Scheltrum

Roll D8

One eight-sided die, numbered 1 to 8. Each face is 12.5%, which is one in eight, and the average roll is 4.5. The octahedron shape changes none of that.

1d8 1

Press roll.

Lowest possible 1, highest 8, average 4.5.

One in eight, every time

Eight faces, 12.5% each, average 4.5. A d8 is one of the friendlier dice to estimate with, because 12.5% is easy to double: any two faces are 25%, any four are 50%. Rolling 5 or better is 50%.

Eight rolls, eight different numbers? Almost never

People expect eight rolls to sweep the die. The chance of all eight faces appearing once each in eight rolls is 0.24%, or one time in 416. The realistic picture:

Question Answer
Repeat within three rolls 34.4%
A given face still missing after ten rolls 26.3%
Rolls needed on average to see all eight about 22

Duplicates are the normal texture of a small die. Three 6s in a row is a 1 in 64 event on any given stretch, and across an evening of rolling you should expect to hit something like it.

What a d8 is for

  • Hit dice and one-handed weapon damage in fifth edition, where 1d8 is the workhorse.
  • Compass directions: north, north-east, east and so on, eight of them, one die.
  • Any eight-item choice where you want each option to be genuinely equal.

For the same flat 12.5% without dice, use a random number from 1 to 8. Step up a size with the d10, or set your own in the dice roller.