Make Custom Dice for Your Gaming Table with Hero Forge's Latest Kickstarter

A statuette, XL D20 custom die, and standard miniature of the same figure from Hero Forge. Hero Forge has launched a new Kickstarter that pretty much any gamer that uses dice can get excited about: Custom Dice. Hero Forge is already one of the leaders in making custom miniatures, and now with the ability to make custom dice, your gaming sessions are going to reach a new level. Real quick nitty gritty is that the Kickstarter campaign for Custom Dice ends on April 5 and the lowest reward tier is $39 (shipping not included) for a single custom die, early access to the dice maker, and 1 month of Hero Forge Pro. Higher reward tiers include additional dice, miniatures, and more.Time for some transparency. Hero Forge did reach out about covering the Kickstarter and they did send me a statuette and XL D20 to match it (of their choice, not one that I got to customize). You can see the pictures below, but these items were to help me get some hands on with what to expect from final products and I’ll sprinkle my own, subjective thoughts throughout the post with all the details.What are custom dice? They’re dice that you get to design using Hero Forge’s tools. This means that you can design something on Hero Forge and then put it (or part of it) into a die (or dice) of your choice. Then, you can customize the fonts to really make the die yours. Available dice include the standard array of (slightly bigger than my Chessex sets) polyhedral dice such as a D4, D6, D8, D10/%, D12, and D20. There’s also the XL D20 that is 38mm instead of 25mm (my standard D20 measures around 20mm for reference). This is what I was sent and it is massive. In fact, the XL D20 is big enough where you could potentially fit your entire character’s miniature inside of it. Another perk is that you can have the D20s set to a Life Counter to make it easier to track things across all games such as tokens or life in Magic: The Gathering. An XL D20 Custom Dice next to a standard d20 from Chessex for size comparison. I like this idea. Initially, I thought it was limited to miniature busts because that’s what I received, but I was relieved when I learned that there are so many other options possible. You can do things like put your character’s weapons or familiars or animal companions into different dice to really bring their flare to your table. Do you always use a longsword to fight? Throw one into a D8! You can even kitbash to create a custom item and throw that in one of the dice. It really is a cool idea with almost limitless possibilities.In terms of quality, the one I was sent is an example of good quality. The edges and corners are rounded which some people may not like, but it’s standard and well done. The quality and detail of the bust inside is high and matches that of the statuettes. The resin that Hero Forge uses is nice and clear so those details aren’t blurred or obscured.Here are some of my final thoughts based on the XL D20 that I was sent. The biggest thing I can say is be careful with the text and when in doubt, make it bigger and/or increase contrast. On the die I was sent, the text is really small (likely to help highlight the quality of the mini bust inside) and it’s white on clear resin with most of the colors of the bust being lighter. This means it’s hard to read when rolled. Another piece of advice (once again, this is personal taste) is that if you do a bust, try to make the fill color on the cutaways match the color of the pieces that are cut. For mine, the fill is a nice blue, but because the figure doesn’t use that same blue anywhere near the cuts, it does feel a little cheaper and a lot more distracting to me. I also think it would be cooler if the face of the bust lined up with the 20 (from what I can tell this should be doable in the editor).Is it critically necessary that you go out and get a full set of Custom Dice from Hero Forge? No. Is it important to get at least a D20? No. Is it a fun novelty that I would recommend if you have the budget for while looking for something fun for your gaming hobby? Heck to the yes. Heck, in a pinch I don’t see why you

Mar 15, 2025 - 18:21

Make Custom Dice for Your Gaming Table with Hero Forge's Latest Kickstarter

A statuette, XL D20 custom die, and standard miniature of the same figure from Hero Forge.

Hero Forge has launched a new Kickstarter that pretty much any gamer that uses dice can get excited about: Custom Dice. Hero Forge is already one of the leaders in making custom miniatures, and now with the ability to make custom dice, your gaming sessions are going to reach a new level.

Real quick nitty gritty is that the Kickstarter campaign for Custom Dice ends on April 5 and the lowest reward tier is $39 (shipping not included) for a single custom die, early access to the dice maker, and 1 month of Hero Forge Pro. Higher reward tiers include additional dice, miniatures, and more.

Time for some transparency. Hero Forge did reach out about covering the Kickstarter and they did send me a statuette and XL D20 to match it (of their choice, not one that I got to customize).

You can see the pictures below, but these items were to help me get some hands on with what to expect from final products and I’ll sprinkle my own, subjective thoughts throughout the post with all the details.

What are custom dice? They’re dice that you get to design using Hero Forge’s tools. This means that you can design something on Hero Forge and then put it (or part of it) into a die (or dice) of your choice. Then, you can customize the fonts to really make the die yours.

Available dice include the standard array of (slightly bigger than my Chessex sets) polyhedral dice such as a D4, D6, D8, D10/%, D12, and D20. There’s also the XL D20 that is 38mm instead of 25mm (my standard D20 measures around 20mm for reference).

This is what I was sent and it is massive. In fact, the XL D20 is big enough where you could potentially fit your entire character’s miniature inside of it. Another perk is that you can have the D20s set to a Life Counter to make it easier to track things across all games such as tokens or life in Magic: The Gathering.

An XL D20 Custom Dice next to a standard d20 from Chessex for size comparison.

I like this idea. Initially, I thought it was limited to miniature busts because that’s what I received, but I was relieved when I learned that there are so many other options possible. You can do things like put your character’s weapons or familiars or animal companions into different dice to really bring their flare to your table. Do you always use a longsword to fight? Throw one into a D8! You can even kitbash to create a custom item and throw that in one of the dice. It really is a cool idea with almost limitless possibilities.

In terms of quality, the one I was sent is an example of good quality. The edges and corners are rounded which some people may not like, but it’s standard and well done. The quality and detail of the bust inside is high and matches that of the statuettes. The resin that Hero Forge uses is nice and clear so those details aren’t blurred or obscured.

Here are some of my final thoughts based on the XL D20 that I was sent. The biggest thing I can say is be careful with the text and when in doubt, make it bigger and/or increase contrast. On the die I was sent, the text is really small (likely to help highlight the quality of the mini bust inside) and it’s white on clear resin with most of the colors of the bust being lighter. This means it’s hard to read when rolled. Another piece of advice (once again, this is personal taste) is that if you do a bust, try to make the fill color on the cutaways match the color of the pieces that are cut. For mine, the fill is a nice blue, but because the figure doesn’t use that same blue anywhere near the cuts, it does feel a little cheaper and a lot more distracting to me. I also think it would be cooler if the face of the bust lined up with the 20 (from what I can tell this should be doable in the editor).

Is it critically necessary that you go out and get a full set of Custom Dice from Hero Forge? No. Is it important to get at least a D20? No. Is it a fun novelty that I would recommend if you have the budget for while looking for something fun for your gaming hobby? Heck to the yes. Heck, in a pinch I don’t see why you couldn’t use the die as a mini for things like when you use Duplicity.

The Hero Forge: Custom Dice Kickstarter is live now and has more than doubled its goal which means you don’t have to worry about that. Once again, the campaign ends on April 5 and rewards are expected to be delivered around August 2025. What are your plans for your custom dice?