Exploding Dice

Exploding dice refers to a tabletop roleplaying game mechanic where dice that roll a certain value, usually their highest, add an additional die of that type to the roll. It's an exciting occurrence with an exciting name that adds an element of unpredictability and possibility to every roll. Even a desperate situation unlikely to succeed can explode into an extraordinary success with a little bit of luck. Typically, dice can explode indefinitely, meaning dice added to the roll by explosion can also themselves explode, creating the possibility (however remote) of infinite dice! At some point, however, you'll certainly roll enough successes or a high enough total to completely succeed at the action being rolled for. Depending on the game, dice might be summed together or rolled to achieve "hits" or "successes" of some number or higher. In either case, an explosion represents an additional chance to succeed. Sometimes, dice added by explosion cannot explode themselves. Exploding dice usually, though not always, exist in a dice pool system, where explosions add to the pool. In some cases, though, exploding dice systems only typically roll one or two dice, allowing explosions to produce otherwise impossible levels of success, much like critical hits in other games. In any case, exploding dice are a great way to add some extra excitement to the already fun process of rolling dice! Popular systems with exploding dice include Savage Worlds, Deadlands, and the Kids on... series, including Kids on Bikes and Kids on Brooms. Games like Legend of the Five Rings, Rolemaster, Star Wars d6, the Cyberpunk series, older editions of World of Darkness games and Shadowrun, and many more also use exploding dice.