Hello, I'm playing a wizard for the first time (and only my 3rd D&D character ever). I've chosen to play a bladesinger because I like the flavor, especially as an Eilistraee-worshipping drow. But, we're playing Rime of the Frostmaiden and I'm finding myself anxious about making sure my character is equipped with what he needs to survive as a squishy wizard who will also be participating in melee combat.
Using point buy and custom origin from Tasha's, I'm starting with the following:
My question as I plan ahead is whether to focus on just ASIs or take feats, and, if I take feats, which feats? From what I've read, Rime of the Frostmaiden goes to level 12, so it will be impossible for me to get both Dexterity and Intelligence to 20. As for feats, the ones I'm most wondering about are Mobile, Tough, and War Caster, but I'm certainly interested if there are different ones people recommend.
Mobile, Tough, and Warcaster are probably the ones I would recommend. I think that, for you, Mobile is the most valuable feat, since it drastically opens up options for combat. Warcaster is what I would recommend for most wizards, but as a Bladesinger you already get a reliable boost to your ability to succeed on concentration checks... the ability to cast spells as an AOO is really cool, but it won't come up nearly as often as opportunities with mobile.
Here's what I recommend... at your first ASI, take the Mobile feat. If you still find yourself regularly at low HP or knocked unconscious, take the Tough feat to help your survivability, or if you find yourself constantly getting AOO opportunities then take Warcaster... otherwise I would recommend getting DEX to 18 at level 8, and INT to 18 at level 12.
My advice is not to plan things too far in advance. You might end up with certain boons from the DM that would preclude certain feats, or experience some challenges that might lead you to prioritize some things over others during the course of play. My best recommendation is to keep things flexible.
I agree with sposta to wait and see how it plays out. In addition to their points, you don’t know what role you’ll end up in. By mid levels you may find yourself casting more than spending time in melee, and want to boost int to make your save DCs and spell attacks higher. Or if you’re in melee a lot, warcaster, as transmorpher said, could be a great idea.
Bladesinger gets more out of Int than any other subclass. For sure, if the tossup is between dex or int, the answer is int.
That said, Mobile is going to be the most "fun" option. It really opens you up for some neat interactions and makes you feel truly like the highly mobile gish the subclass suggests you to be. Is it strickly necessary? No. You can always get your mobility through spellcasting. It'll just eat into your spell slot resources and/or use up concentration which are better spent elsewhere.
Tough is okay mechanically but extremely boring. Meh.
Warcaster isn't going to help nearly as much for you as it would others. Unless, and this is a big caveat, unless you plan to dual wield. Then it becomes almost mandatory. Since you'll need to be able to cast with your hands full.
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Hello, I'm playing a wizard for the first time (and only my 3rd D&D character ever). I've chosen to play a bladesinger because I like the flavor, especially as an Eilistraee-worshipping drow. But, we're playing Rime of the Frostmaiden and I'm finding myself anxious about making sure my character is equipped with what he needs to survive as a squishy wizard who will also be participating in melee combat.
Using point buy and custom origin from Tasha's, I'm starting with the following:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 16 (14+2)
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 16 (15+1)
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 8
My question as I plan ahead is whether to focus on just ASIs or take feats, and, if I take feats, which feats? From what I've read, Rime of the Frostmaiden goes to level 12, so it will be impossible for me to get both Dexterity and Intelligence to 20. As for feats, the ones I'm most wondering about are Mobile, Tough, and War Caster, but I'm certainly interested if there are different ones people recommend.
Here's the character sheet in case it's helpful: Kal'dir Symryvvin's Character Sheet - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com)
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Mobile, Tough, and Warcaster are probably the ones I would recommend. I think that, for you, Mobile is the most valuable feat, since it drastically opens up options for combat. Warcaster is what I would recommend for most wizards, but as a Bladesinger you already get a reliable boost to your ability to succeed on concentration checks... the ability to cast spells as an AOO is really cool, but it won't come up nearly as often as opportunities with mobile.
Here's what I recommend... at your first ASI, take the Mobile feat. If you still find yourself regularly at low HP or knocked unconscious, take the Tough feat to help your survivability, or if you find yourself constantly getting AOO opportunities then take Warcaster... otherwise I would recommend getting DEX to 18 at level 8, and INT to 18 at level 12.
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My advice is not to plan things too far in advance. You might end up with certain boons from the DM that would preclude certain feats, or experience some challenges that might lead you to prioritize some things over others during the course of play. My best recommendation is to keep things flexible.
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I agree with sposta to wait and see how it plays out. In addition to their points, you don’t know what role you’ll end up in. By mid levels you may find yourself casting more than spending time in melee, and want to boost int to make your save DCs and spell attacks higher. Or if you’re in melee a lot, warcaster, as transmorpher said, could be a great idea.
Bladesinger gets more out of Int than any other subclass. For sure, if the tossup is between dex or int, the answer is int.
That said, Mobile is going to be the most "fun" option. It really opens you up for some neat interactions and makes you feel truly like the highly mobile gish the subclass suggests you to be. Is it strickly necessary? No. You can always get your mobility through spellcasting. It'll just eat into your spell slot resources and/or use up concentration which are better spent elsewhere.
Tough is okay mechanically but extremely boring. Meh.
Warcaster isn't going to help nearly as much for you as it would others. Unless, and this is a big caveat, unless you plan to dual wield. Then it becomes almost mandatory. Since you'll need to be able to cast with your hands full.
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