D&D has many icons. Anything that’s attributed to the fantasy realm can almost certainly be tied back to D&D in some way. However, if you abstract a bit, up to the level of the player, there’s one thing that we all associate with D&D - and that’s dice.
Not only do dice have an obvious role for players, but for many characters too. There’s tons of historical examples of early dice and dice games. It was a great way for soldiers to pass the time as well as anyone sitting around in a bar. While most people probably ignore playing dice games inside of their gaming sessions, many people do not, and “the gambler” is still a popular character archetype.
Let’s give our gambling player something that’ll help keep them in a soft bed in the finest establishments in town.
Lucky Dice
This set of two six-sided dice appear to be carved from bone or ivory and have the usual pips on each face. For someone that knows their secret, they’re an invaluable tool for cheating at many games of chance.
When in the possession of someone that knows how the lucky dice work, their appearance can be changed to perfectly match that of another pair of dice - including dice with a different number of shapes or dice that may have an irregular shape.
In addition to changing appearance, the possessor can will each die to yield a particular result with every toss. This decision is made while tossing the dice when they’re still in the player’s possession. The command can be a generic “a total of 7″ or could be as specific as “the left die will be a 3 and the right die will be a 4″ (which could be useful if the game uses dice that look different).
Activation of either ability requires the dice to simply be on the person’s body or in their possession. The dice need not always be held in the player’s hand. They could easily be in a coat pocket or in a dice cup about to be tossed. To activate this ability, the possessor need only issue a mental command that counts as a swift action. There is no external sign that a magic item is being activated or used in any way.
When someone that is not aware of how the lucky dice function tosses the dice, they function like a normal pair dice of whatever type they appear to be and roll random results. The dice need not be used as a pair. Rarely, only once die will be found and it will function normally. Creation of lucky dice requires the creation of the pair, however.
Faint transmutation and illusion; CL 3th; Craft Wondrous Item, silent image, mending; Price: 2,250 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Cost to create: 1,125 gp, 90 XP
Using Lucky Dice In Game
This item likely won’t be too useful unless the DM introduces games of chance or there is a gambler in the party. If this is the case, then any game that they initiate will likely be with this pair of dice. A smart player will likely let the opponent lead off most games as this will tell them the lowest number needed to win. They likely shouldn’t win every round, but will win “slightly more often than they lose”. This will help eliminate any suspicion that may arise from someone that never loses.
The ability to change appearance is of definite use to someone that may gamble at any gambling establishment. In this case, the user would change their appearance to that of the house dice and use a slight of hand check to swap out the house dice for the lucky dice. They will undoubtedly want to do the same to regain the lucky dice before calling it quits.