Roll 4d6
Four six-sided dice thrown together give a total with a narrow, steep curve. The floor and ceiling each need all four dice in agreement, so almost every roll lands somewhere near the middle. It is the plain-sum cousin of the more famous 4d6 drop lowest.
Press Roll to throw the dice.
Press Space to roll again. Type notation like 2d6+3 or 4d6dl1 straight into the box.
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Rolling 4d6 gives totals from 4 to 24 out of 1,296 equally likely outcomes. The most likely total is 14 at 11.27%. The lowest total comes up 0.08% of the time and the highest 0.08%. The average roll is 14.
- Minimum
- 4
- Maximum
- 24
- Mean
- 14
- Median
- 14
- Std deviation
- 3.42
- Most likely
- 14
- Its odds
- 11.27%
4d6 probability distribution
The extremes each need every die to agree, which is why 4 and 24 are rare. Middle totals can be built several different ways, so they dominate the table below.
| Total | Ways | Probability | This or lower |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 0.08% | 0.08% |
| 5 | 4 | 0.31% | 0.39% |
| 6 | 10 | 0.77% | 1.16% |
| 7 | 20 | 1.54% | 2.7% |
| 8 | 35 | 2.7% | 5.4% |
| 9 | 56 | 4.32% | 9.72% |
| 10 | 80 | 6.17% | 15.9% |
| 11 | 104 | 8.02% | 23.92% |
| 12 | 125 | 9.65% | 33.56% |
| 13 | 140 | 10.8% | 44.37% |
| 14 | 146 | 11.27% | 55.63% |
| 15 | 140 | 10.8% | 66.44% |
| 16 | 125 | 9.65% | 76.08% |
| 17 | 104 | 8.02% | 84.1% |
| 18 | 80 | 6.17% | 90.28% |
| 19 | 56 | 4.32% | 94.6% |
| 20 | 35 | 2.7% | 97.3% |
| 21 | 20 | 1.54% | 98.84% |
| 22 | 10 | 0.77% | 99.61% |
| 23 | 4 | 0.31% | 99.92% |
| 24 | 1 | 0.08% | 100% |
When you'd roll 4d6
Roll a straight 4d6 when a rule asks for a pool of six-sided dice and no keep or drop rule attached. Spell and weapon damage in D&D scales this way, adding dice as the effect grows rather than switching to a bigger die. Some dice games want four dice on the table so you can look for sets and runs rather than a total. If you came here for the character creation method, use the drop lowest page instead.
Where this roll shows up
- Damage pools in D&D, where several d6 are thrown together and summed
- The starting point for the 4d6 drop lowest ability score method
- Dice games that ask you to throw a handful and read the whole set
4d6 questions
What is the difference between 4d6 and 4d6 drop lowest?
A straight 4d6 adds all four dice. Drop lowest throws four, discards the smallest one, and adds the remaining three. Dropping the worst die pulls the totals upward, which is exactly why character creation uses it.
Why do games add more d6 instead of using a bigger die?
Because more dice make results more predictable. A single big die is flat and swingy. A pile of small dice clusters near the average, so a spell that deals a pool of d6 damage does something reasonably consistent every time it goes off.
Can I roll 4d6 as two separate pairs?
For a total, yes, the sum is the same however you group them. It only matters when a rule cares about individual dice, such as counting sixes or dropping a die, in which case roll all four at once and read them together.