The Pathfinder Ability Score Calculator helps you determine the total Point Buy cost for your chosen character statistics in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game (1st Edition).
Pathfinder Ability Score Calculator
Pathfinder Ability Score Calculator Formula
Where $\text{Cost}(\text{Score})$ is defined by the table:
7: -4, 8: -2, 9: -1, 10: 0, 11: 1, 12: 2, 13: 3, 14: 5, 15: 7, 16: 10, 17: 13, 18: 17.
Formula Source: Paizo Inc. Official Ruleset
Variables
The calculator uses the following six core ability scores:
- Strength (STR): Used for melee damage and carrying capacity.
- Dexterity (DEX): Used for Armor Class, Ranged Attacks, and Reflex saves.
- Constitution (CON): Used for Hit Points and Fortitude saves.
- Intelligence (INT): Used for skills, languages, and spellcasting for some classes.
- Wisdom (WIS): Used for Will saves and spellcasting for many divine classes.
- Charisma (CHA): Used for leadership, social skills, and spellcasting for certain arcane classes.
What is Pathfinder Ability Score Calculator?
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game (1st Edition) uses a system called “Point Buy” to allow players to customize their character’s strengths and weaknesses within a fixed budget, most commonly 15 or 20 points. Unlike rolling dice, which can lead to unpredictable (and sometimes unfair) results, the Point Buy system ensures that every player starts with a balanced, controllable amount of power distributed across their six ability scores.
This calculator takes the desired final base scores (before racial adjustments) for all six abilities (from 7 to 18) and determines the exact number of points that configuration costs. This total cost allows you to verify if your chosen scores fit within your campaign’s allowed budget, preventing the headache of recalculating manually every time you adjust a score.
How to Calculate Pathfinder Ability Score (Example)
Let’s calculate the point cost for a standard array of scores (14, 14, 14, 10, 10, 10) in Pathfinder 1e:
- Start with a desired set of scores: STR 14, DEX 14, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 10, CHA 10.
- Look up the Point Cost for each score:
- STR 14: 5 Points
- DEX 14: 5 Points
- CON 14: 5 Points
- INT 10: 0 Points
- WIS 10: 0 Points
- CHA 10: 0 Points
- Sum all the individual costs: $5 + 5 + 5 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 15$.
- The total Point Buy cost for this character array is 15 points, which is a common starting budget.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is the Point Buy system required for Pathfinder?
No, it is an optional rule used by many groups for balance. The core rules also support the traditional “rolling dice” method (e.g., 4d6 drop the lowest).
What is the maximum score I can purchase?
The maximum base score you can purchase is 18, which costs 17 points. This score is then modified by your chosen race (e.g., a Dwarf gets +2 CON).
What is a typical Point Buy budget?
The most common budgets are 15 points (standard) and 20 points (high-fantasy/optimized). Some low-power campaigns may use 10 points, while epic campaigns might use 25 or higher.
Do I include racial bonuses in this calculator?
No. This calculator is designed to calculate the cost of the *base* score array. Racial bonuses are applied *after* the base scores are purchased and do not change the point cost.
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