Hey all, I've just joined a party and decided to play as a Wizard. We start at Level 2 and the party in question has:
- A Warlock who wishes to focus on battlefield control.
- A Paladin that will likely be using Great Weapons up in the front and eventually multiclassing into Divine Soul Sorcerer to became a Paladin 7 / Sorcerer X
- A Ranger who will multiclass into Fighter early on, he's been intentially quiet about his character's build or stats much to my frustration. So he could be a ranged or melee build, maybe even both.
We're expecting one more, a Bard, a Cleric, who knows?
___
I have decided to play a Blaster-style Evocation Wizard so as not to step on the Warlock's toes and also provide some much needed AoE damage. Whereas the instinct for many wizards is to use spells such as Web, Slow or Hypnotic Pattern, I intent to be more aggressive, focusing on damage and Evocation spells.
I rolled stats getting 9, 11, 13, 14, 14, 17.
My chosen race, for many reasons, one of which will become obvious at Level 4, is going to be a Hobgoblin. Not only does that get me Light Armor and a +1 to intelligence (taking me to 18), I get a +2 to Con and the ability Saving Face which helps me to maintain concentration. Also, for what it's worth, we get training in two martial weapons - take Heavy Crossbow and then anything else. I chose Hand Crossbows.
According to lore, a Hobgoblin Devastator is gifted in raining down swathes of destruction on his foes. This will inform our choices for this build and give us a thematic focus. I encourage anyone to read the full lore for this style of character in Volo's Guide if you ever get a chance. Primarily being a DM, I find these a pretty fun enemy.
___
My Stats are:
Str: 11 - I would make this 9 but my Hobgoblin needs to be at least average in the playground.
Dex: 13 - This is frighteningly low for early levels but will be worth the risk once we get to Level 4.
Con: 16 - A lovely starting stat for the squishy Wizard.
Int: 18 - Our primary stat.
Wis: 14 - Combined with a proficiency in Wis Saves, this is a very comfortable stat.
Cha: 9 - This wizard wizard doesn't really have a gift for diplomacy. As a blaster, I like this.
___
As a Wizard, I get two skills. I have chosen Arcana and Investigation.
The background I have chosen is Urban Bounty Hunter, gifting us Insight, Stealth and proficiency with Playing Cards. It would be nice to have Perception but I guess I'll leave that to the others to worry about. If Ambushes become a problem, we can always take the Alert feat at higher levels.
With all that done, let's talk spells.
___
Cantrips:
As a Blaster we are going to want some aggressive cantrips. As I intent to take the Evoker subclass, we also want to focus on Evocation to benefit from later abilities. As such, we will take:
Firebolt - Staple long range attack with decent damage.
Frostbite - Different damage type to firebolt and also a saving throw. The debuff is also pretty useful for minor control.
Finally, we can chose one more cantrip. My instincts tell me to take something with utility bringing several to mind: Mage Hand, Message, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation etc... This is pretty much an open choice but because I doubt others will take it, I'm going for a trusty Mage Hand. Also, Minor Illusion is a little too gimmicky and DM depended for my tastes (even though I totally agree it's a fantastic spell).
___
1st Level Spells:
At level one we know six spells and have a pretty decent selection to chose from, but I'm going to build this with longevity in mind and don't forget, we're a Blaster. As well, some spells we can't live without (Note that we dont need Mage Armor). My choices are as follows:
Absorb Elements - A brilliant reaction that can keep us safe for many levels to come.
Shield - A reaction to boost our drastically low AC, yes please.
Thunderwave - Our first AoE party piece. Noisy but who cares? We can also be reckless with how we place this spell thanks to sculpt spells.
Magic Missile - Fantastic when used on a single target and scales incredibly well, especially with our level 10 ability, Empowered Evocation.
Detect Magic (R) - A brilliantly versatile Ritual that will keep finding things of interest.
Find Familiar (R) - One of the best rituals in the game. Having a little friend to scout or help attack enemies is very fun.
At Level 2 we get to chose two more spells. I normally want to take something like Fog Cloud, Hideous Laughter or Grease but our spell slots need to be committed to damage, even though these are all great control spells. Hence, I have decided to pick up some handy rituals as these will be accessible all campaign long.
Comprehend Languages (R) - We only know Common and Goblin... This fixes that.
Floating Disk (R)- A weird pick, but I like the idea of it following me around out of a dungeon carrying lots of heavy treasure. Often solves the problem of "How do we move this out of here?"
Identify could be another good choice if Floating Disk seems superfluous and we have the money for the component. Or perhaps one of the above mentioned spells like Grease or Fog Cloud.
___
2nd Level Spells:
Level 3 gives us access to 2nd Level Spells which means we can finally use our concentration to get more damage! There's a lot of fun choices here but we must remember our role and not get too distracted.
Flaming Sphere (C) - Finally a spell we can concentrate on that will make our bonus action have the chance to deal some pain. I like this a lot.
Mirror Image - Our AC is really bad still and this helps to prevent us from taking damage.
There are some spells that may also be of interest. For example, Levitate lets us float out of the fray but I want to concentrate on Flaming Sphere so Mirror Image fits the role better. Web is great but it's not what we came here to do. Any other Wizard should take it, but it's not for us.
At Level 4 we get two more spells:
Misty Step - I love this spell. Teleporting around is always fun!
Shatter - Another AoE damage option that we can fire from range. Fireball is coming soon but this gives us a little bit of burst for our 2nd Level Slots.
You may want Shatter at 3rd Level instead of Mirror Image. In that case, at this level chose something like Levitate, Blindness/Deafness, Web, Invisiblity or even Suggestion.
___
Level 4 also gives us our first ASI or Feat. Our Dex has been stuck at 13(+1) making our AC a pitiful 13 at most. Up until now we've been hiding behind walls, relying on Shield and praying our Paladin doesn't go down... We really need something to give us more than what we have.
So here we take the feat Moderately Armored. We get to take our Dex up to 14(+2) and get access to Medium Armor and Shield. We go from 12-13 AC in Light Armor to as much as 19 AC with a Shield. This just solved our AC problem and turned us into a force to be reckoned with. Hobgoblins are the only pure wizards that can reliably do this and I love it!
We also get another cantrip, this could either be more utility, or give us a back up if we face Fire Resistance (Ray of Frost). There's also the choice to do some silly things with Thunder Clap and Misty Step making it a mini, personal Thunder Step. Personally, I want Ray of Frost just so I can add another Attack Roll element and have the choice to slow enemies.
___
3rd Level Spells:
Here we have it, we can finally access Fireball! We also get some nice options here that make the other spell the toughest choice of them all.
Fireball - The spell we've all been waiting for.
Melf's Minute Meteors (C) - This spell is another concentration spell that gives us reliable damage. This time it's an AoE burst. Very lovely. Cast this before nasty combats.
There's a lot of other choices here we will want and that deserve a mention. Counterspell which if you don't take now should be taken at Level 6. Tiny Hut, a great spell to give you a safe place to rest. Thunder Step, the AoE misty step that lets you pull people out of trouble, if you plan to take Dimension Door, you won't need this. As for Slow, Hypnotic Pattern, Fear and other control style spells I am going to leave them to the Warlock. She chose her combat role, I hope she lives up to it! The additional player may also be a bard which would also take up this mantle.
___
As we carry on up the levels, the build will follow this general pattern of taking aggressive spells. Try to add more damage types to overcome resistances. For this reason, Cone of Cold, Vitriolic Sphere and Storm Sphere are all viable choices. I also want Dimension Door to pull teammates out of the fray if needs be. Polymorph, Fire Shield, Telekinesis, Telepathic Bond, Bigsby's Hand and Wall of Force all are worth considering too.
Let me know your thoughts and if you'd adjust anything or have additional suggestions, get in touch.
I’d actually reverse a thing - take 13 in Strength and get Moderately Armored AND Heavily Armored (taking the 2 ASIs in Strength) and wearing Full Plate from level 8 onwards.
Now you’re hitting 18AC without a shield and 20AC with one. Grab a quarterstaff in the main hand (versatile), and you’re gold.
I’d actually reverse a thing - take 13 in Strength and get Moderately Armored AND Heavily Armored (taking the 2 ASIs in Strength) and wearing Full Plate from level 8 onwards.
Now you’re hitting 18AC without a shield and 20AC with one. Grab a quarterstaff in the main hand (versatile), and you’re gold.
So delay my ASI progress, have slower initiative, compete with the Paladin for magical heavy armor, all for +1 AC and the option to have a melee attack on a blaster caster? Also, what do I do between level 4 and level 8? With no bonus to Dex, Medium Armor and a Shield will give an unimpressive amount of AC.
Personally, I was thinking of taking:
+2 int at Level 8 to get the most out of Empowered Evocation at Level 10.
At level 12 take Lucky or Alert to help with saving throws or initiative/awareness.
Then at level 16 you take which ever you didn't at level 12.
If we make it to level 19, take tough for 38 extra health.
I’d actually reverse a thing - take 13 in Strength and get Moderately Armored AND Heavily Armored (taking the 2 ASIs in Strength) and wearing Full Plate from level 8 onwards.
Now you’re hitting 18AC without a shield and 20AC with one. Grab a quarterstaff in the main hand (versatile), and you’re gold.
If you want to go that route, start as a mountain dwarf so you only need one feet and the ASI can go to int
I’d actually reverse a thing - take 13 in Strength and get Moderately Armored AND Heavily Armored (taking the 2 ASIs in Strength) and wearing Full Plate from level 8 onwards.
Now you’re hitting 18AC without a shield and 20AC with one. Grab a quarterstaff in the main hand (versatile), and you’re gold.
If you want to go that route, start as a mountain dwarf so you only need one feet and the ASI can go to int
I would suggest having some battlefield control and concentrations spells up your sleeve. Even if you only focus on buff spells, give yourself something to do with your concentration.
I love playing Warlock’s, they’re my favorite class. But only having two spell slots and always casting at your highest level is somewhat limiting. Plus they don’t have access to many of the spells that wizards have access to. You should focus on blasting, but also have some control spells available that the warlock doesn’t have access to.
Hey all, I've just joined a party and decided to play as a Wizard. We start at Level 2 and the party in question has:
- A Warlock who wishes to focus on battlefield control.
- A Paladin that will likely be using Great Weapons up in the front and eventually multiclassing into Divine Soul Sorcerer to became a Paladin 7 / Sorcerer X
- A Ranger who will multiclass into Fighter early on, he's been intentially quiet about his character's build or stats much to my frustration. So he could be a ranged or melee build, maybe even both.
We're expecting one more, a Bard, a Cleric, who knows?
___
I have decided to play a Blaster-style Evocation Wizard so as not to step on the Warlock's toes and also provide some much needed AoE damage. Whereas the instinct for many wizards is to use spells such as Web, Slow or Hypnotic Pattern, I intent to be more aggressive, focusing on damage and Evocation spells.
I rolled stats getting 9, 11, 13, 14, 14, 17.
My chosen race, for many reasons, one of which will become obvious at Level 4, is going to be a Hobgoblin. Not only does that get me Light Armor and a +1 to intelligence (taking me to 18), I get a +2 to Con and the ability Saving Face which helps me to maintain concentration. Also, for what it's worth, we get training in two martial weapons - take Heavy Crossbow and then anything else. I chose Hand Crossbows.
According to lore, a Hobgoblin Devastator is gifted in raining down swathes of destruction on his foes. This will inform our choices for this build and give us a thematic focus. I encourage anyone to read the full lore for this style of character in Volo's Guide if you ever get a chance. Primarily being a DM, I find these a pretty fun enemy.
___
My Stats are:
Str: 11 - I would make this 9 but my Hobgoblin needs to be at least average in the playground.
Dex: 13 - This is frighteningly low for early levels but will be worth the risk once we get to Level 4.
Con: 16 - A lovely starting stat for the squishy Wizard.
Int: 18 - Our primary stat.
Wis: 14 - Combined with a proficiency in Wis Saves, this is a very comfortable stat.
Cha: 9 - This wizard wizard doesn't really have a gift for diplomacy. As a blaster, I like this.
___
As a Wizard, I get two skills. I have chosen Arcana and Investigation.
The background I have chosen is Urban Bounty Hunter, gifting us Insight, Stealth and proficiency with Playing Cards. It would be nice to have Perception but I guess I'll leave that to the others to worry about. If Ambushes become a problem, we can always take the Alert feat at higher levels.
With all that done, let's talk spells.
___
Cantrips:
As a Blaster we are going to want some aggressive cantrips. As I intent to take the Evoker subclass, we also want to focus on Evocation to benefit from later abilities. As such, we will take:
Firebolt - Staple long range attack with decent damage.
Frostbite - Different damage type to firebolt and also a saving throw. The debuff is also pretty useful for minor control.
Finally, we can chose one more cantrip. My instincts tell me to take something with utility bringing several to mind: Mage Hand, Message, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation etc... This is pretty much an open choice but because I doubt others will take it, I'm going for a trusty Mage Hand. Also, Minor Illusion is a little too gimmicky and DM depended for my tastes (even though I totally agree it's a fantastic spell).
___
1st Level Spells:
At level one we know six spells and have a pretty decent selection to chose from, but I'm going to build this with longevity in mind and don't forget, we're a Blaster. As well, some spells we can't live without (Note that we dont need Mage Armor). My choices are as follows:
Absorb Elements - A brilliant reaction that can keep us safe for many levels to come.
Shield - A reaction to boost our drastically low AC, yes please.
Thunderwave - Our first AoE party piece. Noisy but who cares? We can also be reckless with how we place this spell thanks to sculpt spells.
Magic Missile - Fantastic when used on a single target and scales incredibly well, especially with our level 10 ability, Empowered Evocation.
Detect Magic (R) - A brilliantly versatile Ritual that will keep finding things of interest.
Find Familiar (R) - One of the best rituals in the game. Having a little friend to scout or help attack enemies is very fun.
At Level 2 we get to chose two more spells. I normally want to take something like Fog Cloud, Hideous Laughter or Grease but our spell slots need to be committed to damage, even though these are all great control spells. Hence, I have decided to pick up some handy rituals as these will be accessible all campaign long.
Comprehend Languages (R) - We only know Common and Goblin... This fixes that.
Floating Disk (R)- A weird pick, but I like the idea of it following me around out of a dungeon carrying lots of heavy treasure. Often solves the problem of "How do we move this out of here?"
Identify could be another good choice if Floating Disk seems superfluous and we have the money for the component. Or perhaps one of the above mentioned spells like Grease or Fog Cloud.
___
2nd Level Spells:
Level 3 gives us access to 2nd Level Spells which means we can finally use our concentration to get more damage! There's a lot of fun choices here but we must remember our role and not get too distracted.
Flaming Sphere (C) - Finally a spell we can concentrate on that will make our bonus action have the chance to deal some pain. I like this a lot.
Mirror Image - Our AC is really bad still and this helps to prevent us from taking damage.
There are some spells that may also be of interest. For example, Levitate lets us float out of the fray but I want to concentrate on Flaming Sphere so Mirror Image fits the role better. Web is great but it's not what we came here to do. Any other Wizard should take it, but it's not for us.
At Level 4 we get two more spells:
Misty Step - I love this spell. Teleporting around is always fun!
Shatter - Another AoE damage option that we can fire from range. Fireball is coming soon but this gives us a little bit of burst for our 2nd Level Slots.
You may want Shatter at 3rd Level instead of Mirror Image. In that case, at this level chose something like Levitate, Blindness/Deafness, Web, Invisiblity or even Suggestion.
___
Level 4 also gives us our first ASI or Feat. Our Dex has been stuck at 13(+1) making our AC a pitiful 13 at most. Up until now we've been hiding behind walls, relying on Shield and praying our Paladin doesn't go down... We really need something to give us more than what we have.
So here we take the feat Moderately Armored. We get to take our Dex up to 14(+2) and get access to Medium Armor and Shield. We go from 12-13 AC in Light Armor to as much as 19 AC with a Shield. This just solved our AC problem and turned us into a force to be reckoned with. Hobgoblins are the only pure wizards that can reliably do this and I love it!
We also get another cantrip, this could either be more utility, or give us a back up if we face Fire Resistance (Ray of Frost). There's also the choice to do some silly things with Thunder Clap and Misty Step making it a mini, personal Thunder Step. Personally, I want Ray of Frost just so I can add another Attack Roll element and have the choice to slow enemies.
___
3rd Level Spells:
Here we have it, we can finally access Fireball! We also get some nice options here that make the other spell the toughest choice of them all.
Fireball - The spell we've all been waiting for.
Melf's Minute Meteors (C) - This spell is another concentration spell that gives us reliable damage. This time it's an AoE burst. Very lovely. Cast this before nasty combats.
There's a lot of other choices here we will want and that deserve a mention. Counterspell which if you don't take now should be taken at Level 6. Tiny Hut, a great spell to give you a safe place to rest. Thunder Step, the AoE misty step that lets you pull people out of trouble, if you plan to take Dimension Door, you won't need this. As for Slow, Hypnotic Pattern, Fear and other control style spells I am going to leave them to the Warlock. She chose her combat role, I hope she lives up to it! The additional player may also be a bard which would also take up this mantle.
___
As we carry on up the levels, the build will follow this general pattern of taking aggressive spells. Try to add more damage types to overcome resistances. For this reason, Cone of Cold, Vitriolic Sphere and Storm Sphere are all viable choices. I also want Dimension Door to pull teammates out of the fray if needs be. Polymorph, Fire Shield, Telekinesis, Telepathic Bond, Bigsby's Hand and Wall of Force all are worth considering too.
Let me know your thoughts and if you'd adjust anything or have additional suggestions, get in touch.
Happy Blasting!
I’d actually reverse a thing - take 13 in Strength and get Moderately Armored AND Heavily Armored (taking the 2 ASIs in Strength) and wearing Full Plate from level 8 onwards.
Now you’re hitting 18AC without a shield and 20AC with one. Grab a quarterstaff in the main hand (versatile), and you’re gold.
So delay my ASI progress, have slower initiative, compete with the Paladin for magical heavy armor, all for +1 AC and the option to have a melee attack on a blaster caster? Also, what do I do between level 4 and level 8? With no bonus to Dex, Medium Armor and a Shield will give an unimpressive amount of AC.
Personally, I was thinking of taking:
+2 int at Level 8 to get the most out of Empowered Evocation at Level 10.
At level 12 take Lucky or Alert to help with saving throws or initiative/awareness.
Then at level 16 you take which ever you didn't at level 12.
If we make it to level 19, take tough for 38 extra health.
If you want to go that route, start as a mountain dwarf so you only need one feet and the ASI can go to int
Except you miss out on shield use...
Dude, how long did that take to write
Not long at all. Just like an hour. Fairly easy to write build ideas when you've committed so much to memory.
I would suggest having some battlefield control and concentrations spells up your sleeve. Even if you only focus on buff spells, give yourself something to do with your concentration.
I love playing Warlock’s, they’re my favorite class. But only having two spell slots and always casting at your highest level is somewhat limiting. Plus they don’t have access to many of the spells that wizards have access to. You should focus on blasting, but also have some control spells available that the warlock doesn’t have access to.
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