Official 27-Point Buy Cost Table (Scores 8 to 15)
Point Buy lets every player at the table build an evenly balanced adventurer without leaving critical stats like Constitution or primary spellcasting abilities to swingy 4d6-drop-lowest dice luck. Every score begins at 8 (costing 0 points), and you receive a pool of 27 points to invest across all six abilities up to a maximum purchased base score of 15 before applying your 2024 Background or 2014 Racial bonuses.
| Base Score |
Point Cost |
Incremental Cost |
Modifier |
Max After +2 Bonus |
Common Optimization Role |
| 8 | 0 | — | -1 | 10 (+0) | Dump stat (e.g., STR on Wizard, INT on Barbarian) |
| 9 | 1 | +1 | -1 | 11 (+0) | Rarely optimal unless planning a +1 feat |
| 10 | 2 | +1 | +0 | 12 (+1) | Neutral score to avoid negative saving throws |
| 11 | 3 | +1 | +0 | 13 (+1) | Useful for multiclass minimums (13) with +1 feat |
| 12 | 4 | +1 | +1 | 14 (+2) | Efficient secondary utility (Initiative, WIS saves) |
| 13 | 5 | +1 | +1 | 15 (+2) | Meets Heavy Armor (Chain Mail) or Multiclass threshold |
| 14 | 7 | +2 | +2 | 16 (+3) | Gold-standard starting Constitution or Medium Armor DEX |
| 15 | 9 | +2 | +3 | 17 (+3) | Primary stat cap ready for a +1 feat at Level 4 |
Notice the pricing cliff at 14 and 15: going from 8 to 13 costs only 1 point per increase, whereas pushing from 13 to 14 or 14 to 15 doubles the cost to 2 points per increase. That single pricing rule explains why balanced arrays (like 15/14/14/12/10/8) often outperform greedy three-15 spreads on single-ability classes, freeing up crucial points to push Constitution from 12 to 14 (+1 HP at every single character level).
Planning Constitution First for Maximum Hit Points
Because Hit Points scale retroactively off your Constitution modifier across all 20 levels, your Point Buy choices directly control whether your character survives Tier 1 and Tier 2 encounters. In most campaigns, there are three proven Constitution targets depending on class role:
- 14 CON (+2 Modifier — Standard Target): Ideal for Wizards, Sorcerers, Clerics, Bards, and Rogues. Purchasing 14 directly costs 7 points (or buying 13 for 5 points plus your +1 Background bonus). On a Level 5 d8 caster, 14 CON guarantees 38 HP—enough to absorb a multi-attack ambush without losing Concentration instantly.
- 16 CON (+3 Modifier — Frontline Tank Target): Recommended for Barbarians, Paladins, Moon Druids, and front-line Fighters. Reach 16 by buying 14 (7 pts) and putting your +2 Background/Racial bonus here, or buying 15 (9 pts) plus a +1 bonus. Every extra +1 CON modifier adds +5 HP by Level 5 and +20 HP by Level 20.
- 15 CON (+2 Base, Upgradeable at Level 4): Only start with an odd 15 Constitution if you specifically plan to take Resilient (Constitution) at Level 4 to reach 16 CON (+3 mod) alongside proficiency in Concentration saving throws.
2024 Rules: Background ASIs
Species (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Orc, Dragonborn) no longer dictate your ability scores. Instead, your chosen Background assigns three ability scores and lets you distribute either +2 and +1 or +1, +1, and +1 among them—making any species playable in any class without falling behind on Hit Points or Attack Rolls.
2014 Classic: Racial & Tasha's ASIs
Original 2014 Player's Handbook races assigned fixed +2/+1 bonuses by race (such as Mountain Dwarf +2 CON / +2 STR, or Hill Dwarf +2 CON / +1 WIS), while Tasha's Cauldron of Everything popularized flexible +2/+1 placement across any stat.
Popular 27-Point Buy Templates
Before locking your sheet, compare three classic point distributions:
- The Optimized Heroic Spread (15, 15, 14, 10, 8, 8): Costs 9 + 9 + 7 + 2 + 0 + 0 = 27. Gives two 16s or a 17/16 start after Background bonuses while keeping CON at 14 or 16—perfect for Paladins, Monks, and Rangers.
- The All-Rounder (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 — Standard Array): Leaves zero negative saving throws aside from one dump stat. Put 14 into DEX or CON depending on whether you wear Medium Armor (check your Armor Class here).
- The Three-Way Split (15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8): Maximum raw offense and CON, at the cost of three -1 penalties on Wisdom, Intelligence, or Dexterity saves. Only take this on builds with Aura of Protection or heavy save proficiencies.
Once you finalize your scores above, click Use CON in HP Calculator to compute your exact Level 1–20 HP pool, or send your Dexterity straight into our 5e Armor Class Calculator.
