Mr.

GRover’s
Student Sample
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The Mathematics behind Dungeons & Dragons

“Dungeons & Dragons is a
structured yet open-ended
role-playing game. It is normally
played indoors with the participants
seated around a tabletop. Typically,
each player controls only a single
character, which represents an
individual in a fictional setting.”
-D&D Wiki
Creating a character
For this step, you will need:
A character sheet.
- I’ll be using the one from fifth edition (sometimes labeled 5e). -
A pencil.
A six-sided die - referred to as a d6.
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Creating a character
Once you’ve picked a race and a class, it’s time to roll for your stats.
These are the things that basically tell you how good (or bad) you are
at various skills.

There are a number of ways to do this, but I like to roll 4d6 (roll a six-sided
die four times), drop the lowest roll, and add the rest.

For example: if you rolled a 1, a 4, another 4, and a 6, you would drop the 1,
and add 4, 4, and 6 for a total of 14.

You’ll need to do this for each of your 6 ability scores.

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The character sheet

At this point you should have 6 These
numbers between 3 (the result ability scores
of rolling 4 1’s) and 18 (the go here:
result of rolling 3 6’s and
anything else).

The probability of rolling a score of 3

is: ⅙ x ⅙ x ⅙ x ⅙ = 1/1296

The probability of rolling a score of

18 is: ⅙ x ⅙ x ⅙ = 1/256
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Ability scores
There are 6 ability scores which are usually explained in the following way:

STRength: your ability to crush a tomato

DEXterity: your ability to throw a tomato
CONstitution: your ability to eat a rotten tomato without falling ill
INTelligence: your ability to know that a tomato is a fruit
WISdom: your ability to know that tomatoes do not belong in fruit salad
CHArisma: your ability to sell someone a tomato-based fruit salad

Fill in your results however they match up with the class you want to play.
A Rogue might need more DEX while a Wizard might need more WIS.
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Modifiers
For every ability score you have, a modifier is associated with it.
This modifier changes how well your dice roll is for a particular action
(we’ll get into this later).

You can put these

additive or subtractive
values in either the
larger box or the
smaller bubble along
with your ability
scores.
rolling in a turn
For this step, you will need:
A (relatively) completed character sheet
Usually a d20.
There are also d4, d6 (we’ve used this already), d8, d10, and d12.
Sometimes you’ll use these as well.
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Each roll is dependent on the action that is taken

A classic example is At level 1, your Once you have this
making an attack roll. proficiency (your number, you should
expertise in something) compare it to the
For this, you will follow is usually +2. armor class (AC) of
these steps: the thing you are
fighting.
Roll 1d20.
Add your STR modifier. Maybe you roll a 14,
Add your proficiency you have +3 to STR,
bonus shown here. and a bonus of +2 for
a total of 19.
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Making an attack roll (Continued)

Now that we have made our attack Once we
roll and received a total value of 18, know that
you compare that value to your the hit
enemy’s AC (ties go to attacker). connects, we
roll for
Let’s say we’re fighting a goblin… damage
which is
His AC is 15. determined
by the
19 ≥ 15, so the attack lands. weapon used.
Other times we need to roll dice
This will be used when making skill checks, making saving throws, etc.

Pretty much anything you want to do in D&D will require rolling a dice of
some kind.
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Skill checks
If you are a rogue
To the right is the list picking a locked door,
of skills that might be you would make a
used in any number of sleight of hand check.
circumstances.
You’ll make your roll
These work just like with proficiency (you’re
attack rolls. skilled as a rogue). This
number is compared to
1d20 a set challenge value.
+relevant modifier This is decided by the
+proficiency (if true) DM based on difficulty.
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Saving throws
Imagine you’ve just stolen a rare
artifact from an underground temple.
Oh no! There’s a pressure plate under
the artifact, and now there’s a giant
boulder rolling after you!

At this point, the DM might make you

roll a DEX saving throw to avoid this.

1d20 + relevant modifier

+ proficiency (if true)
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Critical rolls (successes and failures)

20 Sometimes you roll incredibly well. 1
Sometimes you roll incredibly poorly.

Rolling a “nat 20” or a 20 (when Rolling a “nat 1” or a 1 (when rolling

rolling a d20) without any modifiers a d20) without any modifiers is
is considered a critical success. considered a critical failure.

A roll with this result is A roll with this result is an

automatically successful. automatic failure.

It might also mean double damage. This means that no matter what you
Ex) 2d6 (instead of 1d6) + mod are attempting, it’ll go wrong...
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Converting currency
Nothing in life is free. This is true in
real life and in D&D.
There are several types of coins
generally utilized in the world of
Dungeons and Dragons, and the
conversion for these currencies are
shown here.

For example:
10 silver pieces is equivalent to 1
gold piece.
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In conclusion...
These are just a few examples of mathematics in D&D.

Generally speaking, most of the rules that are in place are grounded in math
so that the players and the DM have less work to do in order to
appropriately figure out whether or not varying events occur.

Since anyone can develop specific or original rules, there are literally endless
possibilities for how a game could function.

All that matters is that you have fun… and with math at the heart of the
game, how could one not have fun?
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Works cited
All references and images from Dungeons and Dragons are owned by Wizards
of the Coast LLC, and I do not claim any ownership to these
intellectual properties.

Indiana Jones was created by George Lucas and is owned by Paramount

Pictures and The Walt Disney Company (via LucasFilm).