D&D Stat Roll Calculator

Each generated stat is the sum of the top three results from four independent six-sided die rolls. This produces a non-uniform distribution skewed toward the middle but with an improved upper tail relative to 3d6. After six stats are rolled, players often sort them from highest to lowest and assign them strategically to class priorities.

Raw scores matter, but modifiers often matter more because most game checks reference the modifier rather than the score itself. The standard 5e modifier rule is:

Modifier = ⌊ (Score - 10) / 2 ⌋

Comparing a rolled array against point buy is useful because point buy is a controlled baseline. If a rolled array materially exceeds the usual 27-point budget, the character starts stronger than standard campaign balance assumes. One caveat on that number: the official cost table only runs from 8 to 15, so this tool extrapolates the cost of a 16, 17 or 18 by continuing the escalation the published table implies. Those three costs are not a rule from the books, and no legal point-buy character can have them. If you want the controlled version instead, the D&D 5e point buy calculator builds an array inside the real budget.

Rolling stats adds excitement and unpredictability, but it can also create imbalances between players. Some groups love that variability because it produces more diverse characters. Others prefer point-buy or standard arrays because those methods guarantee fairness and planning stability. A stat-roll calculator helps groups understand how strong or weak a random set actually is.

Choose a generation method, then click the roll button to produce a fresh set of six ability scores. Re-roll as many times as you like: each generated array is independent and does not depend on previous rolls.

Assign each rolled score to a specific ability using the dropdown on each card. Scores are assigned by slot rather than by value, so duplicate rolls stay unambiguous when you swap them around. Finally, add any racial trait or Ability Score Improvement bonuses in the bonus field to see your final Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores with their modifiers.

4d6 drop lowest is the default at most tables. Roll four six-sided dice, discard the lowest, and sum the remaining three. It averages 12.24 per score and produces heroic but variable characters.

4d6 reroll 1s rerolls any die that comes up 1 a single time before dropping the lowest. It raises the floor noticeably and is popular at tables that want to avoid genuinely unplayable arrays without abandoning dice entirely.

3d6 straight is the original method from earlier editions: sum three dice, no dropping. It averages 10.5 per score and produces markedly weaker, swingier characters. Use it for gritty, low-power campaigns.

2d6 + 6 produces a tight 8-18 range with an average of 13. Nobody gets a catastrophic dump stat and nobody gets an 18 by luck alone, which makes it a good compromise for tables that dislike variance but still want to roll.

Standard array is the fixed 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 spread from the Player's Handbook. No dice at all, perfect fairness, and the baseline every other method is measured against.

A sample roll from this calculator produced the array [17, 17, 16, 15, 15, 9], a sum of 89, well above the typical range. Across a large simulated sample of arrays, the 4d6-drop-lowest method averages 12.24 per individual stat and about 73.5 as a six-stat total, so an 89-point array like this sample sits comfortably above average and would be considered a strong roll at most tables.

Converting to modifiers using ⌊ (Score - 10)/2 ⌋, a 17 gives +3, a 16 gives +3, a 15 gives +2, and a 9 gives -1, a spread a player could assign to prioritize a primary attack stat (17) and a secondary save or skill stat (16 or 15), while accepting the 9 as a dump stat for their class's least-used ability.

Enumerating every possible 4d6-drop-lowest outcome across all six ability scores gives an exact percentile table rather than just an average, and the calculator now shows where your roll sits the moment you make it. The mean six-score total is 73.47 and the median is 74. Here is the whole picture:

Two things people get wrong about this. A total of 74 is the median, but 49.4% of arrays fall strictly below it rather than exactly half. And 82 is the 90th percentile, which means about one array in eight reaches it, not one in ten: the difference is that 12.4% of arrays land at 82 or above.

Single Ability Dependent (SAD) classes (a Sorcerer built almost entirely around Charisma, for example) can perform well with almost any array, since only one high score is truly needed and the rest can be dumped. Multiple Ability Dependent (MAD) classes (a Paladin needing Strength, Constitution, and Charisma all reasonably high) benefit more from a genuinely strong roll and are hurt more by a weak one, since there is less room to compensate by sacrificing unused stats. If you are building a MAD character and want a guaranteed floor instead of rolling, the point-buy method removes this risk entirely.

Because rolling has no guaranteed minimum, many tables set a reroll threshold in advance (for example, requiring at least one score of 15 or higher, or a six-score total above a set floor) before dice are ever picked up. Deciding this policy ahead of time and applying it identically to every player at the table avoids an awkward, seemingly arbitrary judgment call later if one player's array turns out unusually weak.

Prefer a guaranteed, fair allocation instead of rolling? The D&D 5e point buy calculator builds the same six scores from a fixed 27-point budget. Want the numbers behind the dice? D&D ability score probabilities has the exact 4d6-drop-lowest distribution, and point buy versus rolling works through which method suits which table. If you want neither dice nor a budget, the standard array is the fixed 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 and where each class should put it. Running the fight afterwards? The encounter difficulty calculator sizes it against your party.