The Polyhedral Dice Set Explained: d4 to d20

If you’re commissioning dice for a tabletop game or RPG, you’ll hear the term “polyhedral set.” It refers to the standard seven dice used in games like Dungeons & Dragons. Here’s what each one is and how custom sets handle them.

The standard 7-piece set

• d4 — a four-sided pyramid (tetrahedron); low rolls, often for small damage or modifiers
• d6 — the familiar cube; used everywhere, sometimes in multiples
• d8 — an eight-sided die for medium values
• d10 — a ten-sided die numbered 0–9
• d00 — a second d10 marked in tens (00–90); paired with the d10 it gives percentile (1–100) rolls
• d12 — a twelve-sided die for larger values
• d20 — the iconic twenty-sided die, the core roll in many RPG systems

Why the d20 gets the spotlight

In many systems the d20 decides whether actions succeed, so it’s the emotional center of a set — and the face brands most often customize with a logo or symbol in place of the 20. It’s usually the largest die in the set and the one buyers judge first.

Customizing a polyhedral set

Custom sets keep the same seven shapes but vary everything else: material, color and effects, number font and ink color, and logos. Some buyers add extras — a second d20, additional d6s, or a metal display die — or commission entirely custom symbols in place of numerals for a branded game.

Whatever the design, the seven shapes stay constant — so material and finish choices are where your set’s identity comes from. The related guides cover designing and ordering a set.