The Dice-Laden Arsenal: A New Way to Smash Things

The Dice-Laden Arsenal: A New Way to Smash Things

November 12, 2025

In most D&D games, magic weapons give neat, tidy bonuses like +1 to hit and damage. It’s clean, elegant, balanced… and just a little boring.

But what if we threw that balance out the window, right into a gelatinous cube?

Welcome to the “Extra Dice” weapon system, where instead of small bonuses, your sword, axe, or improvised barstool adds more dice to the damage pool. The stronger the weapon’s enchantment, the bigger the pile of dice you’re rolling. Because let’s be honest—rolling a fistful of dice is one of the purest joys in D&D.

How It Works

Instead of the classic +1, +2, +3 weapon bonus, enchanted weapons add extra damage dice.
Example progression:
- +1 weapon → Add 1d4 damage.
- +2 weapon → Add 2d6 damage.
- +3 weapon → Add 3d8 damage.
Dice can be tailored to the weapon’s theme. A fiery sword might add d6s, a frosty spear might add d8s, and a dagger infused with chaotic nonsense could add a single d20 of “why not?”

This way, your 12th-level fighter doesn’t just hit once with a “slightly sharper sword”—they hit and roll dice like a Vegas high-roller. You can make it more streamlined by using all the same die type and just add more damage dice instead of also increasing the die size. The weapon would still provide the bonus as normal to your to hit modifier, but you don’t add the weapon bonus to damage you instead replace it with the number of dice.

Why Do This?

More Dice = More Fun. Nobody ever said, “oh no, I have to roll more dice.”
Cinematic Carnage. A barbarian critting with a +3 greataxe under this system might require an actual bucket of dice. Isn’t that the dream?
Encourages Flavor. A sword of storms could rain down d4 lightning bolts, while a vampiric blade could add d6 necrotic bites. Different dice feel different.

Cautions From Your DM

This system is chaotic, swingy, and absolutely not balanced for serious campaigns. Expect the occasional one-shotting of bosses, wild player cackling, and possibly even dice avalanches. But a lot of us players love rolling dice. Whether it being a player grabbing a fistful of dice for a fireball or the DM throwing a dragon just to drop a massive amount of dice for damage. Sure there are plenty of ways to add extra damage and watch that number tick up for the martial character, it just never seems the same. So yeah this idea might be a bit off the rails. Feel free to tweak and adjust at your leisure, but just remember this idea is meant to be fun so have some fun with it.

But if your group is in the mood for a “turn the fun dial to 11” kind of campaign, the Dice-Laden Arsenal might just be the silly system you need.

⚔️✨ Final Thought:
Magic weapons shouldn’t just feel like numbers went up. They should feel like stories exploded out of them. And nothing says “this sword is legendary” like rolling more dice than your DM can count without an abacus.

Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!!