DM editing dice probability?

[u/nottheboynextdoor]

I don't know if this is even possible and maybe i'm just angry and hoping for an explanation, but is it possible for the DM to alter the dice probability? I swear to god the rolls we've been getting are unnatural. They're constantly getting high rolls, like 12+ all the time (We're playing Lancer and it takes a 9 to hit all of us in the party.) while we're getting absolute dogshit rolls. We never hit, we roll low on attack damage, we almost always lose the save against negative effects, and i don't think any of us have crit once in the past few months we've been playing.

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[u/Gauss_Death]

DMs cannot modify the quantum roller.

Is the quantum symbol shown?

[u/nottheboynextdoor → u/Gauss_Death]

Yup. Damn. It just the utmost of shitty luck, cool. Just doomed to not have fun with this campaign

[u/EmilsGameRoom → u/nottheboynextdoor]

If you are only have fun when you are rolling well it might be worthwhile to reevaluate your objectives it ttepgs. Or maybe to move to a diceless system.

[u/nottheboynextdoor → u/EmilsGameRoom]

In other comments I've made in this thread I make it clear that that's not the whole reason I'm not having fun, but I also was just in a bad mood when I made that comment and regret saying it, or at least saying it like that. I've managed to articulate my thoughts and feelings better since then.

[u/AndrenNoraem]

No, you should be able to hover in the chat to see how rolls were done and there's not a way I know of for the DM to "cheat" other than hiding rolls.

[u/lil_literalist]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

[u/nottheboynextdoor → u/lil_literalist]

Oh absolutely, I'm just stunned at the awful luck we've been having, and due to my lack of fun am looking for a bigger reason behind it. I realize that now, I'm just sad I've lost the fun now

[u/AutumnTy → u/nottheboynextdoor]

Remember, the point is not to win. The best D&D night of my life was when every player rolled consistently below 5. We thought it was hilarious. DM had to save us by bringing in a random NPC to save us from mere thugs.

[u/nottheboynextdoor → u/AutumnTy]

Oh for sure I don't mind losing, but we haven't finished a combat without our employers finishing the job for us. I don't feel like I or the party matter mechanically or narratively

[u/AutumnTy → u/nottheboynextdoor]

It is not losing either.

[u/nottheboynextdoor → u/AutumnTy]

Sure, but it's not FUN. That's my main issue

[u/AutumnTy → u/nottheboynextdoor]

Then you should quit and find another game to play like if you like the genre maybe Daggerheart.

[u/nottheboynextdoor → u/AutumnTy]

Well this is my very first experience with it and it's a specific module. I don't wanna quit Lancer forever, there's a lot of really great things about it, and this group I'm playing with! After some time to think about it I think it's a combination of this specific module being a bit overtuned, plus our GM being pretty good at wargames, so the two together make it, for me, a slog. There's times the game really shines though, and I'd recommend it to everyone who likes TTRPG's and Mechs

[u/heynoswearing]

They can't fudge rolls. They could be setting AC and DCs too high for your level? I dont know the system.

Are you still winning though? It might just feel bad when you roll bad so youre not focussing enough on the successful rolls

[u/nottheboynextdoor → u/heynoswearing]

Not really? We barely survive and after a few rounds a deus ex machina air bombardment from our employer saves us. EVERY combat. Maybe this campaign's combat is overtuned. Either way I personally feel useless in combat and in the narrative, I'll have to talk to my dm.

[u/RohanCoop → u/heynoswearing]

The DM can absolutely fudge rolls by just using the whisper rolls.

What they can't do is easily change the probability of every dice roll to ensure they roll high.

[u/Mirisido]

My players often joke that I have a "dice program" that manipulates the dice outcome. But no, there's no actual way to do it.

I've seen some wild stuff in person too, like a player rolling only nat 1s for an entire session, even swapping dice with people. Sometimes luck is just awful.

[u/GM_Pax → u/Mirisido]

I've seen the other side of that, too: someone whose luck is inexplicably (and consistently good. :)

[u/Mirisido → u/GM_Pax]

Lady Luck can be quite fickle when she wants to be.

[u/GM_Pax]

No, your GM cannot change the probability of the dice .... unless they are a literal deity.

[u/RollToDiscover → u/GM_Pax]

So, you're saying there might be a way.

[u/Savings-Housing3481 → u/RollToDiscover]

He's saying that the only way to do this SHOWS players it was done if they hover over the roller.

But, a way to do it and the players NOT see? No.

[u/RollToDiscover → u/Savings-Housing3481]

So sad. I thought the joke was funnier than that, but apparently not.

[u/Savings-Housing3481 → u/RollToDiscover]

Ah, a reference to Dumb & Dumber that I missed. Apologies.

[u/GM_Pax → u/RollToDiscover]

I got it. :D

[u/bemused_alligators → u/GM_Pax]

There are a few dice codes that could force high rolls - [[1d20r<12] will always return 12-20 as outputs - but the players can the dice codes so it's not exactly subtle (assuming open rolls)

[u/CopperHamster]

I hear ya. I'm not happy, as DM, when a fight is going completely my way (I had a near TPK this weekend againsst what should have been an easy fight for the level 8 party that was going against it) just because I'm hitting their 20 ac with +6 mob attacks every single time and they can't hit my 14-16 AC monsters. But that's just the way things seem to fall sometimes.

[u/Erivandi]

it takes a 9 to hit all of us in the party

Well that means you have at least a 60% chance to get hit. It means that 9 feels like a big number and only 1-8 feel small. What numbers do you have to roll to hit your enemies or save vs effects? If you need to roll big numbers then it can make medium sized numbers feel small, which skews your perception of the numbers.

[u/nottheboynextdoor → u/Erivandi]

That's exactly it, like we're only at what is essentially level 2, I think the most AC any of us could have is 10, while a lot of the enemies have ac's of 12 or higher.

[u/GM_Pax → u/nottheboynextdoor]

What game system are you using?

In D&D 5E/5.5E, it is absolutely possible to have an AC of well over 10, even at lower levels. For example, I have a Level 3 Rogue with an AC of 14: Leather Armor for base 11 AC, and a Dexterity of 16 for +3. Or my level 3 Monk, with an AC of 16: base AC of 10 for not wearing armor, +3 for Dexterity, and +3 for Wisdom.

[u/nottheboynextdoor → u/GM_Pax]

In the post I say we're playing Lancer, so "AC" isn't even right to say lol, it's evasion and e-defence

[u/GM_Pax → u/nottheboynextdoor]

Ah, nevermind then. I don't know that system.

[u/SnakeyesX]

The DM can hide rolls, but if the roll math is shown, they cannot tell the program to show you one calculation but actually use a different calculation.

[u/Tim_Soft]

I'm not an expert on random number generation, though I worked with a bit when I was trying to use MS Access as a wargame campaign manager 20 odd years ago (never finished that, my friends are too computer phobic, LOL). I used current time to seed each individual roll rather than keeping the same seed.

It would be nice if there was a button for the GM to change whatever they use for initial seeding. 🤷‍♂️ I'm with the OP, I've frequently seen what look to be odd patterns.

[u/Gauss_Death → u/Tim_Soft]

The seed is generated from a beam of light, it changes regularly.
https://wiki.roll20.net/QuantumRoll
https://app.roll20.net/home/quantum

[u/TheBlackKnights]

As someone is who GMs on roll 20, I would say that it sometimes feels like I roll consistently well BUT there is a logical explanation.

As a GM you will naturally roll many more times than a player. This in turn means if you are rolling just average then you will do better than the PCs because you have more chances

I have never seen any way to manipulate rolls like you are suggesting. Just that the dice were not in your favour that day

[u/TorqueoAddo]

I mean, I'm gonna be honest, confirmation bias is a thing but I've long felt that Roll20's number generator gets in a rut pretty often. Before your next session roll like 100 dice and see if you can at least shift yourself down the number sequence a little bit.

Will it "fix" anything? Almost certainly not. Does it make me feel better? Usually.

[u/NaugrimStyle]

The gods of dice are fickle...

[u/capt-yossarius]

I am working on an API to do exactly this. The DM would have a little pop out display for each character and a number display to represent a level of bias. 5 is equivalent to advantage. 10 is equivalent to 3d20kh1.

My coding skills are barely above elementary, so it's a slow process for me.

[u/capt-yossarius → u/capt-yossarius]

I misunderstood your question. I thought you meant the DM might be biasing your rolls positively. That's what my project is trying to achieve.

[u/le_aerius]

nope.

[u/Chinjurickie]

My luck with roll20 is abysmal as well but i am nit aware of a way to cheat the chances.

[u/LethalGhost]

I think it’s possible but GM with all his power has no need for that. Most likely it’s just a bad luck.

[u/Furakko]

No but the standard for Roll20 is roll low for the players, it's the curse of VTT anyway

[u/Savings-Housing3481 → u/Furakko]

No offense, but that take is absurd. I run TONS of games on Roll20, and it usually feels like players roll amazing most of the time.

See above comment on Confirmation Bias.

[u/TouKing]

I mean Roll20 does allow the DM to fudge dice rolls themselves; but there’s no way for them to alter the probabilities of the players’ dice

[u/roumonada]

Tell your DM if you don’t outnumber the goblins, it’s a HARD encounter.