Point Buy Calculator 5e – DnD Ability Scores, Racial Bonuses & Modifiers

Whether you're unsure how the 5th edition of Dungeons and Dragons' point buy system works, or you're a veteran player making hundreds of characters every day, this point buy calculator for 5e is here to help! This online tool enables you to navigate the 5e point buy system to assign ability scores for your character — with support for the official SRD races and their 5e ability score bonuses. So, grab a pen and paper, and let's make your DnD character!

How to use the point buy calculator for 5e?

Let's make an Acrobatics check and jump right into how the point buy calculator for 5e works.

1. Enter your base ability scores. These are the scores that you spend your points on. You can see how your point expenditure adds up right below the ability score fields — consult the score-to-point table found later in this article for more details.
2. Select your character's race. Your character's ability scores in 5e are increased based on which race you pick — the calculator fills in the racial bonuses for you.
3. If your character's race is not on the list, you can select Other (custom bonuses) and enter the racial bonuses yourself.
4. Some races (like the half-elf) have free-floating +1's that can be assigned to ability scores. Don't forget to add them to the bonus fields of the ability scores you'd like boosted!
5. Find your character's ability scores summarized in a table in the results of the 5e point buy calculator. Most importantly, the table lists your character's final ability scores and their modifiers.

💡 Ability scores and ability modifiers. An ability modifier isn't added to an ability score in 5e. Instead, the modifier is determined by the ability score and is added to skill checks governed by that ability. For example, a character with an Intelligence score of 15 always has a modifier of +2, and so gets a +2 bonus to Arcana checks they make.

If you want to customize the 5e point buy system to fit your table's house rules, you can raise or lower the point total that you can spend from the standard 27.

What is DnD point buy?

The point buy calculator for 5e can do the point buy math for you, but if you're as curious as the Xanathar, you would want to know how the 5e point buy system works. So let's roll an Investigation check and get a closer look.

DnD characters have six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These scores govern all of their other characteristics, such as their ability to swing a sword, their hit points, and their ability to barter with shopkeepers. How exactly a player determines their character's scores is up to their dungeon master (or DM), but most DnD tables use one of these methods:

• The standard array method, where the player has the scores 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 15 and can assign them however they like;
• The dice roll method, where you'd randomly generate your ability scores with dice; and
• The point buy method, where you have a budget of points to spend on buying ability scores.

And so you've learnt that point buy in DnD 5e is a method to determine player characters' ability scores. You must have rolled a natural 20 for that Investigation check!

What are the rules for DnD 5e point buy?

5th edition DnD's point buy rules let you spend 27 points to buy ability scores. The player must buy six scores and can assign them to the six abilities as they like. Each score has a point cost:

A player building a wizard character might buy a 15 in Intelligence (costing them 9 points), and carelessly spend the remaining 18 points on four 12s (4 points each) and a 10 (2 points) for the rest of their scores. A barbarian (who wants to have high Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution) would buy three 15s with their entire budget and leave their other abilities at a measly 8 (0 points each). But as such a barbarian might say, "who need brain when muscle think better?"

Note that under the standard rules you can't buy a score below 8 or above 15 — racial bonuses are applied after the purchase, which is how a 15 can become a 16 or 17 at level 1.

How do I calculate DnD ability score modifiers?

Every ability score has a matching ability modifier — the number you actually add to your d20 rolls. To find it:

1. Subtract 10 from the ability score;
2. Divide the result by 2; and
3. Round down (toward negative infinity).

modifier = ⌊(ability score − 10) ÷ 2⌋

For example, a Constitution score of 14 gives ⌊(14 − 10) ÷ 2⌋ = +2, while a Charisma score of 9 gives ⌊(9 − 10) ÷ 2⌋ = ⌊−0.5⌋ = −1. Our calculator shows the modifier for each of your final ability scores automatically.

FAQs

How many points do you get in 5e point buy?

Under the standard rules, you get 27 points to spend on your six ability scores. Buying the cheapest allowed score (8) costs 0 points, and the most expensive (15) costs 9 points. Some tables use house rules with a higher budget — our calculator lets you change the point total.

Can I buy an ability score of 16 or higher with point buy?

No — the standard 5e point buy rules only allow base scores between 8 and 15. However, your character's racial bonuses are added after you buy the scores, so a 15 with a +2 racial bonus becomes a 17 at character creation.

What is the best point buy spread in 5e?

It depends on your class! A common approach is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 (which spends exactly 27 points) with the 15 in your class's main ability. Casters usually maximize their spellcasting ability, while martial characters favor Strength or Dexterity plus Constitution.

Is point buy better than rolling for stats?

Point buy is fair and predictable: every player at the table builds from the same 27-point budget, so no one ends up with a much stronger or weaker character by luck. Rolling dice is more exciting but can produce very uneven results. Which one is "better" is entirely up to your table's preference.