Slight turn of events, you’ve entered the Mirror Plane. Usually you’d be reading M’s posts about all things DND related, but for this post I’m taking over. Hi there, it’s K here.
It’s that time of the year again, the nights are drawing in and the heating’s on.
As I was browsing the DND gifts for M’s Christmas present I stumbled upon dice advent calendars, a very exciting prospect for a household of DND fans. For those of you unfamiliar with advent calendars, they are a holiday tradition here in the UK where each day of December on the lead up to Christmas Day you get to open a door of the calendar to reveal a treasure inside. These are usually filled with chocolate, but you can buy all kinds of advent calendars ranging from alcohol to socks and all things in between, including DND dice sets…
At first I was skeptical, they’re a lot of money when you’re not entirely sure on the quality of die. Being used to paying £3 (roughly $4) for a chocolate advent calendar from the grocery store, £34 (roughly $45) is a lot of money to spend on the unknown but that’s half the fun of it and who doesn’t love dice!
Thinking about it in terms of bang for your buck, you’d be getting 24 dice for £34 which is very reasonable and of course the anticipation and thrill of opening them one at a time on the lead up to Christmas.
After a bit of research I settled on this dice advent calendar – for any readers over the pond here’s the US version. The reviews were good and you end with a complete set of dice as well as other fun festive themed ones and a final metal die!
First off, the packaging is great – if you’re thinking about buying this as a gift it’s good quality. It arrived really quickly and with only a week until December you better get ordering! Of course, we haven’t opened up the windows yet! M will be revealing each window every day of December to continue this review – so stay tuned or if you want to join us in this adventure, buy the calendar here.
Come back on the 1st of December for the first reveal!
Happy 1st first of December everyone!
I was so ecstatic when Katie bought me this dice advent calendar! I’m not a big fan of chocolate (I can hear your gasp from here), but I love to join in with the December tradition.
With the box in my hand, I could hear the dice rattling around. This worried me. If the dice could move too much, then it might slip out of its container leaving some days with more dice and others without.
This morning, it was time to open up the first window, and as you can see, my nervousness was unwarranted!
The cardboard casing fits flush against the plastic container, which means that there isn’t any room for the die to go. A sign of good manufacturing and forethought!
The window even had a lovely message telling me to roll for hugs. How cute!
Today I received a lime green die with yellow numbers carved in a draconic or hobbit style. The straight lines and direct points reminded me of dragon literature, but Katie instantly saw the shire.
I would have compromised and said this die belonged to a Dragonborn Druid, but this is a 12 sided die (d12) and not a d8. My next thought was a Halfling with Draconic Bloodline Sorcery, but again they have d6s for hit die and not a d12.
That’s when I saw who this die belonged to. A Dragonborn Barbarian with the Hermit Background! She is an ancestral guardian of the forest that once belonged to Halflings. I can feel her backstory brewing!
Now, all that’s left is to see how many hit points this raging recluse has.
Oh I think she will do well.
Willow was certainly impressed.
Want to see her character sheet? – Click here! What do you see in the December 1st die?
Welcome to day two of our advent calendar journey!
Today, the door said there was “one banana left,” and we should “roll for initiative”…. I’m not a banana fan, so I’ll use the disengage action this time.
Today, we received a dark blue 12-sided die with strange bright orange runes.
My mind instantly went to Dr. Strange, and Katie saw Dwarven hands in the creation of the sketchings.
However, Dr. Strange is a Wizard or Sorcerer character, and I couldn’t find an official subclass specializing in runes. If you know of something I’ve missed, put it in the comment section below!
The beautiful rune markings show signs of either an old language or a knowledgeable arcana. These elegant carvings cannot be ignored, so I’ve put the thought of Dr. Strange away for a moment to create a Dwarven Rune Knight.
I know Fighters only have a 10-sided hit die, but how can I pick anything else for this rune-covered magic rock!
Now it’s time to see how durable our Dwarvish Fighter is!
Another 10! This party is going to be super strong.
If you want to see the character sheet for our Dwarven Rune Knight friend, click here!
I’ve been snooping around Twitter, looking at other dice advent calendars, when I realized that other people who have the same calendar as us were receiving different dice!
I suspect that the manufacturers are using this fun game as a way to sell their least loved die, and I’m all for it. It’s an ingenious way to stop waste and keep up profits.
Still, these dice are anything but bottom shelf! I’ve been getting so much inspiration from these little math rocks, and I’m hoping the rest of the month continues in this muse-like fashion!
I opened up door number 3 to find a mosquito out for revenge!
They advised to roll for a “Hand Attack,” but our cat Willow knew that her “Bite” move was much stronger.
This Tabaxi Barbaran takes orders from no one.
I was hoping to start building a set at this point, as other people using the same product were beginning to see a pattern brewing. Unfortunately, my wish didn’t come true today, but I’m not disappointed.
The die I received was a gorgeous red 8-sided die, with white borders and snowflakes flowing through the background.
If you roll over to where the number 8 should be, you’ll find an adorable little Santa hat!
This little festive charm is by far my favorite die yet! I’ll have to use it during my Christmas Session!
But who does this die belong to? Well, it has to be Father Christmas himself! But do you think he would be an Artificer, a Bard, or a Druid?
I’m sold on all three options, what do you think? Tell us in the comment section below!
But for now, let’s see how many hit points this jolly old fella has.
Oh no …… Well, he is getting old, after all.
It’s day four, and today’s die is a little … unexpected.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. We all know the first part of this review is the door opening.
Our first task this lovely Saturday morning was going shopping! Roll for Strength! I love the idea of mundane roles, so this had me chuckling.
But when I looked at the dice, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. What was it trying to be? Why was the number 10 symbol a wheel? What reference am I missing?
If you can see something I can’t, let me know in the comments!
It took a much longer time for me to think of something creative with this die, but I settled on an Air Genasi (because of the golden squiggles) and an artificer (because of the wheel). And with a d10, this character clearly uses a heavy crossbow!
Now to see how strong that crossbow can hit!
Wow, a 10! This Genasi has aim!
It’s day 5, and I’m really hoping to grow a set with today’s door.
These advent calendars are meant to have one whole Christmas set, and the rest are random. The red d4 with snowflakes and a Christmas hat has to be our set, right?
Fingers crossed for another!
Today’s door gave a wonderful premonition of a cute little puppy.
Willow was nowhere to be seen. Sometimes, I think she can read…
The die isn’t part of any set yet, but it was intriguing.
More like “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” this holiday gift is dark and ashy with faint swirls of grey. If you shine a light on it, you’ll see a slight tint of green. The numbers seem ancient as the gold colors lean into a coppery hue.
The symbol in the middle is a broken and erratic circle.
I knew exactly what I was looking at when I pulled this intriguing item out of the calendar. This is a Warlock’s dagger that has been corrupted by a Blade Wade cantrip.
However, Katie saw something slightly different. She saw a trivial attempt at a basic language. I didn’t agree, but it led me to think about the Kobold race. Kobolds are known to have tribal societies and worship Tiamats or Dragons.
This Kobold Warlock has taken The Great Old One Pact. Proven his worth in this tribe, an ancient dragon has given him the chance to explore the world. This dragon wants to grow strong again and needs a large feasting ceremony to achieve this.
This player could end up being an accomplice to the Big Bad Evil Guy (BBEG)!
Let’s see how strong we should make our Kobold friend.
A 3 … He shouldn’t be overlooked.
If you want to see this little trouble maker’s character sheet, click here.
December is a fantastic month, because even though it’s a Monday, I’m still excited to wake up and see my new die!
Day 6 has brought us an investigation check, as we open the door to find our cookies were stolen!
But wait, do you see the die? It’s the same pattern as day 3!
Looks like we have a set forming!
The d8 of the set had an Elf’s hat to replace the 8, but the d20 has a seasonal bell. The image is wonderfully clear and a classic replica of the holiday image.
I should point out that once this door was opened, it would be easy to see most of the dice in the box. As the windows are deep to allow for the big size of the treats, just lying the box down reveals the top line of dice.
I don’t want to spoil myself, so I haven’t looked too clearly, but as this is a review you need to be aware of this little fault. People who hate spoilers at all costs might be put off by this.
But back to the games! We want to use our investigation suggestion to see just how intelligent Santa really is. Let’s roll for his Intelligence stat….
Oh wow, this mythical man got a 20! I guess running a business for centuries will make you smart.
Although it’s fun to roll dice and makeup character creations, today’s door had me question the target audience of this advent calendar. As a review article, I want to make sure that prospective buyers know exactly what they are getting themselves in for before purchasing anything.
This entrance sounds like the advent calendar has talked about something really bad. Don’t worry; it hasn’t. But, if you were hoping to buy this for a very young child, you might have doubts.
It’s Day 7, and with the door open, I was told to roll for deception because Santa isn’t real.
Such a dramatic statement kind of ruined the Christmas magic for me this morning, but I could be a sensitive soul. Breaking the “fourth wall” like this might be off-putting to children or child-like minds like mine. However, others may find this a casual bit of fun.
Decide what’s best for the gift-ee, as you will know them best!
Now back to the fun bit. What dice are we getting today!
It looks like another red and snowflaked die for our growing collection, and this time as a d4!
I imagine that this d4 comes from a bardic inspiration of Christmas joy!
It seems like old St Nicholas didn’t like my comment about the door. Still, I’m happy to receive a bit of inspiration for the day!
It looks like another red and snowflaked die for our growing collection, and this time as a d4!
I imagine that this d4 comes from a bardic inspiration of Christmas joy!
It seems like old St Nicholas didn’t like my comment about the door. Still, I’m happy to receive a bit of inspiration for the day!
Willow definitely seems excited!
It’s day 8 and today’s door has given us a magical clue.
This only adds to the evidence that Willow can read, and maybe she has some knowledge about magic …. Perhaps a True Polymorph spell was cast on her, leaving her smarter than everyone but without the ability to speak.
But back to the die! Today we are blessed with a black d6 with golden numbers encased by a golden dragon.
What a beauty! This is the perfect die to take on a dragon, or maybe this character has draconic blood.
A Dragonborn Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer who is the King of his people. With the biggest genetic connection to their magical ancestors, this leader will protect their lineage above all else.
Let’s see how many hit points this NPC has.
It’s day 9, and today we finally talk about the quality of the die.
So far in our article, the dice quality has been so standard that we could ignore weight or practicality and instead focus on the design.
However, the more I looked at this die, the more the design confused me. Before I explain why let’s check out the door.
Today we are blessed with a shopping sequence, and if you know us, you’ll know we love to talk about shopping as an adventure.
Willow was also interested in the prospect of haggling!
In the door, we found a black and mustard-colored d20 with ropes that tangled through the numbers. I initially thought the design was cute, but the more I looked, the more I got confused.
There were two 5s, two 6’s and more duplicate numbers. I made a closer inspection and realized I was wrong. Phew! However, the 1s in the 15, 16, 13, etc., were covered in the same pattern as the background, making it super hard to see.
If you don’t have great eyesight, or if you read super fast, this die might confuse you too.
Focused on the impractical quality of the design, the only backstory I could give this die was that it belonged to a sailor.
This sailor has to be good at Charisma if they can succeed in a haggle, so let’s see what their Charisma score would be.
Oh no….
We had to post today’s review late, as life got hectic and work needed to come first. But now that the weekend is here, we have time to do what we love again!
It’s day 10, and I was so surprised by the die that I completely ignored the door for a second.
The die has the same design as our growing Christmas collection, but it is shaped like a d6 with curved edges. My dumb brain instantly thought that this must be a rare 3 sided die, but after close inspection, I realized it was a d4.
The curved edges stop the die from rolling on a non-numbered side which is ingenious! The design is also my favorite from the collection. There is falling snow, a Christmas tree, a snowman, and a snowflake! And none of these patterns don’t obscure the numbers. It’s magical!
Just look at how cleanly this die can roll!
The door today asked about reindeer names. Can you name them all?
On day 11, I was greeted with a beautiful message of joy and love. It might have been the most “Christmassy” message I had received so far!
Inside there was a pale green d10 with boots carved around the numbers. I assumed this was another Christmas-themed die, but when I searched for the 10 number, I saw an animal wearing a hat!
Katie thinks it’s a bear, but I think it’s a cat … We have no idea what it’s referencing. Let us know in the comments if you have any ideas!
Either way, I’m seeing a Tabaxi Paladin vagabond who travels the land and helps those in his travels.
He has a rapier and fancy boots! You bet his name is “Puss”!
Check out our character sheet for him!
Rapiers are normally 1d8, but Puss has clearly had his modified. Let’s see how he wields his weapon!
We’re on day 12 of our festive calendar, and it’s telling me to eat cake! It doesn’t matter that it’s only 8 am, I’ve got to do as I’m told.
The d20 die today is translucent with red numbers, which gives the die a lovely pink hue. I instantly saw a bard from the Feywilds when looking at the colors and markings, but Katie saw blood.
With Critical Role’s Fearne in mind, I imagined a Satyr from the Feywilds. This Bard of Eloquence can talk riddles around anyone and delights in using words to cause pain.
Let’s see how high her Charisma Score is.
Oh wow, a 16! This character is one heck of a charmer. Want to see her whole character sheet? Click here!
Although the 13th day is unlucky for some, I found myself with a new die! My growing collection of Christmas dice must be complete soon, as today I received a d10!
The colors are a Christmas red with gentle snow falling in the faces of the die, while more snow settles around the edges. The number 10 has been replaced with a Christmas tree! It is honestly such a beautiful collection.
Looking at the door, I was told to “roll for driving,” and as someone without a license, it makes sense that this suggestion fell on the 13th.
Let’s see how well I can control the clutch!
Ah, a 6 is good for someone who has never taken the test! Maybe next year, I’ll join Santa on the slay.
It’s day 14, and I opened the door to find a day of choice.
Willow instantly saw her opportunity and bit the window. She didn’t need to be told twice!
Today, our die is a glittery light blue d6, with pinky-orange numbers and clear dwarven writing.
How could this die belong to anyone but a dwarf! But when I asked Katie what she saw, her mind went to wizardry. The swirling blue arcane magic painted through the resin was a clear sign of studied magic in her eyes.
I couldn’t agree more, and with a dwarven race, it makes sense for the school of magic to be Bladesinging.
Dwarves are a tuneful race, with an extensive history all collected and shared through music and the spoken word.
Singing the song of his people, this mighty warrior moves faster than his allies and can protect the other wizards of his clan.
Let’s see how many hit points this old fellow has.
A 4, that’s respectable.
Day 15’s die was the most surprising of them all.
First off the door told me to do some last-minute Christmas shopping, creating a lovely bit of panic in the morning. But the die instantly got my attention, to the point where shopping was off the cards.
The die is a deep black color with twilight twinkles of sparkling blue. The numbers are written in a flowing font with delicate little hoof prints walking along the sides, and their color is salmon pink. But most importantly, the 6 has been replaced with an outline of an animal.
The best shock of this morning came from holding a die of a llama, sitting like a bread loaf.
Look at that little thing!
Instantly, both Katie and I knew this die belonged to a Druid, but because of the dark swirling blues, I think it has to be a Circle of the Moon Druid. With the llama being such an important statement to this character, I think they would have an affinity to four-legged creatures. This is why I think this person’s race must be a Centaur.
Although magic is this character’s main weapon of choice, when she is pushed into a corner, it’s a spear that she pulls out.
Let’s see how good her aim is.
A llama-induced 6! Maybe this powerful woman takes a couple of classes in Fighter? Click here for her character sheet!
It’s day 16, and I’m starting to question the effort put into these advent calendar doors.
Today, I have been asked to search for a spoon… Why? I don’t know…I could have searched for a missing present or a slacking elf, but no, I shall look for a spoon.
Our die today is another one from our Christmas collection. It has the same classic red background with snowy borders and snowflakes dotted around the face.
The number 12 of this d12 has been replaced with its own snowflake for a bit of Christmas magic.
I can imagine Santa wielding a great ax. When he makes his precious wooden toys, he would cut down the trees himself!
So let’s see how strong his hand is!
An 8! Very nice!
Today is the 17th day of December.
My door reminded me of how much sleep I had been missing out on, so I guess it’s time for me to roll for Exhaustion.
The die today has a sleepy design of a sky blue background and yellow numbers. Nothing special in its display, just a simple mellow pattern.
Maybe I should roll to see how Exhausted I am.
A three? Oh no, I’m not going to get any work done today…..
It’s day 18!
Today it looks like I’m are cooking Christmas dinner, but I’ve forgotten an ingredient.
Luckily the advent calendar gave me another die for our Christmas dice set! It’s one-half of a percentile die, with the 100 number replaced with a festive tree.
Let’s see how close our improvised ingredient is, compared to the original recipe.
Oh … 10% …. Well, I never said I was a chef! Ha.
On day 19, I received a strange die! So far, the numbers have either been clearly elven or dwarven, but this time the distinct font isn’t magical.
I’m getting ahead of myself! First, we should look at the door. Apparently, it’s time for us to clean the windows. But in the dead of winter, I don’t think it matters how shiny the glass is.
The die is way more interesting than the door. It’s a 6 sided die, with 90s style computer numbers and mechanical tools around the side.
This die clearly belongs to a Warforged creature.
The color seems a little harder to pinpoint. The background is a foggy white, while the numbers and decorations are a forest green. These seem unusual for a robotic creature.
The green color makes me think of druids, and the foggy background could almost be spores.
The pieces are coming together. I think this Warforged creature was built to heal the earth. As part of the Circle of Spores, this person doesn’t see the problem with life and death, as it’s a natural part of the ever-changing world. Ironic, seeing as they will not die from natural causes themselves.
They walk through the world, making sure this natural balance continues, searching for places of unresting dead or infertile land, and putting them back into the natural cycle.
If you get in this Warforged’s path, they will not hesitate to bring you to the ground. Let’s see how strong their Symbiotic Entity is as they deal an extra 1d6 necromancy damage to their melee weapon attack.
A 6. Wow, this robot isn’t playing around…
Click here, if you want to see the character sheet for this Warforged Druid.
It’s day 20, and there are only 4 dice left to go!
Today, I was asked to dress up like Santa, and roll for performance.
The die behind today’s door was a sandy d20, or so I thought. The more I looked at this die, the more details I saw. The 13 points on the d20 sides were actually tiny skulls, and the sandy texture shows signs of buried bone.
This is a die belonging to a collector of the dead, that was clear.
Instantly, I saw two parts to this design. The sandy nature of a natural creature and, of course, a necromancer.
When it comes to race, I jumped to a Lizardfolk person. A classic trait of Lizardfolk is their ability to turn bones into shields and javelins. They use every part of a creature in their cold and calculating survival instincts.
Stereotypically, Lizardfolk aren’t the smartest race. They normally make great barbarians and rangers but aren’t found in the scholarly rooms of a wizard’s tower. However, there are always exceptions….
This Lizardfolk man has found a way to connect to the spirits which linger in bones. Through natural curiosity, he places the bones in a pattern of his choice, and sometimes ancient magic is released because of it.
No one taught this man how to use the forces of spirits, and he could not explain to you how he makes it happen, but his instinctual knowledge around bones and their owners allows him to raise the dead.
Let’s see how smart our necromancer is.
Ah, well, that tracks. This character sheet will be perfect for a roleplayer!
Day 21, and we have managed to complete our Christmas Dice Collection!
This last d6 has been beautifully crafted, with a red background and a fluffy snow outline. Snowflakes fall on each face of the die, and replacing the number 6 is a present!
And it rolls like a dream!
But today, the calendar proved to me again that it shouldn’t be given to kids.
I’ve been asked to roll for seduction. Not to flirt or to say “hi” to my crush, but to seduce.
“Seduction” is a very sensual and sexual word that doesn’t fit in with child-like romances. This is the final nail for me now, and I can safely say that this calendar should not be given to any kid under the age of 16.
Tell me your thoughts in the comment section below.
It’s day 22, and although it’s not the Night(mare) Before Christmas, I’m starting to get a Halloween vibe.
Today, the door said to resist Grandma’s food, but ‘tis the season to get podgy after all! You guys better be enjoying my puns and bad jokes because they won’t stop coming.
Back to the Halloween vibe from our Christmas die!
Today’s die was as far away from snowy as can be. The black background of this d8 was packed with orange decorations. Bats, faces, ghosts, and ghouls.
The number 8 was replaced with a large pumpkin grinning from side to side.
Because this die is so far removed from Christmas, I have to name it Jack Skellington. But what kind of person is Jack?
Because Jack can shift through the world of celebrations, I think he has to be a Changeling. But as he has brought Halloween into the time of Christmas, he has to be an Oathbreaker Paladin.
No longer content with scaring children and brewing nightmares, Jack Skellington tries to bring joy into the world. But, his scary persona and intimidating presence haven’t quite translated into this new role yet.
Jack’s whole mission is to truly be a Jolly Good Fellow!
However, in battle, Jack cannot help but use his natural deadly instinct. When using Bestow Curse, let’s see how strong his additional necromancy damage is.
Ah, it seems as though Jack has got some self-control after all. It’s a Christmas Miracle!
It’s day 23 of our Dice Advent Calendar review, and after this update, there will only be one left!
I’m going to be a little sad when the 25th comes. Oh, who am I kidding? It will be Christmas!
The door today asked me to Roll for Batman. It’s clear that at this point, the creators had lost their Christmas spirit.
But the real reason for this calendar has always been about the dice. So let’s see what we received today.
Behind door number 23 is a brown d10 with yellow carvings. At first, I thought I saw a picture of the world in the carving. Next, I thought I saw “Keep Clear” signs around the top.
But once Katie looked at this die, she explained I was looking at the inside of a lock!
Above every number is a small keyhole, and around every center is a clockwork mechanism that keeps the lock secure.
Of course, this die must belong to a Rogue! But what type of Rogue would know this much about the mechanics behind their lock picking methods?
That’s when it all clicked into place. A Gnome Rogue!
Gnomes have a natural knack for tinkering, which explains their intellectual ability to unpick a door.
A Rogue only has d8s for hit points, but let’s allow this little Gnome a Christmas boost.
Oh, it seems like there isn’t any Christmas Cheer around this tinkerer. Is anyone else picturing Chutney?
It’s Christmas Eve, which means our wonderful calendar is giving us its final gift.
I knew this last die would be a metal one because that’s what the back of the packet said. But I still had no idea what to expect.
I opened the door as normal to find a stealth mission. We can see precisely how Santa’s magic works as long as we pass this test.
Before we get rolling, let’s see what type of character is leering on Father Christmas.
Today’s die is very similar to yesterday’s. It has exactly the same markings, depicting the inside of a lock. But this time, the colors are different.
The background is a Christmas red, while the border and images are exposed metal.
The red colors and metal outline give me a whole different vibe from yesterday’s yellow and brown.
Today, I see the body of a Warforged creature whose insides are covered in blood. Blood fuels this killing machine and powers it into a Rage.
This die belongs to a Warforged Barbarian.
Usually, you’d roll 1d20 for a stealth check, but seeing as it’s Christmas, we will roll our new 1d10 and double the answer.
Let’s see how quiet this robot is.
A 5… so a 10. This middle-of-the-road sneaker still needs some practice to get past Santa.
Cast Guidance 