Percentile Dice: d100 Dice & d% Dice
By now you’ve probably learned all about the most common polyhedral dice types. Now it’s time to venture into the weird world of the more obscure tabletop gaming dice!
Today we’re starting off relatively tame by looking at the two most common types of percentile dice: d100 dice and d% dice. When you want to roll percentages, or anything else involving the number 100, these are your two main choices.
100 Sided Dice: They Keep Rolling On!
As the name suggests, these percentile dice have 100 faces.
- Math Trivia! A “face” is just the formal geometry term for what we often informally call a “side.” Now you can use this amazing knowledge wherever you go!
Also called d100 dice (the “d” is for “die”), 100-sided dice tend to be physically larger than most other tabletop gaming dice. This is out of necessity because they have 100 faces and each face takes up space.
Even though they’re usually bigger, the 100 faces are still so small individually that these dice become sphere-like and roll very well…almost too well…which can actually be a nuisance if you’re playing on a small table or the edge of a cliff.
Do You Really Need 100-Sided Dice?
No, you absolutely don’t. In fact, at Dice Envy we don’t even regularly stock these in our Dice Collections. They’re more for people who enjoy collecting different and unusual shapes of polyhedral dice to add to their collection.
- While we don’t usually carry d100 dice, if you do like unusual dice shapes then be sure to check out our special Infinity d4 Dice—which actually roll better than traditional d4s!
10 Sided Dice: Regular d10s & d% Dice
The alternative to using a single d100 is to use two d10 dice, using one result for the 10s digit and the other result for the 1s digit.
So, if you rolled two d10s, you might get 7 and 2, meaning “72.”
Or would that be “27”? It can be tricky to keep track of which die goes in which position, especially if the two dice are the same color and size. This ambiguity has caused many an argument over the table among casual gamers who use only d10s rather than proper percentile dice!
D% to the Rescue!
This is where d% dice come in. The d% is just a special kind of d10: Instead of having the numbers 0 – 9 on its faces, a d% will have the double digit numbers 00, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90. Obviously, then, the d% represents the 10s digit of a percentage roll, while an ordinary d10 represents the 1s digit.
Since d10s are much more convenient to roll than d100 dice, and can be the same size as your other dice, using d% dice usually makes a more natural choice for your percentile dice needs.
We include a d% die in all of our Dice Sets, including both our regular sets and our expanded 9 & 10 Piece Dice Sets.
Other Uses for 100-Sided Dice & Percentile Dice
Whether rolling d100 dice, or a d% and a d10, or even just two regular d10s, some of the most common uses for these dice are:
- Rolling percentages (obviously)
- Rolling from a random encounter table with 100 possibilities
- Rolling to see how good (or bad) a given scenario turns out
- Randomly stocking dungeons and shops
- Randomly stealing or breaking player items
- Running a business and automating other worldbuilding activities
- Building character backstories without needing to start from scratch
Find Your Favorite New Dice Right Here at Dice Envy!
So that’s the tale of d% and d100 dice! Now you can use this vast knowledge wherever you go!
Ready to explore some amazing dice sets? Check out our Polymer Dice Sets to find neat designs at great prices, or step into the world of luxury and check out our premium Metal, Wood, and Stone dice sets.