Blue dice with rose gold and swirls. You sure know what I’m looking for.
Name: Whirlwind Metal Dice (Blue Swirl)
Description: This is a standard-size set of medium/dark blue metal polyhedral dice made of (probably) Zinc. The surfaces have a carved swirl pattern on all faces and tiny balls on each vertex. Because of the carved swirls the edges are all dull. The numbers are in a font that’s a little hard for me to identify. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s an “old fashion” style in a font similar to Bodoni Old Fashion but with thicker strokes. The numbers are painted rose gold and some of the blue coating on the faces of the dice is wearing off and letting the rose gold color underneath show through. It’s a nice effect. The d10s have edged waists and the 6 and 9 faces use underbars to indicate their orientation. There is not an underbar on the 6 face of the d6 thank the gods. The d4 could still pierce your bare foot if you stepped on it. It’s a sturdy little pyramid. These dice are available in three color ways on the Dark Elf website (red/silver and purple/silver are the other two choices).
Size:
d20: (Face->Face) 20.35 mm (Point->Point) 26.55 mm
Where did they come from: Dark Elf Dice
How much did they cost: $ 25
Material / color: Metal (Zinc) in blue with a raised swirl pattern and rose gold numbers
Quality: Very good. They’re in nice condition and I think that the blue color rubbing off is intentional.
Readability: Very good. Four feet away on the carpet good but not 8 feet away on the carpet good.
Value: Excellent (These are underpriced)
Overall Rating: 9/10
Attempts needed to roll a natural 20: 25 rollsTen Fifty d20 rolls: 2, 1, 20, 5, 15, 13, 4, 2, 8, 13, 5, 17, 11, 8, 2, 18, 5, 3, 6, 11, 10, 13, 15, 7, 18, 2, 12, 19, 3, 3, 1, 15, 7, 6, 4, 18, 13, 15, 3, 8, 1, 13, 13, 13, 9, 12, 14, 17, 2, 16, 2 (9.42 avg)
4d6 drop 1 stat block: 13, 12, 10, 13, 15, 13 (76 total) A Generous Halfling Cleric from an engineer’s guild who is planning to retire next year.
For reference: the Standard Array method totals to: 72 and the Point Buy method totals to: 69.
Casting Inflict Wounds at 9th level:
Make a melee spell attack against a creature you can reach. On a hit, the target takes 3d10 necrotic damage.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 1st.
A creature takes 65 damage on a hit
(This is another excuse for rolling dice)
Random Tables rolls:
Druidic Treasures : 31 – Encyclopedia Druidica: These books are a compendium of knowledge from the natural world (Increase your Intelligence or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20). Any checks that are nature related just seem easier to you.
Different Arrow Types: 84 – Mind Spike Arrow – Deals only psychic damage. Target has disadvantage on wisdom saves until next turn. It is pink in colour.
(I’m getting these random tables at: https://d100tables.com by the way
Final Thoughts: I was on the fence about buying these dice when I noticed them on the Dark Elf website. The blue and rose gold go together fantastically here just as they did on the dice that I rated in the very first dice post I wrote for this blog. I wasn’t sure if I’d love the swirled shape of the dice. They’re so cheap that I just went for it and I’d say I’m pretty happy with how they look. I’ve never seen this style of dice and lately things I haven’t seen before are what’s catching my eye. I like how the paint was applied liberally to the faces and the color soaked in darker in the grooves much like the Speed Paint that I use to paint mini-figures for D&D. I quite like the final result of this effect.
These dice are nicely weighted and the test rolls seemed even enough. Maybe I should start collecting more rolling data on the d20 at least. Is ten rolls enough to get a feel for balance? I’ll think of something. The dice don’t stop on a dime like some other sets but the little balls on each vertex make them thud around playfully with a little shimmy at the end of the roll as they settle. These dice sound amazing in my wooden dice tray with the leather floor. They have a wonderful hollow sound that you just can’t get with lighter resin dice.
Let’s see: Nice weight to them, they’re likely fairly balanced, they’re very good looking with an interesting swirl carved into the faces, they’re very easy to read and have a font that’s not annoying, they’re a great bargain at $25. I’d say these dice almost have everything going for them. Strangely they’re a little underwhelming in person / on table. Maybe it’s the size or the irregularity but they just don’t have that pop. They’re a reluctant 9/10. They’ve got a lot on their CV to brag about and I’ll rate them accordingly. If you like the swirl faces, pick up a set from Dark Elf, they’re a steal at this price.
Update: I change it from 10 to 50 rolls and made a histogram. Boy was the number 13 on fire.
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