Enchantment wizards?

[Hooligan]

This school has always interested me, but I always end up going divination as I love the flavor and the features.

Has anyone here actually played an enchanter? How did it go? It seems as though it might be a very DM and campaign dependent character.

[MaxWilson]

It works best with multiclassing for heavy armor. You really want to be in melee because Instinctive Charm is so fun (and Hypnotic Gaze isn't bad either in battles against few opponents--it occupies the same niche as Banishment, taking one enemy out of the combat while you kill the other(s)), but as a pure wizard, you also don't want to be in melee because you're kind of squishy unless you spend spell slots on Shield. So you wind up with this class feature that you'd really like to use but kind of can't.

However, if you multiclass to Life Cleric, or start off as a Fighter with Defense style, that limitation goes away and it becomes pure fun.

Variant human Heavy Armor Master Fighter 1/Enchanter X is one of my favorites. Could also do Cleric 1/Enchanter X if you can stand to play a cleric, or otherwise rationalize it. AC 19-21 + Instinctive Charm is pure awesomesauce even before you start throwing around Booming Blade and/or Hypnotic Gaze.

I've never gotten high enough to play around with memory modification at 14th level, but it looks good on paper. Ditto for Split Spell--it looks bad at first but Split Hold Monster actually seems pretty cool on consideration, and so does Split Tasha's Uncontrollable Daughter. I mean, Laughter.

[cZak]

I'm currently playing one (drow) in OotA.
Just hit 6th level.

To use the class abilities, does mean to violate Treatmonk's adage 'Why are you in melee?'. But for those moments when it's not in your control it's handy.

The best part of the abilities is they are 1/ long rest PER creature.
And if the creature fails the save, you can use it again.

Instinctive charm is like a free hold monster.
If initiative order is you/ monster/ party member, you're effectively negating the bad guy's action & giving your team mate Advantage on an attack.

Reactive charm(?), 6th level, is a little more tactical & greedy.
Affecting anyone within 30' that attacks you, but it's a random target. Might be a team mate.
But it's a nice option to potentially negate a hit on you.
I used this when two giant spiders moved up on me. I moved (provoked AoO), Reactived the one spider to hit the other. Then Burn hands both of them. Dropped the AoO suck up'd one.

Split charm (?) @10th is kind of disappointing with the level restriction; there are no 3rd level Charm spells...
Hold person is up slot available to target multiple creatures. I guess you could get +1/ spell slot level.

[JellyPooga]

The biggest problem with playing an Enchanter Wizard, for me, is that whenever I picture an Enchanter (or Enchantress), I see someone who is also enchanting despite or without their magic.

Think of Lady Melisandre from Game of Thrones; she's not only physically attractive, but also persuasive, deceptive, intimidating and can put on a good peformance as well, to couch it in 5ed D&D terms. Wizards can put good scores in Charisma and take a Background or use Racial features to fill out their Skill Proficiencies, but the Class itself doesn't actively encourage this.

Sorcerer, the go-to Class in 3.5 for an Enchanter, is no longer an option due to their Spell List being narrowly focused on blasting.

For me, at least, the real 5ed Enchanter is the Warlock. It has all the tools required and encourages pumping that Charisma. In addition, most archetypal Enchanters have a sinister or hidden side to their personality and the Warlocks Patron models this quite well.

The Enchanter Wizard is an odd sort of niche; I can think of enchanters who have innate power, power granted by a god or gods, power imbued by a dark or enigmatic being, or power drawn from music or similar. I've never, I don't think, heard of an Enchanter who gets his/her magical allure from book study and research; it doesn't fit the mould.

Let's face it, the nerdy, bookish kid isn't the popular kid, no matter how much he studies. It's not, in the stories, until he unlocks his inner potential or does a dark deal that he attains the level of popularity and allure that he always wanted (and then it usually backfires in is face, but that's beside the point). If you've got the gift; the looks and the silver tongue, you don't feel the need to study to improve it.

[Disclaimer; all of the above is from a narrative, fictional point of view and is in no way meant to be a reflection of the way real life actually pans out.]

[Magic Myrmidon]

You know, Jelly, that critique of archetypical enchanters isn't something I ever thought of before, but it did spark an idea that could make for a unique enchanter wizard. Namely, a wizard who studies not only magic, but psychology/psychoanalysis. Someone who persuades, intimidates, and fools people not based on charisma, but by breaking down their enemies' logic and thought processes. Could be fun.

[Grod_The_Giant]

The Wormtongue, in other words. The guy who knows EXACTLY what to say to push your buttons, even if you don't like hearing it. Allowing Int to be used with Persuade and Deceive checks would go well with that.

[JellyPooga]

You know, Jelly, that critique of archetypical enchanters isn't something I ever thought of before, but it did spark an idea that could make for a unique enchanter wizard. Namely, a wizard who studies not only magic, but psychology/psychoanalysis. Someone who persuades, intimidates, and fools people not based on charisma, but by breaking down their enemies' logic and thought processes. Could be fun.

It would certainly work very well in an investigative noir-style game. The idea is awesome and certainly subverts the stereotype somewhat. I can see this character heading down a dark path with the road to redemption being an interesting story. Good call!

[Ashrym]

It would certainly work very well in an investigative noir-style game. The idea is awesome and certainly subverts the stereotype somewhat. I can see this character heading down a dark path with the road to redemption being an interesting story. Good call!

I like the concept, but isn't that what the proficiency bonus represents? A person can be naturally charming (CHA) or could have learned it (proficiency) but INT represents puzzling and reasoning while CHA or WIS relate to other people. I'm thinking it might work better as a back ground feature to allow INT instead of CHA just to better rationalize it, if that makes sense.

[R.Shackleford]

Hmmm

High Elf or Eladrin Criminal Wizard 2/ Wolf Barbarian 3

I would start with Wizard for Int and Wis save but barbarian starts with more HP...

Either way you can focus on Dex/Con/Int.


I'm not sure the exact build but this would be fun.


Edit

Rogue 2 for Expertise Persuasion and another skill... low Cha won't matter lol

[Magic Myrmidon]

I like the concept, but isn't that what the proficiency bonus represents? A person can be naturally charming (CHA) or could have learned it (proficiency) but INT represents puzzling and reasoning while CHA or WIS relate to other people. I'm thinking it might work better as a back ground feature to allow INT instead of CHA just to better rationalize it, if that makes sense.

Ooh. I like the idea of background features that let you use different abilities for skills. I was thinking of a feat, but thosr types if feats always felt super taxy. Background features might be the best place to put that sort of thing.

[Grixis]

I'm playing a mountain dwarf enchanter wizard and it's been great. Even with an 8 charisma, I'm at times the best at persuasion as the Hypnotic Gaze gives me advantage on my charisma rolls when the target fails the save.

There are times in battle you'll feel inferior to other wizard subclasses. However, there are moments when you feel like you are by far the strongest wizard (especially at level 10).

Hypnotic Gaze is great if you just need to lock one enemy down while your party deals with the rest. No save after the first fail means your party can also take a short rest while you just stand there gazing.

Instinctive charm is good but it's not amazing. This is because it works on only one attack and you feel like an idiot for nit using Shield when you come up against an enemy with multi attack.

Split Enchantment is amazing. Thasha's H.L., Hold Person, Hold Monster, Otto's Irresistable Dance, Power Word Stun and Power Word Kill all work with it. Being able to cast an its or 9th level spell twice without expending any additional resources is what makes this class shine later on.

Modify Memory is a nice idea but it's stupid that Charisma is the base for it. This should really be changed as it clearly wasn't looked at before the published the PHB. No other Wizard class utilizes any other ability score for any of their abilities but this is just stuck in there. Wizards are braniacs and there is no reason their manipulative abilities should be based on how good looking they are rather than intellect.

[Joe dirt]

If I played this class I would go human alternate for the actor feat... charlatan background.... take friends cantrip, disguise self, charm person, suggestion and i would use these abilities to turn my enemies against each other and con others.... maybe a small dip into warlock or bard or rogue