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Question about dice rolls

Hello,

I have a questions about multiple dice rolls, like 2d4. Is the probability distribution of a 2d4 roll uniform, meaning that there is the same chance of getting a 2 or a 5 ? Or is it the actual "bell shaped" distribution with more chances of rolling a 5 ?

Thanks in advance

Comments

  • dunbardunbar Member Posts: 1,603
    edited August 2016
    2D4 means that you roll a four-sided di(c)e twice and add the results of both rolls together, so you have an equal chance of getting a minimum score of 2 (1+1) or a maximum of 8 (4+4) and of course everything in between.
    Note that the difference between 2D4 and 1D8 is that the latter has a lower possible outcome (one roll of one = 1, two rolls of 1 = 2).
  • FrakasFrakas Member Posts: 7
    It is well known that when you roll 2d6, you have a higher chance of getting a 7 than a 12. Or when you roll 2d4, you are more likely to get a 5. What you say is that it is not the case in the game ?
  • dunbardunbar Member Posts: 1,603
    Yes you're quite right. I had in fact over-thought myself into tangle on that one - it goes back to PnP days and discussions on whether a 2D4 Bastard sword was 'better' than a 1D8 weapon.
  • deltagodeltago Member Posts: 7,811
    It's a bell curve.
    You have an equal chance to roll the numbers 3 to 7, but half of that chance to roll a 2 or 8.
  • FrakasFrakas Member Posts: 7
    I agree, I did some testing and the results looked like a bell curve. Which means a bastard sword is more consistent than a long sword ! Plus that +1 minimal damage.
    Thanks for your input !
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