Basically, exactly what it looks like. I want to try and find the best 10th level abjuration school wizard I can. If possible, stick to the Player's Handbook, but don't feel obligated.
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"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
Max your intelligence and constitution. Get counterspell anddispel magic. Banishment is also nice, and remember that your arcane ward taking damage does not make you make concentration checks! Shield is good for blocking those high attacks, and mage armor is good if you don't have any magic armor. Remember to heal your arcane ward when you cast any of these spells. Heal it for 2 x the spell's level. Probably best to choose a good damage cantrip and at least one good damage spell. chromatic orb is the best you can get at 1st level, unless you want to be an AoE wizard. One last thing. Although it doesn't heal you arcane ward, blade ward is a good cantrip for keeping your ward alive so that you can continue to concentrate on spells like banishment.
Hosted a battle between the Cult of Sedge and the Forum Countershere(Done now). I_Love_Tarrasques has won the fight, scoring a victory for the fiendish Moderators.
Deep gnome abjuration wizard with the Depp Gnome feat at 4th level is a great combo. It gives you Nondetection at will. Great for recharging your ward.
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Watch your back, conserve your ammo, and NEVER cut a deal with a dragon!
Caveat emptor: "Best" is always going to be subjective. Different people are going to prioritize different things.
Race: Deep Gnome (+1 Dex, +2 Int, Gnome Cunning, Superior Darkvision, Stone Camouflage.) . Note: Yes I know Gnome Cunning will be replaced by Spell Resistance at lvl 14, but that is a long long long way away. Recommended Important Final Stats (Point Buy) Dex: 14, Con: 14, Int: 16
Class. Personally I recommend taking 1st lvl in Cleric and the rest Wizard. Choose whatever domain fits your character, but I think Knowledge is very easy to theme how you moved from Cleric to Wizard. If you do that then you'll want Wisdom 14. Pros: Wisdom/Charisma Saves, +2 starting HP, Light & Medium Armor, Shields, Simple Weapons, Total Spell Progression is saved and access to healing magic for emergencies. Cons: lose Intelligence/Wisdom Saves, 2 hp from Arcane Ward, and lose 1 Wizard spell level progression. The main benefit here is you start the game in scale mail for 16 AC and can upgrade to either breastplate to lost the stealth penalty or halfplate for another +1 AC. Carry a shield and don't hold a weapon leaves a hand free for spell casting and your AC in going to be 18 instead of most Wizards walking around with a 13. This makes you much less of a target and you can even tank for you party because Shield will give you an AC of 23 giving them breathing room in a fight! Also Guiding Bolt is an amazing 1st lvl spell.
4th lvl Wizard, don't take the ASI take a Feat and take Svirfneblin Magic. This gives you Blindness/Deafness, Blur, and Disguise Self each once a day and Nondetection at will. Nondetection is 3rd lvl and being able to cast it for free means that you can regenerate 6 hp of your Arcane Shield every single turn you don't have anything better to do. This means that wandering damage from traps is meaningless to you! At 6th lvl you'll start using up your Arcane Ward a lot faster because you'll be using your Reaction to protect your allies with Projected Ward.
8th lvl Wizard get whatever you want to. Feats can do amazing things. That said most of them aren't super Wizard friendly. IF you want to get Observant at 8th, then make your starting Int 17 instead of 16.
12th lvl Wizard get whatever you want to. I'm a little partial to Shield Master. It's very counter intuitive though hear me out. In 2 lvls (14th) you'll have Advantage & Resistance on all saves vs spells. This means when the enemy casters target AoE spell against the party... you will have +5 to +8 Dex +3, Shield +2, +? for shield's enchantment with Advantage against the spell DC. If you make it you take no damage at all. Plus any single target spells like Disintegrate will be harder to hit you with. If you plan for this take training in Athletics at lvl 1 and buy Bracers of Ogre Power setting your Strength to 19. Suddenly the Wizard is a beefcake and can push enemies around and bend bars and lift gates. This is very edge case and not 100% recommended, but can be considered fun and maximizes using the Shield from the lvl 1 in Cleric. You're going to be 15th lvl and people everyone will be ridiculous... I like to try to break convention.
Items: Circlet of Intellect: If you spend your ASI on Feats grab a Circlet of Intellect to make your Int 19. This makes maxing out your Int unnecessary and feats do amazing things.
Spell Selection: I mostly agree with Yharim, I think Mage Armor is terrible and a waste of a slot. Chromatic Orb is good but expensive until higher levels when you can afford the Material Component. Banishment is a god tier good. Counterspell/Dispel Magic are a must. Shield is a must, Magic Missile is a must, you never know when you just have to kill something that has 2 hp left and AC 22 and everyone just whifffs for like 5 turns. Guiding Bolt from the Cleric list is amazing. Personally I avoid Concentration spells like the plague, but that's just me... Banishment is one of the few exceptions.
Remember to take Alarm. It’s an abjuration spell so it recharges your arcane ward and it can be cast as a ritual so it doesn’t use a slot. It seems like cheating but apparently it’s legit.
Yeah, Alarm as a ritual works, but after what the others mentioned with the Deep Gnome feat for six Arcane Ward Hit Points as an action, that actually seems fairer for the poor DM! In a similar vein, I've heard people take 2 levels in Warlock for the Eldritch Blast cantrip and the Agonizing Blast and Armor of the Shadows Invocations. The latter invocation lets you regain 2 HP for your Arcane Ward as an action, and the former is to get the most out of your Eldritch Blast.
Armor of the Shadows isn't really worth it. Insteadm just use 1 of your Warlock spell slots to cast Mage Armor as a wizard. There are so many other Invocations you can take instead.
Remember, you get your warlock spell slots back on a short rest.
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Watch your back, conserve your ammo, and NEVER cut a deal with a dragon!
Does War Magic count? I feel like there are a lot of good features it has, but for Abjuration, try to buy Invulnerability Spell Scroll. #EvenBetterThanWish
Does War Magic count? I feel like there are a lot of good features it has, but for Abjuration, try to buy Invulnerability Spell Scroll. #EvenBetterThanWish
Invulnerability looks really good at first, but here are a couple of things that can reduce its use.
First, the fact that is it concentration, and there for you cannot cast any other concentration spell in its duration.
Second, the fact that it can be dispelled with dispel magic and stopped completely with counterspell
Third, once you don't take damage from anything else, a spellcaster will just cast hold person or hypnotic pattern, bypassing the spell completely(if you don't counterspell them yourself) and depending on how your DM rules it, causing you to lose concentration on Invulnerability.
So, if you are against a non-magic boss, this is a good one to use. If it's a spellcaster like a lich or necromancer, I would suggest that you don't use it.
Hosted a battle between the Cult of Sedge and the Forum Countershere(Done now). I_Love_Tarrasques has won the fight, scoring a victory for the fiendish Moderators.
Does War Magic count? I feel like there are a lot of good features it has, but for Abjuration, try to buy Invulnerability Spell Scroll. #EvenBetterThanWish
I feel like War Magic is basically just horrible. It's first two 2nd level features are good, but the others? Just awful. The damage just isn't good, and I would, as a DM, advise the player to just play abjuration or evocation instead.
Invulnerability is awesome, though, even with the drawbacks that Yharim described. Thanks to all who commented, you were really helpful!
Hosted a battle between the Cult of Sedge and the Forum Countershere(Done now). I_Love_Tarrasques has won the fight, scoring a victory for the fiendish Moderators.
Invulnerability is OP, I used to use it a lot. Don’t worry about counterspell as you can counter a counterspell better as abjuration to stop the counter not to mention they have to use a 9th level slot to do so. Same with dispel magic, they’d have to burn a 9th slot and you can counter that easily. You can’t take damage so you’d never break concentration. I’ve used in numerous times so I could run up to our champion great weapon master fighter and dimension door us into the thick of battle or near backline casters. Unless the DM meta games it takes a round of focus fire on me as I’m squishy for them to find out I’m not getting injured (usually with poor acting and flailing about acting like I’m being hurt).
Anyway, you’ll love abjuration. I went high elf for another cantrip and the additional int point. In lower levels he used to use a long now and not use magic in the open as to not draw more attention to himself, another advantage of being an elf. Take leomunds but for sure as you can shoot arrows from within and never take damage and remember casting shield regenerates your ward (as well as casting mage armor starting it). I also took the observant feat which made traps a non factor and now at 20 with taking a dip into rogue for expertise he passively sees any trap at a passive investigation of 33. We didn’t have a rogue so I was tasked with searching for traps and such.
Invulnerability is OP, I used to use it a lot. Don’t worry about counterspell as you can counter a counterspell better as abjuration to stop the counter not to mention they have to use a 9th level slot to do so. Same with dispel magic, they’d have to burn a 9th slot and you can counter that easily. You can’t take damage so you’d never break concentration. I’ve used in numerous times so I could run up to our champion great weapon master fighter and dimension door us into the thick of battle or near backline casters. Unless the DM meta games it takes a round of focus fire on me as I’m squishy for them to find out I’m not getting injured (usually with poor acting and flailing about acting like I’m being hurt).
Anyway, you’ll love abjuration. I went high elf for another cantrip and the additional int point. In lower levels he used to use a long now and not use magic in the open as to not draw more attention to himself, another advantage of being an elf. Take leomunds but for sure as you can shoot arrows from within and never take damage and remember casting shield regenerates your ward (as well as casting mage armor starting it). I also took the observant feat which made traps a non factor and now at 20 with taking a dip into rogue for expertise he passively sees any trap at a passive investigation of 33. We didn’t have a rogue so I was tasked with searching for traps and such.
One thing though. You lose concentration if you're incapacitated. If someone casts hypnotic pattern and you fail the save, then your 9th level spell is out the window. Note that the range on this spell is 120 feet, and counterspell is 60. You are otherwise right.
Hosted a battle between the Cult of Sedge and the Forum Countershere(Done now). I_Love_Tarrasques has won the fight, scoring a victory for the fiendish Moderators.
Splash hexblade warlock. Take armor of anythys. Upcast it with a wizard slot. 5th level slot gives you 25 temp hp and the abjuration shield comes off first so the 25 point damage shield lasts much longer.
also gives you medium armor and shield. Add warcaster and you can get pretty tanky for a wizard.
Invulnerability is OP, I used to use it a lot. Don’t worry about counterspell as you can counter a counterspell better as abjuration to stop the counter not to mention they have to use a 9th level slot to do so. Same with dispel magic, they’d have to burn a 9th slot and you can counter that easily...
They don't need to use the same level spell slot to counter or dispel another spell. They just need to roll a 19 on a d20 + spellcasting mod if they use anything lower than a 9th level spell slot to do so. ;)
Wow, I havent seen the Deep gnome / abjurer combination before, much love to the people who figured that out themselves! The warlock 2 / invocation mage armour just to heal 2 hits a round is also sneaky. but at 17th wizards gain access to 1 first and 1 second level spell they can cast at will. At that point your abjurer will be a self sustainable reaction (especially if using unlimited shield)
FMB's 'armour up' summary is good advice, Hitpoints will only cover so many sins, do yourself a favour and lower the amount of damage incoming, You can do this mostly as a pure mage as a Githyanki or slightly less favourably, hill dwarf? not sure if thats right, but one dwarf subtype and the githyanki both grant medium armour proficiency. Alternatively Tortle, not great stat modifiers but 17ac. (not optimal if you expect magic armour to be available for you later)
Once you start, if your well armoured and in melee do not be afraid to dodge if your taking the majority of incoming attacks, later spells may allow you to give your opponents disadvantage without you needing to dodge. As any wizard should, choose spells wisely, from unseen servant caltrop deployment as a bonus action, Familiar owl flyby aid another and spells which deal damage efficiently or hinder the ability of those you face to deal damage each spell is important. You will also have to hoard your 3rd level spell slots - your counterspell and dispel magics minimum cast level is 3rd and you are the subclass least likely to upcast it.
Invulnerability is OP, I used to use it a lot. Don’t worry about counterspell as you can counter a counterspell better as abjuration to stop the counter not to mention they have to use a 9th level slot to do so. Same with dispel magic, they’d have to burn a 9th slot and you can counter that easily...
They don't need to use the same level spell slot to counter or dispel another spell. They just need to roll a 19 on a d20 + spellcasting mod if they use anything lower than a 9th level spell slot to do so. ;)
Unless they get counterspelled by the Abjuration Wizard which gets to add his proficiency bonus to that roll if it's not upcast to negate the dispel completely. Granted, dispel magic has a higher range than counterspell, but now you are out of counterspell range when that wizard casts.
Invulnerability is OP, I used to use it a lot. Don’t worry about counterspell as you can counter a counterspell better as abjuration to stop the counter not to mention they have to use a 9th level slot to do so. Same with dispel magic, they’d have to burn a 9th slot and you can counter that easily...
They don't need to use the same level spell slot to counter or dispel another spell. They just need to roll a 19 on a d20 + spellcasting mod if they use anything lower than a 9th level spell slot to do so. ;)
Unless they get counterspelled by the Abjuration Wizard which gets to add his proficiency bonus to that roll if it's not upcast to negate the dispel completely. Granted, dispel magic has a higher range than counterspell, but now you are out of counterspell range when that wizard casts.
Emphasis mine...
I feel like we're talking about different things here.
I understand the point you're trying to make, and I'm not arguing for or against the effectiveness of the Invulnerability spell.
My only point was that whoever might be trying to counterspell any spell would not NEED to use a spell slot of the same level as the spell they are trying to counter or dispel.
Even so, the caster of the spell being countered can use their own counterspell, and again would not NEED to do it at the same level as the person trying to counter their original spell.
I just wanted to clarify how the spells work and make sure there weren't any misconceptions. Abjurers being better at countering and dispelling wasn't part of the point I was trying to make.
Essentially: Wiz casts Invulnerability (or whatever 9th level spell). Enemy casts Counterspell at 3rd level (Or higher) - requires a 1d20 + spellcast mod against a DC of 19 regardless of what level spell slot is used EXCEPT for a 9th level slot. If they roll a 19+... Wiz casts Counterspell at 3rd level, countering the counterspell. If higher, then they can either upcast their own counterspell, or just roll 1d20 + spellcast mod + prof bonus against the DC 10+spell level to counter it.
or
Wiz casts Invulnerability. Enemy casts Counterspell at 9th level. Wiz casts Counterspell at lower than 9th level - requires a DC 19 check with a 1d20 + spell mod + prof bonus. (they wouldn't be able to use their 9th because they're already using it for Invulnerability)
Same with Dispel Magic on subsequent turns. Depending on the battlefield, the enemy can just stay out of counterspell range and cast dispel magic until it worked, needing to roll a 1d20 + spell cast mod to get a 19+.
I think, for the enemy, the dispelling route would be better. Of course, as you alluded to, that allows the wizard at least 1 round of being "invincible" (the wiz can still be afflicted by status conditions, as Yharim started to get into).
I actually decided to play a Svirfneblin Abjurer without looking at any guides, so it pleases me to see that it is considered a good combination. I had not previously considered the Svirfneblin Magic feat, but its too good not to take. I was wondering what the community thoughts were on when I should take each feat? I put the +2 ints first, because of the effects on spell DC, number of prepared spells, etc.; but I suppose one or both could be delayed?
Basically, exactly what it looks like. I want to try and find the best 10th level abjuration school wizard I can. If possible, stick to the Player's Handbook, but don't feel obligated.
"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
Check out my Expanded Signature
Max your intelligence and constitution. Get counterspell anddispel magic. Banishment is also nice, and remember that your arcane ward taking damage does not make you make concentration checks! Shield is good for blocking those high attacks, and mage armor is good if you don't have any magic armor. Remember to heal your arcane ward when you cast any of these spells. Heal it for 2 x the spell's level. Probably best to choose a good damage cantrip and at least one good damage spell. chromatic orb is the best you can get at 1st level, unless you want to be an AoE wizard. One last thing. Although it doesn't heal you arcane ward, blade ward is a good cantrip for keeping your ward alive so that you can continue to concentrate on spells like banishment.
Hope I helped!
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Warlock
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Deep gnome abjuration wizard with the Depp Gnome feat at 4th level is a great combo. It gives you Nondetection at will. Great for recharging your ward.
Watch your back, conserve your ammo,
and NEVER cut a deal with a dragon!
Caveat emptor: "Best" is always going to be subjective. Different people are going to prioritize different things.
Race: Deep Gnome (+1 Dex, +2 Int, Gnome Cunning, Superior Darkvision, Stone Camouflage.)
. Note: Yes I know Gnome Cunning will be replaced by Spell Resistance at lvl 14, but that is a long long long way away.
Recommended Important Final Stats (Point Buy) Dex: 14, Con: 14, Int: 16
Class.
Personally I recommend taking 1st lvl in Cleric and the rest Wizard. Choose whatever domain fits your character, but I think Knowledge is very easy to theme how you moved from Cleric to Wizard. If you do that then you'll want Wisdom 14.
Pros: Wisdom/Charisma Saves, +2 starting HP, Light & Medium Armor, Shields, Simple Weapons, Total Spell Progression is saved and access to healing magic for emergencies.
Cons: lose Intelligence/Wisdom Saves, 2 hp from Arcane Ward, and lose 1 Wizard spell level progression.
The main benefit here is you start the game in scale mail for 16 AC and can upgrade to either breastplate to lost the stealth penalty or halfplate for another +1 AC. Carry a shield and don't hold a weapon leaves a hand free for spell casting and your AC in going to be 18 instead of most Wizards walking around with a 13. This makes you much less of a target and you can even tank for you party because Shield will give you an AC of 23 giving them breathing room in a fight!
Also Guiding Bolt is an amazing 1st lvl spell.
4th lvl Wizard, don't take the ASI take a Feat and take Svirfneblin Magic. This gives you Blindness/Deafness, Blur, and Disguise Self each once a day and Nondetection at will. Nondetection is 3rd lvl and being able to cast it for free means that you can regenerate 6 hp of your Arcane Shield every single turn you don't have anything better to do. This means that wandering damage from traps is meaningless to you! At 6th lvl you'll start using up your Arcane Ward a lot faster because you'll be using your Reaction to protect your allies with Projected Ward.
8th lvl Wizard get whatever you want to. Feats can do amazing things. That said most of them aren't super Wizard friendly. IF you want to get Observant at 8th, then make your starting Int 17 instead of 16.
12th lvl Wizard get whatever you want to. I'm a little partial to Shield Master. It's very counter intuitive though hear me out. In 2 lvls (14th) you'll have Advantage & Resistance on all saves vs spells. This means when the enemy casters target AoE spell against the party... you will have +5 to +8 Dex +3, Shield +2, +? for shield's enchantment with Advantage against the spell DC. If you make it you take no damage at all. Plus any single target spells like Disintegrate will be harder to hit you with. If you plan for this take training in Athletics at lvl 1 and buy Bracers of Ogre Power setting your Strength to 19. Suddenly the Wizard is a beefcake and can push enemies around and bend bars and lift gates. This is very edge case and not 100% recommended, but can be considered fun and maximizes using the Shield from the lvl 1 in Cleric. You're going to be 15th lvl and people everyone will be ridiculous... I like to try to break convention.
Items:
Circlet of Intellect: If you spend your ASI on Feats grab a Circlet of Intellect to make your Int 19. This makes maxing out your Int unnecessary and feats do amazing things.
Spell Selection:
I mostly agree with Yharim,
I think Mage Armor is terrible and a waste of a slot. Chromatic Orb is good but expensive until higher levels when you can afford the Material Component. Banishment is a god tier good. Counterspell/Dispel Magic are a must. Shield is a must, Magic Missile is a must, you never know when you just have to kill something that has 2 hp left and AC 22 and everyone just whifffs for like 5 turns. Guiding Bolt from the Cleric list is amazing.
Personally I avoid Concentration spells like the plague, but that's just me... Banishment is one of the few exceptions.
Remember to take Alarm. It’s an abjuration spell so it recharges your arcane ward and it can be cast as a ritual so it doesn’t use a slot. It seems like cheating but apparently it’s legit.
Yeah, Alarm as a ritual works, but after what the others mentioned with the Deep Gnome feat for six Arcane Ward Hit Points as an action, that actually seems fairer for the poor DM! In a similar vein, I've heard people take 2 levels in Warlock for the Eldritch Blast cantrip and the Agonizing Blast and Armor of the Shadows Invocations. The latter invocation lets you regain 2 HP for your Arcane Ward as an action, and the former is to get the most out of your Eldritch Blast.
"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
Check out my Expanded Signature
Armor of the Shadows isn't really worth it. Insteadm just use 1 of your Warlock spell slots to cast Mage Armor as a wizard. There are so many other Invocations you can take instead.
Remember, you get your warlock spell slots back on a short rest.
Watch your back, conserve your ammo,
and NEVER cut a deal with a dragon!
Does War Magic count? I feel like there are a lot of good features it has, but for Abjuration, try to buy Invulnerability Spell Scroll. #EvenBetterThanWish
I stole my pfp from this person: https://mobile.twitter.com/xelart1/status/1177312449575432193
Invulnerability looks really good at first, but here are a couple of things that can reduce its use.
First, the fact that is it concentration, and there for you cannot cast any other concentration spell in its duration.
Second, the fact that it can be dispelled with dispel magic and stopped completely with counterspell
Third, once you don't take damage from anything else, a spellcaster will just cast hold person or hypnotic pattern, bypassing the spell completely(if you don't counterspell them yourself) and depending on how your DM rules it, causing you to lose concentration on Invulnerability.
So, if you are against a non-magic boss, this is a good one to use. If it's a spellcaster like a lich or necromancer, I would suggest that you don't use it.
Thanks for reading and I hope I helped :)
Subclass Evaluations So Far:
Sorcerer
Warlock
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Hosted a battle between the Cult of Sedge and the Forum Counters here(Done now). I_Love_Tarrasques has won the fight, scoring a victory for the fiendish Moderators.
I feel like War Magic is basically just horrible. It's first two 2nd level features are good, but the others? Just awful. The damage just isn't good, and I would, as a DM, advise the player to just play abjuration or evocation instead.
Invulnerability is awesome, though, even with the drawbacks that Yharim described. Thanks to all who commented, you were really helpful!
"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
Check out my Expanded Signature
No problem!
Subclass Evaluations So Far:
Sorcerer
Warlock
My statblock. Fear me!
Hosted a battle between the Cult of Sedge and the Forum Counters here(Done now). I_Love_Tarrasques has won the fight, scoring a victory for the fiendish Moderators.
Invulnerability is OP, I used to use it a lot. Don’t worry about counterspell as you can counter a counterspell better as abjuration to stop the counter not to mention they have to use a 9th level slot to do so. Same with dispel magic, they’d have to burn a 9th slot and you can counter that easily. You can’t take damage so you’d never break concentration. I’ve used in numerous times so I could run up to our champion great weapon master fighter and dimension door us into the thick of battle or near backline casters. Unless the DM meta games it takes a round of focus fire on me as I’m squishy for them to find out I’m not getting injured (usually with poor acting and flailing about acting like I’m being hurt).
Anyway, you’ll love abjuration. I went high elf for another cantrip and the additional int point. In lower levels he used to use a long now and not use magic in the open as to not draw more attention to himself, another advantage of being an elf. Take leomunds but for sure as you can shoot arrows from within and never take damage and remember casting shield regenerates your ward (as well as casting mage armor starting it). I also took the observant feat which made traps a non factor and now at 20 with taking a dip into rogue for expertise he passively sees any trap at a passive investigation of 33. We didn’t have a rogue so I was tasked with searching for traps and such.
One thing though. You lose concentration if you're incapacitated. If someone casts hypnotic pattern and you fail the save, then your 9th level spell is out the window. Note that the range on this spell is 120 feet, and counterspell is 60. You are otherwise right.
Subclass Evaluations So Far:
Sorcerer
Warlock
My statblock. Fear me!
Hosted a battle between the Cult of Sedge and the Forum Counters here(Done now). I_Love_Tarrasques has won the fight, scoring a victory for the fiendish Moderators.
Splash hexblade warlock. Take armor of anythys. Upcast it with a wizard slot. 5th level slot gives you 25 temp hp and the abjuration shield comes off first so the 25 point damage shield lasts much longer.
also gives you medium armor and shield. Add warcaster and you can get pretty tanky for a wizard.
They don't need to use the same level spell slot to counter or dispel another spell. They just need to roll a 19 on a d20 + spellcasting mod if they use anything lower than a 9th level spell slot to do so. ;)
Wow, I havent seen the Deep gnome / abjurer combination before, much love to the people who figured that out themselves! The warlock 2 / invocation mage armour just to heal 2 hits a round is also sneaky. but at 17th wizards gain access to 1 first and 1 second level spell they can cast at will. At that point your abjurer will be a self sustainable reaction (especially if using unlimited shield)
FMB's 'armour up' summary is good advice, Hitpoints will only cover so many sins, do yourself a favour and lower the amount of damage incoming, You can do this mostly as a pure mage as a Githyanki or slightly less favourably, hill dwarf? not sure if thats right, but one dwarf subtype and the githyanki both grant medium armour proficiency. Alternatively Tortle, not great stat modifiers but 17ac. (not optimal if you expect magic armour to be available for you later)
Once you start, if your well armoured and in melee do not be afraid to dodge if your taking the majority of incoming attacks, later spells may allow you to give your opponents disadvantage without you needing to dodge. As any wizard should, choose spells wisely, from unseen servant caltrop deployment as a bonus action, Familiar owl flyby aid another and spells which deal damage efficiently or hinder the ability of those you face to deal damage each spell is important. You will also have to hoard your 3rd level spell slots - your counterspell and dispel magics minimum cast level is 3rd and you are the subclass least likely to upcast it.
Unless they get counterspelled by the Abjuration Wizard which gets to add his proficiency bonus to that roll if it's not upcast to negate the dispel completely. Granted, dispel magic has a higher range than counterspell, but now you are out of counterspell range when that wizard casts.
Emphasis mine...
I feel like we're talking about different things here.
I understand the point you're trying to make, and I'm not arguing for or against the effectiveness of the Invulnerability spell.
My only point was that whoever might be trying to counterspell any spell would not NEED to use a spell slot of the same level as the spell they are trying to counter or dispel.
Even so, the caster of the spell being countered can use their own counterspell, and again would not NEED to do it at the same level as the person trying to counter their original spell.
I just wanted to clarify how the spells work and make sure there weren't any misconceptions. Abjurers being better at countering and dispelling wasn't part of the point I was trying to make.
Essentially:
Wiz casts Invulnerability (or whatever 9th level spell).
Enemy casts Counterspell at 3rd level (Or higher) - requires a 1d20 + spellcast mod against a DC of 19 regardless of what level spell slot is used EXCEPT for a 9th level slot. If they roll a 19+...
Wiz casts Counterspell at 3rd level, countering the counterspell. If higher, then they can either upcast their own counterspell, or just roll 1d20 + spellcast mod + prof bonus against the DC 10+spell level to counter it.
or
Wiz casts Invulnerability.
Enemy casts Counterspell at 9th level.
Wiz casts Counterspell at lower than 9th level - requires a DC 19 check with a 1d20 + spell mod + prof bonus. (they wouldn't be able to use their 9th because they're already using it for Invulnerability)
Same with Dispel Magic on subsequent turns. Depending on the battlefield, the enemy can just stay out of counterspell range and cast dispel magic until it worked, needing to roll a 1d20 + spell cast mod to get a 19+.
I think, for the enemy, the dispelling route would be better. Of course, as you alluded to, that allows the wizard at least 1 round of being "invincible" (the wiz can still be afflicted by status conditions, as Yharim started to get into).
I actually decided to play a Svirfneblin Abjurer without looking at any guides, so it pleases me to see that it is considered a good combination. I had not previously considered the Svirfneblin Magic feat, but its too good not to take. I was wondering what the community thoughts were on when I should take each feat? I put the +2 ints first, because of the effects on spell DC, number of prepared spells, etc.; but I suppose one or both could be delayed?
My level 1 stats, using the standard area are:
STR [-1] 8 INT [+3] 16 (14 +2)
DEX [+2] 14 (13 +1) WIS [+1] 12
CON [+2] 15 CHA [+0] 10
Planned ASI's & feats:
4) +2 Int [Int mod +3 >> +4]
8) +2 Int [Int mod +4 >> +5]
12) Svirfneblin Magic
16) Resilient Constitution [Con mod +2 >> +3]
18) Alert