2d6 means roll two six-sided dice and, in ordinary summed dice notation, add their results. The 2 tells you how many dice to roll. The d6 tells you the type of die. It does not mean roll one die and multiply its result by two.
You will see this shorthand in tabletop role-playing games and some board-game rules. Always read the surrounding instruction too: a game may tell you to keep a particular die, count successes, or use the dice separately instead of making a total.
Read the expression from left to right
In an expression such as 2d6 + 3, separate the dice instruction from the fixed adjustment. Roll two ordinary dice numbered 1 through 6, add those two values, and then add 3 once. The D&D free rules’ explanation of dice notation uses this number-of-dice, die-type, and modifier structure.
For example, if your dice show 1 and 4, their sum is 5. With the +3 modifier, the final result is 1 + 4 + 3 = 8. You do not add 3 to each die, and you do not roll a third die merely because the expression contains +3.
Common examples and their ranges
| Notation | Ordinary summed-roll meaning | Possible total |
|---|---|---|
| 1d6 | Roll one six-sided die. | 1 to 6 |
| 2d6 | Roll two six-sided dice and add them. | 2 to 12 |
| 3d6 | Roll three six-sided dice and add them. | 3 to 18 |
| 2d6 + 3 | Add 3 once to the two-dice sum. | 5 to 15 |
| 2d6 − 1 | Subtract 1 once from the two-dice sum. | 1 to 11 |
| 1d20 | Roll one twenty-sided die. | 1 to 20 |
These ranges assume standard numbered dice and no additional rule such as rerolling or keeping only selected results. The minimum comes from all the dice showing 1; the maximum comes from all of them showing their highest number. Apply the fixed addition or subtraction afterward.
Can you use one physical die twice?
Yes, for an ordinary 2d6 sum. Roll a six-sided die, record the result, roll it again, and add the two results. Chaosium’s official rules explanation explicitly describes this alternative.
Keep the two results distinct until you have applied any special instructions. If a game cares about doubles or assigns different roles to different dice, remember both values and follow its procedure rather than recording only the sum.
One roll multiplied by two is different. If a single die shows 4, doubling it produces 8. Rolling twice could give 4 and 1, producing 5. Doubling one result can only produce even totals, so it cannot replace 2d6.
Why is 2d6 different from 1d12?
Both can reach 12, but they have different minimums and different chances of producing each result. One twelve-sided die can show 1. Two standard six-sided dice cannot total less than 2.
For two fair, independent six-sided dice, there are 36 equally likely ordered pairs: six possibilities for the first die times six for the second. A total of 2 has just one pair, 1 and 1. A total of 7 has six: 1 and 6, 2 and 5, 3 and 4, 4 and 3, 5 and 2, and 6 and 1.
So, calculated from those pairs, 7 occurs on 6 out of 36 possible rolls, while 2 occurs on 1 out of 36. On a fair d12, each individual face has a 1-in-12 chance. Matching the highest possible result does not make two dice instructions interchangeable.
What does a modifier change?
A fixed modifier shifts every possible total by the same amount. With 2d6 + 3, the raw minimum of 2 becomes 5, and the raw maximum of 12 becomes 15. A raw 7 becomes 10. The modifier changes the total, not the number of sides or dice.
A minus sign works similarly: with 2d6 − 1, dice showing 2 and 5 give 2 + 5 − 1 = 6. Do not silently replace a negative result with zero unless the game’s rules impose that minimum.
What if a digital roller uses extra letters or symbols?
Read that roller’s help and the game’s instructions. Additional notation can tell software to keep high or low results, count dice meeting a target, or reroll certain faces. Those additions change the calculation.
For example, Campaign Logger’s dice-code guide distinguishes ordinary summed rolls from checking each die against a target. Its syntax is specific to that service; do not assume every app uses the same symbols.
For a normal 2d6 + 3 roll, the reliable routine is short: roll twice, add the two results, add 3 once, then use the game’s rule to interpret the final number.
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