What Dice Do You Need for Warhammer 40,000?

For standard 11th-edition Warhammer 40,000, you only need ordinary six-sided dice, usually written as D6s. The Core Rules use them for hit, wound, save, leadership, charge and hazard rolls. When a rule asks for a D3, you generate it with a D6, so you do not need a D8, D10, D12, D20 or an RPG polyhedral set.

The rules do not set a minimum number. One D6 can technically be rolled repeatedly, but a pool of around 20 is a practical starting point for most new players. Twenty is our recommendation for comfort, not an official requirement.

Players coming from roleplaying games often expect a collection of different shapes. Warhammer 40,000 takes the opposite approach: one type of die, used in large pools.

Want to try it? Roll a pool of D6s below.

What Dice Does Warhammer 40,000 Use?

The 11th-edition Core Rules, published on 1 June 2026, ask for six-sided dice and abbreviate them to D6. Section 01.05 of the Core Rules says that players require six-sided dice and then defines the notation used throughout the game. You can read the current version, together with the latest universal rules updates and event documents, on the official Warhammer 40,000 downloads page.

No basic roll in this edition calls for another die type. A dedicated D3, an app or a few tokens are conveniences, not requirements.

How to Read D6, D3 and 2D6 Notation

What Rolls Use D6s in Warhammer 40,000?

• Hit rolls: one D6 for each attack die.
• Wound rolls: one D6 for each successful hit.
• Save rolls: D6 rolls made by the opposing player as attacks are resolved.
• Advance rolls: one D6.
• Charge rolls: 2D6 added together.
• Leadership and Battle-shock rolls: 2D6.
• Hazard rolls: one D6 for each required roll; under the current Core Rules, a 1–2 fails.
• Variable attacks or damage: use the D3, D6 or other D6-based expression shown on the relevant profile.
• Roll-offs: use D6s when a mission or rule instructs the players to roll off.

A Leadership roll is 2D6, and it succeeds when the total equals or beats one or more of the unit's Leadership characteristics. A Battle-shock roll is taken as a Leadership roll. The exact number of dice changes from unit to unit, but the physical die does not.

How Do You Roll a D3 in Warhammer 40,000?

The wording in the Core Rules is to roll one D6, divide the result by two and round up. In practice that produces a simple lookup.

Each D3 result gets two faces of the D6, so each one has a one-third chance. A fair dedicated D3 gives the same one-third probability for each result, which is why the two are interchangeable in practice. The probability is worked through in What Is a D3 Die.

The Core Rules define the D6 conversion, so a separate D3 is optional. In a casual game, a dedicated D3 is usually straightforward if both players understand it. At an event, check the event pack or ask the organiser before replacing the stated method.

How Many D6s Do You Need for Warhammer 40,000?

The Core Rules do not set a fixed number. In theory, one D6 can be rolled repeatedly, but doing that for large attack pools would make the game unnecessarily slow.

Around 20 D6s is a sensible starting pool for a new player. It covers many routine rolls and still lets you split larger attacks into clearly announced batches. Armies that regularly make large numbers of attacks may prefer 30 or more. Buying extra is optional, because rolling a large pool in two or three batches produces the same results when the rules allow those attacks to be grouped.

Both figures are comfort recommendations, not something the rulebook asks for. Check the largest pool your army rolls regularly on its current datasheets and loadout, then bring enough for it or resolve it in clearly declared batches.

If you track remaining wounds or Command points with spare dice, keep them in a different colour or away from the rolling area. A marker swept into an attack pool is far more disruptive than rolling in two batches, and tokens or dials do the same job.

What Are the Basic Odds on a D6?

These are the unmodified probabilities for a single roll. Re-rolls, modifiers, critical results and special rules can change the effective chance.

What Size Dice Are Best for Warhammer 40,000?

The Core Rules do not set a size, so this is purely a comfort question.

• 12mm D6s take up less space, so a large pool fits in a small tray.
• 16mm D6s give more face space for pips, numbers or engraved symbols.
• Bigger dice need more room once you are rolling twenty or thirty at a time.
• Legibility, contrast and comfort matter more than picking a universally correct size.

Choose 12mm if compact pools are your priority. Choose 16mm if you prefer more face space for engraved symbols and do not mind the larger footprint.

What Makes a Warhammer Dice Pool Easy to Read?

Pips let you recognise a pattern rather than read a digit, numbers are more familiar to some players, and a faction symbol can stand in for a face provided it is clear which value it represents. None of those is faster for everyone, so consistency matters more than style.

• Keep enough contrast between the body of the die and its markings.
• Use one convention across the whole pool.
• Make sure your opponent can check results from their side of the table.

Avoid dice whose markings become difficult to distinguish from normal playing distance. Low-contrast engraving may look clear in the hand but become difficult to separate when several dice are grouped together.

Are Custom or Faction Dice Allowed in Warhammer 40,000?

In casual play, ordinary custom D6s are generally straightforward as long as both players can identify every result and agree which face represents each number. Organised events may set additional requirements, so the event pack and Tournament Organiser always take priority. The official Warhammer Event Companion calls itself the official way to play at events while stating that it can be adapted to the organiser's circumstances.

Replacing the 6 with a faction symbol is a common convention rather than an unusual workaround. A few habits keep it uncontroversial.

• Use ordinary, unmodified dice.
• Say before the game which value the symbol represents.
• Keep the same convention across the whole pool.
• Do not mix dice where a symbol means 1 with dice where it means 6.
• Use colours and markings with enough contrast.
• Leave the dice on the table long enough for your opponent to check the roll.
• Ask the organiser when an event sets its own requirements, including any policy on dice trays, cocked dice and digital substitutes.

Do You Need Dedicated Warhammer 40,000 Dice?

No. Any clear, ordinary D6 pool can resolve the core dice rolls in the current rules.

You do not need official dice or an RPG polyhedral set, a physical D3 is optional, and themed dice do not change the probabilities. What a dedicated set buys you is comfort: consistent legibility, a pool you can tell apart from your opponent's, and dice that match your army if that appeals.

A dedicated D3 can be convenient for armies that generate several D3 attack, damage or ability values. It does not improve the odds; it only prints the three possible results directly on the die. We stock D3 Three Sided Dice if you would rather not halve anything mid-game.

Our Grimdark Era dice use 16mm resin D6 bodies with engraved, hand-painted markings. They are unofficial accessories designed for sci-fi wargaming and are not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by Games Workshop.

The Short Version

Warhammer 40,000 uses ordinary D6s for its core dice rolls. D3 results come from a D6, while 2D6 means rolling two D6s and adding them together. The rules do not prescribe a fixed pool size, but around 20 dice is a practical starting point. Custom and faction dice are fine for many casual games when every face is clear, while event players should always check the organiser's requirements.