What are some ways to improve your chances of succeeding a Wisdom Saving throw?

[Spectre9000]

Hey! I have a Wizard I'm playing and while my DM hasn't thrown many Will Saves at us, the ones he has have been brutal. For instance, there's a magical object. We have no idea what it is, other than we just solved a puzzle to open its container. It's an important object, and we need to know what it is, so the logical next step is to cast Identify on it, and find out what it is. To cast Identify on it, I have to touch it. Long story short, now I have an Intelligence of 0 and am Catatonic, after failing a Wisdom Save. The general vibe is that I'll somehow recover from this, but I'd like to... avoid... failing Wisdom Saving throws in the future. I doubt there's any way to always succeed them, but any possibility of improving my odds would be great. I'm a level 4 wizard and a little more than 2k from 5th level. I also have 11 Wisdom.

[JackPhoenix]

Obviously, increase your wisdom. Bless gives +1d4 to saves, paladin's level 6 Aura of Protection gives his Cha bonus to your save if he's close, can't remember off hand if there's a way to get advantage on saves, but there almost certainly is.

[Mith]

Ask if you can make a glove arcane focus to allow you to handle the object without triggering the save.

If not, off the top of my head your options are: Resilience (Wisdom), any buff spells that allow you advantage on saves, and potentially getting another party member with a better Wis save to get Ritual Caster (Wizard) to cast Identify in your stead. :smalltongue:

[Jamesps]

The Lucky feat can improve all the important saves you're likely to make in a day. Evil artifacts, dragon breath, assasin's poison, what have you. It can also do you one better and help you win initiative.

[Avonar]

If you can find them, the Stone of Good Luck, Ring of Protection and Cloak of Protection give +1 to saves. There are also items that give you advantage on saving throws to help.

[Kane0]

Try mage hand perhaps?

[Malifice]

Resilient wisdom. Hang around your Bard or Paladin. Bless.

[Slipperychicken]

Don't eat food you found in a dungeon. Don't equip items you found in a dungeon. Don't touch dungeon treasure with your body. Don't read spooky glowing runes you found in a dungeon. Wait until you are in a safe place, ideally with a remove curse spell ready. If someone must handle a suspicious item directly, volunteer someone who is not the party tank or the party member who can cast remove curse.

[Spacehamster]

Does not having 0 in an attribute kill you?

[Malifice]

Roll well.

[hymer]

Does not having 0 in an attribute kill you?

In 5e, there isn't really 'ability damage', and so no rules for what happens at 0 stat. It might have made more sense for the DM to simply say the character is unconscious, but maybe some 3.5 stuff clung on there.

[DarkKnightJin]

Int of 0 would indeed be a comatose state. Greater Restoration should be able to counter that.

I believe one of the few ways to get 'stat damage' in 5e are Intellect Devourers.

[Asmotherion]

Step 1) Take your Familiar to a Druid, so that he permanently "Awakens" it. (I know Raw it cannot be done, just stay with me for fun's sake)

Step 2) Somehow convince your familiar to become a devoted follower of a specific deity, enough to become a 6th level Paladin.

Step 3) Help it develop a charismatic personality by reading books to it, and making it interact with people...

Now you have a permanent bonus on all saves resting on your shoulders XD

Other than that, just get a Paladin in the party. If you're that woried about saves, get Resilient as a feat, and maybe multiclass and/or raise your Wisdom score.

On the other hand, I just love to fail Wisdom saves, that's why I always play low Wisdom score Characters... I just find that the effects of failed Wisdom saves are fun to RP/watch, and I love to face the concequenses, as they are the biggest challenge. For example, how will I explain that I was dominated when I murdered/attacked someone? Will the party believe me? Will they trust me when I tell them I was charmed when I told the enemy their secrets? Or will they turn their backs on me? Or how will my character react under the effects of being charmed? Will I be as easily manipulated as my previous character or will I simply be friendly but not reveal too much?

Anyway, that's just the way I see it though...

[Deleted]

Don't eat food you found in a dungeon.

Oh yeah, let me take advice on food from food, slippery food is still food.

What else am I supposed to do with all the food I find when I just open walls?

[djreynolds]

magic initiate cleric, grab the resistance cantrip. +1d4 to any save

[Laserlight]

Be a gnome. Advantage on INT WIS CHA saves, and make great wizards.

Of course, you're a little late in your career for this to be helpful...unless you reincarnate well.

[ShikomeKidoMi]

I'm afraid Wizards already have proficiency in Will saves, so the common advice of 'take Resilient (Wisdom)' is not going to apply. But do be sure you remembered to add your proficiency bonus to the saves. Otherwise the rest of the advice on this thread (have a Paladin in the party, have someone cast Bless on you, be a Gnome, take the Lucky feat, find certain magical items) do all work.


Does not having 0 in an attribute kill you?
It's not really described by default in 5th edition. In 3.5 that's true for only constitution. Other attributes at 0 were nonlethal but completely disabling, leaving you paralyzed (strength or dex) or unconscious (int or wis). I think there are a few monster abilities in 5th that can lower one of your attributes to 0 and they usually leave you incapacitated but alive.

[hymer]

If you're that woried about saves, get Resilient as a feat, and maybe multiclass and/or raise your Wisdom score.

How does multiclassing help?

[Avonar]

In 5e, there isn't really 'ability damage', and so no rules for what happens at 0 stat. It might have made more sense for the DM to simply say the character is unconscious, but maybe some 3.5 stuff clung on there.

It's very rare, but not missing altogether. The two examples I know of:

Shadow:

Strength Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) necrotic damage, and the target's Strength score is reduced by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces its Strength to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest.

Intellect Devourer:

Devour Intellect. The intellect devourer targets one creature it can see within 10 feet of it that has a brain. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw aga inst this magic or take 11 (2d10) psychic damage. Also on a failure, roll3d6: If the total equals or exceeds the target's Intelligence score, that score is reduced to 0. The target is stunned until it regains at least one point of Intelligence.

So, it seems that being reduced to 0 in a stat depends on the actual stat. I guess it would be DM discretion.

[Rysto]

How does multiclassing help?

Well, 15 levels of Rogue does give you Wis save proficiency, right? :D

[NecroDancer]

If you have a cleric they can cast beacon of hope to give advantage to wisdom saves.

[90sMusic]

My dude, Identify is a touch spell.
You are a wizard.
Wizards can summon familiars.
Familiars can deliver touch spells on your behalf.

You do the math. ;)

All you had to do was let your familiar deliver that touch spell for you and it would've suffered the ill effects instead of you, then you could simply resummon it.