At Hero Forge, you can design digital figures and then have them printed for a fee. A Kickstarter project by the company aims to allow players to have the figures packed into the required dice now. Players are excited: The project has raised nearly four times as much money as needed.
What kind of Kickstarter is this? The Kickstarter is a project by the people behind the website Heroforge.com. They offer to pack the figures, items, and companions designed on their site into the dice needed for pen & paper.
The Kickstarter started on March 6, 2025. It was funded in just 45 minutes! So far, Hero Forge has raised nearly $400,000, totaling approximately 365,986 euros at this moment without conversion.
You can see what these dice are supposed to look like in the trailer:
Character Designs Without Drawing and Modeling
What is Hero Forge? Hero Forge is a free website with a character editor. You can choose from various fantasy and sci-fi races. Hundreds of clothing items, accessories, and companions are available. Finally, everything can be colored and posed.
You only get full access with a paid subscription, but even the free version allows for extensive character creation. Hero Forge ultimately makes money by printing the figures:
If you are satisfied with your mini, you can have it printed as a plastic figure, for example. However, there is also the option to obtain statuettes, standees, or bronze versions.
For most people, the free features and a screenshot tool to create character images are sufficient. However, through Kickstarter, Hero Forge now also offers to pack the designed characters into dice.
Do Figures Distort Dice Results? Our Expert Weighs In
I have been playing Dungeons & Dragons since about 2016 and have been casting dice with epoxy resin myself since around 2022. More about this very special hobby is presented in this article. Accordingly, I have been dealing with dice and small objects that can be cast into dice for quite some time.
When you cast a die, it is quite difficult to influence where an object ultimately lands… Depending on the situation, the die is unfortunately then weighted and shows certain numbers more often.
This can be avoided if the inserts are made from the same material as the dice themselves. So if the inserted figure is made from the same epoxy resin that the die is also cast around, the dice will give consistent results.
However, in the trailer, Hero Forge shows that they really imprint the figures and items: Collected with a layer-depositing FDM printer. Thus, these are probably also made of the same material as the transparent part of the dice. Accordingly, they should also provide consistent results.
I am not aware of any FDM printer that can achieve the 21 microns per layer specified by Hero Forge – 21 microns is approximately 0.021 millimeters, so incredibly fine. Being able to print in various colors at the same time is also very unique. If there are printers that support both of these functions, the purchase price is likely several thousand euros – unless it is a special custom order.
All in all: The dice from Hero Forge should be excellent for the next round of pen & paper and not be weighted.
Currently, you can still participate in the Kickstarter. The shipping of the dice is worldwide. From 36 euros donated, you can already get the first die as part of the project. For your next session of Dungeons & Dragons, we also have a helpful list: The 10 most powerful spells you should definitely use
