Roll a d4

Reading it

The one die that does not have a top

Every other die in the set lands with a face pointing up and you read that face. A d4 lands on a face and points a corner at the ceiling, so there is nothing to read up there.

Pointy-top

The same number sits at the apex on all three visible sides. That number is your roll.

Bottom-edge

Numbers run along the bottom of each face instead. Read the one at the base of the side facing you.

Flat-top or crystal

Behaves like a normal die. Read the face pointing up.

The roller above skips the argument entirely.

Totals

Range and average, one die to eight

A single d4 averages 2.5. Every die you add moves the average by the same amount and tightens the spread around it, so big handfuls of d4 are far more predictable than they look.

In play

What actually calls for a d4

It is the small damage die and the small bonus die. It is also, under the 2014 rules, how a fighter finds out how much gold they started with.

Dagger, dart, club, sling

1d4

Magic missile, per dart

1d4+1

Guidance, resistance, bless

1d4

Fighter starting gold, 2014 rules

5d4 x 10 gp

Rolling for starting wealth? The starting gold table for every class covers what each one rolls and what the 2024 rules changed.

Questions

How do you read a d4?

It depends which kind you own. On the common pointy-top d4 there is no upward face, so you read the number printed at the apex, repeated on all three visible sides. On a flat-top or crystal d4 you read the number lying face up, the same as any other die. If your d4 shows three numbers around the bottom edge instead, read the one at the base of the side facing you.

What do you use a d4 for in D&D?

Small weapon damage, mostly. Daggers, darts, clubs and slings all deal 1d4. It also carries a run of low-level spells: each magic missile dart is 1d4+1, and guidance, resistance and bless all add 1d4 to a roll. Under the 2014 rules a fighter rolling for starting gold rolls 5d4 and multiplies by ten.

What are the odds on a d4?

25% for each face, so one in four. Rolling two d4 changes the shape: totals of 2 and 8 come up one time in sixteen each, while 5 comes up four times in sixteen, because there are four different ways to make it. The more dice you add, the more the total clusters around the average.

What is the average roll on a d4?

2.5. For several dice, multiply: 2d4 averages 5, 4d4 averages 10, 8d4 averages 20. The table above lists the range and the average for every count from one die to eight.

Is any class hit die a d4?

No. The smallest hit die in fifth edition is the d6, used by wizards and sorcerers. The d4 was a wizard hit die in older editions, which is where the expectation comes from.

Why is the d4 the one everyone stands on?

Because it lands point up and it does not roll away, so it stays exactly where it was dropped until somebody finds it barefoot. It is the only die in the set with a genuine reputation.