Dragon Warrior Name/Stats Tool
If you've played Dragon Warrior multiple times, you may have noticed that your stats are slightly different in some playthroughs. This is because your stats are modified based on the name you choose. The specifics of how this is calculated are strange, but the effects are pretty straightforward. Two of your four stats (one each of Strength or Maximum MP and Agility or Maximum HP) are penalized, while the other two get their normal full values as indicated on the Levels list. Enter your name below to see the effects your choice has on your stats at every level.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | b | c | d | e | f | ||||||||||
| g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v |
| w | x | y | z | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L |
| M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ||
| ' | . | , | - | ? | ! | ) | ( |
| Standard Stat | Penalized Stat |
|---|---|
| Maximum MP | Strength |
| Maximum HP | Agility |
| Name Value | 0 |
| Bonus | +0 |
Note that only the first four characters of your name are counted. Spaces have a value of zero, as do unused characters after the end of a short name.
Diving into the Math
This per-stat penalty is not strictly negative except in the long run. The base stat value for a given level is decreased by 10%, rounding down the new total. Then a bonus of anywhere from 0 to 3 is applied to the penalized stats. As a result, you can actually benefit from this 'penalty' at lower levels. The 10% penalty eventually outweighs the maximum bonus, though, and characters with a +0 bonus gain no positive benefit at all. One other thing to note is that you will have 0 MP at levels 1–2 even if you have a bonus, which is just as well since you won't have any spells to use them on until level 3 anyway.
The penalties are assigned based on a score calculated by adding the values (listed in the table above) of the first four characters of your name. The calculations are based on the last four bits of the binary representation of this total. This means that the remainder of your name's value when divided by 4 determines which stats are penalized. The bonus is equal to the next two lowest bits, which can be found by dividing the value by 4, then dividing it by 4 a second time and taking that remainder. While the choice of which stats to penalize is up to personal preference, it's always statistically best to have a +3 bonus.