A wizard did it! A Wizard guide! (WIP, dont steal my idea ;))

[ImSAMazing]

So, you decided to play a Wizard and outclass your friends? You decided to become one of the classes with the hardest choices and the coolest choices? Welcome to this guide, which tells you exactly which choices to make as a Wizard! I am not here to tell you why you should play one, but hey, welcome!

Table of Content:

Color Scheme
Ability Scores
Races
Class features
Spells
Backgrounds
Feats
Notes



You probably know this scheme already, but:
Skyblue AWESOME! Take this or you, well, you are just weaker then you should be.
Blue Great option. Definetely consider this!
Black Not bad, but there are better options.
Orange It is bad, but there are worse options.
Red Don't take this if you want to be taken serious.



Strength This is one of your possible dumbstats. You won't use it, you won't need it.
Dexterty This makes sure you aren't getting hit, and since your HD is a d6, you will need this.
Constitution Your HD is a d6 so you will need some Con to get your HP to a normal level, and this makes sure you keep your concentration.
Intelligence You got your Arcane knowledge because your studies. You aren't a zombie. Your spell casting is based on Intelligence, so get it as high as possible.
Wisdom Perception is important, but still Wisdom isn't really what you need. Make it your 2nd dumbstat.
Charisma This is a great dumbstat candidate, but it's orange because Social Interaction is all about Charisma and being Banished isn't nice.


Hill Dwarf +2 Con is great, and +1hp/level too. But +1 Wisdom? There are better options.
Mountain Dwarf +2 Con is great, but +2 Strength? The only reason why this isn't red is because the armor
High Elf +2 Dex is great for your AC, and +1 Int is also what you need. Darkvision, Trance, an extra cantrip, keen senses and 1 more Language make this race awesome for you!
Wood Elf +2 Dex is good, but +1 Wisdom is not what you need. And +5 to your base speed isn't also that great since you will be flying after lvl 5!
Drow +2 Dex is good, but Charisma is a dumbstat for a Wizard. Sunlight Sensetivity isn't that great either.
Lightfoot Halfling +2 Dex is nice, and Lucky is one of the best Racial features you can get. Riding medium creatures can be useful too. +1 Charisma isn't that useful however.
Stout Halfling +2 Dex is nice, Lucky too, and the +1 Consitution finishes it. Poison resistance is useful too. One of your best options, sad that it doesn't include Int.
Human Buffs all your Ability Scores, but nothing special. Not a bad choice but there are better ones.
V. Human +1 on both Int and Con/Dex, a skill and a feat? Not bad, not bad at al
Dragonborn +2 on Strength and +1 on Charisma, ASI on your dumbstats. The only reason why this is orange is because of the resistances and the breath weapon.
Forest Gnome +2 on Intelligence and +1 on Dex? Awesome. Adv. on all mental saves against Magic? Even more awesome. Minor illusion cantrip? Cool. Speak with Small Beasts? Not bad. This is one of your best options.
Rock Gnome +2 on Intelligence and +1 on Constitution? Great. Adv.on all mental saves against magic? Even better. Artificer's lore? Cool. Tinker? Great to have a clockwork soldier. A great solid option.
Half-Elf +2 to Charisma is meh, but +1 on 2 ability scores means you can boost your Int and Dex/Con. 2 free skills is nice too, and Fey Ancestry also. Not bad, not extremely good.
Half-Orc +2 to Strength? Sad. +1 to Con? Good. All the other features however are about melee, and with your HD that isn't a great plan.
Tiefling +2 to Charisma isn't useful, but +1 to Intelligence is. Resistance against the most common damage in the game is useful too, but the spells you get use Charisma as spellcasting ability.




Spellcasting this is it, you are a Wizard and not a commoner because this feature. Get yourself an Arcane Focus, a spell book and some ink, you will need it!
Arcane Recovery this feature is the reason that a Wizard might want a short rest once in a while, because if you play a Wizard good, you won't get hit.

WIP!

Spell Mastery this feature lets you select a 1st level spell and a 2nd level spell. These spells are free for you to cast at their lowest level! This means you can have unlimited Shield(+5 AC), unlimited Unseen Servants, etc. Great feature.
Signature Spells I was going to rate this feature Black, but if you take the Necromancy School it isn't that bad when you select Animate Dead. 1/day free Fireball or free Fly is nice too.

[AvatarVecna]

Too late, an Arcane Trickster stole the idea.

*runs off with idea*

[ImSAMazing]

Too late, an Arcane Trickster stole the idea.

*runs off with idea*
I believe a Wizard stole it, a Wizard did it!

[PoeticDwarf]

This is just posting that you're going to make a guide. If I
search for a wizard guide (even if I see WIP) I don't except this.

[ImSAMazing]

This is just posting that you're going to make a guide. If I
search for a wizard guide (even if I see WIP) I don't except this.

First I am working on this.

[Inevitability]

This is just posting that you're going to make a guide. If I
search for a wizard guide (even if I see WIP) I don't except this.

I agree that perhaps there should be a bit more content at the moment of posting.

[AvatarVecna]

I agree that perhaps there should be a bit more content at the moment of posting.

Seconded. Content is appreciated; at least a review of the races could provide interesting insight into your thoughts and opinions.

[MrStabby]

Seconded. Content is appreciated; at least a review of the races could provide interesting insight into your thoughts and opinions.

Well we are told we know the colour scheme, so the important information is covered. :smallsmile:

[hymer]

Well we are told we know the colour scheme, so the important information is covered. :smallsmile:

I'm guessing it's "the more your eyes hurt reading it, the better it is". :smallbiggrin:

[kilatok669]

Quite inebriated and it took a full 5 minutes of confused scrolling to realize this is an incomplete article. Boo.

[KorvinStarmast]

I'm convinced. :smallbiggrin:

[PoeticDwarf]

If it is finished, are they spells there then?
The spells are for a spellcaster the hardest choices, so if there aren't spells I'm not going to read this guide...

[ImSAMazing]

Seconded. Content is appreciated; at least a review of the races could provide interesting insight into your thoughts and opinions.
It' s all coming. Every thing in the table of content is coming
I just wanted to tell the forum I am working on it.

Well we are told we know the colour scheme, so the important information is covered. :smallsmile:
True ;)

I'm guessing it's "the more your eyes hurt reading it, the better it is". :smallbiggrin:
True story, you know how it works xd

If it is finished, are they spells there then?
The spells are for a spellcaster the hardest choices, so if there aren't spells I'm not going to read this guide...

Ofcourse, look at the table of content. And Idc if you dont want to read this guide. I realky don't care. I make this for the people that want to play a wizard and want some help.

[ImSAMazing]

Made some stuff:

Added Races and their reviews
Added the Ability Scores part

Feel free to tell your opinion about what I putted in this guide.

[Inevitability]

Ofcourse, look at the table of content. And Idc if you dont want to read this guide. I realky don't care. I make this for the people that want to play a wizard and want some help.

That's no way to treat the mallable young minds whose entire wizardly playstyle you'll be dictating! :smalltongue:


On the color coding; many people use gold for options that are absolutely perfect, and your shade of orange is really similar. Perhaps use purple instead, which is more easily readable and used by more people?

Are you going to include the spells and races from Elemental Evil? How about the Unearthed Arcana races?

Also, you're explanation for orange contains the word 'badder'. The comparitive form of 'bad' in English is 'worse'.

[ImSAMazing]

That's no way to treat the mallable young minds whose entire wizardly playstyle you'll be dictating! :smalltongue:


On the color coding; many people use gold for options that are absolutely perfect, and your shade of orange is really similar. Perhaps use purple instead, which is more easily readable and used by more people?

Are you going to include the spells and races from Elemental Evil? How about the Unearthed Arcana races?

Also, you're explanation for orange contains the word 'badder'. The comparitive form of 'bad' in English is 'worse'.

Thanks for the tips. I'll include UA races and EE spells. Poor me (thats over 300 spells). Ill work on it when I have time, currently on holidays.

[Mellack]

Under stats I think you mean dumpstat, not dumbstat. Having a low strength does not make one dumb :smallsmile:

[Shining Wrath]

Under stats I think you mean dumpstat, not dumbstat. Having a low strength does not make one dumb :smallsmile:

I agree ... but this IS a wizard guide, where dumb is bad :smallsmile:

OP, the interesting parts of this will be comparing the different arcane traditions and thinking of creative uses for their special abilities. IIRC there are already guides as to which spells are best.

[KorvinStarmast]

Under stats I think you mean dumpstat, not dumbstat. Having a low strength does not make one dumb :smallsmile:
I think me meant dumbstat, as in "you are dumb to put points in this stat." :smallcool:

(This is based on textual analysis of the writing style). :smalltongue:

[zinycor]

I believe thaat mountain dwarfs can be amazing wizards, who also can hit you in the face. maybe you start with only a 14 or 15 on int, but having acces to martial weapons and armor is kind of a big deal for a class that would never dream of it.

[Inevitability]

I believe thaat mountain dwarfs can be amazing wizards, who also can hit you in the face. maybe you start with only a 14 or 15 on int, but having acces to martial weapons and armor is kind of a big deal for a class that would never dream of it.

Well, you have to ask yourself what swinging a warhammer around really adds to the character, to which the answer is 'you get slight synergies with a handful of spells'. The armor is somewhat better, but I'd still fight from the back.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

You are aware of the several existing 5e (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?377551-Wizard-guide-realy-REALY-wip) Wizard (http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4157906)guides (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IeOXWvbkmQ3nEyM2P3lS8TU4rsK6QJP0oH7HE_v67QY/edit?pli=1)? One cannot really claim an idea as one's own if another has already had it first.

(Incidentally, for those looking for a Wizard Guide, I recommend the work of Mr. Treantmonk.)

[zinycor]

Well, you have to ask yourself what swinging a warhammer around really adds to the character, to which the answer is 'you get slight synergies with a handful of spells'. The armor is somewhat better, but I'd still fight from the back.

being that there are synergies, those proficiencies is rare for a wizard, and you can acces a better armor than mage armor. I would say it should at least be black, not orange.

Afterall, is the go to race if someone wanted to build a melee wizard.

[JNAProductions]

I'm kinda confused. What idea are we supposed to not steal?

[zinycor]

Wood Elf +2 Dex is good, but +1 Wisdom is not what you need. And +5 to your base speed isn't also that great since you will be flying after lvl 5!


You would not be flying as much as you think, Flying uses your concentration, so you can't combine with a lot of the more powerful spells and puts you at risk of falling if you get damaged and lose concentration.

[AvatarVecna]

I'm kinda confused. What idea are we supposed to not steal?

Originally, the OP basically just read "I'm gonna make a guide to the 5e Wizard, don't steal my idea while I'm writing it!". Since I know the OP (and was semi-stalking them to see what they were up to, since they're DMing a game I'm in), I decided to pull their chain a little. I should've quoted it, so that it would be more obvious, but hindsight's 20/20.

[ImSAMazing]

I agree ... but this IS a wizard guide, where dumb is bad :smallsmile:

OP, the interesting parts of this will be comparing the different arcane traditions and thinking of creative uses for their special abilities. IIRC there are already guides as to which spells are best.

Ik that,and Arcane Traditions and the other class features will have my priority.

[ImSAMazing]

Finally, someone got my pun: "dumbstat" instead of "dumpstat" :smallbiggrin:
Added the class features, currently working on the Arcane Traditions!

[rlc]

Just because everybody else was being "that guy," it should be "weaker than you should be" and "if you want to be taken seriously."

[SharkForce]

i wouldn't rate signature spells poorly for any wizard. it may not always be the best option, but in a class where the main limitation is resources, recovering a bunch of useful resources on a short rest is quite good (plus it gives you 2 extra spells prepared). not druid-capstone good, but then, what else is?

but just for example:

abjurer: counterspell and dispel magic
enchanter: crown of madness (it still isn't great, but it's a lot less bad when you can twin it and alter their memory while you're at it).
illusionist: major image
necromancer: vampiric touch

those all get added benefits from their arcane tradition as well (you already covered animate dead for necromancy, of course).

also remember that a level 1-2 spell in a level 3 slot is a level 3 spell. normally, you have to cast spells that don't use slots at the lowest level... except when otherwise specified. this specifies you cast it as a 3rd level spell. so if you want to use it to get a free 2-target blindness/deafness once per rest or something, go nuts.

but seriously, let's look at some of the options that are just generally useful no matter what kind of wizard you are (some doubling up from above):

counterspell
dispel magic
fear
fireball
hypnotic pattern
sleet storm
slow
stinking cloud

i feel like many of these spells could very plausibly be used once per short rest easily, which means your capstone is more like 6 extra level 3 spells per day. they become your signature spells because any time you come across a problem where these could reasonably be used to good effect where a specific other spell is not required, you just throw these.

[PoeticDwarf]

Ofcourse, look at the table of content. And Idc if you dont want to read this guide. I realky don't care. I make this for the people that want to play a wizard and want some help.

When I posted it wasn't in the table, don't say they were there already...

[Inevitability]

In your description of Signature Spells, you make it sound like it is a 1/day ability. Careful examination of the wording will reveal it is, in fact, 1/rest, no matter if said rest is long or short.

[Nod_Hero]

Small suggestion:
Switch Orange for Purple.
Most of the other guides I see use Purple for that "bad but worse" category and use Gold for the level above Sky-Blue, so your use of Orange which is similar to Gold is slightly confusing to someone like me who's read a lot of guides.

[Giant2005]

I actually think that Spell Mastery should be Light Blue and Spellcasting Dark Blue.
If I only wanted Spellcasting, I'd quite happily play a Druid or a Bard over a Wizard - the reason to choose Wizard over the other two options is for the prospect of eventually getting Spell Mastery (Hope is a pretty powerful motivator, even if you are unlikely to ever get there).

[SharkForce]

nah, the reason to choose wizard over bard or druid is spell list. in the case of bard, mostly for the fact that you can switch it around, in the case of druid, mostly because your spell list is just frankly better. not that druids have a bad spell list or anything, but it just isn't as good as wizard.

spell mastery is certainly amazing, but it's 18 levels in. if you're that desperate to spam level 1 and 2 spells, be a warlock.

[Inevitability]

Spell mastery is certainly amazing, but it's 18 levels in. if you're that desperate to spam level 1 and 2 spells, be a warlock.

I disagree. Shield at-will, anyone? The ability to get +5 AC every turn in exchange for your reaction sounds like a fair trade to me. And Misty Step at-will keeps you out of melee and effectively increases your speed by 30 ft.

[ImSAMazing]

I disagree. Shield at-will, anyone? The ability to get +5 AC every turn in exchange for your reaction sounds like a fair trade to me. And Misty Step at-will keeps you out of melee and effectively increases your speed by 30 ft.
Dont forget the at-will sugesstion for a Jedi like person?

[SharkForce]

I disagree. Shield at-will, anyone? The ability to get +5 AC every turn in exchange for your reaction sounds like a fair trade to me. And Misty Step at-will keeps you out of melee and effectively increases your speed by 30 ft.

like i said, it's quite a good ability.

it also doesn't come online until 18 levels into the build. unless you are starting at level 18, if you want to spam level 1 and 2 spells, be a warlock. they don't have to wait until level 18 to get at-will spells.

[Shining Wrath]

Dont forget the at-will sugesstion for a Jedi like person?

"These are not the murderhobos you are looking for" - Obi Wan Kenobi, 18th level Enchanter

[EvilAnagram]

I would recommend Teal as an alternative to Skyblue simply to improve readability.