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  • How to Build: Wizard

    December 29, 2019 2 min read

    Proof that Studying Really does Pay Off

    by: B.J. Guest

    Volumes of different tomes and books pile around.  You’ve spent hours studying under the slowly fading candlelight. Scribbling magical algorithms into your personal spellbook.  Constantly in search of magical artifacts and scrolls to grow their personal stash of spells, the life of a wizard is a studious one.

    In this How to Build article, we will go over the key feature that is specific to the wizard class as well as some race choices that can create powerful spell-slingers. 

    Key Feature

    The key feature of the wizard class is the specification of which type of magic your wizard will master.  Arcane Tradition lists several different schools of magic that a wizard can specialize in and receive different benefits for that school of magic if chosen.

    Those schools are:

    • Abjuration (defensive magic)
    • Conjuration (create something out of nothing)
    • Divination (can see past, present, and future)
    • Enchantment (charmer of men and monsters)
    • Evocation (destructive magic)
    • Illusion (smoke and mirrors type of magic)
    • Necromancy (the magic of life and death)
    • Transmutation (turn lead into gold)

    Character Creation

    When building your version of Harry or Hermione, intelligence is the most important ability.  It’s the spellcasting ability for the wizard class.  The second most important ability is constitution to make a healthy wizard as well as assist with keeping concentration. 

    Githzerai

    The monk-like githzerai of the Limbo plane can make excellent and exotic wizards. With a +1 to intelligence and +2 to wisdom, githzerai have access to innately casting different spells such as an invisible Mage Hand and Shield. 

    Gnome

    Gnomes are small people in the Dungeons and Dragons world.  Size category as small, gnomes have a +2 to intelligence and the subrace rock gnomes have a +1 to constitution.  Gnomes also have advantage for different types of saving throws against magic.  Creating your own Professor Flickwick (3rd Harry Potter reference so far) can be an interesting character for your D&D 5E game. 

    Hobgoblins

    Known to be more of a physical threat, I think a wizard hobgoblin can be a very interesting character.  Being proficient with light armor, a hobgoblin wizard has added a boost to their armor class that most other wizards would not have access to.  Boasting a +2 to strength and +1 to intelligence can give some muscle behind those somatic requirements of spellcasting. 

     

    As always, the biggest piece of advice is to have fun with your table and to roll with the dice!

    *Dungeons and Dragons and their content is the property of Wizards of the Coast. Norse Foundry makes no claim to ownership to any of the things discussed in this article, this article is a helpful opinion guide on to how to play the game.