Dice notation
5d6
Roll 5d6 and see where it lands on the real distribution. Range 5 to 30, averaging 17.50.
The shape of 5d6
Your last roll is marked in white. The tall bars are where this notation actually lives.
- Lowest
- 5
- Highest
- 30
- Average
- 17.50
- Most likely
- 17
- Chance of 17
- 10.0%
- Possible totals
- 26
Peak at 17 (10.0%). Average 17.50. Range 5–30.
There is exactly one way to roll 5 and one way to roll 30, so each sits at 0.013%, or 1 in 7,776. There are 780 ways to make 17, which is why the middle of the range dominates. Rolling 5 dice instead of one trades range for reliability.
Every total, with odds
Exact figures, enumerated rather than simulated.
| Total | Chance | Odds | This or higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.013% | 1 in 7,776 | 100.0% |
| 6 | 0.064% | 1 in 1,555 | 100.0% |
| 7 | 0.193% | 1 in 518 | 99.9% |
| 8 | 0.450% | 1 in 222 | 99.7% |
| 9 | 0.900% | 1 in 111 | 99.3% |
| 10 | 1.62% | 1 in 62 | 98.4% |
| 11 | 2.64% | 1 in 38 | 96.8% |
| 12 | 3.92% | 1 in 25 | 94.1% |
| 13 | 5.40% | 1 in 19 | 90.2% |
| 14 | 6.94% | 1 in 14 | 84.8% |
| 15 | 8.37% | 1 in 12 | 77.9% |
| 16 | 9.45% | 1 in 11 | 69.5% |
| 17 | 10.0% | 1 in 10 | 60.0% |
| 18 | 10.0% | 1 in 10 | 50.0% |
| 19 | 9.45% | 1 in 11 | 40.0% |
| 20 | 8.37% | 1 in 12 | 30.5% |
| 21 | 6.94% | 1 in 14 | 22.1% |
| 22 | 5.40% | 1 in 19 | 15.2% |
| 23 | 3.92% | 1 in 25 | 9.80% |
| 24 | 2.64% | 1 in 38 | 5.88% |
| 25 | 1.62% | 1 in 62 | 3.24% |
| 26 | 0.900% | 1 in 111 | 1.62% |
| 27 | 0.450% | 1 in 222 | 0.720% |
| 28 | 0.193% | 1 in 518 | 0.270% |
| 29 | 0.064% | 1 in 1,555 | 0.077% |
| 30 | 0.013% | 1 in 7,776 | 0.013% |
Common questions about 5d6
What is the average of 5d6?
17.50. The range runs 5 to 30, but the average sits in the middle because there are far more ways to land near the centre than at either end.
What are the odds of rolling 30 on 5d6?
0.013%, or 1 in 7,776. The minimum of 5 is equally rare at 0.013%. Both extremes need every die to cooperate.
What is the most likely result of 5d6?
17, at 10.0%. There are 780 different combinations that add up to 17, against 1 for 30. That gap is what makes the curve.
Is 5d6 the same as picking a number between 5 and 30?
No, and this is the most useful thing to understand about dice. Picking at random from 5 to 30 gives every one of those 26 results an equal 3.85% chance. 5d6 covers the same span with a hump in the middle: 17 lands 780 times more often than 30 does. Same range, completely different behaviour.