In my mind DnD dice jails are the perfect gift for all us bad luck TTRPG players. The old saying goes that it only takes one bad apple to ruin a bunch, and while that is true I would argue that apples aren’t the worst offender. As any experienced tabletop RPG gamer can attest to, if you don’t take that problem dice and separate it immediately after two rolls…well it’s going to spread and those nasty 1’s are going to spread to all your dice. Or 95s to 100s if you’re playing a d100 system where you want to avoid apocalyptically high numbers.
Regardless of the system, this leads to a very important universal truth: bad dice must be separated and punished!
While some players think just separating them a little bit is enough, as someone who has rolled enough 1’s to make Wil Wheaton yell at me to “Get my f’ing dice in line!” I understand that sometimes just throwing a die across the table just isn’t good enough.
The following are some of our favorite dnd dice jails that we have found online. You’ve been pushed around by your dice long enough.
11 Best DnD Dice Jails for Naughty Dice
Scouring the Internet for the best dice jails out there started out slow, but then became everything that I hoped for and more. There are so many great and imaginative people out there who saw the need for those of us who are frequently high-number challenged to have a place to put the absolute worst offenders of our dice.
There were several promising starts, and some surprisingly good options from Amazon, but then I dug into Etsy, home of the creative, and that was where all the finest dice jail merchants in all the lands apparently come to market to hack the finest of jails and restraints for your worst offending dice.
So let’s not wait any longer – it’s time to dive into the strange, creative, and wonderful world of dnd dice jails!
Grapevine Lightworks Dice Jail
As an Old West fan, an avid D&D player, and someone who came from a lumber family and appreciates all good woodwork and faux woodwork, this was the dice jail I could only dream of when starting my search for the perfect punishment for my endlessly underperforming D&D dice. Yet there it is right on Etsty, a near-perfect dice jail:
The woodwork just looks good. “Dice Jail” is branded in the top while little steel bars create the full Old West jail look for this dice jail. The sign on the side in the form of a wanted poster is just so incredible as a beautiful touch. And all of us who have rolled 10 times the Nat 1’s in our D&D life as Nat 20’s appreciate the content of that poster.
I’m buying this. In fact, by the time this publishes I might already have one. If not, it’s on its way via shipping. I need it. If you do, too, then follow the link below to get yours…and prepare for one heck of a rabbit hole in the D&D Etsy space!
Lynx Time Out Chair & Dunce Hat
Yes! This is what I’m talking about. While slightly disappointed by the lack of cages in this entry, the little Dunce Hat and the public humiliation it brings in the eyes of it’s fellow dice is perfect.
It’s one thing to have to sit in a time out chair. It’s another when your misbehaving die has to do so while wearing a bright red dunce cap.
When that dice has rolled below an 8 for the umpteenth time or you have pulled the triple play turkey of three straight critical failures during important rolls, then it’s time to put them in the chair and put on the cap.
Don’t waver! If that die tries to give you the sad puppy eyes, you just look at it and yell “You know what you did!” and put on that red dunce cap!
I won’t promise that your die will rehabilitate, because some are obstinate and just refuse to be rehabilitated.
But he will learn the consequences of doing so!
The Lynx chair is made from clay-like material. This helps get a heavy level of detail on a small model, keeps the price down, and adds that extra bit of unease for the misbehaving die.
This is a wonderful gift for the perennial low roller at the table, works as a fun gag gift that almost everyone can enjoy, and it just belongs in the collection of a serious player, IMO.
As for the specs: it only weighs 3.2 ounces, has very nice details, and though small is more than enough to hold that naughty d20…which means unless you have a giant Sir Chonkers style of d100, this should meet all of your needs.
DracaenaDraco Wood Dice Jail
Oh man, the woodworking and craftsmanship in this one! These are wonderful looking dice jails are made from wood, bars and all, and just look great. Artistry is one of the main focuses on this listing on Etsy, and the end result is nothing short of beautiful.
I’m not surprised this has a near perfect rating with nearly 5,000 ratings which is frankly jaw-dropping. The wood is beautiful, the craftsmanship is great, use of magnets smart, and you certainly can’t argue with the carving/branding work on top.
This is one of those DnD dice jails that grabs your attention and even if you weren’t planning on opening the wallet, suddenly you are thinking about it at least a little bit.
Some would argue this is a near perfect dice jail. However, I do have one, and only one, complaint about this handcrafted wood dice jail.
I know, I know, what blasphemy! So what is my complaint, you ask?
My only complaint about the DracaenaDraco Wood Dice Jail on Etsy is that it’s way too good for my problematic dice. I deserve something this nice.
My consistently traitorous dice absolutely do not.
Dice Jail Gelatinous Cube
Sometimes a simple jail cell just isn’t enough. While I’m all for dice jails and time out chairs for dnd dice, what happens when you have repeat offenders that simply won’t rehabilitate no matter how many times they are grounded?
It’s time for the gelatinous cube to get their meal in that situation. While I want to give my TTRPG dice as many opportunities as possible to come back to the light side of the force, in no small part because I buy enough dice as it is, sometimes they just won’t change. In this case, it’s time to trade in the dice jail cell for a gelatinous cube.
These semi-transparent cubes are hollowed out from the bottom meaning that you can place these gelatinous cube molds (which come in three different colors) straight down on top of your misbehaving dnd dice whether d10, d12, or d20 and put it in the digestive track of one of the classic and iconic monsters from Dungeons & Dragons.
This is a wonderfully creative way to stay on theme with a dice jail and any tabletop gamer would love to add this to their collection of D&D pieces…and put those naughty dice in the stomach of a ravenous gelatinous cube where they are!
This gelatinous cube dnd dice jail is available in green, blue, and red colors as of the publication of this review, and they look quite good!
Munny Grubbers Dice Chair of Shame & Dice Throne
Look, some players prefer the jail, some the gelatinous cube, and some say the carrot and the stick method is best. You must have a possible reward and praise in addition to punishment to get the most out of those oft temperamental DnD dice. If this is the perspective you have, or like me, you dream that one day a die won’t consistently betray you and you will have a reason to reward one, then the Dice Throne + Time Out Dice Chair from Munny Grubbers is a good pairing.
Look, it doesn’t happen often, but sometimes a die goes gang busters. It rolls high almost all the time or it at least gives me an 18, 19, or 20 for every 1, 2, or 3 and you know what? I can live with that. Ironically enough my best die, the one that always rolls “all or nothing” looks a lot like the one in the dunce cap in the picture below.
But back on track: dnd dice jails and dnd dice jail alternatives. The little crown is a cute touch to go with the throne while the Dunce cap with the Time Out chair really is perfect. I’m a fan of the pairing and think they work extremely well as a 1-2 combo.
If you think putting dice in a dnd dice jail is a little too far, here’s your great alternative, and it really does get the carrot and stick approach a visual aid, if your dice actually respond to that sort of thing.
Forged Dice Co Serpent Cell Dice Jail
Are your d20s hardened offenders? Do they scoff at the idea of a cell as a “been there, done that” threat before rolling too low for your proficiency bonus to save you…again? Maybe it’s not the threat of jail that’s failing, maybe it’s not having the right warden. If you want a DnD dice jail that has a little bit of bite to back up that bark, then leave it to the Forged Dice Co to get it done.
This stone dice jail includes a warden: a dragon on top of the cage, watching for any dice trying to make a break for it before doing their time. It’s not your fault: your dice pushed you too far and now it’s time to lock them up for good.
I love the fact this one comes with a dragon warden just making sure every errant dice knows its place, and the extra space is great…though last time I went to put in a d20 there were already multiple d10s from the last Warhammer 40K game reminding me that I can poison any RNG with dice.
Except d12s which always love me, which of course is why they are almost never used in any system. Ah well, such is life.
That doesn’t change the fact that this is a really outstanding dice prison that gets the job done!
I’ve liked what I’ve seen out of Forged Dice Co so far, and speaking of which, look who it is on the next entry…
Forged Dice Co Mimic Chest Ultimate Dice Jail
I mean we can just stick with time out chairs, dunce caps, and some well guarded dice prisons…but maybe we were onto something with those gelatinous cube dice holders from earlier.
But why go slow when we can just bring out the Mimics? No better permanent dnd dice jail than the stomach of a hungry mimic.
Not only is this just absolutely amazing from a thematic point of view, but the detail work on this piece is amazing. Realistic wood grain on the treasure box panels, rivets and metal design, open up the latch and have the teeth, a very Mimic-mouth texture: it’s an outstanding dnd dice holder.
And I’d argue, keeping in the theme of one of the best dnd monsters. The design is fantastic, the Mimic is an absolute classic, and what’s a better “permanent” jail for your bad dnd dice than the stomach of a Mimic?
For the person who has had the really misbehaving dice…or have a Bard’s sense of style and pinache and want the one good set of dice that will work with them to show up to the table in style, this is a great pickup.
The delight from a gamer who gets surprised by this present will be one that sticks with them, and you, again and again when this beauty makes an appearance every game day at the table.
DnD Wood Dice Jails
The wood dice jails for DnD dice on Amazon.com offered by the CZYY store is going to catch some attention, especially for those who like painting miniatures or having that artistic side of being creative. These are made of plain birch wood which looks decent, especially for those of us who grew up in a lumber family.
If you like a clean, non-stained, wood look then these look great and come in a set of three meaning you can even have a solitary confinement for D&D dice, separating the worst of offenders from the other active dice who still have hopes of re-joining your in-game dice. If you’re not about that, then grab the paint and make your custom jail whether it’s classic black or maybe a bright red or blue – the option is yours!
3-D Printed DnD Dice Jails
There’s no denying that 3-D printing has opened up a wide array of options when it comes to finding some excellent dnd dice jail options that look good, still get the job done, and open up the number of designs that are widely available.
I looked around and was impressed by how many good 3-D DnD Dice Jail models were already out there and available.
My Mini Factory D&D Dice Jail
My Mini Factory has a really good design for a DnD dice jail that is printed in three parts, and is even designed so you can take 3 small metal rods and use those as actual metal jail bars. This really creates the jail cell appearance and is a nice touch. The 3D design is available for download as the designer is sharing it, so you can pick it up, tip as a way of showing thanks, and try it out on your 3-D printer.
If you like the combination of actual small metal bars with a good design that looks great when created with quality resin.
3-D Printed D&D Dice Jail
Thingiverse has another great 3-D printer design for a D&D dice jail, this one that includes the stylized “&” symbol that is synonymous with D&D players. You will want to make sure the resin you use is more solid, less flexible, as you are creating a mini structure versus a mini, and the design is solid.
This is a great dice cage for D&D dice and is another excellent 3-D blueprint that you can download and run yourself.
3D Magic DnD Dice Jails
If you’re more of the “Treat misbehaving DnD dice like a pirate in a cage or Judge Dredd Iso-Cube” then this small dnd dice cage is a nice little option that is inexpensive, still looks good, and definitely gets the point across to those dice who just don’t want to behave themselves despite repeated chances to do so.
Or Skip the Jail for the DnD Dice Outhouse
Look, dnd dice jails come in many forms and sometimes we enjoy pretext and at other times we want to go for the thinnest so-called metaphor possible and just declare a 20-sided die that doesn’t know it can roll above a 5 as a piece of crap. When you’ve given up on rehabilitation, the dnd dice outhouse is just the perfect way to throw away all pretense and just dive right through that low level of comedy.
Put the offending d20 in the outhouse where it belongs and let it sit there!
The Best D&D Dice Jails, Some Concluding Thoughts
There are just some dice that are always going to misbehave, and as long as they refuse to change their ways, we’ll unfortunately need little prisons to put them back where they can’t harm our rolls, our PCs, and be bad influences on the rest of the dice in the dice bag. Fortunately, as this article proves, there are no shortage of dnd dice jails and when your dice decide to misbehave, don’t trust the mathematicians who swear it’s gambler’s fallacy and even if you’ve had mathematically verifiable terrible dice luck for 20+ years that if you just roll more dice enough it will even out eventually (paraphrased) – put those misbehaving polyhedrals in dice jail. That’ll show them you’re serious!
These are a fun way to bring some laughter to the table, and I’m strongly contemplating buying multiple ones so I can keep the table guessing when the inevitable time comes that the dice misbehave and I need to show them whose boss by putting them in dice jail.
And the really bad ones can go to dice prison.
So until the day I convince the Meeples with fully running 3-D printers to customize me a full maximum security dice prison for all the bad dice, this list will give me plenty of options to hold me over…and make great gifts for all the players or even DMs at the table.
Take a look at the options out there and find the dice jails that work perfectly to separate those bad dice from the others in your bag so you can keep running with the ones that are hot…gambler’s fallacy be darned!
Other TTRPG Articles You May Enjoy
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Proud to embrace the locally created moniker of “Corrupt Overlord” from one of the all time great Lords of Waterdeep runs, Shane is one member of the Assorted Meeples crew and will be hard at work creating awesome content for the website. He is a long-time player of board games, one time semi-professional poker player, and tends to run to the quirky or RPG side of things when it comes to playing video games. He loves tabletop roleplaying systems like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Werewolf, Fate, and others, and not only has been a player but has run games as DM for years. You can find his other work in publications like Level Skip or Hobby Lark.