D&D Point Buy Guide: Why It’s Better Than Rolling Stats for Character Creation
If you’re creating a new D&D character, you’ve probably heard about D&D point buy as an alternative to rolling dice.
Look, I did all the math, and yes, rolling 4d6 and keeping the best 3 dice (4d6k3) gives higher stats on average than the D&D point buy system. My friends and I always rolled dice for our D&D characters.
But a few months back, we tried something different in a one-shot game – we used point buy instead of rolling.
And you know what? We all really liked it! Everyone had similar power levels, but our characters were still unique and different.
The point buy method worked so well that we have now decided to use D&D point buy for our next big campaign.
So why should you also think about using the D&D point buy system? Let me explain.
The Big Problem With Rolling Dice in D&D
Rolling dice is fun, I’m not denying that. It’s exciting like gambling. But you know what’s NOT fun? When you roll terrible stats and your friend rolls amazing stats.
I have actually asked my DM many times – “Can I just take the standard array? My rolls are too bad.”
For the DM also, it becomes very hard to balance fights when one player has weak stats and another has super-strong stats. Yes, this problem reduces when you level up, but in the early game, it’s really bad.
Even though you’re all playing together as a team, it feels terrible when you’re weak just because of bad dice luck.
When someone rolls very high stats with +3 and +4 modifiers, it creates problems. These strong characters will pass more saving throws, do more damage, and succeed at more skill checks. The DM needs time to adjust the difficulty. Until then, fights can be too easy or too hard if the DM follows the book.
How D&D Point Buy Solves This Problem!
Everyone gets the same power, but characters are still different!
Point Buy Makes Everyone Equal in D&D
Since all players get the same points to build their character with the D&D point buy system, no one is stronger than others from the start. Each character has the same potential.
Think about it – if I’m playing a rogue and rolled only 14 Dexterity, but the ranger rolled 20 Dexterity at level 1, then the ranger is much better at stealth than me. For many levels!
Yes, we’re a team, and the ranger’s high stats help everyone. But it feels really bad being a rogue whose main job (stealth) was taken by someone else just because of dice luck. I would need 3 full level-ups just putting points into Dexterity to catch up. That’s a long time!
You Can Still Choose What You Want With Point Buy
When you roll 4d6k3, you decide where to put each number. The randomness is interesting – maybe you get stats that let you try a multiclass build you didn’t think of.
But that same randomness can also ruin your plans. If your stats come out as (18, 12, 10, 8, 9, 11), great, you got one 18!
But many classes need more than one good stat to work properly. Spellcasters especially need good Constitution or Dexterity along with their main stat.
With the D&D point buy method, you can plan your character from the start and make sure your stats support that plan. With dice, you might not get lucky enough.
D&D Point Buy Has Reasonable Power Limits
With 4d6k3, you can roll anywhere from 3 to 18. Before racial bonuses, that’s modifiers from -4 to +4. That’s a huge range!
With racial bonuses, someone could start with a +5 modifier. The point buy system caps at 15, which means maximum +3 with racial bonuses. Big difference!
From the story’s point of view, I also think +3 at level 1 makes more sense. A +5 modifier is the maximum possible in D&D 5e. It doesn’t make sense that some random level 1 fighter is stronger than most monsters in the game. A +3 is above average but not crazy, and gives you room to grow.
Understanding the D&D Point Buy System
D&D point buy is explained on page 13 of the Player’s Handbook. It’s simple:
- Every character starts with 8 in all six stats
- You get 27 points to spend
- You use these points to increase your stats
It’s not 1 point = 1 stat increase. Actually, the maximum you can do is (15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8) before racial bonuses. Let me explain the point buy rules!
D&D Point Buy Rules – Very Simple
- You get 27 points total (you don’t have to spend all if you don’t want)
- Stats can’t go below 8
- Stats can’t go above 15
- Higher stats cost more points (see table in Player’s Handbook)
For example: Going from 8 to 9 costs 1 point. But going from 14 to 15 costs 2 points. Higher numbers are more expensive.
Best D&D Point Buy Stat Arrays
There are many ways to spend your 27 points using the point buy method. You can make your character very strong in some areas and weak in others. Or you can make them balanced.
Here are some examples from the PHB:
Min-Max Point Buy Build
The extreme version is (15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8) before racial bonuses. This gives you three +2 modifiers and three -1 modifiers.
Your main stats will be strong. But those -1 modifiers will hurt when you need to make saving throws in combat.
Special tip: If you play a standard human with point buy, you can turn this into (16, 16, 16, 8, 8, 8), which gives THREE +3 modifiers!
Balanced Point Buy Build
A completely average character looks like (13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12). After racial bonuses, you’ll have 2 stats with +2 and 4 stats with +1.
I personally don’t like this much because I prefer having at least 1-2 high stats. But it works fine if you want no weaknesses.
Standard Array (Easiest D&D Point Buy Option)
Don’t want to calculate points? Just take the standard array: (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8)
This is already built using the point buy system. It’s a very good spread. Worst case, you’ll have only one -1 modifier. Best case, you can have two +3 modifiers after racial bonuses. I use this a lot when I don’t want to do math!
Use a D&D Point Buy Calculator – Makes It Easy!
Point buy has some math involved. But don’t worry! There are free online D&D Point Buy Calculators. Just search “D&D 5e point buy calculator” on Google.
These point buy calculators:
- Show all the races from the official books
- Let you see your total points used
- Let you adjust rules if you want
- Make everything automatic
One small problem – some calculators let you go over 27 points by mistake. Just watch the counter to make sure you’re at 27 or below.
Homebrewing D&D Point Buy Rules
Want stronger or weaker characters? You can safely change the point buy system without breaking the game.
Changing the point pool: Give more than 27 points for stronger characters, less for weaker characters. As long as everyone gets the same points, it’s balanced.
Changing min/max stats: You can allow stats to go above 15 or below 8. But be careful – I would never go below 6. Having -3 or worse modifier is very dangerous, even if you’re trying to min-max. Remember, stats can’t naturally go above 20 anyway.
If the whole party has high-powered stats using modified point buy, that’s actually okay! The DM just needs to make fights harder from the start. Everyone is strong together, so it’s still balanced.
Final Thoughts on D&D Point Buy
Yes, the D&D point buy system looks complicated at first. More rules, more math. But it’s worth it!
Point Buy Benefits:
- Everyone has equal power
- No one feels left out
- DM can balance fights easily
- You get the character you want
Yes, rolling 4d6k3 gives slightly higher stats on average. But it also gives randomness – sometimes you’re lucky, sometimes you’re not. The D&D point buy method removes that luck factor. Everyone starts equal.
This made a huge difference for my group. Try the point buy system – I think you’ll like it too!
Pro tip: Also, try to have a balanced party – tank, healer, damage dealer, etc. It makes the game much more fun!
Frequently Asked Questions About D&D Point Buy
1. Is D&D point buy boring? I like the excitement of rolling dice!
Not at all! The excitement just shifts from rolling dice to making build choices. With the point buy system, you get excited about planning your perfect character and deciding which stats to prioritise.
Many players actually find this MORE fun because you’re making meaningful choices instead of just hoping for good luck. Plus, you can still roll dice for literally everything else in the game – attacks, damage, skill checks, saving throws. Only character creation becomes more strategic.
2. Can I mix point buy with rolling in D&D?
Yes, many groups do this! A popular house rule is: “Roll 4d6k3 for all six stats, but if your total is less than 70 (or whatever number you choose), you can use D&D point buy instead.”
Another option is to let everyone roll, then anyone who’s unhappy can switch to point buy. Talk to your DM – mixing methods can work if everyone agrees. Just make sure one player doesn’t end up much stronger than the others.
3. Is point buy legal in official D&D and Adventure League?
Yes, 100% legal! D&D point buy is an official method in the Player’s Handbook (page 13). Adventure League (the official organised play for D&D) actually REQUIRES either point buy or standard array – you cannot roll stats in Adventure League.
So if you’re thinking of playing in organised events, you should definitely learn the point buy system. For home games, it’s up to your DM, but it’s completely official and legal.
4. My D&D campaign already started with rolled stats. Can we switch to point buy now?
This is tricky and depends on your group. If someone has very low stats and is not enjoying the game, the DM can let them rebuild using the D&D point buy system – that’s fair. But if everyone’s stats are already all over the place, switching mid-campaign might create new problems.
Best solution: finish this campaign with rolled stats, but use point buy for your next campaign. Or, if the power gap is really bad, the DM can give weaker characters some magic items or special bonuses to balance things out.
I think rolled stats are a holdover from much more deadly olden days of D&D. The mythical time when I can’t confirm but I’ve heard that people would bring 3-5 backup characters to each session in the expectation that most of them would be dead by the end of the night. Which meant that not only was there no risk of being stuck with low stats for a whole campaign, there was a decent chance you wouldn’t be stuck with those bad rolls for a whole session. By 3.5 they had padded it somewhat with the extra die and the rule that if your stats were below a certain threshold you could reroll the whole array, but it’s still basically an old relic. I think they kept it solely for legacy reasons.
In the min max section it is actually possible to have three +3 modifiers, if you take a standard Human.
Fantastic point! Adding that now
I prefer rolls, much more unique characters that way. Weaknesses can often be interesting.
Ah, so more people who prefer characters that are boilerplate. Look, the problem with point boy and standard array is they only provide mediocre, and really boring characters. There is no variation. You will always without fail put the best points in your classes best stats, and then dump the rest throw away points into the unimportant stats. Where as, let’s say you’re making an orc barbarian, you get a 17, a 16, 14, 15, and a bunch of other randoms.
Of course you’ll go with 17 str, and sink the 16 and 15 in either dex or con depending on the type. But what do you do with that 14? You could stick it into Int, your Barbarian is well read and appreciates the classics, or Wisdom and suddenly Philosophy Barbarian. Charisma, and you’re an Irish Berserker, and will sing a song about your enemy while tap dancing on his face. Either way, these great variations do not and can not take place in the sterile boring and unfortunately thoughtless restrictions of Point Buy/Standard array.
I am however glad you enjoy this means of play, but I am uninterested in your civilians pretending to be heroes/villians.
So your argument is that your characters are boring unless you roll really well?
I don’t agree with that take at all.
For example, your barbarian’s Charisma modifier isn’t stopping them from singing. Singing well? Sure. But nothing from what you described screams to me that a +2 Charisma modifier is required.
Ability modifiers don’t prevent you from doing anything. They merely dictate what you do and don’t do well.
Plus, it’s very clear in 5e, that even a standard array character is leaps and bounds more powerful than a commoner. I’m not sure why you think otherwise.
Why all of the “clutching of pearls” over high starting stats for a first level character. There are several online stat/dice rollers that can generate a complete stat block(4d6, drop lowest score), instantly, with the touch of a button. If you get too many low stats, just push the button, and reroll.
My preference when playing D&D, or any RPG, is to have my ability scores start at as high of a level as possible. A higher floor means that, ultimately, there will be a higher ceiling. For example: I used a site called Taters. I rolled a stat block that was: 7, 13, 10, 6, 14, 4. I decided to roll again, and on the very next roll, I got: 12, 16, 15, 10, 18, 13. I decided to keep these scores. If I decided to be a human character, those stats become: 13, 17, 16, 11, 19, 14. This would be an exceptional character. However, this stat block still has plenty of room for growth. It is by no means maxed out. I do not think there is anything wrong with starting out playing a heroic character, in a game of heroes, with heroic stats. Higher scores mean more flexibility as a character. It means more PROBABILITY of success, but not a GUARANTEE of success. Why use a system of mediocrity if you don’t want to. There are many ways to roll stats; use the method that works best for you. While you play the game, nothing is guaranteed. There is always an element of chance because we are rolling dice on a table, not placing dice on a table. Even with higher stats, each encounter will ALWAYS have drama to be played out and decided by a roll of the dice. Just an opinion in an endless universe of opinions.