Your character’s six ability scores — Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma — are the foundation everything else is built on. Dungeons & Dragons 5e gives you several ways to generate them, and which one your table uses says a lot about how it likes to play. Here are the four you’ll meet.
The methods at a glance
| Method | How it works | Roughly averages |
|---|---|---|
| 4d6 drop lowest | Roll four d6, discard the lowest die, sum the rest. Do it six times. | ≈ 12.2 per score (heroic, swingy) |
| 3d6 straight | Roll three d6 and total them, six times, often assigned in order. | 10.5 per score (gritty, old-school) |
| Standard array | Assign the fixed set 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. | Fixed — no rolling |
| Point buy | Spend a budget (27 points in 5e) to buy scores from 8 to 15. | Fixed — you choose the spread |
4d6 drop lowest — the classic
The most popular rolling method: roll four six-sided dice, throw away the single lowest die, and add the other three. Repeat six times, then assign the results to abilities as you like. Dropping the lowest die pushes results upward — the long-run average of a single score works out to about 12.24, noticeably above the 10.5 you’d get from three straight dice. Across all six scores that’s roughly 73 points of total ability, comfortably heroic.
The appeal is drama: you might roll a natural 17 or 18, and you might roll a dud. The risk is exactly the same — one unlucky player can end up markedly weaker than another at the same table. (For why dropping the lowest die skews the average up, see our note on variance and expected value.)
3d6 straight — old-school and unforgiving
The original method from D&D’s earliest days: roll three d6, total them, and — in the strictest form — assign each result to abilities in order, no swapping. The average score is a flat 10.5, and high scores are genuinely rare, so characters feel more like ordinary people who become heroes through play. It produces humble, characterful, sometimes lopsided characters and is beloved by gritty and old-school tables. It is also the least generous option by a clear margin.
Standard array — fixed and fair
No dice at all: every character starts from the same fixed set of numbers — 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 — which you assign to whichever abilities suit your build. It’s quick, completely balanced between players, and guarantees one strong stat and one weak one. Because everyone gets the identical raw scores, no one is stuck with a duff roll, which is why it’s the default for organised and newcomer-friendly play.
Point buy — total control
The most tactical option. You get a budget of 27 points and spend them to raise abilities from a base of 8 up to a maximum of 15 (before any species bonuses), with the higher scores costing progressively more points. Point buy gives complete control, perfect balance between players, and no luck whatsoever — but it can’t produce a starting score above 15, so you’ll never open with the freak 17 that rolling can hand you. It’s the favourite of optimisers and competitive or West-Marches-style tables where fairness matters most.
Which should your table use?
- Want excitement and don’t mind imbalance? Roll 4d6 drop lowest.
- Want grit and humble heroes? Roll 3d6 straight.
- Want speed and everyone equal? Use the standard array.
- Want precise, balanced, min-maxed builds? Use point buy.
A common compromise: roll 4d6 drop lowest, but let anyone whose total is below a set floor take the standard array instead — the thrill of rolling with a safety net against a ruined character. Whatever you choose, agree on it before anyone picks up dice, so no one re-rolls a “bad” set after the fact.
Try it yourself. Dice Drop rolls real physics dice in your browser — throw 4d6, drop the lowest and total the rest in one go, with advantage, modifiers and mixed pools built in.
🎲 Roll dice freeKeep reading: advantage vs flat bonuses — once your scores are set, here’s the maths behind the rolls they feed.