So when the time comes for my group's next campaign to roll around, I've been fiddling with the idea for a Wizard who is a creative sort.
My plan originally came about with the dropping of "Tasha's Cauldron", and the "Artificer Initiate" feat...which lets a character use Tools as a spellcasting focus, as long as the spells are Intelligence-based.
My first thought was: Painter's Supplies! Now my Wizard can literally draw their spells into existence. (Calligrapher's Tools are also acceptable)
I'm thinking vials they keep inside their coat pockets, or even a bandolier of vials, all containing various paints/ colors that they "bend" out of when they cast their spells...which then becomes the spell itself.
Personality-wise, this is a Wizard who loves telling stories, painting landscapes of other worlds, and immortalizing figures into displays of art.
Even in the middle of a battle, they're viewing the experience as an inspiration.
"Eccentric" is an understatement.
Where I'm struggling is what Arcane Tradition best supports the idea of a Wizard who is an artist...I have the spellcasting focus; but what spells / features really fits the concept?
School of Illusion seems like an obvious choice...weaving illusory images into existence, and ultimately painting reality into existence seems like a huge benefit with a big pay-off. Mechanically...I dunno. I've heard mixed things about the subclass.
The School of Evocation really tickles my fancy for this sort of character...all those bright, destructive colors exploding all over the battlefield. Spells like "Bigby's Hand", "Prismatic Spray" or "Chromatic Orb" all visually provide a fun color-palette to explore...Sculpt Spells is a convenient naming scheme for an artistic character that provides a mechanical benefit. Overchannel is sort of like their "grand" achievement...the necrotic damage being the cost of "suffering" for their art.
School of Conjuration is an interesting choice...travelling to other worlds via portals from their spells is a convenient way for them to paint inspiring vistas...and summoning creatures gives them "models" for them to draw or sculpt.
On the topic of sculpting...the School of Transmutation lets you do a TON of things with an artistic bent...nevermind animating objects into existence with spells like "Animate Objects" or "Tiny Servant"..."Mold Earth" can let you shape the stone into whatever damn sculpture you wish. "Polymorph" is an obvious spell that lets you bring out your enemies "inner" animal (for jokes, a jack*ss or mule, or perhaps a pig for a gluttonous noble or crimelord).
You can get pretty dark with Transmutation, too..."Flesh to Stone" can literally turn an enemy into a sculpture. Likewise, "True Polymorph" can transform a person into an actual painting of themselves. "Create Magen" has some sinister implications, as well...
These are some of the things I'm mulling over for creating this character...
What school of magic suits an eccentric "artist" character, or writer or storyteller? Someone who would want to be famous, or immortalized?
I'd like the character to be mechanically solid, as well...but I don't see a reason why those mechanics can't lend themselves to the personality of the character, too. : )
All wizards can learn all spells, not just from their school. So, Conjuration subclass wont help you travel around the world or between planes. With Transmutation, what matters is Minor Alchemy, your Stone, and a self-targetting polymorph spell, not the Transmutation spells. These subclasses are thematically tied to transportation skkkll and alchemy, which is a bit at odds with your painter theme.
Illusionist is the only one who has features directly relatable to painting.
All wizards can learn all spells, not just from their school. So, Conjuration subclass wont help you travel around the world or between planes. With Transmutation, what matters is Minor Alchemy, your Stone, and a self-targetting polymorph spell, not the Transmutation spells. These subclasses are thematically tied to transportation skkkll and alchemy, which is a bit at odds with your painter theme.
Illusionist is the only one who has features directly relatable to painting.
Conjuration DOES seem to be the weakest link...Transmutation might be one of the strong choices; not so much for "painting" (which I can flavor for other spells), but for their ability to shape things like a sculptor shapes stone.
Transmutation simply seems to have an abundance of "artistic" spells (which when cast, allows for fast switching between the "Transmuter Stone" features).
Now that I think of it, the paint itself could be alchemical in nature. There is also the side-benefit of crafting the "Transmuter Stone" to look like a fancy carving each time you make it. : )
I would agree that my interest would probably align most with Illusion or Evocation, however...my only reservation being that Illusion spells, while extremely flexible, are a bit finnicky when it comes to their effectiveness.
I'm going to echo your fears with Illusionists but for a different reason. That level 14 ability is one of the coolest in the game and getting a free cantrip is good but everything in between is quite medium. I personally hate waiting a long time for the abilities I'm interested in to come online. I nearly played an illusionist in my last campaign but audibled to Diviner because I wanted my fun abilities right away. If your fear is the overall efficacy of illusion magic in your campaign I would start a dialogue with your DM to see how they generally approach illusions. I recommend any wizard use at least a little illusion magic so this will be useful information.
Pretty much every artist ever works in multiple mediums, even if they are recognized as a painter/sculptor/whatever. I think picking a school that supports sculpting would be great. I personally like conjuration over transmutation as the second level conjuration ability is very fun to be creative with and you will have it most if not all of your campaign.
Some thoughts on a few subs you didn't mention:
1. Diviner: You're an artist that paints the visions in your dreams. Art was the only way you could channel your abilities as a seer to keep them from overwhelming your mind.
2. Bladesinger: Your bladesong is an expressive dance bordering on a performance. Your footwork mirrors your mark making on page or canvas and you wield your weapon with the lightness of a brush.
3. Order of Scribes: You're a calligraphy master as well as a painter. I love the idea of Manifest Mind taking the form of your stern mentor from years past. I'd be remiss not to mention this because the flavor is a big win, but I think the subclass is horribly designed and would not actually recommend anyone play it. Added for completeness.
Slight outside the box thinking but what about a character creating their own grimoire to teach future genreations called, "(enter character name) and the Art of War Magic". Thnk the fantasy version of Sun Tzu using art/calligraphy to cast spells., be a War Mage and have Painting Supplies as your tool/magic focus and use the paint brish to draw glyphs, sigils etc in the air with magic. Be on the look out for Nolzers Maverlous Pigments or look for a way to create your own.
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I'm going to echo your fears with Illusionists but for a different reason. That level 14 ability is one of the coolest in the game and getting a free cantrip is good but everything in between is quite medium. I personally hate waiting a long time for the abilities I'm interested in to come online. I nearly played an illusionist in my last campaign but audibled to Diviner because I wanted my fun abilities right away. If your fear is the overall efficacy of illusion magic in your campaign I would start a dialogue with your DM to see how they generally approach illusions. I recommend any wizard use at least a little illusion magic so this will be useful information.
Pretty much every artist ever works in multiple mediums, even if they are recognized as a painter/sculptor/whatever. I think picking a school that supports sculpting would be great. I personally like conjuration over transmutation as the second level conjuration ability is very fun to be creative with and you will have it most if not all of your campaign.
Some thoughts on a few subs you didn't mention:
1. Diviner: You're an artist that paints the visions in your dreams. Art was the only way you could channel your abilities as a seer to keep them from overwhelming your mind.
2. Bladesinger: Your bladesong is an expressive dance bordering on a performance. Your footwork mirrors your mark making on page or canvas and you wield your weapon with the lightness of a brush.
3. Order of Scribes: You're a calligraphy master as well as a painter. I love the idea of Manifest Mind taking the form of your stern mentor from years past. I'd be remiss not to mention this because the flavor is a big win, but I think the subclass is horribly designed and would not actually recommend anyone play it. Added for completeness.
Funnily enough, Order of the Scribes is what initially made me think of a "artist" as a Wizard...their "Wizardly Quill" grants them a writing utensil that can magically change colors.
...then the feat came out; and the other Wizard subclasses just made more sense. : /
The School of Divination, eh? That...is certainly interesting.
Having your portents be these little "bursts" of inspiration adds to the quirkiness of the concept. I'll consider that.
Bladesinger is really hard to not consider, now that it has its final version...the combination of cantrips with weapon attacks REALLY gives things a tactical edge.
Proficiency with "Performance" lets you lean more into the "entertainer" or professional side of things...yeah, yeah YEAH.
I could even flavor the "Bladesong" as a mass of swirling colors around the Wizard...hooboy, we may have a winner.
I also like this image of this eccentric artist suddenly being good a a bit of swashbuckling...really adds to the mischief level.
Evocation was slowly becoming my top pick..."Acid Splash" was going to be flavored as the paint being splashed onto the enemy; and "Potent Cantrip" would guarantee at least SOME damage...but being able to use it in tandem with melee weapons might work even better.
I was going to make this character a goblin...awakening their spark of creativity, which set them apart from their more wicked bretheren...and that seems to work QUITE well with Bladesinger.
Slight outside the box thinking but what about a character creating their own grimoire to teach future genreations called, "(enter character name) and the Art of War Magic". Thnk the fantasy version of Sun Tzu using art/calligraphy to cast spells., be a War Mage and have Painting Supplies as your tool/magic focus and use the paint brish to draw glyphs, sigils etc in the air with magic. Be on the look out for Nolzers Maverlous Pigments or look for a way to create your own.
Again with the brilliant ideas!
Marvelous Pigments are certainly an item to be on the look for...as well as the Robe of Scintillating Colors (much more rare, though).
Oh I really like that use of acid splash. And your idea for flavoring bladesong is great. If you're considering cantrip offense like that I would definitely be looking at bladesinger. The whole subclass just screams artistry. Really diving into the "erratic artist" trope would be excellent RP
Dude it's like you're in my mind. My diviner was a Goblin. It was so F'ing great. I'm a huge fan of roleplaying a goblin and the challenges that come with being one that does not fit the general perception of the race in your world. Plus, it opens up so many more realistic dialogue options. Those enemy goblinoids or orcs are unlikely to talk to the paladin, but maybe the goblin can approach them. Cannot sing enough praise for playing a goblin. I did it before Tasha's stat changes and it was great. Now it has a legitimate claim of being an S tier caster race on top of being super fun.
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So when the time comes for my group's next campaign to roll around, I've been fiddling with the idea for a Wizard who is a creative sort.
My plan originally came about with the dropping of "Tasha's Cauldron", and the "Artificer Initiate" feat...which lets a character use Tools as a spellcasting focus, as long as the spells are Intelligence-based.
My first thought was: Painter's Supplies! Now my Wizard can literally draw their spells into existence. (Calligrapher's Tools are also acceptable)
I'm thinking vials they keep inside their coat pockets, or even a bandolier of vials, all containing various paints/ colors that they "bend" out of when they cast their spells...which then becomes the spell itself.
Personality-wise, this is a Wizard who loves telling stories, painting landscapes of other worlds, and immortalizing figures into displays of art.
Even in the middle of a battle, they're viewing the experience as an inspiration.
"Eccentric" is an understatement.
Where I'm struggling is what Arcane Tradition best supports the idea of a Wizard who is an artist...I have the spellcasting focus; but what spells / features really fits the concept?
School of Illusion seems like an obvious choice...weaving illusory images into existence, and ultimately painting reality into existence seems like a huge benefit with a big pay-off. Mechanically...I dunno. I've heard mixed things about the subclass.
The School of Evocation really tickles my fancy for this sort of character...all those bright, destructive colors exploding all over the battlefield. Spells like "Bigby's Hand", "Prismatic Spray" or "Chromatic Orb" all visually provide a fun color-palette to explore...Sculpt Spells is a convenient naming scheme for an artistic character that provides a mechanical benefit. Overchannel is sort of like their "grand" achievement...the necrotic damage being the cost of "suffering" for their art.
School of Conjuration is an interesting choice...travelling to other worlds via portals from their spells is a convenient way for them to paint inspiring vistas...and summoning creatures gives them "models" for them to draw or sculpt.
On the topic of sculpting...the School of Transmutation lets you do a TON of things with an artistic bent...nevermind animating objects into existence with spells like "Animate Objects" or "Tiny Servant"..."Mold Earth" can let you shape the stone into whatever damn sculpture you wish. "Polymorph" is an obvious spell that lets you bring out your enemies "inner" animal (for jokes, a jack*ss or mule, or perhaps a pig for a gluttonous noble or crimelord).
You can get pretty dark with Transmutation, too..."Flesh to Stone" can literally turn an enemy into a sculpture. Likewise, "True Polymorph" can transform a person into an actual painting of themselves. "Create Magen" has some sinister implications, as well...
These are some of the things I'm mulling over for creating this character...
What school of magic suits an eccentric "artist" character, or writer or storyteller? Someone who would want to be famous, or immortalized?
I'd like the character to be mechanically solid, as well...but I don't see a reason why those mechanics can't lend themselves to the personality of the character, too. : )
All wizards can learn all spells, not just from their school. So, Conjuration subclass wont help you travel around the world or between planes. With Transmutation, what matters is Minor Alchemy, your Stone, and a self-targetting polymorph spell, not the Transmutation spells. These subclasses are thematically tied to transportation skkkll and alchemy, which is a bit at odds with your painter theme.
Illusionist is the only one who has features directly relatable to painting.
Conjuration DOES seem to be the weakest link...Transmutation might be one of the strong choices; not so much for "painting" (which I can flavor for other spells), but for their ability to shape things like a sculptor shapes stone.
Transmutation simply seems to have an abundance of "artistic" spells (which when cast, allows for fast switching between the "Transmuter Stone" features).
Now that I think of it, the paint itself could be alchemical in nature. There is also the side-benefit of crafting the "Transmuter Stone" to look like a fancy carving each time you make it. : )
I would agree that my interest would probably align most with Illusion or Evocation, however...my only reservation being that Illusion spells, while extremely flexible, are a bit finnicky when it comes to their effectiveness.
Great character concept Tony. This is the shit.
I'm going to echo your fears with Illusionists but for a different reason. That level 14 ability is one of the coolest in the game and getting a free cantrip is good but everything in between is quite medium. I personally hate waiting a long time for the abilities I'm interested in to come online. I nearly played an illusionist in my last campaign but audibled to Diviner because I wanted my fun abilities right away. If your fear is the overall efficacy of illusion magic in your campaign I would start a dialogue with your DM to see how they generally approach illusions. I recommend any wizard use at least a little illusion magic so this will be useful information.
Pretty much every artist ever works in multiple mediums, even if they are recognized as a painter/sculptor/whatever. I think picking a school that supports sculpting would be great. I personally like conjuration over transmutation as the second level conjuration ability is very fun to be creative with and you will have it most if not all of your campaign.
Some thoughts on a few subs you didn't mention:
1. Diviner: You're an artist that paints the visions in your dreams. Art was the only way you could channel your abilities as a seer to keep them from overwhelming your mind.
2. Bladesinger: Your bladesong is an expressive dance bordering on a performance. Your footwork mirrors your mark making on page or canvas and you wield your weapon with the lightness of a brush.
3. Order of Scribes: You're a calligraphy master as well as a painter. I love the idea of Manifest Mind taking the form of your stern mentor from years past. I'd be remiss not to mention this because the flavor is a big win, but I think the subclass is horribly designed and would not actually recommend anyone play it. Added for completeness.
Slight outside the box thinking but what about a character creating their own grimoire to teach future genreations called, "(enter character name) and the Art of War Magic". Thnk the fantasy version of Sun Tzu using art/calligraphy to cast spells., be a War Mage and have Painting Supplies as your tool/magic focus and use the paint brish to draw glyphs, sigils etc in the air with magic. Be on the look out for Nolzers Maverlous Pigments or look for a way to create your own.
Funnily enough, Order of the Scribes is what initially made me think of a "artist" as a Wizard...their "Wizardly Quill" grants them a writing utensil that can magically change colors.
...then the feat came out; and the other Wizard subclasses just made more sense. : /
The School of Divination, eh? That...is certainly interesting.
Having your portents be these little "bursts" of inspiration adds to the quirkiness of the concept. I'll consider that.
Bladesinger is really hard to not consider, now that it has its final version...the combination of cantrips with weapon attacks REALLY gives things a tactical edge.
Proficiency with "Performance" lets you lean more into the "entertainer" or professional side of things...yeah, yeah YEAH.
I could even flavor the "Bladesong" as a mass of swirling colors around the Wizard...hooboy, we may have a winner.
I also like this image of this eccentric artist suddenly being good a a bit of swashbuckling...really adds to the mischief level.
Evocation was slowly becoming my top pick..."Acid Splash" was going to be flavored as the paint being splashed onto the enemy; and "Potent Cantrip" would guarantee at least SOME damage...but being able to use it in tandem with melee weapons might work even better.
I was going to make this character a goblin...awakening their spark of creativity, which set them apart from their more wicked bretheren...and that seems to work QUITE well with Bladesinger.
Again with the brilliant ideas!
Marvelous Pigments are certainly an item to be on the look for...as well as the Robe of Scintillating Colors (much more rare, though).
Oh I really like that use of acid splash. And your idea for flavoring bladesong is great. If you're considering cantrip offense like that I would definitely be looking at bladesinger. The whole subclass just screams artistry. Really diving into the "erratic artist" trope would be excellent RP
Dude it's like you're in my mind. My diviner was a Goblin. It was so F'ing great. I'm a huge fan of roleplaying a goblin and the challenges that come with being one that does not fit the general perception of the race in your world. Plus, it opens up so many more realistic dialogue options. Those enemy goblinoids or orcs are unlikely to talk to the paladin, but maybe the goblin can approach them. Cannot sing enough praise for playing a goblin. I did it before Tasha's stat changes and it was great. Now it has a legitimate claim of being an S tier caster race on top of being super fun.