About the Point Buy Calculator 5e
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition offers three ways to generate ability scores: rolling dice, using the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8), or point buy — a system where every player starts each of the six abilities (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma) at a base of 8 and spends a shared pool of points to raise them. This calculator applies the official Player's Handbook cost table so you can check that a build is legal before you bring it to the table.
The official cost table
Point buy uses a fixed budget of 27 points. Each ability score can be raised from 8 up to a maximum of 15 (before any racial or background bonuses are applied), and each value has a set point cost:
- 8 = 0 points
- 9 = 1 point
- 10 = 2 points
- 11 = 3 points
- 12 = 4 points
- 13 = 5 points
- 14 = 7 points
- 15 = 9 points
Notice the cost jumps by 2 (instead of 1) when moving from 13 to 14 and from 14 to 15. That extra tax on the top two scores is intentional: it keeps a single maxed-out ability from being cheap relative to a more balanced spread, and it is why the default example on this page — Strength 15, Dexterity 14, Constitution 13, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 10, Charisma 8 — costs exactly 9 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 0 = 27 points, spending the full budget with nothing left over.
How to use this calculator
Enter each of the six ability scores as whole numbers between 8 and 15. The calculator adds up the point cost of all six using the table above, subtracts that total from the 27-point budget to show what remains, and sums the six ability modifiers (using the standard D&D formula, modifier = floor((score − 10) ÷ 2)) so you can see the character's overall power spread at a glance. If any score falls outside 8-15 or the total cost exceeds 27, the build is flagged as invalid under standard point buy rules.
Practical context
Racial ability score increases, feats, and level-up Ability Score Improvements are applied after point buy, so this calculator only checks the base scores you assign during character creation — it does not add racial bonuses for you. Some Dungeon Masters allow a larger budget (commonly 30 or 32 points) for a higher-powered campaign; the cost table stays the same, only the 27-point ceiling changes, so treat "points remaining" here as relative to the standard budget unless your table uses a house rule.