• ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    TL;DR They’re not dice.

    The computer-designed objects called trajectoids follow a predetermined path when rolling, and usually look somewhat like peeled potatoes.
    Examples of trajectoids
    I haven’t seen a trajectoid with an obviously arbitrary, complex path, such as someone’s signature (as opposed to demos of epicycles), so there may be limits to what lines can be made.

    I think the similarly-looking gömböcs are cooler: convex, uniform objects that always return to one stable orientation when laid on a flat surface.
    gömböc gif

      • ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        Not entirely irrelevant to D&D. Now we know that a skilled scholar could sculpt a boulder to roll in a specific way (for an Indiana Jones-style trap) without casting spells. Still, adjusting the terrain is a more productive way to do that.

        But they’re not useful as dice. Nobody ever uses a die’s trajectory shape to determine a random in-game outcome.

        A gömböc could technically count as the most rigged die – only ever rolling up one number – if the only requirements for a D&D die were for it to be a convex object with uniform density.

        • bionicjoey@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          Plato: “A die is a convex object with uniform density.”

          Diogenes: holds up gömböc “behold: a die!”

          • ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de
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            1 year ago

            (Diogenes is genius but poor so the gömböc is a peeled potato)

            Now seriously, the convexity requirement is there to ensure that spheres with voids inside don’t qualify.