Point buy is the fair alternative to rolling for ability scores: every player gets the same budget and buys their six scores from it. In the 5e rules every score starts at 8 and you have 27 points to spend; scores up to 13 cost one point per step, while 14 and 15 cost two points per step, so a 15 costs 9 points in total. Scores above 15 or below 8 cannot be bought. The standard array 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 is exactly one legal 27-point purchase.
After buying, you add bonuses. Under the 2014 rules they come from your race – +2 Constitution and +1 Wisdom for a hill dwarf, +1 to everything for a human – while the 2024 rules move them to your background, usually +2 to one score and +1 to another. Your modifiers, which drive attack rolls, saves and skills, come from the final totals.
This calculator keeps the official defaults but lets you change everything: a higher budget for heroic campaigns, different minimum and maximum scores, or a custom cost table. Pick a race from the SRD list or enter your own bonuses in the extra row, and the table updates with totals, modifiers and costs.
How to use the Point Buy Calculator
- Strength (base)
- Dexterity (base)
- Constitution (base)
- Intelligence (base)
- Wisdom (base)
- Charisma (base)
- Race (2014 SRD bonuses)
- Extra bonuses (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA)
- Point budget
- Lowest purchasable score
- Highest purchasable score
- Point cost of each score from lowest to highest
Everything is calculated in your browser, so results appear instantly and nothing you type is sent to a server.
How it works
Enter the six base scores, choose a race (or none) and add any other bonuses as six numbers in STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA order. The tool checks each score against the limits, sums the costs from the table and calculates totals and modifiers.
Worked example
Buying 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 costs 9 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 0 = 27 points – the whole budget. As a human (+1 to every score) the totals become 16, 15, 14, 13, 11, 9, with modifiers +3, +2, +2, +1, 0, −1 (sum +7). As a hill dwarf instead, CON 13 + 2 = 15 (+2) and WIS 10 + 1 = 11 (+0).
Point costs and modifiers
| Score | Cost | Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | −1 |
| 9 | 1 | −1 |
| 10 | 2 | +0 |
| 11 | 3 | +0 |
| 12 | 4 | +1 |
| 13 | 5 | +1 |
| 14 | 7 | +2 |
| 15 | 9 | +2 |
Formula
Default costs: 8 → 0, 9 → 1, 10 → 2, 11 → 3, 12 → 4, 13 → 5, 14 → 7, 15 → 9 (budget 27)
Total score = base + bonuses · Modifier = ⌊(total − 10) ÷ 2⌋
Worked example
Inputs — Strength (base): 15; Dexterity (base): 14; Constitution (base): 13; Intelligence (base): 12; Wisdom (base): 10; Charisma (base): 8; Race (2014 SRD bonuses): Human (+1 to every score); Extra bonuses (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA): 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0; Point budget: 27; Lowest purchasable score: 8; Highest purchasable score: 15; Point cost of each score from lowest to highest: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9.
Results — Points spent = 27 / 27; Points remaining = 0; Status = All points spent – this is a legal array.; Ability scores = Ability Base Bonus Total Mod Cost
───────────────────────────────────────────
STR 15 +1 16 +3 9
DEX 14 +1 15 +2 7
CON 13 +1 14 +2 5
INT 12 +1 13 +1 4
WIS 10 +1 11 +0 2
CHA 8 +1 9 −1 0; STR modifier = 3; DEX modifier = 2.
Key terms
- Point buy
- Method of generating ability scores by spending a fixed budget of points.
- Standard array
- The fixed set 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 offered as a quick alternative.
- Ability modifier
- Number added to rolls, ⌊(score − 10) ÷ 2⌋.
- Ability score increase
- Bonus to scores from race (2014), background (2024), feats or levels.
Frequently asked questions
How does point buy work in 5e?
All scores start at 8 and you spend 27 points: 1 point per step up to 13, then 2 points each for 14 and 15. No score can go above 15 or below 8 before bonuses.
How much does a 15 cost?
9 points. Two 15s cost 18, leaving 9 for the other four scores.
Is the standard array the same as point buy?
The array 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 costs exactly 9 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 0 = 27 points, so it is one legal point-buy result.
How do I calculate an ability modifier?
Subtract 10 from the total score, divide by 2 and round down: 16 → +3, 9 → −1.
Can I get a 17 with point buy?
Yes, with bonuses: a 15 plus a +2 racial or background bonus gives 17 (+3).
What about the 2024 rules?
Point buy is unchanged, but the bonuses come from your background (+2/+1 or +1/+1/+1). Choose "None" as race and enter them in the extra bonuses row.
Why are odd scores less useful?
Modifiers change only at even numbers, so a 13 and a 12 both give +1 – unless you plan a feat or bonus that adds 1 later.