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Best D&D Dice Review

Looking for the best D&D dice available on the market? Look no further. I've tested over 35 dice brands to save you time, and I’ve made my selection of the coveted title of "Best D&D Dice." 


My number one recommendation for the best D&D dice is: Dice Envy.


Read below to learn more, on why. I’ve also included reviews on an additional top 20 picks - honorable mentions, and other great brands - for good measure. Finally, if you need a little more help deciding what dice is right for your D&D (or other tabletop) game, this guide contains all sorts of useful information on dice quality, material, precision, and thoughts on matching dice to game themes.


Be sure to scroll through the entire article to see pictures of all the different great dice sets available! D&D dice also make for some of the absolute best DnD Gifts you can find.


Best DD Dice

Eternity TTRPG Top Sellers



Overall Best D&D Dice: Dice Envy

Dice Envy, hands down, has the best D&D dice available. They also have some of the largest selections of dice available, online. I like Dice Envy because their price is great, their selection is wide, and the dice quality is high. Basically, their dice are actually random (unlike some other brands - let's be honest), and they provide great value for what you spend.


In addition to traditional acrylic and resin dice sets, Dice Envy offers: 


Metal Dice

Becoming more popular, these dice look great and last forever. Their extra weight makes for very satisfying rolls. One thing you should know is that metal dice sometimes do not "roll" very much when you "roll" them. What I mean is that the weight of the metal dice can sometimes make it roll a little on your table, and then almost just skid to a halt.


When it comes to Dice Envy's metal sets, you have to start by taking a look at the Arcane Vein metal dice set - perfect for any wizard you might play.


Wood Dice

Wood dice are quite rare to find on the market. You can certainly find some specialized crafters on Etsy, etc. However, to have a company offer wood dice as part of their lineup is definitely unique. This wood set from Dice Envy is also fashioned to look like a class-specific set for a Ranger.


Gemstone Dice

Dice Envy’s gemstone dice collection isn’t extremely large. However, their gemstone dice are very high quality. I currently play nearly all of my tabletop RPGs using a tiger's eye gemstone dice for my d20. I love gemstones, so the extra cost doesn't bother me. I've also seen this brilliant Obsidian gemstone set from Dice Envy get a lot of interest, over time.


Infinity d4 Dice

If you haven't seen an "infinity d4 dice" before, these aren't your typical d4 pyramid-shapes. Infinity d4 dice, instead, are like a rectangle, almost. Infinity d4 dice are actually great for tracking hit points, or can be used as counters of various sorts, in your game. This set, for example, is very reminiscent of Legend of Zelda heart counters.


Mystery Dice Sets

Not sure what you want when it comes to your D&D dice, or looking to save a little money? No problem. Dice Envy will create a mystery set and send it your way. The best part? The price. You can literally get a 10-piece D&D dice set - every dice type you need to play D&D - for almost 50% off the normal price of other Dice Envy dice sets. These 10-piece sets come in resin or even metal!


Best D&D Dice For Your Next Game

Dice Envy dice score top marks on all my dice criteria. They’re high quality, and have proper weighting on each side for truly randomized rolls. They offer a wide range of styles and have a wide variety of materials that are aesthetically pleasing. Pricing is also very competitive – their acrylic and resin dice are similar to other companies, while their metal dice are about 25% less expensive (very much appreciated).


The company is also very reasonable when it comes to customer service and order/ charge issues. Shipping is fast. Overall, great experience purchasing from them. I highly recommend you take a look if you're in the market for your newest set of best D&D dice!

Best D&D Dice Dice Envy

Feast your eyes on my favorite d20 - a tiger's eye gemstone dice that gives me high rolls, and looks great at the gaming table.

Honorable Best D&D Dice Mentions

Though not the absolute best D&D dice, these dice certainly get an honorable mention, and are only barely less recommended than Dice Envy. All of these companies offer great quality dice, with interesting aesthetics, and various material options. Choose any of these companies and you’ll definitely have great D&D dice for your tabletop game.


Also, just remember that there are many Games Like DnD out there, and some of these dice sets may work wonderfully for a TTRPG based in a unique setting, or even an entirely different genre than DnD (like Sci-Fi or horror).


Skullsplitter Dice – D&D Class-Based Dice

One of the best things about Skullsplitter dice is that they offer dice sets by D&D class. You can get dice specifically made for your barbarian, druid, paladin, wizard – really any base class in D&D. As far as we could find, this is the only company that offers high-quality class-based dice. In our book, having dice specifically crafted with a specific D&D class in mind is a big bonus. Of course, not all TTRPGs are a Class Based RPG, but even if playing a classless RPG, it can be fun to have thematic dice to help express your character.


Skullsplitter also has a wide variety of metal dice, along with tons of dice and gaming accessories (dice bags, dice trays, etc.). Additionally, skullsplitter offers quality metal d100’s, which are not easy to find. D100’s aren’t technically “random” since not all “sides” on the dice are evenly weighted, but still. Their d100 is a full ½ lbs. of great gaming fun.

Metallic Dice Games – Metal Dice, Gemstone Dice, Velvet Bags

Metallic Dice Games has a very wide selection of – you guessed it – metal dice. They come in all kinds of colors, styles, and sizes. They even have metallic hollow dice (hollow on the inside). Surprisingly, however, they also offer a lot more. Despite their name, Metal Dice Games offers dice of all kinds of material make. In particular, they have one of the best selections of gemstone dice, including amethyst, lapis lazuli, tigers eye, and more.


Metallic Dice Games also has all kinds of unique dice sizes and styles. For example, you can get mini dice (about the size of a penny), or mega dice (about double the size of normal dice). They also have glow in the dark dice, sharp edge dice (for that extra thrill), and unicorn dice (a unicorn symbol in place of the “20” on a d20). We also liked their selection of dice bags, dice trays, dice cups, and their special velvet bags that come with multiple compartments.


I personally love the mini dice set from Metallic Dice Games (as shown in the picture above). There's just something about mini dice that is really fun. Plus, mini dice like that are actually not always super easy to find!


Haxtec Dice – Industrial Metal Dice, Heat Sensitive Dice

Haxtec dice is one of the few dice companies to offer industrial-looking metal dice. If you’re playing in a steampunk tabletop game, you might want to consider one of these sets as it definitely matches the right vibe. One of the other neat things that Haxtec offers is heat sensitive dice. As the dice rests in your hand (or near any source of heat), the dice actually changes color, mood-ring style. Think of it like going Super Saiyan as your D&D game progresses, during the adventure, as you see your dice color change.


Haxtec’s gemstone dice also have a unique stylized underline for the dice’s numbers, almost like an elvish script. This can make it a little hard to read, at first, so may not be a great choice if you prefer simple dice rolling and viewing. However, all of Haxtec’s other dice are extremely legible. Overall, I like their dice for size, weight, feel, and the general uniqueness of their dice color schemes.


For an idea of Haxtec dice look, feel, and quality, check out this amazing fireball set. This set also comes with its own dice bag, making it a great value purchase.


Norse Foundry Dice – Variety of Metal Materials, Gaming Accessories

Norse Foundry is a well-known name in the world of D&D dice. They’ve been around since 2011 as a very successful company. So, you know when you order their dice that you’ll get a good product. Norse Foundry also prides themselves on the precision of their dice, meaning that all sides of a dice are equally weighted, so dice rolls are truly randomized.


This is one of the few dice companies that offers unique metal dice. They have zinc dice, aluminium dice, copper, brass, and bronze. They also offer many of their metal dice in mini size (pebbles), or mega size (boulders). We also appreciated their soft dice (plush, great as gifts for kids), their dice jails, spellbooks that hold gaming accessories, coins for roleplaying and tracking in-game currency, and high-quality tabletop miniatures.


The Bifrost metal dice set (above) is one of their most popular. Not hard to see why! The set's extremely unique-looking, and sure to draw other players' gaze at the gaming table.

Haxtec Dice

Dice add a lot to any DnD table. They are a staple for any game, along with maps and minis.

DnD Dice – Glass Dice, Thematic Dice, Pound of Dice

I didn’t think you could consider a list of best D&D dice complete without including the actual company called "DnD Dice." The best thing about DnD dice is the variety of unique dice. They’re one of the few companies, for example, to offer glass dice that look really good. I also love their hollow metal dice (which is a style that’s becoming much more popular). Their glitter dice have some unusual styles and graphics attached to the dice, for thematic times of the year, such as St. Patrick’s day or Halloween.


DnD Dice also has dice with inclusions – objects put inside the dice. Of course, anything put inside a dice certainly affects precision of truly randomized rolls. But, speaking simply as a fun factor, why not? DnD Dice also has electronic dice that light up from the inside, a great gemstone dice selection, and the option to custom-make dice with your name on it. DnD Dice is also one of the few companies that still offers pounds of dice and mounds of dice – large quantities, usually slightly defective, but at great dice prices.

Chessex Dice – Classic Best D&D Dice

When you think of the standard in D&D dice, Chessex is basically it. They’re one of the largest, most enduring, and most well-known dice making brands. While Chessex isn’t particularly known for any one kind or style of dice, as many other companies are, I love them for their basic designs and dependability. I particularly love their speckled dice, as one example, because it’s a simple design that looks great.


Chessex also still offers a pound of dice option, has a number of specialty dice (symbols on the dice, instead of numbers), and allows customers to do custom-engraving. Chessex also offers a number of gaming accessorries, including battle mats. When it comes down to it though, we think of Chessex as the classic D&D dice company. One thing to note, however, with Chessex dice, is that they aren’t necessarily known as having the most dependably-randomized rolls. Their design and machining isn’t always perfect. Just something to keep in mind, if you’re really after a highly perfected dice roll.


If you head to any local gaming store, you're likely to find Chessex dice in the highly-recognizable packaging, above. You an also get great deals shopping for Chessex dice, online.


Awesome Dice – Game Specific Dice Sets, D3 Dice

An awesome name for some truly Awesome Dice. What’s best about Awesome Dice is that they’ve created dice sets specifically for a number of tabletop RPGs (TTRPG). For instance, you can find D&D dice, dice for Witcher, Cthulu, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, Vampire the Masquerade, and Werewolf. Each dice set is specifically themed for that tabletop game in terms of color, design, and overall aesthetics. Not all of the sets are created equal in terms of quality – some are certainly better than others. However, if you’re looking for a new set of dice that fits the tabletop game you’re playing, you might look into Awesome Dice’s TTRPG-specific sets.


Awesome Dice also has some gemstone dice, a decent selection of metal dice, one of the market’s only high-quality metal d3 dice (3 sided dice), and a monthly subscription box. Awesome dice does also offer Chessex and Q-Workshop dice through their company as well, though, so it’s not always 100% clear whose dice you’re really buying.

Haomeja Dice – Steampunk, Classic D&D Dice Vibe

Haomeja – a lesser-known company – really only has four kinds of dice, but they are definitely flashy. They have metal-exterior, resin-interior steampunk-themed dice. Zinc alloy dice that change colors with heat (from holding in your hand, for example). Classic-looking metal dice with a dragon imprint background. And finally, they have hollow metal dice with a dragon imprint background.


Haomeja does not have the widest selection of dice, or even the most unique dice. However, they do seem to be a good fit for that classic D&D dice feel, and for steampunk tabletop gaming. We liked their dice designs and colors a lot, and would certainly recommend looking at their selections.


Personally, I love this ice-blue metal dice set. I think it's a perfect fit for a wizard-type character, or perhaps a barbarian from Northern lands. What can I say? I think it can be a lot of fun to match your dice theme to your character.


Forged Gaming Dice – Unique Dice Textures, Dice Towers, Dice Holders

The most unique thing about Forged Gaming dice is their dice textures. As of the time of this writing, they only sell metal dice. But, their metal dice does come in a number of unique textures. They have banded textures, where strips of metal have been taken off the outside, leaving slight, striped indents. They also have a dragon scale texture, where the outside lines of the dice are solid, along with the inside numbers, but the rest of the dice is like miniature scale mail. We also enjoyed their fractured texture, where the dice has what looks like lines of magma all over the surface.


Forged Gaming’s dice towers (for rolling dice) are also very unique. They have some that fit a budget, while others are made to look like a grim reaper, for example. Their dice holders are also worth looking at. They have a dice jail cell, a stack of spellbooks that hold dice, treasure chests, and mimic treasure chests. 


This particular set has a blood-spattered look (perfect for any battle that results in a DnD TPK), and comes with its own dice carrying case. Very nice touches, and very high quality.


Heimdallr Dice – Crisp Look and Style

Heimdallr Dice has some very high-quality dice options. I would even say higher quality than many other dice companies. Hemdallr dice are all metal, but come in a lot of different color schemes. What I like best about Heimdallr is that the dice look crisp… the colors, numbering, the overall aesthetic of background texture. It’s all very good. The only downside is there’s nothing truly standout about these dice, when compared to the other great companies I've also reviewed.


As with Skullsplitter dice, Heimdallr does have dice sets that are themed according to D&D classes. However, though the dice sets are very high in quality, there aren’t as many dice set options for each D&D class, and there isn’t really anything that makes the dice a “class-based dice,” aside from class-thematic coloring.


All that being said, at the end of the day, it's almost all about how the dice looks. I mean, take a look at that picture, above. Another blood-spattered dice set (some people love that kind of thing). But I also love the nice touch of the barbarian's face in place of the 20 on that d20.


Wiz Dice – Bulk Dice (Pound of Dice)

When it comes to bulk dice, I recommend Wiz Dice. You can currently only find their dice on Amazon. Their bulk dice comes in a wide variety of sets, including the famous Bag of Holding. Many of their dice sets also come with a dice bag or cup of some kind, that makes managing the large amount of dice you’re about to purchase, more manageable.


Wiz Dice aren’t typically specific in terms of colors or types. Each bag comes with an assortment of dice types (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20 and occasionally others). The dice are typically also a variety of colors. However, Wiz Dice does offer some sets that are slightly higher in value that have uniform color and style.


There's any number of reasons you may want an entire set (or even a full pound) of dice. Basically, if you run a lot of games, people are bound to forget dice, occasionally. As part of your dungeon master tools set, be sure to have extras set aside!


Q-Workshop – Themed Dice Sets

The best thing about Q-Workshop is that their dice are all TTRPG and fantasy themed. Want a glow in the dark dice set? They’ve got it. Want dice inscribed with runes? Got you covered. Here are just some of the many other thematic sets Q-Workshop offers:

  • Celtic
  • Cyberpunk
  • Elvish
  • Halloween
  • Mythical (Metal)
  • Japanese
  • Santa’s Dice
  • Starfinder
  • Viking
  • Witcher


Q-Workshop dice are just fun. They aren’t the flashiest, but they also aren’t the most expensive. Instead, you can find some quality dice with unique patterns, for good prices. Try out this Witcher dice set, for example, and add some dark fantasy feel to your next D&D game!


Paladin Roleplaying Dice – Family-Owned

Paladin Roleplaying Dice originally launched as a Kickstarter. The best part about Paladin Roleplaying is that they’re a small, family-run business. Their dice are precision-balanced, and easy-to-read. They are certainly not the largest company in the market. They don’t have the largest selection, and their dice are not the flashiest. However, they do have some sets of premium metal dice, luxury wooden dice (which is rare), and a small selection of gemstone dice. Supporting them also means supporting small business. So, if that’s important to you, you might consider giving their dice a shot.


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Additional D&D Dice You May Want to Check Out

Though not making an honorable mention for the title of best D&D dice, these dice companies do all offer some additional options that are valuable. One of the reasons these companies don’t make the top lists is that they can only be found on Amazon (they aren't big or unique enough, in my estimation, to be able to sustain themselves on their own platform). However, if you have some extra time and you’re looking for something a little less expensive, or you simply don’t need anything fancy when it comes to dice, you might find something worth your time, here.

Bescon Dice

Bescon offers a 13 piece dice set, which is very unique for the industry. The set includes a d3, d4, d6, d8, d10, d10 (percentile), d12, d20, d24, d30, d50, d60, and d100. Why you would want all those dice, I'm not really sure. It is really cool, though. Probably, they’re mainly for someone who enjoys dice collections, and really wants to have all the unusual dice that can be found. Though there aren’t a lot of situations in a D&D game, for example, where you might use all your newfound dice, you will likely be the only one in your friend group to have a d30.


If you're really into dice, Bescon is hard to pass up.


Hong Hui Dice

Hong Hui has a very small selection of dice. They have hollow metal dice and dice with RPG symbols on them (such as hammers and axes) that all look great. I personally love hollow dice like this set from Hong Hui dice. I think they make for extremely fun rolls. Almost always, if you show up to your D&D game with a set of hollow dice, you will stand out from everyone else, as hollow dice are somewhat rare!


Toyful Dice

Toyful dice come in a selection of basic set sizes and colors. They also have some metal dice selections, though they don't offer a huge variety there.


What I like best about Toyful Dice is that you could literally buy this set for your entire D&D gaming group. Do that, and everyone has their own dice set, their own dice bag to carry everything, with cool dragon graphics, and a dragon-themed dice tower you can share. This set is also not very expensive, and is pretty good quality.

best dice for D&D

What D&D Dice You’ll Need

In case you aren’t familiar, or you’re new to D&D, you will need the following dice to play a typical game:


  • D4 (4 sided die)
  • D6 (6 sided die)
  • D8 (8 sided die)
  • D10 (10 sided die)
  • D12 (12 sided die)
  • D20 (20 sided die)


Honestly, you’ll really want multiple dice of each kind when playing D&D. The reason being that many checks, attacks, and damage types require players to roll multiple dice at a time. When dealing damage, you might, for example, roll 3d6 + 1d4 (which would be three 6-sided dice, plus one 4-sided dice). If you don’t have multiple dice, you could end up rolling a single dice multiple times, which can get annoying.


In D&D, d20’s are the most-often used dice in your arsenal. You use it for determining if attacks hit, skill and knowledge checks, and virtually everything else that happens on a macro scale. All other dice sizes are primarily used for determining damage (or healing) from attacks, spells, and other effects.


Some other TTRPGs – of which there are many – use 2d10’s (two 10-sided dice) as “percentile dice.” One d10 acts as a 1-10, while the other acts as 10-100. Combine the two, and you’ll get numbers like 37, for example. Another example of commonly-used dice in other tabletop RPGs is to simply use all d6’s, or to primarily use d8’s.


Eternity TTRPG (obviously, my favorite) only uses d20’s, to keep the game very simple and quick-paced.


Are Metal D&D Dice Better?

With the increasing popularity of metal dice, many people ask if metal D&D dice are better for gaming. There are pros and cons to metal dice, plastic dice, and specialty dice. Preference is really more important for choosing your material than what’s objectively “better.”


Dice Material – Pros

Metal: metal dice are much weightier than other materials of dice. They aren’t as likely to roll off your table, since they don’t roll as far. They also tend to have a more consistent center of balance, making for slightly more randomized rolls.


Plastic: of all dice options, plastic is the least expensive. You can even get fairly aesthetically impressive dice without spending much. Another benefit is that since plastic dice are so common. You can easily get almost any kind of plastic set you’d like by just going to your local gaming store.


Specialty: specialty dice includes materials like glass, bone, wood, and gemstone. The biggest benefit to these dice is that they are unique, often flashy, and look fantastic. 


Dice Material – Cons

Metal: metal dice are often fairly expensive, at least in comparison to plastic dice. You can certainly find good deals, but you should definitely expect to pay more for a metal set. Also, because metal dice are much heavier than plastic dice, it’s worth mentioning that when rolled, they can cause damage. You may consider getting a dice tray, dice tower, or rolling your metal dice onto a battle mat, as opposed to rolling metal dice directly onto a table’s surface.


Plastic: plastic dice really require high quality precision. Because the weight is less, they’re more prone to imperfections that make one side of the dice weigh slightly more than others – effectively reducing randomness in rolls. Plastic dice are also less flashy than metal or specialty dice, overall.


Specialty: specialty dice includes materials like glass, bone, wood, and gemstone. These materials are more brittle than metal dice, and tend to have more wear and tear, faster, than plastic or metal dice. It’s also worth noting that of all dice options, gemstone dice are also the most expensive dice material.

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Matching D&D Dice Style to the Game You’re Playing

One of the reasons we ranked Skullsplitter and DnD dice so high in our list of reviewed dice companies is that we love their thematic approach. For long-time tabletop RPG players, matching the right dice style to the game you’re playing can feel pretty important. It’s kind of like writing with the right pen, or playing a video game with your favorite controller. Once you’ve played TTRPGs long enough, finding the right weight, style, material, looks, and overall vibe to your dice definitely enhances the gaming experience.


As such, you might consider the following list when deciding which style of dice to use or purchase for your next D&D campaign:


  • Game System – D&D, Vampire the Masquerade, Eternity TTRPG, etc.
  • Genre – Fantasy, Steampunk, Cyberpunk, etc.
  • Campaign Mood – High Fantasy, Dark and Gritty, etc.
  • Character Class You’re Playing – Cryomancer, Fallen Paladin, Rogue, etc.
  • Character Personality – Light and Humorous, Serious and Contemplative, Adventurous and Brash, etc.


Naturally, dice are only a small part of making an RPG campaign successful. However, they are one of the small and easy-to-implement gaming accessories that can help get a gaming group into the much-coveted flow state. Sometimes all it takes to push tabletop RPG experiences to the next level is the right dice or gaming accessory.


Measuring the Best Brand of Dice for D&D

Is there a best brand of dice for D&D? No, not really. We prefer Dice Envy because of their selection, quality, and aesthetics. But, if you follow any of our dice reviews above, you’re likely to find a dice brand that works well for you, regardless of which you go with.


When creating our reviews, we focused on the following criteria. You may think about using these same criteria for yourself, before picking your next dice set:


Overall Dice Quality

Does the dice look great, roll well, and is it made well? Is it the kind of dice that you’d want to play with at your gaming table, week after week?


Readability of the Dice

One of the key factors of great dice is how easy it is to read the numbers. This may seem like a throwaway-measurement, as most dice are easy to read. However, there are certain font types some companies use on their dice that really make reading numbers excessively difficult. “Elvish” fonts, in particular, seem to be bad for this kind of thing.


Dice Style and Aesthetics

Dice quality is not enough when considering the best D&D dice. To be the best, a dice has to have something special about its appearance. Regardless of material, we searched for dice that looked simply stunning. Something we’d be proud to roll in front of our gaming group, and that would help everyone get more into the game.


Dice Precision

Not all dice are equally random for all numbers on the dice. Basically, crafting imperfections can sometimes leave one side slightly heavier than another side, resulting in a loaded dice. For some people, this is a huge factor. For us, it is an important factor – but it’s not the most important factor. The reason being that unless you roll a dice 100 times and take careful notes, you’re unlikely to notice a single side getting more rolls (unless your 20-sided dice is always rolling 1’s or 20’s). However, if you have perfectionist tendencies, make sure that the company you’re purchasing from has a high standard on dice precision.


Uniqueness of the Dice

If dice style is tasteful, it can certainly add to any D&D adventure. Unique dice materials tend to stand out, such as glass, gemstone dice, bone, or wood. Or, dice with unique background textures. It can also sometimes be interesting to use dice that are heavily themed, like Halloween, or dice that are glow-in-the-dark.


Budget

Of course, you need to factor in budget for your dice decision-making. In general, plastic is the least expensive. Metal is a step above. And many specialty dice (especially gemstone) are a tier above that. In our book, quality is more important to budget, as you can definitely find great looking plastic dice from many companies that are very inexpensive.

Most expensive D&D dice

How Random Is Your D&D Dice?

As a final note, if you do want to make sure your dice has a high degree of precision, here is a simple test you can try. Golfers sometimes use this same method, to see if their golf balls are well-balanced, before play. Put your dice in a glass of salt water and “spin it” around. If it continually “rolls” to the same number, in the water, then the dice is unbalanced. Here’s a YouTube video that perfectly explains this great trick for testing your dice balance.


Beyond that, simply check a company’s “About Us” page on their website, before purchasing their dice. Most companies that really do make an effort to perfectly balance their dice for true randomness make a point to talk about it on their About Pages. Dice balance really is a differentiator among dice companies. Also, in our lists above, we mentioned on each company’s review if they do prioritize dice precision, so be sure to make another scan through each, if you’re considering a purchase.


The Best D&D Dice is the Set That You Choose For Yourself

At the end of the day, whatever dice you end up choosing for your tabletop game is the dice set that’s best for you. TTRPGs are all about having fun. We hope you’ll find some value in this guide for selecting the right dice set for you. But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that you go to the gaming table with a set of dice that makes you proud. Find something that you love, and roll 20.

Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed my article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed my article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

Rethinking D&D Design Conversations
By Jacob Tegtman May 5, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2pHaAcKDbo Transcription [00:00:00] I want to start talking more about Dungeons Dragons and game design So far on this channel it's really been a news style kind of coverage where new things are happening new books are releasing and so forth But one of the things I've experienced and probably a lot of other people have as well is that Dungeons Dragons hasn't really improved as a game over the last many editions I started playing Dungeons Dragons at 3.5e Many of you probably were around the same time Maybe there's a lot of 5e players originals out there or there's you know basic or advanced Dungeons Dragons players I love Dungeons Dragons It was my introduction to the TTRPG hobby and TTRPGs are one of the main pillars of my life in a way I've spent most of my life making games creating supplemental [00:01:00] material for Dungeons Dragons exploring some of the lesser-known TTRPGs the indie games and trying to understand why I love it so much and then bring that joy to as many people as possible in as many ways as possible I think there's a lot of ways to play this hobby But one of the disappointing things to me is that D&D 3.5 compared to say 5.5e now is there's still a lot of things I prefer in 3.5 And as I've learned about basic and advanced D&D there's a lot of things I prefer even in those games So if you're not getting what you really want out of Dungeons Dragons this is kind of the direction I wanna take things I still love D&D This channel isn't gonna become about roasting D&D or even necessarily going to a ton of other TTRPGs and reviewing them And I mean there's a million other games out there you can try and a lot of them are great Pathfinder Daggerheart I've reviewed a [00:02:00] lot of them on the Eternity website But what I wanna do is present some of the ideas that myself as a game designer I've come up with over the last Well I I've probably been designing or editing games since I was about six Uh I think I was 12 when I first made a map where people could play through and you know actually engage in a a full-fledged game that I made So Let's say twenty-four years of game design experience for myself I'm a at this point a hobbyist so I'm not a professional I've never worked for Wizards of the Coast or any other publishing company I have published my own TTRPG and I'll be sharing that more in the future But all of that aside I wanna start talking about in this channel still some of the news things that are coming out but I wanna share it from the framework of here's maybe how you can take this and make it better There's a lot of elements in [00:03:00] D&D that I wanna be talking about that I think are cool but we could make a lot better So some of those topics number one being initiative I think initiative is very uninspired There's nothing wrong with it right Like the initiative system for D&D gives you everything you need to play a combat encounter It's very simple You roll a d20 you add your modifiers If you have like the alert feat in 5E Then you get to go faster and going faster typically means that you're gonna get like one extra turn than a lot of your other friends at the table or enemies that you're facing Because say you're you're seven rounds in you're taking your seventh turn they've only had six but then all the enemies are dead um that's kind of the the value of initiative right Like so going first does matter but it's not that exciting is it Like you just roll you add your bonus and then you're locked in like a static initiative for the rest of the battle [00:04:00] And these kind of issues with D&D lead to very stagnant situations where people take their turn and then they pull out their phone and they know that it doesn't really matter if they're engaged at the table because for the next five ten fifteen minutes going around the table for everybody to take their turn depending on how well the dungeon master runs a combat encounter they could have literally nothing to do especially if they don't have any reactions so forth So you kinda see this with initiative number one You see this w even with basic things like hit chance and these kinda tie in a lot because players will roll saves when it's not their turn and it gives them sort of something to do at least But with AC it's just a static value it's a situation where the dungeon master may not even need the player because a lot of DMs they write down their player's AC Before the battle even starts So they know when they're rolling behind their uh little table or you know whatever however they [00:05:00] use it maybe as a DM you're just rolling out in the open so anybody can see the D20 Other people hide that number but if they roll a five and the monster's got a plus ten or whatever they just know that they hit somebody who has a fourteen or lower right So they don't even really need the player You just Dungeon Master rolls you take X amount of damage and then all the player has to do is record that on their character sheet then they can get back to their iPhone right Like that's lame There's a lot of situations like this that could be improved I also think it's really interesting looking at old school D&D and other [00:06:00] channels talk about this kind of thing a lot and I think it's something that we could bring back to modern D&D with very good results would be things like the dungeon turn or random assigning of how enemies or NPCs feel towards the party I don't think that the critical role way of playing D&D the the theatrical way of playing D&D is necessarily the best way of playing D&D And I don't have anything against that I really like narrative gameplay A lot of the dungeons um a lot of the campaigns that I have dungeon mastered for have been fairly narratively driven And I really like I I've never written a novel but I like writing the the campaign style novels and then being free to adjust that as my players make decisions But I also think it it isn't necessarily the best way sometimes I've [00:07:00] been very inspired as a dungeon master and I've come up with great narrative plots that my players are super into and it makes for an amazing twenty-five to thirty-five session campaign over the course of a year year and a half that people love and we still talk about And there's been a lot of times as well where I'm not very inspired but I'm still trying to rely on those kind of plot points that older styles of D&D don't make you use because they generate a lot of that for you Emergent storytelling is the term I'm looking for where you don't necessarily know what plot is going to come out of the story but sometimes that's much better because at those moments in my own campaign creating where I haven't been the most inspired those campaigns can die really easily Those are the campaigns that last anywhere from two to seven sessions and just like you often hear about most campaigns die after seven sessions Those are the ones that don't make it [00:08:00] So I think that there are a lot of great older ideas that for some reason the newer versions of Dungeons Dragons didn't bring forward I also think that D&D being a fairly old game and don't get me wrong I love older games I play them all the time but it's surprising the lack of innovation I think that has been in the industry over the past What I mean when did D&D come out I Is it I can't think off the top of my head Is it forty fifty years I'm surprised there isn't better stuff Um and don't get me wrong I I love the other games too I love Pathfinder I love Daggerheart I think they're all cool but I think we can do better And so I'm not necessarily saying I have all the ideas for what could make it better but over my twenty years of designing games twenty plus I've come up with some very simple ideas that I wanna share with you and I think that when you try them out for yourself give me some feedback let me know what you think um I think together we can come up with something that is [00:09:00] substantially better And so that's my goal Everything from the mechanics of initiative in combat to the way campaigns develop narratively to player agency to things like allowing dungeon masters to also play characters in their own campaigns within limited scopes perhaps sharing the roles of dungeon master I think there's a lot of things that we could do to actually truly advance the TTRPG hobby genre beyond what we've seen so far So that's the direction that I plan to take with the channel moving forward I'm looking forward to some of these first videos We're gonna talk about the initiative system We're gonna talk about the hit chance system and I can't wait to get your feedback on it But hopefully this is a turn for me away from just new style stuff and towards stuff that you can use in your campaigns  [00:10:00] like tomorrow And I hope that you enjoy it and I hope to hear from you on topics that you want to see improved in your own D&D games And again I think together we can come up with some truly amazing improvements So until next time talk to you then.
“New Path of the Lich”
By Jacob Tegtman April 29, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an8LlwVXGns Transcription Becoming a lich in D&D has – usually – been something reserved for villains. But in one of the latest Unearthed Arcana from early April, that line gets a little blurrier.  Really cool way that they approached this: there’s now a feat-based system that allows players to work toward lichdom for their characters, over time. So today, we’re going to walk through what becoming a Lich officially looks like—and whether it’s something you’d realistically use in a campaign. Because... you know... with the new D&D seasons releases, and Spring time being about the “horror genre,” nothing says “become a lich” like green trees and budding flowers. So, here we are! Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to place for Dungeons & Dragons content, news, games, and updates. Today we’re looking at the Path of the Lich from the new Villainous Options playtest. To understand the system, it helps to start with the lore. A lich in D&D is a spellcaster who avoids death by binding their soul to an object—commonly called a phylactery, or in this case, a spirit jar. The process is intentionally grim. It involves creating that phylactery vessel, performing a ritual, and effectively dying—only to return as an undead being sustained by magic. Mechanically and narratively, liches are defined by two things: Their detachment from mortality And their dependence on that external object . Kind of like a horcrux, from Harry Potter. That phylactery is what makes a Lich difficult to destroy, and why they’ve historically been used as long-term antagonists, such as during one of my personal favorite adventures of all times: the original Tomb of Horrors. The Path of the Lich is part of a broader Unearthed Arcana release focused on “villainous” character options. Instead of a subclass, as a very interesting take on things, this is structured as a sequence of feats. Keeping the Lich path separate from any class means that no matter what you play as, you can make a Lich out of it! This means that your fighter, for example, could be a Lich, or your rogue (not that you’d ever play a rogue), and you can have that “undead character” without tying yourself to the traditional “Lich-as-a-spellcaster” archetype. The Lich progression looks like this: You begin by defining a Lich Rite , at any level, which is mostly narrative At level 4, you take Lich Initiate Between levels 5 and 11, you select at least one additional related feat, from the options of arcane restoration, transfer life, or undead grasp And then at level 12 or higher, you take Lich Ascension , to officially become a Lich So rather than a single transformation, your character goes through a gradual shift in both mechanics and tone, which is very based in D&D lore. The Lich Rite feat is worth discussing in some detail, even though it doesn’t have strict mechanical weight. This first feat in the Lich chain sets the narrative expectation for becoming a full-blown Lich, by providing the character with a sort of quest they must first complete, such as: Consuming a large number of souls Using magic to conceal yourself from the gods of death Brewing potions from slain foes Or severing your connection to any afterlife, entirely These aren’t small story beats. They really do imply a campaign where moral boundaries are actively being crossed—or at the very least, being questioned. So, before mechanics even come into play, there’s already a conversation to have at the table. Next, is the Lich Initiate feat. This is the foundation. You create your spirit jar , which functions as your anchor, the basis for your phylactery. You also gain Soul Siphon , allowing you to consume the soul of a defeated humanoid for a small damage boost. There’s also a risk component—if your spirit jar is destroyed, you suffer penalties until it’s replaced. You then choose how to build on your lich path with a third feat that improves soul siphon: Arcane Restoration lets you convert soul siphon uses into spell slot recovery Transfer Life turns soul siphon uses into temporary hit point bonuses for allies Undead Grasp adds a control option through paralysis These are fairly modular feats. They don’t radically change your role, such as by forcing you into becoming a full-fledged Lich spell caster, but they do add magical efficiency and utility depending on your build. Finally, at level 12, the transformation to Lichdom completes. You: Become Undead Gain resistance to necrotic and poison damage Get access to Fear without expending spell slots And gain a form of rejuvenation tied to your spirit jar That last point is the most significant mechanically. It introduces a conditional form of returning after death, assuming your phylactery remains intact. So, is the Path of the Lich actually worth taking? Mechanically, it’s solid. You’re getting: Incremental power increases Some resource flexibility And a strong late-game feature tied to survival But the bigger consideration isn’t mechanical—it’s contextual. This kind of progression assumes: A campaign that supports darker character arcs A group that’s comfortable with those themes And a DM willing to integrate the consequences of these morally very-dark-gray life choices In a more traditional heroic campaign, it may not fit at all. The path of the Lich feels less like a standard player option, and more like a tool for specific types of stories. If used carefully, it could support a long-term character arc focused on ambition, cost, and transformation. It allows players to experience some really interesting game mechanics that have long been reserved mainly for monsters or main campaign villains. If this feat path is used casually, it does risk feeling out of place—or undercutting the tone of the game. And let’s just remember, since it’s still Unearthed Arcana, parts of this entire path are also likely to change based on feedback. So the real question is: are you going to play a lich in your next campaign? Or do you think lichdom works better as something players confront… rather than become? Let me know in the comments. And if you want more D&D news and breakdowns like this, consider liking and subscribing. Thanks for watching!
“New Dark D&D Subclasses: for Bard, Druid, & Warlock” Blog
By Jacob Tegtman April 28, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_DQ3rc0Xes Transcription Wizards of the Coast has released three new subclasses in their latest Unearthed Arcana, focusing on darker themes like death magic and corruption mechanics. They’re free to access and already generating a lot of discussion in the community. Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to source for D&D and tabletop RPG news. Let’s take a look at what’s included in this latest release, and how these classes might fit into your game. If you aren’t familiar, Unearthed Arcana is Wizards of the Coast’s official playtest material, where new subclasses, rules, or mechanics are released for public feedback before possible full publication. New Unearthed Arcana releases don’t follow a strict schedule of new subclass releases, but they tend to appear a few times a year depending on development cycles. There’s also no fixed order for which classes get new subclasses—design choices are usually driven by current design goals, themes, or upcoming products rather than a rotation system. This could in part be driven by the “D&D Seasons” that we’re now seeing from Wizards of the Coast with their planned product release schedule, this year. Getting right into things though, the subclasses this round are: College of Mourning (Bard) Circle of the Primeval (Druid) A revised Fiend Patron (Warlock) The College of Mourning focuses on death-related magic. Instead of traditional inspiration, it blends necrotic damage with support abilities, allowing bards to deal damage while also healing allies. Community reactions have noted the strong thematic direction. One Reddit user described it as a good fit for darker character concepts, though some DMs may need to consider how it fits their campaign tone. Mechanically, early impressions suggest it’s relatively balanced, with its healing and damage requiring positioning and timing. The Circle of the Primeval explores a more ancient and unfamiliar side of nature. Instead of typical beasts, their Wild Shape options include more unusual, sometimes unsettling forms—drawing on prehistoric or aberrant inspirations. At 6th level, their “Primordial Awakening” feature allows additional effects like resistance to psychic damage and abilities that can disrupt enemies mentally. Some players like the new, darker style of this subclass as a change of pace, while others worry it might not fit the tone or gameplay balance of more classic, heroic D&D campaigns. This subclass may work best in settings where the implied, dark themes of the subclass are already established and agreed upon by the group. The updated Fiend Patron introduces a more structured approach to corruption mechanics. The new “Infernal Bargain” system allows warlocks to gain temporary power in exchange for accumulating “Corruption Points.” As corruption points increase, characters gain benefits—but also drawbacks, including possible DM influence over certain decisions at higher levels. To be clear, Corruption Points are gained each time the warlock uses their Infernal Bargain feature to gain their temporary power increases. This system has sparked discussion around player agency. Some players appreciate the mechanical representation of risk and consequence, while others are cautious about how it might be implemented at the table. Overall, it adds a clearer framework for storytelling, but likely requires strong communication between players and DMs. Community discussion around these subclasses has been active, particularly among DMs considering how to integrate them. Some concerns focus on tone—especially in campaigns that already have a defined setting or theme. Others are more mechanical, particularly around balance and player agency. Wizards of the Coast has included guidance in the document, including suggestions for implementation and reminders to use session zero discussions and safety tools when introducing darker themes. If you’d like to play these subclasses at your table, You can download and learn more about them for free on D&D Beyond or through official Wizards of the Coast Unearthed Arcana posts. I’ll include links in this video’s notes, below. Quick episode today, but that about wraps things up! So, what are your thoughts on these new subclasses? Would you include them in your campaign, or do they feel too specific in tone? Let me know in the comments. And if you enjoyed this breakdown, consider liking the video and subscribing for more weekly D&D news. Until next time my friends—keep rolling those 20’s.
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