TableMimic Point Buy

A D&D 5e point-buy calculator: build ability scores within budget.

Build a balanced D&D 5e character with the standard 27-point buy. Spend points on ability scores from 8 to 15, add a racial bonus (2014) or background increases (2024), and I'll keep every modifier up to date.
Points remaining 27 / 27
Rules
Use in a character →
Point cost per score (8–15)

D&D 5e Point Buy Calculator

Build your character's ability scores with the standard 27-point buy: free, in your browser, nothing to install. The 27-point buy costs are the same in the 2014 and 2024 rules. Spend your budget on scores from 8 to 15, and the calculator tracks the cost of every step, the points you have left, and the modifier each score gives you. Add a racial bonus and watch the final numbers update live, or load the standard array to see how the two methods compare. It is the quickest way to balance a new D&D 5e character before the first session, and it stops you overspending the budget by mistake. Prefer rolling instead? Open the Stat Roller for 4d6 drop lowest and the other rolling methods.

Key features

Point buy with the 2024 rules

Switch Rules to 5e (2024) and the calculator follows SRD 5.2.1. The 27-point budget and the score costs stay the same; only the bonus on top changes, because it now comes from your background instead of your race. Pick Acolyte, Criminal, Sage or Soldier and split +2 and +1 between the three abilities the background lists, or give +1 to all three. Using another background? Choose Other background and pick from all six abilities. Your species no longer raises ability scores in the 2024 rules.

FAQ

How does point buy work in D&D 5e?
You start with 27 points and spend them raising each of the six ability scores from a base of 8 up to a maximum of 15. Scores 8–13 cost one point per step, while 14 costs 7 points and 15 costs 9, so the last two points are deliberately expensive. Racial bonuses are applied afterwards and can push a score above 15.
How many points do you get in 5e point buy?
You get 27 points in the standard 5e point buy. Some tables house-rule a bigger budget for a stronger party, but every official calculation assumes 27. All six scores start at 8, and unspent points are simply lost, so it pays to use the whole budget.
What is the point cost of each ability score?
8 costs 0 points, 9 costs 1, 10 costs 2, 11 costs 3, 12 costs 4, 13 costs 5, 14 costs 7 and 15 costs 9. The calculator shows the running cost and the points you have left, and stops you from overspending the 27-point budget.
Is point buy better than the standard array?
They are balanced against each other: the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) costs exactly 27 points, so it is simply one valid point-buy spread. Point buy is better when you want to shape a specific character, such as two strong scores instead of one; the standard array is faster if you do not want to think about it.
Is point buy different in the 2024 rules?
The point buy itself is unchanged: the 2024 rules use the same 27-point budget and the same 8–15 cost table. What changed is where the +2/+1 bonus comes from: in the 2014 rules it is tied to your race, while in the 2024 rules it comes from your background. This calculator handles both: in 5e (2024) mode you pick a background and split +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1.

Part of TableMimic, a connected toolkit for running tabletop RPG campaigns: DM tools, player dashboards and a display for the physical table.