You’re sitting at the table, the snacks are half-gone, and the Game Master looks you dead in the eye. "Roll for damage," they say. Or maybe you're playing Vampire: The Masquerade and you need to see how many successes your pool of d10s generates. It’s a specific vibe. Unlike the classic six-sided cube everyone knows from Monopoly, when you roll 10 sided dice, you’re stepping into a world of percentages, "explosive" crits, and a bit of geometry that feels slightly illegal.
Most people call them d10s. They look like two pentagonal pyramids glued base-to-base, which is technically a pentagonal trapezohedron. Try saying 그게 (that) three times fast after a few sessions of Call of Cthulhu.
The Math Behind the Plastic
Probability is weird. When you roll a single d10, the math is flat. You have a 10% chance of hitting any specific number. Simple, right? But things get messy when you start rolling multiples or using them to generate 1-100.
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Back in the day, before we had "true" 20-sided dice numbered 1-20, people used d10s for everything. You’d roll two of them to get a "percentile" result. One die represents the tens digit, the other the ones. If you roll a 7 and a 3, you’ve got a 73. If you roll a 0 and a 0? In most systems, that’s 100. It’s a rush. There’s something visceral about seeing those two digits line up to tell you exactly how badly you just failed a sanity check.
But why do we use them?
Games like World of Darkness or Cyberpunk Red rely on the d10 because the decimal system is just intuitive for humans. We have ten fingers. We think in tens. When a game tells you that you have a +2 bonus on a d10 roll, you instinctively know that's a 20% jump in your success rate. You don't have to do the mental gymnastics required for a d20 (where each +1 is 5%) or the bell curve madness of 3d6.
When Randomness Isn't Actually Random
Let’s be real for a second: your dice might be lying to you.
I’m not talking about "dice curses" or "bad luck," though we’ve all been there. I’m talking about manufacturing. Cheaper dice, especially those opaque ones you buy in bulk bags, often have tiny air bubbles trapped inside during the injection molding process. Because a d10 isn’t a Platonic solid (like the d4, d6, d8, d12, or d20), it's already a bit more sensitive to balance issues.
If there’s a bubble near the "1" face, that side is lighter. Gravity does its thing. The heavy side sinks. Suddenly, you're rolling 10s more often than you should. Great for your Paladin, maybe, but it ruins the integrity of the game.
Expert players like Louis Zocchi, the guy behind Gamescience dice, have spent decades screaming about this. He advocates for sharp-edged dice because tumbled dice—the ones with smooth, rounded edges—are technically uneven. The tumbling process that makes them shiny also makes them slightly lopsided. Does it matter for a casual game of Shadowrun? Probably not. Does it matter when you're trying to roll 10 sided dice for a high-stakes tabletop tournament? Absolutely.
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The Decathlon of Systems
- Storyteller System: Used in Vampire and Werewolf. You roll a pool of d10s based on your stats. Any die that shows an 8, 9, or 10 is a success. If you roll 1s, they sometimes "cancel out" your successes. It’s stressful.
- Talsorian’s Interlock: This powers Cyberpunk. You roll 1d10 + your stats. If you roll a 10, it "explodes." You roll again and add it. You can technically roll a 40 on a single d10 if the gods are smiling.
- Percentile Systems: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay or Delta Green. You need two d10s of different colors. One is always the tens, one is the units. You want to roll under your skill level.
Digital vs. Physical: The Great Debate
In 2026, everyone has a dice roller on their phone. Google has one built right into the search bar. You type "roll d10" and a virtual shape spins around. It's convenient. It’s also... sterile.
Digital rollers use Pseudo-Random Number Generators (PRNGs). They use an algorithm, often seeded by the system clock, to "calculate" a result. It's functionally random for any human purpose, but it lacks the tactile tension. There is a specific sound—a "clack-clack"—that only high-quality resin or metal dice make on a wooden table.
That sound is part of the ritual.
If you're playing online via Roll20 or Foundry VTT, you're stuck with the digital gods. But if you’re in person, the way you roll 10 sided dice matters. Some people "salt" their dice by rolling them a few times to see if they're "hot." Others insist on a dice tower to ensure a fair tumble. Honestly, a dice tower is the only way to go if you have a player who "rolls" by just dropping the die two inches onto the table. We all know that guy. Don't be that guy.
The Secret Geometry of the d10
If you look closely at a d10, you’ll notice the numbers are arranged so that opposite faces usually add up to 9 or 11, depending on the brand. This is a design choice intended to mitigate minor weight imbalances. On a standard "balanced" die, the high numbers and low numbers are distributed evenly across the surface.
It's actually quite hard to design a fair d10. Since it's a non-regular polyhedron, it relies on the symmetry of its faces to ensure each has an equal area. If the mold is even a fraction of a millimeter off, the "fairness" evaporates.
Actionable Tips for Better Rolls
Stop treating your dice like junk. If you want a fair game and a better experience next time you need to roll 10 sided dice, follow these steps.
First, test your dice. Get a glass of water, add enough salt so it's super saturated (the salt should stop dissolving), and drop your d10 in. If it floats, flick it. If it always rotates to show the same number, that die is unbalanced. Toss it or use it as a decorative bead.
Second, invest in a rolling mat. Rolling a heavy metal d10 directly onto your friend's expensive mahogany dining table is a fast way to not get invited back. A felt or leather tray keeps the noise down and prevents the dice from skittering off into the dark abyss under the couch.
Third, understand your system's "crit" rules. In many d10 systems, a 10 isn't just a success; it's a "special" success. Read the fine print in your rulebook. Some games allow "tens" to explode infinitely, while others cap them. Knowing the math won't make you roll better, but it will help you manage your expectations when you're staring down a Boss with only 3 HP left.
Finally, keep your dice clean. Oils from your hands, soda spills, and dust can gunk up the edges of your dice, affecting how they roll. A quick wipe with a damp cloth once in a while keeps them pristine. If you're using transparent dice, it also helps you spot those pesky internal bubbles that might be skewing your results.
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Now go out there and roll. Whether you're hunting monsters or just trying to pass a luck check, those ten-sided triangles are your best friends—or your worst enemies. It all depends on the tumble.