How many colors of turquoise dice does a person need? So far just two
Name: Red Turquoise Gemstone Dice
Description: This is another standard-size set of near-sharp edge stone dice. They’re sold as “Red Turquoise” but I don’t know if they’re real or synthetic stone (i.e.: pressed from stone powder). Given the rarity of actual red Turquoise, I’m guessing that these are made of reconstituted Turquoise at best or some other stone (Magnesite) otherwise. These are a medium red color with very thin black lines (called “matrix”). The numbers are carved (very shallow) and inked in gold. In this case Gold is highly visible against the red of the stone. Like the set of Turquoise stone dice reviewed last week, the numbers on these dice use the same font, a wider version of Futura ND but with a ‘3’ that doesn’t curve in so much at the ends and a ‘6’ and ‘9’ that don’t quite meet at the waists. The font uses “old style” or “non-lining” numbers but they’re not as pronounced as the purple Turquoise set’s numbers are. The 6 and 9 faces use square dots to indicate their orientation (even on the d6) and the d10 and d% have edged waists. These dice are also available in a purple Turquoise and an orange-and-green Turquoise. All of the stone dice at Dark Elf Dice are still on sale. If you’ve ever wanted stone dice, now is the time to shop
Size:
d20: (Face->Face) 19.7 mm (Point->Point) 24.1 mm
Where did they come from: Dark Elf Dice
How much did they cost: $44 (sale price)
Material / color: Red Turquoise stone
Quality: Very good. Clean, mostly scuff/scratch free
Readability: Excellent. I can read them from 8 feet away on the rug.
Value: Great value for a set of stone dice.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Attempts needed to roll a natural 20: 68 rolls
Ten Fifty d20 rolls: 10, 11, 16, 7, 3, 3, 9, 7, 11, 17, 3, 9, 17, 12, 11, 3, 18, 3, 3, 10, 16, 19, 7, 2, 4, 19, 3, 4, 4, 8, 5, 18, 2, 17, 11, 4, 3, 2, 17, 16, 3, 3, 20, 16, 4, 17, 19, 4, 12, 4
Mean: 9.32 (Average)
Median: 8.5 (Midpoint)
Mode: 3 (most rolls)
4d6 drop 1 stat block: 9, 15, 14, 13, 7, 7 (65 total) A Churlish Halfling rogue from a disgraced family of knights who is a former bare knuckle boxer
For reference: the Standard Array method totals to: 72 and the Point Buy method totals to: 69.
Sneak attack (Crit) as a 20th level Rogue with a hand crossbow
Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe’s distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.
You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Rogue table.
1d8 for the crossbow (4) plus 2 for dex mod and 10d6 for sneak attack (36) for a total of (40 x 2) + 2 = 82 points of piercing damage
(Just another excuse for rolling dice)
Random Tables rolls:
Combat complications: 53 – A spirit appears taking offense at its sacred land being tainted
Lingering Injury – Necrotic: 01 – Malaise: You are afflicted with intense apathy and depression. You have disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma ability checks and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws. Magic such as the heal or regenerate spell can resolve your spiritual injury, but such spells must be cast by a cleric, druid, or other class that uses divine magic.
(I’m getting these random tables at: https://d100tables.com by the way
Final Thoughts: When I saw the sale at Dark Elf, I looked through all of the stone dice on sale and these and the purple Turquoise set from last week were the two that spoke to me the most. I would have preferred a set of standard Turquoise dice (colored “Persian Blue”) instead of these red ones but there weren’t any for sale so I took these which are the next best option according to me.
These dice feel nice and smooth in my hand. They’re a little big slippery unfortunately and I’ve dropped them a couple of times already. I don’t love the red color. I hoped it wouldn’t lean so much toward brick-red but they do look great with the contrast of the gold font. They were (of course) a little brighter in the website photos but I’m not disappointed at what I bought. The little black lines (“matrix”) on the dice are fascinating to look at. I think this is what draws people to turquoise. (and the color of course)
Quality-wise there are some very minor sloppy bits with the gold inking (I needed a magnifying glass to see them) and some tiny scuffs, but overall these are good looking dice. They came in a leather carrying case with protective foam to nest them in and a snap closure. it’s a nice touch to send a fancy dice case with such a minor purchase. That’s just Dark Elf securing my business. I really like their selection of dice and I’ve bought plenty from them in the last few years. The only drawback to them is the way that their website is organized makes it hard to find what you’re looking for sometimes.
If you’re looking for a set of stone dice, you could do a lot worse than these. I’d say that these are a very safe bet for someone interested in stone dice. They’re the ottoman of stone dice. They’re not too plain, they fit in with your decor, they’re not flashy but definitely upscale from those Chessex dice that you’ve been so happy with for all these years. Go ahead and spend a few extra dollars to fill your hand with something that’s going to make you happy to roll. Think how much better you’ll role-play if you’re rolling for persuasion on a nice d20 from a fancy set of stone dice.
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