User:Cedric/Dicems

This shimmer isn't for anyone but DMs. Otherwise, may the grim reaper hover over you at night, waiting...

Dice theory

Platonic solids can't be surpassed for their perfect symmetry (deemed "super-regular" in that they are comprised of platonic objects of lower dimensions down to the straight line, the platonic object of dimension 1), which gives no bias from the universe. They're practically "invisible" to the forces which contend for the dice roll. Hence, they're perfect for players to use in-game. They're not as perfect for DMs who, by representing the universe, need the demi-gods to speak to them. They do this through the dice.

These help the DM bring in information that they'd otherwise need to make up from scratch. Here, the work is done for you, by tuning into these other forces and setting them down, so that you, the DM, don't need to.

Since dungeon masters are holding and representing the whole universe, they get extra power-dice: d16, d24, d30, d60, d120, d360. These regular polyhedra allow other, more diverse, divine forces to come to bear. For large number dice of about 60 and above, you can roll it in your palm and turn your hand over, placing it down on the table.

4s are related to the soul's order of dominant traits, whether the Oerths or language-enabled humanoids, while sixes integrate these with the universe in a dynamic way (8s would end the search and dynamism here). Eights are when life and death are in the same double-souled beings within the larger universe, and then d16s when there is some kind of mismash between the universe and these humanoids -- like messing with certain things found in the Abyss, which shall not be named here.

XXXOut-of-game (like artificial character background generation) d10s are used. But the real magic, comes in using regular geometric solids beyond the platonic and even, as in the witch class, archimedean solids.

d4: Feywild Path creation

NOTE/FIX: These dice techniques can be used for feywild or industrial encounters with a few modifications. Also, Underdark encounters. This makes four variations of these mechanics for the 4 major groupings of the universe: dead/alive, masculine/feminine. These can be related to the four elements of alchemy (matter:light::dead:alive), for example.

Random encounters may (and should) occasionally find a path that isn't marked on the map. These create a "choose-your-own-adventure" type story that were common in paperback book back in the day. Like then, sometimes they come to a dead end, and sometimes you become a hero. Roll 5d4s successively to fill in the path. Each roll is called a "sequence point". 5d4s are probably the ideal for this adventure and reality-building mechanic. Once you reach the end of the trail led by each dice roll, roll a d20 at east sequence point to see what might be there. That is to say, the universe has 20 paths to construct an encounter at each sequence point.

The 5d4 should be individually colored, with one black and one white, plus three other colors -- probably the same as Magic: the Gathering. Depending on whether the DM is Elven/Aryan race, the white die is the "growth" dice and the black dice is the "age" dice. The higher the rolls on such dice, the more significant or aged, respectively.

However, if you, as the DM, KNOW that the players are walking towards towarsd their demise, because of the entirely of dispositions to the universe, then these black and white rolls are reversed. The black is now the growth die and telling you how far into the darkness they are going, while the white die reveals, covertly what transpired to create this.

This table is for non-Underdark encounters, but could be adapted for use in the Underdark with similar mechanics.

• 5 (1:1024): It dead ends after one round.
• 6: The trail continues, but the weather shifts. See if their PER score and alignment allows them to perceive it. A breeze
• 6: They lose the trail. They can roll again to look further, turn back, or continue over wilderness (different table and dice).
• 7: A object on the path. Roll next table to see what.
• 11: The path continues to the left.
• 12: The path continues onward in the same direction. Roll again, if they wish to keep following it.
• 13: The path continues to the right.
• 18: A hole in the ground. If they can continue, keep rolling, other
• 19: A realm transition, from grass to forest, for example, or a river crossing.
• 20: (1:1024): "The gods get curious." It leads to an entrance to a new adventure: perhaps the gods want to test the party or perhaps the balance of the universe wishes to use the party to re-balance the state of things. See subsection on "New Adventures".

Since in most rolls, the trail will go on, after some amount of continuance, there is a chance for them to get lost.

The sequence point is to determine your disposition to the universe for exploring something that you didn't make and didn't belong to you.

The god's object table (1d10):

The Universe's sequence point table (1d10? or d20):

• 1: You find a hostile NPC.
• 10: Nothing is there.
• 11: You feel a vague notion of something indeterminant.
• 20: You find a friendly NPC.

In the Underdark, the order of these d20 rolls is reversed, so that hostile NPCs are encountered with the top roll of the dice rather than the lowest. On the roll 11 here, this should be interpreted as a complete disconnection from their normal, more-or-less intuitive, connection to the universe. The party's reaction to this feeling should tell you their level of daring. A conservative party will turn back upon not knowing how to read their world at this point (and the higher-likelihood of nothing interesting?), while a daring party will forge ahead without any knowledge whatsoever about what lies ahead. Both of these give the DM valuable data about your group.

The remainder are left blank at this time, because what the universe concocts is completely dependent on the party's alignment and disposition to the game world. These are advanced techniques, but you must try to measure their aligment and balance the encounter based on their history, desires/intention, and the universe's state of being.

New Adventures

Your curiosity has piqued the gods interests and now you are being tumbled into a side-quest and new adventure. You, the DM, will need to rally your forces of adventure-building and calculate the state of the world and it's relation to your party.

The party: add up all of the alignments of each party member and form a tensor by multiplying their alignment with their current level. This is what you add together, to form the party's profile with respect to the universe. That is, how do they appear to the gods?

The universe: add up the demi-gods vectors/trajectories of what they wish to accomplish.

If the gods' vector is bigger than the party's, then you have disadvantage to the party -- they will need to accomplish something new in the universe to justify their diversion from their obligatoins to their own people, society, and their gods.

If the party's vector is higher than the gods', then the party has advantage, and -- if they act honorably -- they should find or learn something valuable that the gods possess.

To make this work well, you may need to consult higher-level Game Master to see what they're planning in the universe and to see what they possess for the different demi-gods.

---

AL Notes:

• (on a roll 6): When the weather shifts while the players are exploring they've gotten the curiosity of the goddess.

---

WotC Notes

• This "curiosity" is called a "trigger". A trigger activates higher-level awareness, forcing the gods/esses to "wake up" to the normal mundane lives of humans.

d6: simplified NPC interactions

Rather than the more complicated [[dicems#d30|]] mechanics, a d6 offers good diversity as well.

mod 2:

• even numbers open up conversation, odd numbers close them down

Triads:

• upper third (5-6) are about transcendental topics
• lower third (1-2) are about mundane topics (the weather, the cost of food, etc.)
• middle third (3-4) are about person-to-person issues

Dyads:

• Lower half (1-3): The NPC is a bit suspicious/withdrawn
• Upper half (4-6): The NPC is excitable

THe DM can interpret a single roll in any of these and select the interpretation that abides by the DM's intention the most. For example, the DM knows the NPC is a ruffian that means harm to the player, s/he rolls a 4: it abides by the suspicion in the triads (person-to-person issues) and the DM can make the NPC excitable in that the NPC knows what they're planning against the player, but perhaps the mod 2 table isn't relavant of opening up more conversation and can be ignored.

d16: PC-NPC meetups

A PC and NPC meet on the road. There's no boxed text, no screenplay written, telling what the interaction should entail. What's a DM going to do?

d16 doesn't seem like much of a power die, but it has uses for DMs, because they generate the universe, while players live in it.

Can roll one for each person, evens are protagonistic, odds are antagonistic

Protagonistic just meeans that they have a friendly disposition towards you. They may or may not be friendly to your cause (that they don't know yet) or a true ally. That is what further dialog (d30s) must figure out.

Likewise, Antagonistic doesn't mean theyr enemies. They could be busy on not very interested in talking, oppositely-aligned on some benign dimension, karmically associated with some casualty you made in your (mis)adventures.

Lower eight numbers (1-8), means the player is subordinate (all (or most) as less than the player's level), higher 8 player is (one or more above their level)

If players go around killing every negative disposition, pretty soon the gravity in the soul will direct new types of NPCs into their area -- whereever they are. This always happens and you can use this to build it -- the only variable is how long it will take. Energetically, this is a factor of how much discord they made in the soul. If half of their kills were righteous to the soul, then it won't take as long as if all of them were merely busy with a soul need elsewhere (like some sorcerer draining their communities soul somewhere). May the dice be with you.

d24: object interactions

A 4x6, and then 3x8 (both =24) interaction window.... roll it up to 4 times to see the different forces influencing the object. The first die to match what you know is most influential, the remainder in decreasing order.

Someoen else may need to divine the 4x6 interactions Dot a modulo x6X<< to see which expanded alchemical element influences the object.XXno modulo 6: 0. goddess support (from below) 1. civil or applied influences 2. demigods 3. manufacturing 4. ?? 5. pressure from the gods (from above)

• first set of 8 (1-8) mundane interactions (things you could use it for for it's outward/obvious appearances),
• the second set of 8: entangled interactions (magical interactions, karma/history on the item, etc.), and
• the last 8 (17-24) godly interactions...

d30: NPC dialog

NPC interactions can be hard to imagine. So this die helps the DM generate dialog from the NPCs to the player, so that they’re not stumbling over themselves or sounding bland. There are three major groups, a d10 group, and the evens/odds. Figure out the primary disposition to the players by ascertaining their aligment and gods, the state of trust in the community to see if they're going to by untrusting vs trusting upon approach. (Also consider your own/party's current state of attire: are you muddy, dirt-adled wrecks, or bastions of nobility?)

UPDATE: Perhaps change this to a mod 3 or show both and let the DM decide.

• Lower Band (1-10): NPC’s internal, mundane, or personal world
• Middle Band (11-20): NPC-PC shared topics
• Upper Band (21-30): NPCs connection to ideals or the gods.

• Lower half (1-15):NPC is suspicious, resistant
• Upper half (16-30): NPC is excitable

Note: adding all of these dynamics isn't easy and not all need to be utilized. Further, some of them are better determined, not by dice rolls, but by the expected attitude that the PC would evoke (either by appearances or temperament).

mod4:

• 0: Health (needs): women, ale
• 1: Heart (fears and hopes: things they keep close and wouldn't talk about unless asked. RED TRANSPARENCY or rely on obscure format): their children, the return of Tiamat
• 2: Head (thoughts): how to fix wagon wheels, knowledge of the village
• 3: Hands (loves and life goals): proper elvish manners, chewy hobbits, visiting Lothlorien.

Use evens for going into new conversation loops (a sub-conversation in the midst of another larger topic with the same individual), while odds close down opened conversations. In other words, if you roll an even, expand or open up more conversational dialog, perhaps asking a question. If you roll odd, eschew conversation if you just started, or close down your sub-conversations that you started.

mod 10s: word or topic mentioned and brought up in dialog
0: ASM: abstract, transitional, mad, or vague topic ("What do you want? You don't know a hat from a chapeau. You'"
1: STR: TANK, ("Why you asking me?") food, an article of clothing, other mundanities
2: DEX: ("Why should I give you information? What do you have for me?") technique, a form (perhaps cloaked yet), , a technical exploration
3: CON: ("I don't know much about that" (concealing), na motivation, reason
4: WIS/PTY ("Try Smithy over in the blacksmith shop.") a relationship, ,
5: INT: ("That's not what you want, you should ask about X -- what's the purpose of magic, blah."
6: CHR: ("Of course I know about that! (rolls eyes)" Awandering into wonderment
7: Divine/Metal: Mundane, industrial, civilization
8: Divine/Gem: Transcendental, divine/noble, natural
9: PER: something specific for their goals, deveping backstory to the NPC ("Do you know of any wizards in Triboar?")

That covers half of the roll-diversity. Mod 3 to determine: 0. they terminate with a question 1. they say something ambiguous 2. they terminate with a statement XXX?

• 10, 20, 30 can be transitional between the three categories above, or where the NPC asks a question, given the priorities of the gods (what might they be trying to accomplish through the NPC?). If you roll any of these, you can jump to any other, but you don't have to.
• 5, 15, 25 can be an optional fork in the dialog: 5) a different chain of thought bursts in 15) a lull in the dialog, or 25) something from the environment interrupts the flow ("their friend comes in and asks if they're ready to go...").

The categories can be interpreted liberally. For example, rolling a 30, can be something like “Welp, unless there’s anything else, I’m going to get back to my work. Cherio!”. Where work can be something s/he considers significant to the gods, in some way, while the "unless there's something else" allows an option to continue or not.STUB

A simplified mechanic might be utilized using a dicems#d6. See that dice section.

d40: landscape generation

This is inside of the maps, but at lower-level scales where the map has no detail. d50 might be better, since we're not actually GENERATING new reality (i.e. the map already exists).

STUB: Not sure if this is the right die for this. or perhaps use the scent (air from water), light (light from darkness), hearing (day from night), and touch (earth from the heavens) (as the four dimensions of orgnanims.

forest, glade/meadow, dungeon, cave, sea, alpine, rocky shore?sandy beach each have their own tables. The d40 can be decomposed to a d4 for the elements (+1 for nothing) and a d10 where the gods generate the perspective seen (unless seen before by another).

insects (and new veg life) belong to the water element, flowers (possibly bones) to the fire element, sticks and dead matter to the earth element, rock and dung to the air element.

• 0,0 nothing
• a stick
• a rock (ice if alpine)
• a bone or set of bones (roll for state of decay)
• a flower
• an herb
• a bug
• a log
• a bit of bark (which may have beetles and such depending on the state of the Underdark)
• a sapling
• dung
• a lost trinket, a primitive weapon
• an old bit of leather nearly assimilated into the dirt
• a faint trail (DC 25 to see it or DC25-LVL for an explorer)
• a slot for an unknown (campaign, NPC, or object injection)
• an animal trail (DC20 to see it DC20-LVL for explorer)
• a dirt trail (
• worn path

sea: flotsam floating leaf m

d50: event generation

Note: It is known now, that the original Hoyle order was wrong and based on Jesus interacting up in the higher-self where the male and female were. This would instead be 2 of 4 jokers.

4 quads: 1-12, 13-24, 25-36, 37-48, + 2 wild? or 4?,

If for a one-shot, roll twice. If you get the same suit, you get a special treasure-hunting event. If you get the exact result, you get the super-boss, capable of defeating the players (if they were to try to kill).

Something involving one or more of the following:

• hearts: 1-10: animals, birds, fish, simple peasants; 11-13: higher-level bosses of same
• clubs: ruffians, bandits, warlocks, magicians;
• diamonds: traders, civic workers,; leaders(mayors), master craftslan,
• spades: underworld characters: orcs, goblins, skeletons, ghouls, (roll again to see if its a true underdark NPC: chuuls, cthulhu, demons, etc). The present VALENCE of the realm determines how difficult/nunmbers/darkness.

d120: diamond production/madness effects, campaign generation

For producing diamonds in the realms:

This die injects new currency effectively into the realms, by using the DM to do work. The DM (or Dreamer class) can inject diamonds into the realms by rolling this die. 1d120 per carat desired. That means you have to roll 8 of these simultaneously and get the top roll, 120, to get an 8ct diamond. The chances of this are 1:43,000,000,000,000,000. Fortunately, this difficulaty can be mitigated, by the dreamer or DM locking in a dice at the expense of a LVL (which can return once they get the item desired) to have a chance to get larger items.

In order to hold 3 dice locked in place, they have to forfeit 3 levels. If they try to cheat the system by locking in only one level until they get the highest roll, they get bad luck (disadvantage rolls) until they finish their gemstone rolling. It is generally better just to forfeit the levels as you get the dice roll you want. One can substitute a "close" roll for a defect in the stone. The further away the number from a perfect 120, the greater the defect.

For madness effects:

To do madness properly the DM has to lie to the players, in order for cool effects like hallucinations to work. This makes them question their own judgement or whether they understand what's going on properly. Ideally, the d120 is painted like a skull.

Also, you have to determine that party's overall tension level with each other. I mean, they've been walking these dark tunnels for days, surviving on fungus, the darkness and lack of connection to the outside world is grating on them. Any inconvenience that one party member puts on another, well, things can get "testy".

Every round the DM should roll a d120 and depending on the result of the roll, determine which player (given their present state) the roll is talking to. If the roll doesn't seem to apply to anyone, the landscape around them changes in some way.

1. they see ground ahead of them, but there's actually a hole. If you're in the Abyss, this means they fall down a cravasse to their death. Thems the breaks for being in the Underdark.
2. They feel a mosquito bite them on their rear. (DM: But it's not really there.)
3. They yell at their party member: "STOP touching me!!" (The DM should slip the player a note.)
4. They stomp their feet aggressively. (DM: they're feeling victim to psychic attack.)
5. They stare at another player and move their hands in front of their face in a circular gesture.
6. They start to wander off from the party without saying anything. (DM: silently, their inner sense suggests something, but they fear to speak it for being seen as insane.)
7. They start talking to players in their above-world tone of voice about going to the tavern and getting something to eat. Looking at them, eyebrows raised in anticipation.
8. They stick out their tongue and "LlalalLALALA!!" making nonsensical words to you as they walk away. (DM: this occurs when there is pressure from others that compromises their roots (ancentry, Truths they carry, etc.)
9. They open up your backpack and start rattling around in your stuff.
10. They stop and start counting the thin (DM: this happens when people don't feel cared for and they're reminding themselves of things they have they value.)

20: 30: 40: 50: 60: They lose a madness level, but they don't know it. 120: They lose a madness level.

Campaign generation: (belongs in the DMG)

Separated into 12s. Generally each side brings up to 6 elements to the table.

1-12: the campaign

d360: real-world/fantasy-world integration

The d360 is a very special die: it represents and speaks for the GOD/DESS over all-that-is. It is omni-gendered, omni-present being, just like a circle has 360 degrees and covers or encloses everything. Demi-gods are somewhere beneath the 360, and DM should use the d60 to represent them (or less in the case of most evil gods -- do note that most nature based "evil" beings are really just chaotic expressions of the goddess side of this all-that-is).

Roll this die with a d10 to see how INTENSE the fortune is on the d360. A value of 1 means that a quake (item #1) is very minor, while a 10 is a major event that changes the dynamics in the game. However, this also can be modified by another d10 roll to see if that proir roll is reliable. It is your connected to the collective Game Masters of the Universe to know if this die needs to be rolled. The prior die (the first d10) mostly depends on your connection to the goddess(?). So, technically, you need neither d10 if you're sufficiently connected to the gestalt of the universe.

The actual power of the demi-gods related to this d360, all-that-is, is that they really vie for one of the quadrants that made the shape of man (and animals) with 4 limbs. But, since they never can reach consensus on WHO should "own" and control any of these quadrants, it generally takes the shape of a d60 -- six different, overlapping powers, in tension.

Every face above 180 (or is it the evens?) is real-world dominant. This means everything below this (or odd) is fantasy-world dominant.

Rolled once per campaign to set a mood for the encounter and to add single token to the balance. The DM might track these to look for larger patterns.

Each number except 1-5 can be represented by some combination of d60 rolls. All 1s Like a being of all-that-is, the results of the d360 range from the profound to the seemingly mundane, but can be used by the DM to work with the mechanic to simulate a GOD over the whole realm (WotC, right?). In theory, Ravenloft would be a 45 degree range somewhere in the 360 which could move around if something significant happened in the reams (an actual death of the 5-headed dragon, fro example). For this example, the range will be placed between 225 to 270. If you're presently in Ravenloft, many of these rolls will need to be "darkened" and re-interpreted for that domain. For example, there is never sunlight in that domain (unless you find the secret ending).

• 1. Orth-quake. The Oerth splits open before you. It is uncrossable without magic if the DM believes they're going the wrong direciton.
• 2. A human materializes in front of you and wants to know what you're doing. They are from somewhere in your current real-life universe, but can astrally project into your game world.
• 3. A demi-planar entity is revealed to you (perhaps a demi-god which seeks a relationship) and/or perhaps delivers you a message.
• 4. An elemental (of the woods, sea, etc.) gives your body a code, which you feel with significance, but whose meaning perhaps eludes you (i.e. at the moment, yes?). You may feel it in your present real-life body.
• 5. a war party of some kind charges at you. (remember to figure out the leaders/factions involved, who knows how to divine it, yet?) (5)
• 6. Nothing at all happens, the world is still and time as stopped, but for a moment. Note your feelings in the vastness of infinite stillness (6d60, all 1s)
• 7. and above....

• 133?: Your food rations take a little bit tastier today.
• 180. One of the players should state their real-life name to King Hekaton, Giant of the North. "King Hekaton, I am Peter McDaniel, player of Krog the Warrior in the realms. They must find a shrine (Shrine of the All-Father?), in which to do so properly. If they already did so, as you might have read this aloud, they should write it down and leave it for him when the time comes as a note.
• 181: One of the players must state their character`s name to their god in the game world. "I am Krog the Destroyer, Master of the Blade", or (lower-level) "I am Kris, Seeker of Truth and Virtue".
• 182: The party states to the DM, its purpose for playing.
• 183: The party must address itself to Spirit of the Forest and state their purpose for being in the lands of the Forgotten Realms.
• 190:
• 200:
• 210: ?you take something from the fantasy world, and put it into ours, removing it from the fantasy side
• 220:
• 225: (Raveloft start): A mist appears over the ground this morning. At this point the players might enter the subdomain of Ravenloft through the misty beginning scenario.
• 226:
• 270: (Ravenloft end): The clouds lift up and the sky is filled with nice sunny clouds on this crisp, cool day.
• 359:
• 360: After the game, go outside and do something that is related to your class. IF you're a leader class, go to your city hall and learn something about your government. IF you're a fighter, enroll in boxing class, or simply go to the gym.

It may be that there needs to be different dice, one of each color of the chromatic dragon's heads, representing what the configuration of the whole realm is. These could be traded among DMs as their players change major dynamics. Each one can "rotate" (subtract or add) the words above 45 degrees and keep their original "shape", modifyng their wording perhaps when Strahd is dominant, when the white dragon/Hekaton is dominant, like the present 5e era. However, Strahd (orange dragon) is very close and competes with this "GOD"-setup.

Dice values to consider:

• a value that requries the players to perform some real-world task before the next game, or take a penalty for the next game.
• a specific player must buy pizza (or food)
• all background music must integrate some form of social (condition for interaction)

These come in pairs, but the 1000 year war showed that they must also be separate, never together. If you, as DM, try, expect the land and the elements to crumble together. Good luck salvaging that mess.

• Blue dragon/Nordic particularly a Valkayri configuration,
• Green Dragon/Earth goddess,
• Yellow dragon/demigods whcih favor the humanoids.
• Orange dragon/Strahd when man is dominant but Odin when he isn't
• Red dragon/War gods dominant
• Purple / Marinehtar: used for when the final endgame of D&D itself is engaged.

---

Out-of-game (like artificial character background generation) d10s are used. But the real magic, comes in using special dice that are not platonic, yet have equal faces all around. In order to qualify as divination instruments (like a Tarot deck), the dice must be equal-faced, all vertices must touch on an enclosing sphere, and every face must have one point whose perpendicular fustrum (the line that emanates from this point, perpendicularly) goes through the sphere`s center. So this includes the rhombus-faced d30, the

Calculating DM level

DMs are effectively 5-classed players. That means it takes 5x as much XP to level. Fortunately, they have 5 players, often. So if you have 5 LVL 3 players, you are a LVL 3 DM. Each player should be a different class, otherwise consider their level divided by 2 and every susequent player divided by 2 yet again.

XXXDMs level can be roughly calculated by summing player XP and dividing by 2, plus thier total copper value, plus how many 1 mi hexes of dominion you have over the realms x complexity_modifier. This modifier ranges from 1 to 8 depending on how many stat you have over the realm. Map data, People and population, gods holding dominsion over regions and underworlds, knowledge of human evilish and animal NPCs in different biomes (including dungeons),

5 players 1 = 1 LVL for the DM