Fate Core / Fate Accelerated Dice Roller Online: Free Fate Dice Generator
Free online dice roller tuned for Fate Core. Use the main roller to roll any dice combination.
Welcome to the premier online Fate dice roller, designed specifically for Evil Hat Productions' narrative roleplaying games, Fate Core and Fate Accelerated Edition (FAE). These games prioritize story, character agency, and collaborative worldbuilding over complex rules. Central to this experience are Aspects, character truths you can leverage for a bonus by spending fate points, and the unique dice system. Instead of d20s or d100s, Fate uses four special six-sided dice, called Fate dice, to resolve actions, creating a distinct probability curve centered around an average result.
While you can use physical dice, a specialized Fate dice roller streamlines gameplay significantly. Each die has plus, minus, and blank faces, and calculating the sum can slow down the action. Our free online dice roller for Fate automatically totals the pluses and minuses for your 4dF roll, adds your skill modifier, and gives you a clear final result in an instant. This tool is perfect for online groups using virtual tabletops or for any game master who wants to keep the pace fast and the story moving without getting bogged down in manual calculations.
How Fate Dice Work
The core mechanic of Fate revolves around rolling four Fate dice, abbreviated as 4dF. These are six-sided dice with unique faces: two sides have a plus symbol (+), two have a minus symbol (-), and two are blank (0). When you roll the four dice, you sum their results. For example, a roll of +, +, -, and a blank would result in (+1) + (+1) + (-1) + (0), for a total of +1. The possible range of any 4dF roll is from -4 (four minus faces) to +4 (four plus faces), with a strong tendency towards 0. This creates a bell curve where extreme results are rare and average outcomes are common.
The dice result is then added to your character's relevant skill rating to get your final effort for an action. Fate skills are rated on an adjective ladder, from Terrible (-2) up to Legendary (+8). For example, if your ace pilot has a 'Great (+4)' Pilot skill and needs to navigate an asteroid field, they make a Pilot roll. If you roll a -1 on the dice, your total effort is +3 (4 from the skill, -1 from the dice). This effort is then compared to a difficulty number set by the GM or an opponent's roll.
The outcome depends on how your effort compares to the opposition. If your effort is higher, you succeed. If it's lower, you fail. If you tie, you succeed at a minor cost. Crucially, if you succeed by 3 or more shifts (the difference between your roll and the difficulty), you've succeeded with style. This grants you a bonus, often in the form of a 'boost', which is a temporary aspect you can use for free. For instance, if your +3 Pilot roll was against a difficulty of 0, you succeeded with style and might gain the 'Perfectly Aligned' boost for your next maneuver.
Using the Roller for Fate
Our ddiceroller.com tool makes rolling for Fate Core and FAE incredibly simple. To get started, just look for the game presets and select 'Fate' or '4dF'. This will automatically set up the roller to throw four Fate dice. If you prefer manual selection, you can simply choose the 'dF' die type from our list and set the quantity to four. The roller understands the unique faces of the Fate die and will display both the individual die results (+, -, 0) and the total sum, like '+2' or '-1'.
After the dice are configured, you can enter your character's skill or approach rating into the 'modifier' field. If your character has a 'Good (+3)' in the Fight skill, you would put '+3' in the modifier box before making an attack roll. The tool will then automatically combine your dice result with this modifier to show your final, total effort. For groups playing online, you can create a virtual room to share a log of all rolls, ensuring transparency and keeping everyone on the same page during your game.
Common Rolls
Overcome an Obstacle
Your character is trying to climb a slippery castle wall. This is an Overcome action using the Athletics skill. The GM sets the difficulty at Fair (+2). You have a Good (+3) Athletics skill. You roll 4dF and add your +3 modifier. To succeed, your total result must be 3 or higher. If you roll a 0 on the dice, your total is 3, and you succeed.
Create an Advantage
You want to create the Aspect 'Blinding Sand in his Eyes' on a thug before you attack. This calls for a Create an Advantage action. You'll likely use a skill like Provoke or your surroundings. You roll 4dF plus your relevant skill against a passive difficulty or the opponent's roll. Success creates the Aspect and grants you a free invocation on it.
Attack a Foe
You're in a sword duel and making an Attack with your Fight skill. You have a Superb (+5) Fight skill. You roll 4dF + 5 to determine your attack value. The opponent gets to roll a Defend action, typically with their own Fight skill, to set the difficulty for your attack. The difference in shifts determines if you inflict stress or consequences.
Defend Action
That same thug attacks you back. You now need to make a Defend roll. If you are actively parrying with your blade, you would roll 4dF plus your Fight skill. If you are just trying to dive out of the way, you would roll 4dF plus your Athletics skill. Your roll becomes the difficulty number the attacker must beat to hit you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Fate dice and Fudge dice?
Functionally, there is no difference. Both are six-sided dice with two plus, two minus, and two blank faces. The game Fudge, created by Steffan O'Sullivan, first introduced this dice system. 'Fate dice' is the term used in publications by Evil Hat Productions for their Fate-based games. Our online dice roller works perfectly for any game that uses the Fudge dice system, including Fate Core, FAE, and Fudge itself.
How do you read Fate dice results?
It is a simple process of addition and subtraction. Each '+' symbol counts as +1. Each '-' symbol counts as -1. Each blank face counts as 0. You simply add up the values of the four dice you rolled. For example, if your roll is +, -, blank, +, you would calculate it as (+1) + (-1) + (0) + (+1), which equals a total of +1. Our roller automates this calculation for you.
What is a 'boost' in Fate?
A boost is a special, temporary Aspect that you can use once for free. They represent fleeting advantages. You often gain a boost when you 'succeed with style' (succeeding by 3 or more shifts) on a Create an Advantage action. For example, quickly kicking sand in an opponent's face might give you a 'Temporarily Blinded' boost, which you can then invoke on your next action for a +2 bonus or a re-roll without spending a fate point.
Can I use regular six-sided dice (d6) for Fate?
Yes, you can substitute regular d6s if you don't have Fate dice. The most common conversion method is: a roll of 1 or 2 counts as a minus (-1), a 3 or 4 counts as a blank (0), and a 5 or 6 counts as a plus (+1). While this works, it adds an extra step of mental conversion for every single die in the roll. Using a dedicated Fate dice roller is much faster and helps maintain the game's pace.
How do fate points affect a dice roll?
Fate points are a core resource that lets you influence the story. After you make a roll, you can choose to spend a fate point in one of two ways to improve your result. You can either gain a +2 bonus to your final total, or you can choose to re-roll all four of your dice. You cannot, however, do both on the same roll. Deciding when to spend a fate point is a key strategic element of the game.