[RPG] the distribution of Saving Throws associated with each attribute that are required by spells

balancednd-5esaving-throw

I read somewhere that in D&D 5e, the Saving Throw distribution for spells was biased towards DEX, CON and WIS. In other words, if you had proficiency in those attributes, you would benefit a lot more than having proficiency in other attributes.

What is the distribution of Saving Throws across attributes for spells in D&D 5e?

I'm looking for a percentage of each attribute for all the spells available (one would expect this to be uniform). Bonus points if this is also calculated for only spells that can be cast by RAW monsters (MM and VMG).

Best Answer

In a similar format to the previous answer, here's an updated count of spells with saving throws from all official published sources available on D&D Beyond. It’s current as of 14/01/2022.

I am aware of one spell, Nathair's mischief from Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, which doesn’t list a primary save, but can force either a Wisdom or Dexterity saving throw, depending on the random effect rolled. I have counted it as both, which is why the total spell count here seems slightly lower than it ought to be. It’s possible there are other such spells but there is no easy way to search for them; I believe this list is still pretty indicative of the frequency of saving throws in spells.

Attribute Spells % spells
Strength 18 8.33%
Dexterity 65 30.09%
Constitution 57 26.39%
Intelligence 9 4.17%
Wisdom 54 25.00%
Charisma 14 6.48%
Total 216

I note a significant jump in the number of spells with Constitution saves, but only three recently published spells have them, so this may indicate a previous counting error on my part.

For a list of official sources for spells, and how to find them on D&D Beyond, see this question: What official books contain spells?