Roll a d6

Ability scores

What 4d6 drop lowest actually gives you

Roll four d6, throw away the smallest, add the other three. Everyone knows the method and almost nobody knows the odds, so here they are: all 1,296 outcomes counted, not estimated. The average score is 12.24, and a 13 is the single most common result.

Two numbers worth keeping: a score of 15 or better arrives 23.1% of the time, and a score of 8 or worse arrives 10.5% of the time. A player rolling six scores should expect one genuinely good one and, roughly every other character, one genuinely bad one.

Prefer to spend points instead of rolling? The point buy calculator covers the standard 27-point array.

Totals

Range and average, one die to eight

A single d6 averages 3.5. Every die you add moves the average by the same amount and tightens the spread around it, which is why 8d6 of fireball damage lands near 28 far more often than the 8 to 48 range suggests.

In play

What actually calls for a d6

More things than any other die. It is the smallest hit die, the standard light weapon damage die, the sneak attack die and the die every big evocation spell is counted in.

Wizard and sorcerer hit die

1d6

Shortsword, scimitar, handaxe, mace

1d6

Rogue sneak attack, per two levels

1d6

Fireball and lightning bolt

8d6

Rolling an ability score

4d6 drop lowest

Building the character these scores belong to? The character ideas list is a good place to find one worth rolling for.

Questions

What are the odds of rolling 4d6 drop lowest?

The most likely single result is 13, which comes up 172 times in 1,296, or about 13.3%. The average is 12.24. An 18 happens 21 times in 1,296, so roughly one roll in 62. The full table above lists every score from 3 to 18 with its exact count.

What is the average ability score from 4d6 drop lowest?

12.24, against 10.5 for straight 3d6. Dropping the lowest die is worth about 1.75 points per score, which is why almost every table uses it. Across six scores you would expect a total near 73.

What is the average roll on a d6?

3.5. For several dice, multiply: 2d6 averages 7, 3d6 averages 10.5, 8d6 averages 28. A fireball at 8d6 therefore averages 28 damage, or 14 on a successful save.

Which classes use a d6 hit die?

Wizards and sorcerers, and only those two. It is the smallest hit die in fifth edition, which is most of the reason both classes spend so much effort not being hit.

Is 2d6 better than 1d12?

On average, yes, by half a point: 2d6 averages 7 and 1d12 averages 6.5. Two dice also cluster far more tightly, so a greatsword is more reliable than a greataxe as well as slightly better. The d12 page works through the comparison properly.

How many ways are there to roll a 7 on 2d6?

Six, out of 36 combinations, so one roll in six. That is more than any other total, because 7 is the only sum you can make with every face on the first die. It is why 7 sits at the centre of the curve.