Advice on Starting Wizard or Fighter

[somehownotsingl]

Gonna start a campaign as a level 12 player soon. Planning to do EK7/BS 5. No idea where I'll go after that (more EK? More BS? Some AT?).

Because this always comes up in EK/BS threads, I'll say now that the sword swinging is more important to me than the spell slinging :-)

I also am building him around the mage slayer feat. So, I want someone sturdy enough to wade through combat to get to the magic user, then take him out .. and anything he needs to take out to get to the magic user. Sure, with things like misty step, levitation, etc, he won't always have to wade him, but I don't want him to be squishy and get murdered trying to reach his goal, or get cut down by goons right afterwords.

So ... here's my dilemma: start Wizard or Bladesinger?

STARTING AS HIGH ELF FIGHTER:

8
14(+2)
14
15(+1)
12
8

FEATS/ASI (BS4, EK4, EK6): Mage Slayer, DEX +2, INT +2 (or maybe bump DEX to 20)
SAVES: CON, STR
NOTE: Any Armor and Weapon Prof advantages to starting Fighter are irrelevant to this build, between race and bladesinger stuff (besides, multiclassing would make most of them available, anyway)


STARTING AS HIGH ELF
8
14(+2)
15
15(+1)
10
8

FEATS/ASI: Mage Slayer, Resilient CON (for a 16 CON, plus prof), DEX +2 (maybe INT +2)
SAVES: CON, INT, WIS
NOTE: Having DEX/INT at 18/16, instead of 18/18 (or 20/16) by level twelve hurts, but I wonder how much a character focusing on utility stuff and who can pretty effectively disrupt spellcasters with a melee hit, anyway, needs to worry about having a higher DC.

I'm kinda leaning toward starting wizard, as I feel like having WIS saves and more HP is more valuable for this kind of build than a bump to primary casting stat. I can get CON saves either way. Plus, at CL 13, I can always take EK 8 for the ASI if the character is not playing well. Again, I really have no idea what I am going to do 13-20; I just want to play with my level 12 toy and see how it works, then decide what I would like to be able to do better with him, depending on how I play/he fits in with the party, etc.

So, that's my problem. Please weight in. Also, please point out anything you think I've overlooked/should consider.

[Specter]

If you want to take more Wiz levels, I'd recommend another school, because Extra Attack is wasted.

If you start as Wiz, take Resilient CON. If fighter, WIS. Doesn't really matter much, anyway.

For killing mages, Expeditious Retreat is a good one to close on them quickly. Misty Step, See Invisibility and Blink also protect you from their shenanigans. Focus on non-conc spells, because you should be concentrating on Haste most of the time.

[somehownotsingl]

If you start as Wiz, take Resilient CON. If fighter, WIS. Doesn't really matter much, anyway.

F

With stat buys above ...

If I took Resilient WIS as a fighter, though, I would end up with an odd WIS score, so only benefit is the Resilience itself. Taking Resilient CON in the scenario above bumps up CON to an even (i.e. useful number).

I mean, I guess the fighter could start with WIS of 11, knowing he would get the bump later, but that extra point of buy in ends up getting tacked onto an 8 in STR or CHA uselessly. I don't know how to manipulate the buy in of the fighter in a useful way that wouldn't leave me with an odd WIS under this plan.

[Slipperychicken]

If I wanted to kill mages, then I'd want a support caster backing up a strong fighter. You're not going to be fighting alone, so I think taking advantage of that is a good idea. See if any of your buddies can take counterspell and dispel magic to keep enemy mages from doing anything funny while you beat on them, or vice versa. That's the most important thing in my opinion: keep them from getting a spell off, shut down any spells they already have up, and give the fighter-type time to eat through the mage's health.

Also, if I made my job killing mages, I wouldn't want to be a melee character unless my plan was to grapple one. They're just too slippery, often having the power to fly or teleport out of harm's way, or otherwise make life hard for melee attackers. I can't tell you how many times I've seen melee characters, even ones with mage slayer, absolutely dumbfounded when mages use common spells like fly and misty step. Whenever my group has run into a spellcasting enemy, it's the ranged PCs who have the easiest time with it; they can shoot a flying enemy, or shoot the mage wherever he reappears.

Mages, like anyone else, go down faster the more attacks you roll at them. I'd go EK 12 to have three attacks. You'll get 3rd level spells next level, so you could get counterspell then. It's nice to hit someone when they cast a spell, but I find it's usually better to keep the spell from going off at all. If you insist on melee, one possible tactic is to get to an enemy mage, action surge to cast silence over the two of you (and if it's counterspelled, counterspell it back), use your three attacks (and something with your bonus action?) to get the mage grappled and prone, then beat on him at your leisure.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I'd start fighter, then go into Abjuration Wizard. The ward is nuts, and goes fantastic with a melee type. Plus you can use armor and a bigger weapon. You can rely on the SCAG cantrips for a while, so don't worry about getting Extra Attack in a hurry.

[Klorox]

Make sure you leave enough ASI's to boost DEX and INT to 20 each, if you want to maximize a Bladesingers effectiveness.

If you're multiclassing, this leaves no room for feats.

If you're set on using the eldritch knight (at level 5 or greater), drop bladesinger for diviner or something. You're better off in real armor and your extra attack will be wasted.