Dean Hildebrandt
First Post
The 27 point buy system isn't complicated, but since arithmetic isn't intuitive to everyone, I thought it might be useful to run through the possibilities. You choose your race and stats together. The way to think about this is to start by maxing three stats and then lowering some or all of them to raise the lower three stats. Each drop in the top three stats, up to two, gives two points for the lower stats. For example, a half-orc barbarian could have Str 17, Con 16, Dex 15, Int/Wis/Cha 8. Dropping Str to 16 and Dex to 14 lets you raise two stats to 10 or one to 12. For general effectiveness, you want to start with 16 or 17 in one's main stat and 14 or 16 in Con for hit points. One can take 15 or 17 in Con and later raise it with a feat like Resilience, but this leaves you with a wasted stat point for a significant part of your character's career, unless you're starting at a relatively high level. The exception is that a mountain dwarf may want to take 17's in Str and Con and raise both to 18 at the first ASI. You will want a 16 in your third stat if you're playing a class like monk or paladin or if it fits your character concept, such as a dexterous caster. Otherwise the third stat may be 11-14. Again, 15 is generally not an optimal choice, but if you drop your third stat to 13 or lower, you end up with an odd point somewhere. For the lower stats, Str is of least importance unless you're using it for attacks and can generally be 8 or 16-17. Int and Cha also have less common saves and skills that can be left to others, though taking 8 in these may force you to roleplay in ways that aren't to everyone's taste. Dex and Wis have more common saves and affect initiative and Perception respectively, making them less dumpable. For the many races that have +2/+1 stat bonuses, you will normally take 16 in the +2 stat, or 17 if it's your main stat and you want to take a feat like Heavy Armor or Actor at the first ASI, 14 or 16 in the +1 stat. This (and +1/+1/+1) gives you possible combinations:
17/16/14/10/8/8
17/16/13/12/8/8
17/16/13/10/10/8
17/16/12/12/9/8
17/16/12/11/10/8
17/16/12/10/10/9
17/16/11/10/10/10
17/14/14/13/9/8
17/14/14/12/10/8
17/14/14/10/10/10
17/14/13/13/11/8
17/14/13/13/10/9
17/14/13/12/12/8
17/14/13/12/10/10
17/14/12/12/12/9
17/14/12/12/11/10
16/16/14/12/8/8
16/16/14/10/10/8
16/16/13/13/9/8
16/16/13/12/10/8
16/16/13/10/10/10
16/16/12/12/11/8
16/16/12/12/10/9
16/16/12/11/10/10
16/14/14/14/9/8
16/14/14/13/11/8
16/14/14/13/10/9
16/14/14/12/12/8
16/14/14/12/10/10
16/14/13/13/13/8
16/14/13/13/12/9
16/14/13/13/11/10
16/14/13/12/12/10
16/14/12/12/12/11
If you use your +1 on a stat you take at less that 14 or your +2 on a stat you take at 14, you lose a point on a lower stat. If you use your +2 on a stat you take at less than 14, you lose two points on lower stats.
A mountain dwarf can take Con 17 instead of 16 in one of the above combinations, or Con 16 and +2 to a lower stat to a max of 13, or Con 14 and +1 to a lower stat to a max of 13.
A half-elf can take Cha 17 instead of 16 in one of the above combinations, or Cha 16 and +2 to a lower stat to a max of 13, or Cha 14 and +1 to a lower stat to a max of 13, or Cha 10-13.
A variant human or other race with two +1's gets -2 on a lower stat relative to one of the combinations listed above.
A regular human can get the following combinations:
16/16/16/9/9/9
16/16/14/13/9/9
16/16/14/12/10/9
16/16/14/11/10/10
16/16/13/13/10/9
16/16/13/12/10/10
16/16/12/12/12/9
16/16/12/12/11/10
16/14/14/14/12/9
16/14/14/14/11/10
16/14/14/13/13/9
16/14/14/13/12/10
16/14/13/13/13/10
16/14/13/13/12/11
16/14/13/12/12/12
17/16/14/10/8/8
17/16/13/12/8/8
17/16/13/10/10/8
17/16/12/12/9/8
17/16/12/11/10/8
17/16/12/10/10/9
17/16/11/10/10/10
17/14/14/13/9/8
17/14/14/12/10/8
17/14/14/10/10/10
17/14/13/13/11/8
17/14/13/13/10/9
17/14/13/12/12/8
17/14/13/12/10/10
17/14/12/12/12/9
17/14/12/12/11/10
16/16/14/12/8/8
16/16/14/10/10/8
16/16/13/13/9/8
16/16/13/12/10/8
16/16/13/10/10/10
16/16/12/12/11/8
16/16/12/12/10/9
16/16/12/11/10/10
16/14/14/14/9/8
16/14/14/13/11/8
16/14/14/13/10/9
16/14/14/12/12/8
16/14/14/12/10/10
16/14/13/13/13/8
16/14/13/13/12/9
16/14/13/13/11/10
16/14/13/12/12/10
16/14/12/12/12/11
If you use your +1 on a stat you take at less that 14 or your +2 on a stat you take at 14, you lose a point on a lower stat. If you use your +2 on a stat you take at less than 14, you lose two points on lower stats.
A mountain dwarf can take Con 17 instead of 16 in one of the above combinations, or Con 16 and +2 to a lower stat to a max of 13, or Con 14 and +1 to a lower stat to a max of 13.
A half-elf can take Cha 17 instead of 16 in one of the above combinations, or Cha 16 and +2 to a lower stat to a max of 13, or Cha 14 and +1 to a lower stat to a max of 13, or Cha 10-13.
A variant human or other race with two +1's gets -2 on a lower stat relative to one of the combinations listed above.
A regular human can get the following combinations:
16/16/16/9/9/9
16/16/14/13/9/9
16/16/14/12/10/9
16/16/14/11/10/10
16/16/13/13/10/9
16/16/13/12/10/10
16/16/12/12/12/9
16/16/12/12/11/10
16/14/14/14/12/9
16/14/14/14/11/10
16/14/14/13/13/9
16/14/14/13/12/10
16/14/13/13/13/10
16/14/13/13/12/11
16/14/13/12/12/12
Last edited:
