Dice Sets

The Dice Sets are the most powerful part of Dice Ex Machina but, with that, comes some complexity. Set up correctly, they can save a tremendous amount of time in fast paced combat, allowing you to roll, say, all five attacks plus damage for your 16th level hasted fighter with a single tap.

(Note that there is a sample Dice Set called “Joe the Fighter” that you can create from the app’s Settings screen which will give you something to work with or just see how they can be used.)

When you open the Dice Sets, you will be presented with a blank screen. The plus button in the top right allows you to get started. There are four different types of item you can have in the Dice Sets - Statistics, Folders, Dice Rolls and Modifiers. In order…

Statistics

A statistic is a piece of information for you to refer to. It doesn’t affect anything else and is not affected by anything else - it’s for your benefit. Examples of statistics are armour class, hitpoints, ammunition remaining, spell slots and so on. Each statistic has a text description and a numerical value.

They can also optionally display a maximum value. So, instead of displaying that you have 22 hitpoints, you can display that you have 22 / 27 hitpoints. Both the value and the maximum value can be tweaked with the plus and minus buttons alongside them and if you’re displaying the maximum value, you can also display a percentage if you want to.

Once a statistic is created, you can adjust the value up and down using the plus and minus buttons on the statistic’s right hand side.

There are no limits to how far you can go up or down (some games use negative numbers, after all). Tapping directly on the Statistic gives you more options for larger changes - to add an amount, subtract an amount or to set the statistic to a new value.

Tapping the “Reset” button at the top of the statistic list will set any statistics with a maximum value back to that value.

Folders

A folder contains other items. So, you can create a folder and store any number of statistics, dice rolls and modifiers in it, as well as other folders. There’s not much to them - just a name, an optional subtitle and a colour. If you don’t pick a colour, the folder will be displayed in the chosen colour scheme for the app (which you can change on the Settings screen).

Once you have created a folder, you can enter it by tapping on it. There is also a “Roll All” button on the right that will roll all the dice in that folder. We’ll come back to that.

Dice Rolls

Each dice roll has a description - so, something like “Reflex save” or “Attack roll” - and the dice to roll given in standard dice notation (eg “1d20+4”).

The dice roll can also be adjusted with the plus and minus buttons to the side.

By default, dice rolls highlight maximum rolls in green and minimum rolls in red. So, if you roll a 20 on a twenty sided dice, the result will be displayed in green, and if you roll a 1, it will be in red. (You can change the colours in the Settings.)

Underneath where you enter the dice, you can adjust this. Not only can you switch it off, but you can control exactly how high a number should be to be displayed in green and how low a number should be to be displayed in red by using the plus and minus buttons in this section.

Finally, you can optionally drop a roll. This only works if you are rolling more than one dice (so, “2d20” or similar) and it works by rolling both dice and discarding the one that is lowest or highest, depending on your selection. In D&D, this is referred to as advantage and disadvantage.

If you are rolling three or more dice (eg “3d20”), you can drop the lowest and the highest and get very, very average rolls.

Once your dice roll is created, simply tap on it to roll it. The “Clear” button at the top of the dice roll section will erase any rolls.

Modifiers

A modifier is a bonus or a penalty to a dice roll that can be switched on and off as required. So, if your cunning D&D thief sneaks into a flanking position, you can switch on a modifier that gives him the +2 flanking bonus to hit. Modifiers can also be dice rolls so, if your thief hits, you can then apply sneak attack damage as a modifier as well.

Modifiers have a description, an optional subtitle and the value of the modifier itself. Many will be numbers (+1, -2) but can also be dice rolls, as mentioned above. Once you have entered a modifier value, you can tweak it with the plus and minus buttons to the side.

You can also link modifiers. If you switch this on, all modifiers that share the same name as the current modifier will be linked together. If you switch one on, they will all turn on. If you switch one off, they will all turn off. If you change the value of one, they will all change.

If you want the modifiers to be turned on and off together but want them to have different values, you can switch off “Link value”.

Once set up, you can switch a modifier on and off by tapping on it. If on, the modifier will apply to every dice roll in the same folder. It’s important to remember this and if you have a dice roll that shouldn’t be affected, it should be placed in a seperate folder - perhaps a sub folder. The sample dice set shows how you can seperate dice rolls and modifiers into sub folders.

If a modifier is linked, this will be shown with a small chainlink icon on the right.

The “Clear” button at the top of the modifier section will switch off all the modifiers in the current folder.

Notes

Notes are just, well, notes. Inventory lists, campaign notes, names of important NPCs, spell lists, magical item descriptions and command words… Whatever you need.

A note has a title and some text. You can also change the size of the font using the buttons to the right of the title.

The Roll All Button

The “Roll All” button on the right of every folder row will pop up a window where it will display the result of every dice roll in that folder, plus in any subfolders. It will also display any modifiers so you can switch them on and off. It is an extremely fast way to roll a lot of dice quickly and can make long, slow turns of multiple attacks and damage blazingly fast.

Management

Once everything is set up, you may want to move, rearrange or edit items in your dice sets.

Editing

To change the settings for any of the items in your dice sets, either…

• Swipe from right to left on the item and select the pencil icon.

• Tap the pencil button at the top of the screen and then the pencil button next to the item you wish to edit, then select “Edit”.

Rearranging

To rearrange the order of any of you items, tap and hold until it lifts up and the drag it to where you want it to go. Each type of item must remain within its own section, so you can’t have a Statistic in the Dice Rolls section, for example.

Exporting and Sharing

You can share any folder in the Dice Sets via Airdrop, email or just save it as a backup. Either…

• Swipe from right to left on the item and select the ellipsis icon (the “…”). Then select “Share or Export”.

• Tap the pencil button at the top of the screen and then the pencil button next to the item you wish to edit, then select “Share or Export”.

You will then get a choice of how you want to export of share the folder. With AirDrop, you can share the folder with anyone on an iPhone or iPad who is within range. Alternatively, you can email the folder or save it to your device or to iCloud.

Moving From Folder to Folder

To move an item to a different folder, either…

• Swipe from right to left on the item and select the ellipsis icon (the “…”). Then select “Move”.

• Tap the pencil button at the top of the screen and then the pencil button next to the item you wish to edit, then select “Move”.

You will then get a list of folders you can move the item to. Select the one you want.

Duplicating

To duplicate an item, either…

• Swipe from right to left on the item and select the ellipsis icon (the “…”). Then select “Duplicate”.

• Tap the pencil button at the top of the screen and then the pencil button next to the item you wish to edit, then select “Duplicate”.

A new version of the same item will be created. If it was a folder, all the subfolders and items within that folder will also be duplicated.

Copying into a Different Folder

Copying an item into a folder creates a duplicate and then puts it in the folder you specify. To copy an item into a folder, either…

• Swipe from right to left on the item and select the ellipsis icon (the “…”). Then select “Copy to folder”.

• Tap the pencil button at the top of the screen and then the pencil button next to the item you wish to edit, then select “Copy to folder”.

You will then get a list of folders you can copy the item to. Select the one you want.

Deleting

To delete an item, either…

• Swipe from right to left on the item and select the ellipsis icon (the “…”). Then select “Delete”.

• Tap the pencil button at the top of the screen and then the pencil button next to the item you wish to edit, then select “Delete”.

If you are deleting a folder with items inside, Dice Ex Machina will ask you if you’re sure.