Rules glossary

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706. Rolling a Die 🔗 ☆

• ☆ 706.1 🔗 An effect that instructs a player to roll a die will specify what kind of die to roll and how many of those dice to roll.
  • ☆ 706.1a 🔗 Such an effect may refer to an “N-sided die,” “N-sided dice,” or one or more “dN,” where N is a positive integer. In those cases, the die must have N equally likely outcomes, numbered from 1 to N. For example, a d20 is a twenty-sided die with possible outcomes from 1 to 20.
  • ☆ 706.1b 🔗 Players may agree to use an alternate method for rolling a die, including a digital substitute, as long as the method used has the same number of equally likely outcomes as the die specified in the instruction.
• ☆ 706.2 🔗 After the roll, the number indicated on the top face of the die before any modifiers is the natural result. The instruction may include modifiers to the roll which add to or subtract from the natural result. Modifiers may also come from other sources. After considering all applicable modifiers, the final number is the result of the die roll.
  • ☆ 706.2a 🔗 Modifiers may be optional and/or have associated costs. If a modifier has an associated mana cost, the player who rolled has the chance to activate mana abilities before applying it.
  • ☆ 706.2b 🔗 If two or more effects are attempting to modify the natural result, the player who rolled chooses one to apply, following these steps: First, consider any effects that modify the result of a die roll by rerolling that die. Second, consider any effects that modify the result of a die roll by increasing or decreasing that result by a specified amount.
• ☆ 706.3 🔗 Some abilities that instruct a player to roll one or more dice include a results table.
  • ☆ 706.3a 🔗 The results table appears as a list or as a chart with multiple striations. Each list item or striation includes possible results and an effect associated with those results. The possible results indicated could be a single number, a range of numbers with two endpoints in the form “N1–N2,” or a range with a single endpoint in the form “N+.” Each one means “If the result was in this range, [effect].” After a die roll, use the result to determine which effect listed on the results table happens, if any.
  • ☆ 706.3b 🔗 An instruction to roll one or more dice, any instructions to modify that roll printed in the same paragraph, any additional instructions based on the result of the roll, and the associated results table are all part of one ability.
  • ☆ 706.3c 🔗 Some effects in results charts include the text “Roll again.” This additional roll uses the same kind of and number of dice originally called for, including any applicable modifiers.
• ☆ 706.4 🔗 Some abilities that instruct a player to roll one or more dice do not include a results table. The text of those abilities will indicate how to use the results of the die rolls, if at all.
• ☆ 706.5 🔗 One card (Celebr-8000) has an ability that instructs a player to roll two dice and has an additional effect if that player “rolled doubles.” A player has rolled doubles if the result of each of those rolls is equal to the other.
• ☆ 706.6 🔗 If a player is instructed to ignore a roll, that roll is considered to have never happened. No abilities trigger because of the ignored roll, and no effects apply to that roll. If that player was instructed to ignore the lowest roll and multiple results are tied for the lowest, the player chooses one of those rolls to be ignored.
• ☆ 706.7 🔗 In a Planechase game, rolling the planar die will cause any ability that triggers whenever a player rolls one or more dice to trigger. However, any effect that refers to a numerical result of a die roll, including ones that exchange the results of that roll with another value or compare the results of that roll to other rolls or to a given number, ignores the rolling of the planar die. See rule 901, “Planechase.” (refs: 901)
• ☆ 706.8 🔗 One card (Centaur of Attention) has an ability that instructs a player to roll dice and “store” those results on it and another ability that allows a player to reroll any number of those results.
  • ☆ 706.8a 🔗 To store the result of a die roll on a permanent means to note both the kind of die rolled and the result of that roll. That noted information is considered a “stored result” of that permanent, and the result is the “value” of that stored result.
  • ☆ 706.8b 🔗 To reroll one or more stored results of a permanent, roll one of the kind of die noted for each of them. If one kind of die is noted for more than one of those results, roll that many of that kind of die. The results you rerolled stop being stored results, and you store the results of each of the new die rolls on that permanent.
  • ☆ 706.8c 🔗 If a permanent has an ability that stores results on it and another ability that refers to the stored results, those abilities are linked. (See rule 607.2e.) (refs: 607.2e)

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