D&D 5e Point Buy Calculator
The standard D&D 5e point buy array of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 costs exactly 27 points. This point buy calculator tracks your point spending as you assign ability scores for Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition character creation. Select scores from 8 to 15 for each of the six abilities, and the tool shows the point cost per ability and how many points remain from the standard 27-point budget.
Quick answer
You have 27 points to spend across six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Point Buy Total
27 / 27 points
Remaining
0
STR
15 (9 pts)
DEX
14 (7 pts)
CON
13 (5 pts)
INT
12 (4 pts)
WIS
10 (2 pts)
CHA
8 (0 pts)
What this tells you
- •You have 27 points to spend across six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
- •Each score from 8 to 15 has a fixed point cost. An 8 costs 0 points, 10 costs 2, 13 costs 5, and 15 costs 9 points.
- •The cost increases as the score gets higher. Going from 13 to 14 costs 2 extra points, while 14 to 15 also costs 2.
- •You cannot go above 15 or below 8 before racial bonuses.
- •Racial bonuses are applied after point buy and do not count against the 27-point budget.
- •The standard array shown here is one preset, but any legal combination of scores totals 27 or fewer points.
How to Use
- 1Select a score from 8 to 15 for each of the six abilities using the dropdowns.
- 2Each dropdown shows the point cost in parentheses next to the score value.
- 3The total points spent and remaining points update as you change scores.
- 4Aim to spend all 27 points for the highest total ability modifiers. Unspent points are wasted.
How It Works
Formula
total cost = sum of point costs for each ability scoreEach ability score from 8 to 15 has a fixed point cost: 8=0, 9=1, 10=2, 11=3, 12=4, 13=5, 14=7, 15=9. The total is the sum of all six costs. The standard 27-point budget is the default for D&D 5th edition. Any combination that totals 27 or fewer is legal under the standard point buy rules in the Player's Handbook.
Calculation note: values are processed in the order shown above, using the current input units.
Worked Examples
Standard array 15,14,13,12,10,8
The standard array uses exactly the full 27-point budget.
All 10s
All abilities at 10 cost 2 points each, totaling 12.
Point Buy Cost Table
| 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 |
Common mistakes
- Forgetting that racial bonuses are added after point buy and do not count against the budget.
- Misreading the cost table. Going from 13 to 14 costs 2 points, not 1.
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