5.0 Mage Build

[Mrark]

Hi everyone, I am a quite experienced 3.5 player, and I am starting a new adventure with the 5.0 version, with a rock gnome Wizard. What I’m looking for is some advices for optimising my character, since I don’t know much about this version: something like best spell to choose, best arcane tradition and how to approach to this 5.0 D&D with a Wizard. Thanks everybody!

[nickl_2000]

Hi everyone, I am a quite experienced 3.5 player, and I am starting a new adventure with the 5.0 version, with a rock gnome Wizard. What I’m looking for is some advices for optimising my character, since I don’t know much about this version: something like best spell to choose, best arcane tradition and how to approach to this 5.0 D&D with a Wizard. Thanks everybody!

Hi there! Welcome to 5e. 5e doesn't have a best in particular for traditions as much as 3 and 3.5 did. However, different ones do different things and we need some questions answered prior to being able to help to much. What is your character goal? Are you wanting to do as much damage as possible, buff allies, battlefield control, or some other play style? Do you like illusions?

[sophontteks]

This is probably the best place to start: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?450158-Treantmonk-s-Guide-to-Wizards-5e

[CantigThimble]

First off, you should know that 5e is MUCH less optimization focused than 3.5. The best and worst subclasses in 5e are still pretty much within the same tier according to 3.5 tier lists, so you can really just wing character creation and do fine.

With that out of the way...
What level are you starting at?
What does the rest of the party look like?
Do you have access to the Sword Coast Adventure Guide and Xanthar's Guide to Everything or just the PHB?

[Unoriginal]

Hi everyone, I am a quite experienced 3.5 player, and I am starting a new adventure with the 5.0 version, with a rock gnome Wizard. What I’m looking for is some advices for optimising my character, since I don’t know much about this version: something like best spell to choose, best arcane tradition and how to approach to this 5.0 D&D with a Wizard. Thanks everybody!

Hello!

There is no real "best arcane tradition" in 5e (btw, 5.0 implies there will be more than one version of it, which is something the game authors want to avoid), all depends on what you want to do with your Wizard. So it'd be hard to answer your question without knowing more about what you want. Same things for spells, really.

As general advice, if you want your Wizard to have more chance to survive combat, you better put either your second highest stat in either DEX or CON, and put your third highest one in the one you didn't choose before.

Which level will you start at?

[Mrark]

I think we are using all the handbooks. I’d like the idea of a big ass-whoopin mage dealing **** tons of damage, but I Also like the no-damage-save-or-die Wizard concept. I Guess both those playstyles Will be good to me. We are starting from level one.

[smcmike]

The main thing to understand going in is that Concentration means you will not be able to completely lock down the enemy in the way a 3.5 caster could. In my last 3.5 encounter, I dropped grease, glitterdust, and ray of enfeeblement on a couple of giants, and the only thing left to do for the rest of the party was clean up the mess.

The good news is that any wizard is probably going to work well. Just pick what you like to do. For combat, the two that speak to me are Abjurer and Evoker, but maybe you prefer messing around with illusions or the walking dead.

[Unoriginal]

I think we are using all the handbooks. I’d like the idea of a big ass-whoopin mage dealing **** tons of damage, but I Also like the no-damage-save-or-die Wizard concept. I Guess both those playstyles Will be good to me. We are starting from level one.

There aren't any real no-damage-save-or-die spells in 5e.

If you want a big damage-dealer, I suppose the School of Evocation is for you. As spells, Firebolt is a good one, as is Chromatic Orb (but it require a 50gp diamond as focus) and I think Magic Missile is better for Evokers.

[Mrark]

Tell me more about abjurer and evoker: these were the ones i liked the most when I read them! I also took a look at the war mage, who seems like an interesting choice.

[Unoriginal]

The War Mage is an interesting choice, as are all the classes and subclasses, but it's more a "I survive and deal damage" subclass than the "I deal very big damage" one.

Don't have the time to talk about the Evoker or Abjurer right now, but I'll give you another important piece of advice for 5e:

Contrarily to what one could see in optimized 3.X, the casters can't do everything better than the martials. All classes have things they're better at, and things they're worse at.

In term of combat, t's generally recognized the casters are best for dealing with a lot of weaker enemies, while martials are better to handle fewer but stronger foes. However, in most of the situations both in and out of combat, it's when teamwork is in action that the PCs are the most devastating.

For example: the Wizard casting Invisibility on the Rogue is almost certainly going to be more effective than the one casting Invisibility on themselves and sneaking next to the visible Rogue.

[solidork]

I played with an Abjurer from levels 5-12 and he was quite solid. He was a Dwarf, so he had medium armor and an axe and he actually fought in melee a lot of the time without too many problems. Counterspell is one of the best spells, and as an Abjuration wizard you are among the best at using it.

One of the few save or "die" spells is actually an Abjuration spell, Banishment. It's pretty unique in that they only get one chance to save, and it targets a particularly weak stat for most creatures.

[Unoriginal]

I played with an Abjurer from levels 5-12 and he was quite solid. He was a Dwarf, so he had medium armor and an axe and he actually fought in melee a lot of the time without too many problems.

Yeah, Dwarven Abjurers are strudy and tough. Not the best if you want only big damages or play a gnome, though.


Counterspell is one of the best spells, and as an Abjuration wizard you are among the best at using it.

Eeeeh... It's a good spell, but pretty situational. And having to Counterspell the enemy without knowing what spell they're casting doesn't make it the most easy or safe to use, to say the least. Still, it can indeed save one's beacon.


One of the few save or "die" spells is actually an Abjuration spell, Banishment. It's pretty unique in that they only get one chance to save, and it targets a particularly weak stat for most creatures.

Target doesn't die, though. Unless you're dealing with a being from another plane, they'll show up again when the Banishment ends.

[smcmike]

Abjuration is perfect for tough wizards - the mountain dwarf with armor is the classic. You can tank a bit, hit with weapons, and protect the party with defensive magic.

Evocation is fun because you get to drop fireballs without hurting your friends, and dropping fireballes is always fun. It’s worth noting that their 6th level ability, Potent Cantrip, doesn’t actually work with most wizard cantrips, and is therefore even worse than it looks (and it doesn’t look that great in the first place, in my opinion). All the other abilities are good for dealing lots of damage though.