Dice rolls

A Deception check

Dice rolls are a central game mechanic in Baldur's Gate 3. Dice are rolled to determine the outcome of variety of situations, such as whether a character will succeed or not at using a particular skill, or if an attack will land and how much damage it will do.

Whenever a creature attempts an action that has a chance of failure, they roll a twenty-sided die (d20) against a target number to determine whether the attempt was a success or a failure, and add any applicable modifiers. If the result is equal to or exceeds the target number, the attempt was successful. If the result was lower than the target number, or if the creature rolled a 1, the attempt failed.

These attempts are categorised either as attack rolls – which are rolled against the target's Armour Class (AC), as ability checks – which are rolled against the check's Difficulty Class (DC), or as saving throws – which are rolled against a save DC.

Overview

Attack rolls

When a creature attacks a target they make an attack roll against the target's DC to determine whether the attack is a hit or a miss. If the attack is a hit, it generally deals damage, and the attacker rolls for damage. Creatures generally make their attacks with their equipped weapon (including unarmed), but some spells – such as a warlock's Eldritch Blast – require the caster to make spell attacks.

Saving throws

Traps, spells, conditions and other sources of harm may allow a creature a chance to avoid or reduce their effect, known as a saving throw or save. To attempt a save, a creature rolls a d20 against a target save DC.

Ability checks

An ability check is an attempt to succeed at a specific task, and is rolled against a Difficulty Class (DC) set by the game for that task. If the final result of the roll equals or exceeds the DC, the attempt is successful.

Damage rolls are used in the calculation of damage dealt by weapons, spells and certain special abilities. They are made by rolling one or more dice with four to twelve sides (xd4—xd12).

Initiative

Creatures roll for initiative to determine to turn order. This is a 1d4 + Dex roll.

Dice notation

Dice are notated with a d followed by the number of sides on that specific die:

• d4
• d6
• d8
• d10
• d12
•  d20

The number of dice rolled is notated by with a number placed immediately before the d and any applicable modifiers are given in addition (if it is a bonus) or substraction (if is a penalty) after the dice notation – when a single twenty sided die (d20) is rolled with no ymodifiers, it is abbreviated as 1d20, when two six-sided dice (d6) are rolled with a modifier of +2, the roll is abbreviated as 2d6+2.

The range of results is usually given in parentheses. For example, a single dart from a  Magic Missile spell does 1d4+1 (2-5) Force damage, meaning it rolls 1d4 and adds 1 to the result, giving a possible total of between 2 and 5 points of damage.

Damage rolls always have an associated damage type that is also given following dice notation: 1d4Piercing damage.

Modifiers

A number of modifiers are potentially added to dice rolls. These modifiers can be either bonuses {{subst:}} which are added to the result – or penalties, which are subtracted from the results.

Ability score modifiers

Most rolls have an associated ability and creatures add their corresponding ability score modifier to the outcome of rolls they make.

Creatures also add an ability score modifier to the save DCs of actions they take or spells that they cast, again corresponding to an associated ability.

Proficiency bonus

Creatures add their proficiency bonus to any attack rolls, ability checks or saving throws that they make using weapons, skills or saves that they are proficient in, as well as to all attack rolls made during spell attacks.

Creatures also add their proficiency bonus to the save DCs of spells they cast and class actions they take, and to the save DCs of actions they take using weapons they are proficiency with.

Additional modifiers

Some features and conditions add additional modifiers to save DCs and the result of rolls, such as Shillelagh, which allows the caster to add their spellcasting ability modifier to their attack and damage rolls, instead of Strength or Dexterity.

Attack modifiers

An attack's associated ability depends on the nature of the attack:

• Attacks made with melee weapons, including thrown weapons, generally add the attacking creature's Strength modifier, unless they have the Finesse property, in which case they add either the attacker's Strength or Dexterity modifier, whichever is higher.
• Attacks made with ranged weapons add the creature's Dexterity modifier.
• Spell attacks add the caster's spellcasting ability modifier, generally determined by their class.

Damage modifiers

Damage rolled after a successful attack with a weapon typically adds the same ability score modifier as the attack roll, albeit some features alter this interaction.

Ability score modifiers are not normally added to damage rolls made during spell attacks, unless enabled by a feature, – such as by  Agonising Blast, which allows a warlock to add their Charisma modifier to the damage rolls of their  Eldritch Blast.

Save proficiency

Creatures proficient with saves using a specific ability add their proficiency bonus to saving throws they make using that ability.

Siill proficiency

Most ability checks have an associated skill. These rolls are often referred to as "skill checks" by the community, although they are not referred to as such in-game. If a creature is proficient with an ability check's associated skill, they may add their proficiency bonus to the results of the roll, in addition to the relevant ability score modifier. Characters with Expertise in a skill add double their proficiency bonus (shown in the interface as separate Proficiency and Expertise bonuses).

Difficulty Class

A Difficulty Class (or DC) is a number rolled against when making ability checks or saving throws. It represents how difficult a task is to accomplish.

The number is determined by the the task attempted – or in the case of saves – the spell, condition or action that has to be overcome.

Save DCs

The Difficulty Class rolled against when attempting to save is called save DC. A successful save can mean completely avoiding negative effects, reducing the damage received (usually by half), or both. For example, successfully saving against a spike trap could mean that a creature takes no damage at all, because it successfully evaded the spikes. On the other hand, if it's caught in the area of effect of a  Fireball, then a successful save will merely halve the damage. Saving against  Thunderwave both halves the damage taken, and prevents a creature from being pushed by the spell.

Different mechanics calculate save DC differently:

Danger save DC

In scenarios such as traps, the game chooses an appropriate Difficulty Class, depending on how serious the danger is. This includes consumable items such as elemental arrows or throwables.

Spell save DC

For the Difficulty class of a spells that can be saved against is determined through the following formula:

8 + proficiency bonus + spellcasting ability modifier.

Weapon save dc

Each weapon action can grant its own inherent bonus DC that isn't listed anywhere, but most frequently it's +2. The Difficulty Class of saves allowed by weapon actions is calculated as follows:

Weapon Action DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Strength or Dexterity + inherent weapon action bonus DC

Certain weapon actions, notably Concussive Smash, instead use allow the acting creatures to either use their spallcaster DC or weapon Action DC with a +2 bonus, whichever is higher.

Advantage and disadvantage

A creature may have advantage or disadvantage on a d20 roll. A creature with either advantage or disadvantage rolls twice (depicted in the game as two dice rolled simultaneously) and uses the higher result if they have advantage, or the lower result for disadvantage.

Creatures receive no additional benefit or penalty from having multiple sources of advantage or disadvantage on a dice roll, and still only roll twice. Likesise, creatures that have both advantage and disadvantage on a roll only roll a single die, even if they have multiple sources of either.

= Natural 1s and 20s

Rolling a 1 or 20 on a d20 roll is referred to as a natural 1 or natural 20. When making an attack roll or ability check, rolling a natural 1 is always an automatic failure, while a natural 20 is always an automatic success, regardless of the the final result after modifiers are applied. Saving throws attempted during dialogue and death saving throws can also roll roll natural 1s and 20s.

Unlike attack rolls and ability checks, saving throws are not guaranteed to fail or succeed when the d20 result is either a natural 1 or 20 respectively, however when saving throws are used during dialogue they will guarantee failure or success when a 1 or 20 is rolled.

Critical hits

Example of a Critical Hit with a 1d6 Shortsword. The damage dice are doubled, but the Dexterity modifier is not.

A natural 20 on an attack roll is a critical hit. In addition to being an automatic hit, the creature rolls twice the normal number of dice to determine damage, including additional dice such as those from smites or combat manoeuvres. "Flat" damage bonuses that add a fixed number are not doubled by a critical hit; this includes ability score modifiers, weapon enhancement bonuses and features and abilities like  Great Weapon Master: All In.

Some equipment, feats and class features (notably the  Champion's  Improved Critical Hit) allow a creature to score a critical hit on natural rolls of 19 or 20, or even 18 to 20. The benefits are the same as for a regular critical hit.

Other rolls

Healing

Healing restores a target's hit points but otherwise works similarly to damage rolls. Healing rolls may also add modifiers, but there's no general rule for this; any bonuses are determined by the source of the healing. For example, a Potion of Healing restores 2d4+2hit points. There are many magic items, class features and other effects which also provide bonuses to healing, for example the  Life Domain's  Disciple of Life feature.

Death saves

When a player character is  Downed, they make a special Death Saving Throw each turn to determine if they slip closer to death. Death saves are not associated with an Ability Score and so don't add any modifiers or the proficiency bonus. They only benefit from bonuses that apply to all saving throws (such as  Bless) or specifically to death saves. Death saves are a success on a result of 10 or higher, and otherwise a failure. A character dies when three failures are accumulated, or becomes Stable (they no longer make death saves) when three successes are accumulated, whichever happens first.

Wild Magic

When a Wild Magic sorcerer casts a leveled spell, a d20 is rolled to determine if they will trigger a Wild Magic Surge. A surge is triggered only when the outcome is 20. The resulting effect, and Wild Magic Barbarian surge effects for Rage: Wild Magic, are also determined with dice rolls.

Karmic Dice

The optional Karmic Dice setting, located in Gameplay Options

When the Karmic Dice option is enabled (it is by default), the game will avoid streaks of very low or very high rolls.

However, Karmic Dice influences all rolls – including those of enemies – and the results always skew toward a positive result for the dice roller. In short, the Karmic Dice setting makes combat encounters quicker and deadlier for both you and your enemies, as attacks are more likely to hit and do higher damage.

Karmic Dice was previously referred to as "Loaded Dice".