5e point buy calculator
Spend 27 points on your six ability scores, add your racial (2014) or background (2024) bonuses and see the final scores and modifiers. The link updates as you go, so you can share the build.
How point buy works
Point buy is the fair way to make ability scores: everyone at the table gets the same budget, so no one is stuck with bad rolls. Every score starts at 8 and you have 27 points to spend raising them. No score can go above 15 or below 8 before bonuses, and you don’t have to spend every point, though there’s nothing to gain by saving them.
Each step costs 1 point up to 13. The last two steps cost 2 points each, so a 15 costs 9 points, a third of your budget. That’s deliberate: it keeps a character from being great at everything. The rule is the same in the 2014 Player’s Handbook and the 2024 one.
| Score | Point cost | Cost of this step | Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | — | −1 |
| 9 | 1 | +1 | −1 |
| 10 | 2 | +1 | +0 |
| 11 | 3 | +1 | +0 |
| 12 | 4 | +1 | +1 |
| 13 | 5 | +1 | +1 |
| 14 | 7 | +2 | +2 |
| 15 | 9 | +2 | +2 |
Adding your bonuses: 2014 and 2024
2014 rules. Your race adds to your scores after you buy them: a half-orc gets +2 Strength and +1 Constitution, a human +1 to all six. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything lets any race move its bonuses, usually as +2 to one ability and +1 to another, and the newer races from Monsters of the Multiverse choose +2 and +1 or +1 to three abilities. Pick Custom in the calculator to enter a race’s exact bonuses.
2024 rules. Species no longer change ability scores. Your background lists three abilities, and you either add +2 to one of them and +1 to another, or +1 to all three. No score can go above 20. Point buy itself is unchanged: 27 points, the same costs.
Modifiers go up on even numbers, so a +1 is worth most on an odd score: 15 becomes 16 and the modifier goes from +2 to +3. That’s why many builds buy a 15 and put the +2 on it for a 17, then take a +1 on an odd score with a feat or Ability Score Improvement later.
Worked example
A 2024 wizard buys Intelligence 15 (9 points), Dexterity 14 (7), Constitution 14 (7), Wisdom 10 (2), Charisma 10 (2) and Strength 8 (0): 27 points, none left. With a background that lists Intelligence and Constitution, the +2 goes on Intelligence and the +1 on Constitution.
| Ability | Bought | Bonus | Final | Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 8 | — | 8 | −1 |
| Dexterity | 14 | — | 14 | +2 |
| Constitution | 14 | +1 | 15 | +2 |
| Intelligence | 15 | +2 | 17 | +3 |
| Wisdom | 10 | — | 10 | +0 |
| Charisma | 10 | — | 10 | +0 |
That’s a 17 in the casting ability (+3 to spell attacks and save DCs), a 15 Constitution for hit points and concentration saves, and 14 Dexterity for Armor Class and initiative.
Popular 27-point spreads
| Spread | Scores | Modifiers before bonuses | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard array | 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 | +5 | The same scores every table uses; a safe default for any class. |
| Three 15s | 15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8 | +3 | Maximum focus: great in three abilities, weak in the other three. |
| Two 15s | 15, 15, 13, 12, 8, 8 | +4 | Two strong abilities (attack and defense, or casting and Constitution) with a useful third. |
| 15, 14, 14 | 15, 14, 14, 10, 10, 8 | +5 | Good at three things, with no penalty except the dump score. |
| All-rounder | 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 10 | +5 | No weak spots, but no score above 13 until bonuses. |
The standard array costs exactly 27 points, so it’s one of the builds point buy can make. If your table rolls instead, the ability score roller shows what a rolled set is worth in points. For where to put your best scores, see step 3 of the character creation guide and the class pages.
Common questions
How many points do you get for point buy in 5e?
27, in both the 2014 and the 2024 rules. Every score starts at 8, and the costs run from 0 points for an 8 to 9 points for a 15.
Can you go above 15 with point buy?
Not with the points themselves: 15 is the cap before bonuses. Your racial bonus (2014) or background bonus (2024) then adds up to +2, so the highest 1st-level score is 17.
Did point buy change in the 2024 rules?
No. The budget, the 8–15 range and the costs are the same. What changed is where the bonuses come from: in 2024 they come from your background rather than your species, as +2 and +1 or +1, +1 and +1.
Is point buy better than rolling?
It’s fairer rather than stronger. A rolled 4d6-drop-lowest set is worth about 31 points on average if you price it the same way, but 34% of rolled sets come out worse than 27 points. The ability score roller has the full odds.
Can a score start below 8?
Not in point buy. The lowest you can buy is 8, which costs nothing. A racial penalty from an older 2014 race (like a kobold’s −2 Strength) can take a score below 8 afterwards; use Custom for that.
Do I have to spend all 27 points?
No, but unspent points are simply lost, so there’s no reason to keep them. The calculator shows how many you have left.
Related pages
- How to make a character step by step
- D&D 5e classes which scores each class needs
- Ability score roller 4d6 drop lowest
- Builder FAQ