Shadowrun Dice Probability Calculator: Roll Smarter
🎲 Shadowrun Dice Probability Calculator
Calculate hit probabilities, glitch odds, and expected successes for SR5 dice pools
⚡ Quick Presets
🎯 Dice Pool Configuration
📊 Probability Results
📐 SR5 Dice Key Stats
33.3%
Hit Probability Per Die
Pool/3
Expected Hits Formula
16.7%
Glitch Die Probability
>50%
1s Needed for Glitch
5 & 6
Faces That Count as Hits
2/3
Non-Hit Probability
1-7
Edge Rating Range
d6
Die Type Used in SR5
📋 Dice Pool Probability Reference
| Pool Size | Avg Hits | P(1+ hits) | P(2+ hits) | P(3+ hits) | P(4+ hits) | Glitch % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 dice | 0.67 | 55.6% | 11.1% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 55.6% |
| 3 dice | 1.00 | 70.4% | 25.9% | 3.7% | 0.4% | 44.4% |
| 4 dice | 1.33 | 80.2% | 40.7% | 11.1% | 1.2% | 31.3% |
| 5 dice | 1.67 | 86.8% | 53.9% | 20.9% | 4.5% | 23.1% |
| 6 dice | 2.00 | 91.2% | 64.9% | 31.9% | 10.3% | 16.9% |
| 8 dice | 2.67 | 96.1% | 80.2% | 53.2% | 27.3% | 8.7% |
| 10 dice | 3.33 | 98.3% | 89.9% | 70.1% | 45.9% | 4.4% |
| 12 dice | 4.00 | 99.2% | 95.1% | 82.2% | 61.9% | 2.0% |
| 14 dice | 4.67 | 99.7% | 97.6% | 90.0% | 74.9% | 0.9% |
| 16 dice | 5.33 | 99.9% | 98.9% | 94.6% | 84.2% | 0.4% |
| 20 dice | 6.67 | 100.0% | 99.8% | 98.4% | 94.1% | 0.1% |
🛡 SR5 Threshold Difficulty Guide
| Threshold | Difficulty Label | Pool Needed (50%) | Pool Needed (80%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Easy | ~3 dice | ~5 dice | Routine tasks |
| 2 | Average | ~5 dice | ~8 dice | Common skill checks |
| 3 | Hard | ~8 dice | ~11 dice | Trained professionals |
| 4 | Demanding | ~10 dice | ~14 dice | Expert level task |
| 5 | Severe | ~13 dice | ~17 dice | Elite runner territory |
| 6 | Extreme | ~16 dice | ~20 dice | Near-legendary feat |
🧨 Common SR5 Dice Pools by Archetype
| Archetype | Skill | Typical Pool | Expected Hits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Street Samurai | Firearms | 10–14 | 3.3–4.7 | Agility + Skill + mods |
| Mage | Spellcasting | 8–12 | 2.7–4.0 | Magic + Spellcasting |
| Hacker | Cybercombat | 8–12 | 2.7–4.0 | Attack + Cybercombat |
| Face | Negotiation | 9–13 | 3.0–4.3 | Charisma + Negotiation |
| Rigger | Piloting | 8–12 | 2.7–4.0 | Reaction + Pilot |
| Adept | Close Combat | 12–16 | 4.0–5.3 | Agility + Blades + powers |
| Shaman | Summoning | 7–10 | 2.3–3.3 | Magic + Summoning |
| Beginner Runner | Any | 4–6 | 1.3–2.0 | Starting character pools |
💡 Tips & Notes
🎯 The Rule of Thirds: In Shadowrun 5e, each die has a 1-in-3 chance of being a hit (rolling a 5 or 6). So your expected hits = pool size divided by 3. A pool of 9 dice averages exactly 3 hits. Use this as your baseline when building characters or setting GM thresholds.
⚠ Glitch Warning: A glitch occurs when more than half your dice show 1s. With small pools (4 dice or fewer), your glitch probability exceeds 30%. Always check: smaller pools are dramatically riskier than the raw expected-hits number suggests. Spending Edge to reroll non-hits dramatically reduces both glitch risk and variance.
In Shadowrun contests you settle them by means of roll some six-sided dice. You call them usually D6s. The player counts his hits after the roll.
Hit happens in 5 or 6. In the two newest releases of Shadowrun, every D6 with 5 or 6 shows hit. In more many hits the player has more benefit.
How D6 Dice Work in Shadowrun
One D6 give 33.33 % chance for hit, while six on one D6 have 16.66 % chance.
The amount of dice in the pool depends of the character. The player rolls D6s according to the sum of relevant trait and skill. For instance, strength stat of 5 and run skill of 4 does pool of 9D6. For the first three pools (1d6 until 3d6) the probabilities for succeed against same pool are 0.34, 0.56 and 0.26.
One D6 have 1/6 chance for success, two D6s give 1/36. Have 10 successes on 10D6 happen only 0.0017 % of time, around once from 50000 attempts.
Glitches are also important cause. They happen when the number of ones double above the hits. -999 result means critical problem with zero hits.
Negative results show problem except hits, positive so only hits. Is clear increase of high glitches and critical chances. Re-roll wild D6 do not alter its value according to SR6 FAQ, what heavily devalues wild cubes.
Few successes in pool can strongly depress the chance for at least one hit. Without good skill the character has little chance for many successes. That helps to control mistakes.
For instance, elf can lose 2 from 5 dice for alter target. Mali 8 to 6 are big advantae, 6 to 4 also are usefull. Some characters bid to grow pool of 22 to 24 D6s, but such little changes do not matter for well built shadowrunners, unless everything already is very equal.
