dicepool

A dice pool is a method used in many tabletop role-playing games to resolve actions by rolling several dice together as a single unit. The pool size usually represents a character’s capabilities, often determined by adding a relevant attribute to a related skill or by a dedicated resource pool. The larger the pool, the higher the baseline probability of achieving the desired outcome.

In typical dice-pool systems, each die that meets or exceeds a specified target number or difficulty counts as a success. The total number of successes determines whether the action succeeds and, in some games, the degree of success. Some systems use thresholds, while others rely on counting the total of all qualifying dice. Variants may include exploding or open-ended dice, where certain results trigger extra dice or additional successes, and some rules may incorporate critical or special outcomes.

Differences between systems include the type of dice used (commonly six- or ten-sided dice, but other dice are also employed), how modifiers affect the pool, and whether positive and negative dice are combined. Some games use multiple colors or categories of dice to represent different sources of effort or circumstance. Regardless of the exact rules, the core idea remains: a pool of dice is rolled to determine success probabilities for actions, with outcomes influenced by the size and composition of the pool.

Usage and strategy often center on resource management: players increase pool size through in-game effects, at the cost of other actions, and seek to optimize the likelihood of successes within the system’s specific mechanics. Dice pools are a common feature across many RPGs, board games, and narrative-driven systems.