Charlatan's Die

Charlatan's Die

the cheat die · controlled die · succubus die

Item

Status Active First seen s08 Last seen s16 Type Wondrous item, uncommon (homebrew d6) Attunement Not required Holder Caelumn Origin Looted from succubus

The Charlatan’s Die is a homebrew six-sided die looted from the first succubus in the s8 forest-clearing fight, identified by Harvo in roughly ten minutes ^[1] after Caelumn’s detect-magic Arcana check failed at 9. Per the DM: “It seems to be a charlatan’s die. Whenever you roll the six-sided die, you can control which number it rolls” ^[2]. Harvo returned it to Caelumn with characteristic disdain — “It’s just some shit if you want to cheat” ^[4]. The die has not surfaced in any campaign-deciding roll since acquisition; the party has flagged it occasionally as a possible insurance against death-save d6 totals, mercantile bargaining d6s, or hit-die rerolls.

Overview

A homebrew d6 that the user can control on roll. The die is mechanically narrow — most consequential checks in 5e involve d20s, not d6s — but the d6 surface area is broader than it looks: hit-die rerolls, sneak-attack damage tiers, healing-potion rolls, certain spell scaling, and some homebrew table mechanics all live on d6. The party have not used the die in a recorded combat or contested social situation since acquisition.

Provenance

Looted from the first of the two succubi the party fought in s8, in the forest clearing where Earthwing-the-owl was killed. Identified by Harvo during the post-combat lull ^[1]:

“I want to identify the ring and whatever axe … and the ring seems to be a charlatan’s die. Whenever you roll the six-sided die, you can control which number it rolls.” — DM via Harvo, ^[2]

The wider table immediately speculated about applying it to Vasquez’s s8 prison-bail negotiation (a d6 discount roll the DM had improvised), with Terry: “I’m sorry. We could have done a different die roll to try and get a discount on the prison exchange. If I roll a 2, you’ll give him for 20 gold” ^[3]. The retcon was not granted.

Status as of session 16

Carried by Caelumn (not lost in the s15 backpack — Caelumn keeps small wondrous items on his person). Untriggered in any logged roll.

See also

• Caelumn
• Harvo
• The Succubus

References

1. ^ Session 8, line 1453-1459 — Harvo identifies — "charlatan's die. Whenever you roll the six-sided die, you can control which number it rolls".
2. ^ Session 8, line 1459 — Inline citation.
3. ^ Session 8, line 1461 — Inline citation.
4. ^ Session 8, line 1460 — Inline citation.