difference in damage

[dynamiteboy_]

what's the difference between a 1d10 item and a 2d6 item. what's the 1 or the 2 in front stand for? and the d too.

i've played this game and baldurs gate for the past four years, and have never known what the hell they mean.

[Xandax]

A little usage of the search function of this site is sure to reveal the answer, but ...

d stands for "die", the first number indicates the amount of dice, and the number after stands for the amount of sides on each die.
So for example 1d6 means the throw of one six sided die and 2d10 means the throw of two ten-sided dice.

so 1d10 would result in a throw of 1 to 10 where as 2d6 would result in a throw of 2x (1 to 6) thus giving a possible outcome of 2 to 12.

[dynamiteboy_]

a'ight. thanks yo

[Philos]

This might be more than you were asking for but might be helpful in deciding between two weapons. A 2d6 weapon (like a 2 handed sword) will average better damage than a 1d10 weapon (like a halberdt). With 2 dice (electronic ones granted) you will usually average 6-8 points of damage (appox 45% of the time) and only rarely do the minimum 2 points or maximum 12 points (approx 3% of the time). This does not count any weapon pluses or strength bonus or special effects, just the basic weapon. With only 1 die on a 1d10 weapon you have an equal chance of doing any where from the minimum 1 point to the maximum 10 points (equal 10% chance across the board). So the 1d10 gives you a better chance at doing max damage, but the 2d6 gives you more consistent damage. It all boils down to preference. But thought I'd throw a little food for thought out there.

[dynamiteboy_]

naw man, that was good. thanks.

that's pretty much exactly what i needed to know.

now if i have the time to play... i'm in college. i start tomorrow.