D&D Saving Throw Calculator
Calculate your D&D 5e saving throw bonus.
Enter your character level, ability modifier, proficiency, and any item bonuses to get your total save bonus.
What Is a Saving Throw?
When a spell or effect targets you, the Dungeon Master asks for a saving throw. You roll a d20, add your saving throw bonus, and compare it to the caster’s Spell Save DC (or a fixed DC). If your total equals or exceeds the DC, you succeed, which usually means avoiding the effect or taking half of it.
Formula
Saving Throw Bonus = Ability Modifier + Proficiency Bonus (if proficient) + Item Bonus
The Six Saving Throws
Each class has proficiency in exactly two saving throws, determined at level 1:
| Class | Proficient Saves |
|---|---|
| Barbarian | STR, CON |
| Bard | DEX, CHA |
| Cleric | WIS, CHA |
| Druid | INT, WIS |
| Fighter | STR, CON |
| Monk | STR, DEX |
| Paladin | WIS, CHA |
| Ranger | STR, DEX |
| Rogue | DEX, INT |
| Sorcerer | CON, CHA |
| Warlock | WIS, CHA |
| Wizard | INT, WIS |
Proficiency Bonus by Level
| Levels | Proficiency Bonus |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | +2 |
| 5–8 | +3 |
| 9–12 | +4 |
| 13–16 | +5 |
| 17–20 | +6 |
Aura of Protection (Paladin)
Paladins with Aura of Protection (level 6) add their CHA modifier to all saving throws for nearby allies. This is one of the most powerful defensive features in 5e.
Not all six saves are equally important
The class list above looks balanced. Play is not. Dexterity, Constitution and Wisdom carry the overwhelming majority of saves you will actually roll, because that is where the dangerous spells live: fireball and dragon breath are DEX, concentration and poison are CON, and the effects that take your character away from you (charm, fear, hold person, dominate) are almost all WIS. Strength, Intelligence and Charisma saves come up rarely by comparison.
Notice which classes are proficient in the three that matter. Nobody gets all three. Fighters and Barbarians have STR and CON, so they eat mind control. Wizards have INT and WIS but no CON, which is awkward for a class that lives on concentration spells. Monks are the outlier: at level 14 Diamond Soul gives them proficiency in every save, and it is one of the strongest defensive features in the game.
Concentration is the save you roll most
Take damage while concentrating on a spell and you make a CON save at DC 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher. Fail and the spell ends. That single rule is why War Caster and Resilient (Constitution) are the two feats spellcasters take before anything else, and why a caster’s real durability is measured in CON save bonus rather than hit points.
Legendary Resistance
Big monsters cheat, and you should plan for it. A creature with Legendary Resistance simply chooses to succeed on a failed save, typically three times a day. There is no roll and no counter. The practical consequence is that against a boss your first two or three save-or-lose spells are not really attempts to win the fight, they are attempts to burn through the resistances so the fourth one lands.
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