Tabletop Roll-Playing Games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons and Dragons have traditionally been played in-person, and rolling the infamous dice is part of what’s made the game famous. I’ve even written about giving handmade dice as gifts this year. However, thanks to the internet, you can play with anyone from around the world using many different RPG dice rollers online.
I have had a lot of fun playing online during lockdown here in the UK with students that I work with at my high school. I am also very fortunate in that I play both in-person and online. I personally have met some amazing people to play D&D with online; they are a huge amount of fun and generally great to be with, even though I’ve only had the pleasure of meeting one of them in person. None of this would be possible without playing online.
Yes, part of the fun of playing TTRPGs is rolling the dice; there is a sensory thrill in grabbing and handful of dice or a single d20 to determine your character’s fate. However, if you play with platforms like Roll20, you can roll dice electronically. I can tell you with certainty that for me, there is still a ton of tension and excitement with rolling dice electronically. It’s all down to the situation the players are in and how they are feeling: the dice does not make the game. So, if you’re looking for great RPG dice rollers online, I’ve compiled a short list for you to check out. Roll on!
Google can be your first stop if you need a fast RPG dice roller online. Simply Google the phrase “roll a d20” and a screen will appear with a giant d20. It then allows you to choose which dice, how many and which modifiers you want to add. I wouldn’t say it’s the prettiest thing to look at, but it gets the job done. It’s great in a pinch, and I used it extensively when I forgot all of my dice for almost a week straight when I was running the campaign with the students.
Roll20
Roll20 is free and has a really smart and intuitive online RPG dice roller system, in my opinion. There are a couple of options when you are using Roll20: you can type in a command like “/r 1d20” for a straight d20 roll, or you can of course add modifiers like “/r 1d20+4” if you want to add bonuses to your roll. What’s great is if you create a character within Roll20, it will build in the rolls for you as you create your weapons and spells. Therefore you don’t need to manually type anything in: you can click on “Greataxe” if that’s your character’s weapon, and it will roll the attack and damage for you. There’s also an option to allow actual 3D dice to roll across the screen. Roll20 works best if you are playing an actual game within Roll20, if that makes sense.
RPG Simple Dice
RPG Simple Dice is a RPG dice roller built for your mobile phone (Android only). It allows you to make custom dice rolls, like a d3, add modifiers, look at historic rolls (perfect if you roll the same combination of dice a lot), and a lot more. It’s clean and simple-looking, with a no-nonsense interface. If you’ve forgotten your dice or you play online and your Dungeon Master trusts that you aren’t fudging rolls, this kind of app will be perfect.
D&D Beyond
I’m a sucker for this RPG dice roller online because it looks so freakin’ cool. You have to sign up for a D&D Beyond account to access the dice, but you are given the ability to create up to six characters for free, which works well for me. In my opinion, no other D&D dice roller comes close to rolling the real thing, especially the way the dice roll across your screen with sound effects that make you feel like you’ve actually rolled dice across your table.
Major’s 3D Dice Roller
This is an online RPG dice roller that I recently discovered, and I think it works really well. You can virtually “throw” the dice by using your mouse, and the 3D dice look nice overall. There is also an option to create a room for your other players so they can see your rolls, if that’s something you are interested in. There are a lot of different textures and colours to choose from and even a D&D coin flipper for when you’re choosing which corridor to go down or which player to give that last healing potion to!
There you have it, a list of RPG dice rollers online and in app form that will keep you gaming long into the night. I hope you only roll 20s from here on out!
If you still can’t get enough of the real deal, also check out these dice sets recommended by character class.