runs on a small family of polyhedral dice. Learning what each type does makes character sheets, spell cards, and loot tables much easier to read — and it makes shopping for a D&D dice set obvious.

The seven dice you will use constantly

d4 — four-sided

Shaped like a pyramid (tetrahedron). You usually read the number that lands up or along the base, depending on the set’s numbering style. In 5e, d4s show up on light weapons, some cantrips, and small healing effects.

Tip: Sharp-edge resin d4s can feel pokey in a bag; rounded or larger d4s are kinder for long campaigns.

d6 — six-sided

The familiar cube. D&D leans on d6s for many weapons, spell damage (Fireball’s pile of d6s), and the classic 4d6 drop lowest ability-score method. One d6 in a starter set is fine; dedicated casters and DMs often want a handful more.

d8 — eight-sided

An octahedron. Common for martial weapon damage, rogue sneak attack scaling in some editions’ memory, and class features. Easy to confuse with a d10 in low light if the font is small — prioritize readable numbering.

d10 — ten-sided

Used for damage, some class features, and as half of a percentile pair. Standard sets include a 0–9 d10. Many also include a 00–90 percentile die so you can roll d100 without a specialty d100.

d12 — twelve-sided

Less common on a turn-by-turn basis, but essential when it appears — greataxes, barbarian features, and a few spells and monster attacks. Do not skip it when buying a “complete” set.

d20 — twenty-sided

The icon of modern D&D. Attacks, ability checks, and saving throws begin here. Advantage and disadvantage mean rolling two d20s and keeping one result — which is why many players eventually buy a second d20 or a matched pair.

Practice online anytime with the d20 roller or the full D&D dice roller.

d100 — percentile

True 100-sided dice exist, but most tables use two d10s: one for tens (00–90) and one for ones (0–9). Read 00 and 0 as 100 on most percentile checks. Random dungeon tables, wild magic, and treasure rolls love d100.

How types map to a shopping decision

If you…	Prioritize
Are buying your first set	A complete 7-piece kit (what you need)
Cast big AoE spells	Extra d6s (and sometimes d8s)
Play with advantage often	A second d20
DM for a full table	Bulk or duplicate sets (bulk dice)
Care about table presence	Material and finish (metal vs resin)

Specialty and novelty dice

Beyond the standard seven, shops sell spin-downs, oversized display dice, glow sets, and liquid-core designs. Fun for collections — still keep one high-contrast standard set for actual play.

D&D dice names — how players say each die out loud
How many dice are in a D&D set?
Best D&D dice

Ready to browse by look? Explore all D&D dice sets or filter by resin, metal, and more.