A classic six-sided wargaming scatter die has four arrow faces and two Hit faces. When a rule tells you to scatter a template, marker, model or other object, an arrow shows the direction. A Hit usually leaves it in place. The rule itself tells you how far it moves and whether any exception applies.
This guide covers the classic six-sided scatter die used in many miniature wargames. Other games use different directional dice, so always check which type your rules require.
Plenty of people meet one in a starter box with no idea what the small arrow inside the Hit symbol does. It comes up further down.
Want to try it? Use the scatter roller below.
Press the button to roll.
How to Use a Scatter Die
Roll the scatter die for direction, then use whatever distance roll or fixed value the rule specifies. The scatter die tells you where. The rule tells you how far.
| Scatter result | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Arrow | Follow the direction of the arrow and use the distance or procedure specified by the rule. |
| Hit! | Leave the object in place unless the rule specifically tells you to use the small arrow or apply another effect. |
- Place the object where the rule tells you.
- Roll the scatter die and any other dice the rule asks for.
- On an arrow, line your ruler up with the centre of the arrow before moving.
- Measure from the reference point the rule names, which is often but not always the template centre.
- On a Hit, apply what that game says a Hit does.
Four arrow faces do not mean the die can only point in four directions. Once the die lands, it can be rotated at any angle on the tabletop, so the arrow on the upper face can point anywhere around a full circle.
Read the result from as close to directly above as possible, and do not pick up the die until both players have agreed on the line.
What Are the Odds on a Scatter Die?
On the classic four arrow, two Hit model every face is equally likely, so each one comes up one time in six. Grouped by result, that is a one in three chance of a Hit and a two in three chance of an arrow.
Those numbers describe the die and nothing else. How often an attack ends up where you aimed also depends on earlier rolls, modifiers and re-rolls in the rule you are using.
What Does the Small Arrow on the Hit Face Mean?
A Hit usually leaves the object where you placed it. The small arrow gives a rule a usable direction on every face of the die. Some rules need it, others do not.
Warhammer: The Old World shows how specific this gets. Its current FAQ and errata say an object only moves along the small arrow when a rule tells you to, and that otherwise it does not move at all. Indirect fire from a stone thrower is one of the cases where it does apply. Check the rulebook and FAQ for whatever you are playing. The Warhammer: The Old World rules and FAQs are free to download.
Which Games Use Scatter Dice?
Scatter rolls show up wherever something should land near a point rather than exactly on it. Common uses:
- Blast or template weapons.
- Artillery and war machines.
- Random arrivals or drops.
- Moving markers, effects or hazards.
- Random movement.
Warhammer: The Old World uses a scatter die in its general rules, and Games Workshop currently sells a 16mm scatter die for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, Necromunda and Adeptus Titanicus. Older editions of Warhammer 40,000 used one heavily. The exact weapons and abilities that use it change between games and editions.
The die may look the same across several games, but the procedure around it is not always the same.
Are All Scatter Dice Six-Sided?
No. This guide describes the classic six-sided version with four arrows and two Hits. Blood Bowl is a well known exception, since it resolves direction with an eight-sided die.
Face counts vary between manufacturers, so check the die in front of you.
Can You Use a Normal Die Instead?
Partly. A normal D6 cannot point anywhere by itself, but it can reproduce the split. Treat 1 or 2 as a Hit and 3 to 6 as a scatter, and you have kept the one third and two thirds.
Direction has to come from somewhere else: a spinner, a random direction app, or a D8 mapped to eight agreed directions. A D8 alone does not reproduce the result, because it has no Hit outcome, and it locks you into eight fixed directions where a physical die can point at any angle.
The roller on this page works too, as long as you keep the device aligned with the table. Decide which edge of the screen is the top of the battlefield, roll, and do not rotate the device before measuring. A physical die is usually quicker, because it lands next to the action already pointing the right way.
What Makes a Scatter Die Easy to Read?
Three things do most of the work: a wide, high contrast arrow, a Hit symbol you can tell apart from a plain arrow at a glance, and enough size to read the result without picking the die up.
Our scatter dice use a 16mm resin body, giving the engraved arrows and Hit symbols enough room to remain clear without making the die awkward to use around miniatures and templates. You can see the colours in our Scatter and Deviation Dice range.
Do You Need a Dedicated Scatter Die?
Not strictly. You can reproduce the result with a normal die and a separate way to generate direction. A dedicated scatter die is simply the fastest and clearest way to do both at the table.
- A dedicated die avoids tables and two separate tools.
- Matching your other dice is a fair reason too.
A D3 answers how much. A scatter die answers where. We cover that roll on its own in What Is a D3 Die.
One scatter die is enough for normal play. A second is useful as a spare or for a shared club set, but most scatter rolls are resolved one at a time. The rest of the unusual shapes sit together in our Special and Extra Dice.
The Short Version
A classic six-sided scatter die has four arrow faces and two Hit faces. An arrow gives you a direction, while a Hit usually leaves the object in place. The rule you are using determines the distance and tells you whether the small arrow on the Hit face matters. A normal D6 can reproduce the probabilities, but it needs a second method to generate direction.