MasterTool

D&D Point Buy Calculator

Spend a D&D 5e point-buy budget on ability scores and check the total cost against the SRD rules.

Loading calculator…

What this tool does

Spend a D&D 5e point-buy budget on ability scores and check the total cost against the SRD rules. Point buy is applied before any species or background ability increases. The 27-point budget is the SRD standard; some tables use variant budgets, which the remaining-points output still lets you check.

How to use the D&D Point Buy Calculator

  1. Enter or select strength score (8–15).
  2. Enter or select dexterity score (8–15).
  3. Enter or select constitution score (8–15).
  4. Enter or select intelligence score (8–15).
  5. Enter or select wisdom score (8–15).
  6. Enter or select charisma score (8–15).
  7. Read the calculated result; change any measurement to compare alternatives.

Formula

SRD point-buy costs: score 8–13 cost 0–5 points in steps (8:0, 9:1, 10:2, 11:3, 12:4, 13:5), 14 costs 7 and 15 costs 9; the standard budget is 27 points and scores cannot go below 8 or above 15 before racial/species adjustments
str
Strength score (8–15)
dex
Dexterity score (8–15)
con
Constitution score (8–15)
int
Intelligence score (8–15)
wis
Wisdom score (8–15)
cha
Charisma score (8–15)

Point buy is applied before any species or background ability increases. The 27-point budget is the SRD standard; some tables use variant budgets, which the remaining-points output still lets you check.

Worked example

For d&d point buy calculator, the following measurements illustrate the exact method: Strength score (8–15): 15; Dexterity score (8–15): 14; Constitution score (8–15): 13; Intelligence score (8–15): 12; Wisdom score (8–15): 10; Charisma score (8–15): 8.

Inputs

  • Strength score (8–15)15
  • Dexterity score (8–15)14
  • Constitution score (8–15)13
  • Intelligence score (8–15)12
  • Wisdom score (8–15)10
  • Charisma score (8–15)8

Result

  • Total point cost27
  • Points remaining (of 27)0
  • Within the 27-point budget?Yes
  • Sum of ability modifiers5

Results explained

Total point cost
Total point cost from the formula above. Point buy is applied before any species or background ability increases. The 27-point budget is the SRD standard; some tables use variant budgets, which the remaining-points output still lets you check.
Points remaining (of 27)
Points remaining (of 27) from the formula above. Point buy is applied before any species or background ability increases. The 27-point budget is the SRD standard; some tables use variant budgets, which the remaining-points output still lets you check.
Within the 27-point budget?
Within the 27-point budget? from the formula above. Point buy is applied before any species or background ability increases. The 27-point budget is the SRD standard; some tables use variant budgets, which the remaining-points output still lets you check.
Sum of ability modifiers
Sum of ability modifiers from the formula above. Point buy is applied before any species or background ability increases. The 27-point budget is the SRD standard; some tables use variant budgets, which the remaining-points output still lets you check.

Frequently asked questions

The cost curve bends at 14: scores rise one point per cost up to 13 (5 points), then 14 costs 7 and 15 costs 9. That pricing is what stops a 27-point budget from buying three 15s plus change.

9 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 0 = exactly 27 — the standard array is just a pre-spent point buy, which is why the default scores in this calculator match it.

Not under the SRD point-buy rules — 8 is the floor and refunds nothing. Some homebrew systems allow it; this calculator follows the published table.

After. You buy base scores of 8–15 first, then apply species/background increases, which is how a starting 17 in a primary stat is possible.

The total cost is the key output: compare it with any house budget (common variants are 27, 29 or 32 points for higher-powered campaigns).