When to roll in secret (and when not to)

Compare open table rolls versus hidden rolls for GMs—notation, trust, and what this browser roller does not automate.

Your table mixes new players and veterans; some checks need hidden outcomes, others need shared drama on the felt.

You still type notation like 2d6+3 here—advantage modes and hidden GM screens are outside the tool.

Open rolls: trust the table

Combat damage and shop purchases stay visible so everyone agrees on the math.

Use Copy result to paste totals into voice chat when someone is remote.

Fullscreen table mode helps the far end of the couch read faces without crowding the phone.

Angle the screen for perception or stealth checks when players should not meta-game the number.

Say aloud that you rolled even when you hide the value until drama catches up.

The 3D view does not hide totals from someone standing behind you—physical privacy is still your job.

Hidden or not, expressions like d20 and 2d6+3 parse the same: faces are drawn, then the modifier is applied.

There is no exploding-dice or keep-highest syntax—resolve those house rules after you read the faces.

Save a preset such as 2d20 if your table rolls twice for advantage and picks high/low manually.

Loot splits and PvP disputes need open totals everyone can verify.

Teaching probability to new players works better when the group sees every face.

Regulated gambling, lotteries, and official tournament adjudication need procedures this site does not provide.

See Tabletop session workflow for check/damage/preset patterns during play.

See Dice notation reference for NdS±M examples the parser accepts.

See Methodology for how random draws are produced in the browser.

Before play, agree which checks are open versus secret so players are not surprised mid-scene.

Keep one saved preset per common roll (initiative, perception, attack) so hidden rolls stay fast.

After a hidden roll, note the total on paper or in your VTT even if players do not see the number yet.

When the secret outcome becomes public, repeat the number aloud so the table stays in sync.

On a video call, a hidden roll still leaks if your dice faces appear on the shared screen—hide the browser tab or roll on a second device.

Use Copy result only when you are ready for remote players to paste the value into chat.

If someone joins mid-session, restate your hidden-roll policy once; new viewers cannot infer house rules from the tool alone.