How many dice are in a D&D set?

Seven: the d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20 and a percentile d10. But one of them does nearly all the work, and the “d100” isn't really a die at all. Roll them yourself below.

Dice roller

Roll the whole set

Tap any die to roll it. No app, no login — just dice.

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Roll ability scores (4d6, drop lowest)

The d20 — with advantage

The short answer

A standard polyhedral set is seven dice: the four-sided d4, the six-sided d6, the d8, d10, d12, the twenty-sided d20, and a second d10 marked in tens (00–90) that pairs with the first to make a percentile roll. Most sets you buy lay out exactly these seven.

So is it seven dice, or six dice and a trick? Both. The percentile “d100” is two d10s read together, which is why some people count six. And you could technically survive a whole session with a single d20. The number is honest at seven, but the truth is lumpier than the box suggests.

What each die is for

d4A spiky pyramid — dagger damage, Magic Missile, healing potions.

d6The familiar cube. Most weapon damage, and the four you roll for each ability score.

d8Longswords, many spells, and the most common hit die.

d10Heavier weapon damage — and one half of the percentile roll.

d12The lonely giant: greataxe damage and the Barbarian's hit die. The least-rolled die in the set.

d20The icon. Every attack roll, saving throw and ability check starts here.

d100Percentile — really two d10s read together, for 1 to 100.

The d20 does almost everything

If one die deserves the spotlight, it's the d20. Every attack roll, every saving throw, every ability check is a d20 plus your modifiers against a target number. Roll a natural 20 on an attack and it's a critical hit; roll a natural 1 and it automatically misses. The other six dice mostly just measure how much — damage, healing, hit points — after the d20 has decided whether.

That's also where advantage comes in: when conditions favour you, you roll two d20s and keep the higher; disadvantage keeps the lower. Try it in the roller above — it's the single most important mechanic in modern D&D.

Rolling a character: 4d6, drop the lowest

The classic way to generate a hero's six ability scores uses only the humble d6. For each score you roll four d6, discard the lowest, and add the other three — giving a number from 3 to 18 that leans toward the middle. Do it six times and assign the results to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.

The roller above has a button for exactly this. Prefer certainty? Many tables instead use the “standard array” (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) or a point-buy budget — but rolling is where the table holds its breath.

Build a character in three steps

1 · Pick a class → all 12 explained 2 · Pick a species → all 10 explored3 · Roll your stats — you're here

Quiz

Roll for knowledge

Question 1 of 5

How many dice are in a standard D&D set?

Sources

Wikipedia — Dice notation & polyhedral dice. The standard seven-die set and percentile (d100) reading.
Wikipedia — Dungeons & Dragons. The d20 core mechanic, advantage/disadvantage, and 4d6-drop-lowest ability generation.

More from the table

How many classes are in D&D? →How many races (species) are in D&D? →How many players are in D&D? →← All Games & Gaming

Seven dice in the box, one die that matters most, and the only roll that counts is the one you make at the table.