🎯 Darts

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I came up with a "darts" minigame for D&D: it is mostly edition-agnostic, as it doesn't really use any "attack bonus" or THAC0, just the Dex modifier of the players. The game is a simplified version of actual darts, which does not include the double and triple rings, and only has a single bullseye circle.

🎲 The rules

Each turn, one player rolls two dice, a d20 (the "score" die) and a d12 (the "modifier" die). The score die determines what number is hit by the dart; modifiers can alter this roll, but they can never bring the score below 0 (a miss) or beyond 20 (the bullseye is the only exception).

Scoring

After rolling the score die, the player adds or subtracts a number that depends on their Dex modifier:

• if the Dex modifier is negative, the player must add the Dex modifier to the roll (e.g., a player with a Dex of 7 must add -2 to the roll);
• if the Dex modifier is positive, the player adds a number of his choice from minus to plus the Dex modifier (e.g., if the player has a Dex modifier of +2, the player can add -2, -1, 0, 1 or 2 to the roll)

Modifying the roll

The modifier die affects the score die:

╔═══════╦═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Roll  ║                        Result                         ║
╠═══════╬═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ 1     ║ Ignore the score die, the player misses the dartboard ║
║ 2-3   ║ The opponent CAN assign a ±1 to the player score die  ║
║ 4-9   ║ Nothing special happens, calculate score normally     ║
║ 10-11 ║ The player CAN assign a further ±1 to their score die ║
║ 12    ║ Bullseye! Ignore the score die and get 50 points      ║
╚═══════╩═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Tallying the score

The player tallies the result of the roll as their score. To win the game, a player needs to get exactly 201 points: if a roll makes the player overshoot, that turn is lost.

Alternatively, each turn the players roll their dice three times and tally the results, trying to get exactly 501 points. This scoring variant is popular among Dwarves and is usually known as "Longshot".

✏️ Variant rule: proficiency bonus

If the DM allows it, whenever a player can pick a proficiency in "one type of gaming set" they can select "darts": when they do, they add their proficiency bonus to their Dex modifier to alter the score die (e.g., if a 1st level character with a Dex modifier of -1 becomes proficient with darts, their Dex modifier is considered to be +1 for the purposes of the game).

🛠️ Tools of the trade

These are some items that can be found in any small settlement.

Darts and dartboard

This gaming set includes two darts with different colored shafts, and a simple wooden dartboard. For an additional 2 sp, one can buy two extra darts for each color, to play the 501 points "Longshot" variant.

3 sp, ½ lb

Aerodynamic dart

When using this dart, a player can assign a further ±1 to their score die on a roll of 9, 10 or 11 of the modifier die. Nothing special happens on a roll between 4 and 8.

Most people accept the use of these darts for day-to-day playing as they are not considered cheating. Know your audience, though.

5 sp

Magnetic set

Small magnets have been embedded in this dartboard, and one of the darts has a magnetic head. When uxing the "fixed" dart, a player adds +5 to their Dex modifier, as they can more easily pick the parts of the dartboard they want.

Use of this set is considered cheating. Thread carefully.

1 gp, ½ lb