Illusionist - Sorcerer/Wizard/Trickery Cleric?

[Mojake]

I want to build a character that focuses on illusion magic. The obvious choice is Wizard, but I'd like to explore other options. How viable is it to go with another class for an illusion specialist? I'd like him to be a masterful stage magician with good charisma too - think Ed Norton's Eisenheim the Illusionist. What are some options available to me, and am I best sticking with Wizard?

This character will be for Dragon Heist, so I'm planning on running it from Tier 1 - 4, so it needs to have both social and combat utility.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

Honestly for 1-4 illusionist your best bet is a warlock, (any) and grabbing the silent image and disguise self invocations. Beyond that it gets complicated.

Edit: I misread tier 1-4 as level 1-4 sorry.

From a quick check through Archfey warlock or GOO would work pretty well, GOO also gets you that whole talking into their mind thing which could be awesome.

[Ogun]

Misty Visions for visuals,Minor Illusion for audibles, Prestidigitation for thermal and olfactory,and an Chained Imp familiar for some spooky action at a distance.
Are changelings an option?

[Digimike]

I'd recommend a long look at sorcerer. Metamagics like subtle spell can make your illusions a lot more convincing if you don't have to speak or make gestures. Plus there may be some deception checks in your future so you may want a high charisma anyway.

[Mojake]

I'd recommend a long look at sorcerer. Metamagics like subtle spell can make your illusions a lot more convincing if you don't have to speak or make gestures. Plus there may be some deception checks in your future so you may want a high charisma anyway.

The thing is, none of the Sorcerous Origins available really seem to fit the theme of what I'm going for :smallconfused: otherwise I'd have gone straight for it!

[Kadesh]

The thing is, none of the Sorcerous Origins available really seem to fit the theme of what I'm going for :smallconfused: otherwise I'd have gone straight for it!

Surely a Shadow sorcerer, or a Divine Soul attributed to a trickster god would fit, or a Cloud Giant Soul Sorcerer if you can use Uedit: Even a Copper, Silver or Green Dragon?

[Citan]

Hi!
Honestly, depends.
- You plan on high-level? Illusionist Wizard will be great in the long-run thanks to level 14 feature.
- You'd rather use low-level magic often rather than a few powerful ones in a day? Warlock is the perfect pick.
- You want to be as undetectable as possible when making illusions? Sorcerer with Subtle metamagic is here for you.

Finally: you don't mind multiclassing to get strong features at the price of being limited to low level spells?
Hexblade Tome Warlock 3/5 (depending on your signature spell) + Divine Soul Sorcerer 4-5 is the best chassis to go.

Warlock brings armor proficiency, Repelling Eldricht Blast, potentially all 1st, 2nd and 3rd level rituals, Guidance, Thaumaturgy and Message, and possibly Devils's Sight or free Detect Magic (as an illusionist, you want to quickly get when there is similar magic used against you ^^) or Silent Image (you're an illusionist after all) or Disguise Self (to pair with Friends).
Plus Suggestion.
Sorcerer brings any Cleric spell you fancy (Bless being a great one), plus Silence (write as ritual then swap for another spell), Counterspell/Dispel, Enhance Ability (helping Persuade others of your illusions), Subtle and Extend metamagic, Shocking Grasp in case of on top of Mage Hand, Minor Illusion and Prestidigitation.
And any spell you'd like to keep relevant when mind manipulation is not an option (Fireball, Hypnotic Pattern, Fear). AND the all-important Catnap to guarantee (more or less) at least one short rest per day.
(Some of them are on Warlock list too ;)).

After that you can either just pump up on of the two classes to access higher spells (like Sorcerer to get Skill Empowerment for on-demand Expertise, at the cost of concentration)...
- Or multiclass into Rogue 11 straight for becoming disgustingly good at all your schemes with Reliable Talent and two Expertises,
- Or multiclass into Lore Bard to get Expertises earlier, even more sound/image related cantrips and spells, Bane and (possibly short-rest) Bardic Inspiration to help party or ensure people can't see through your illusions. With possibly Magic Secrets to pick other powerful 3rd level spells.
- Or multiclass into Knowledge Cleric if you want to never be taken in default whatever kind of check is required to make an illusion "work".

For example, a level 15 character split equally between Warlock, Sorcerer and Bard can be a force as powerful in adventuring days as a single class.
Or possibly more, if you are playing in a game where DM really lets time to players to influence the world and plan long-term. :)

[Dalebert]

if you're going into the higher tiers, illusionist archetype features are some of the most brokenly good, not just of wizards but of any class. Warlocks can get unlimited Disguise Self and/or Silent Image earlier, but once you're a 9th level wizard(illusionist) you can cast Seeming and you get Disguise Self at will on your entire party for 8 hours. There are countless shenanigans you can exploit with the ability to alter your illusions after casting.

Phantasmal Force: Change the target of the illusion. Move it.
Illusory Script: Keep a couple of these on hand. They last a long time. Turn them into whatever you need at the moment.
Seeming: Your entire party has whatever appearance is convenient in the moment for 8 hours.
Creation: Create a wooden bracelet in the morning. For 24 hours, it's any wooden object you want at any moment up to 5 x 5 x 5 cube.
Project Image: You can teleport the image anywhere you can see up to 500 miles from your body. Scout all over the place quickly. Haven't been somewhere before? Put the image up in the sky. Now it can see really far away. Teleport it miles each round to get where you want to go.
Major Image: Cast it with a 6th level slot. Now you can an illusion that can become anything you want in any moment without castng a spell (so no counterspell).

Once you're level 14 things get really silly. Now you can turn a silent image into an object--a bridge, a stairway, a Daern's Instant Fortress with murder holes to cast spells out of.

Once you're 18, now you can get Silent Image at-will. Now with your action and bonus action you can create anything that would fit in a 15 x 15 cube at-will that lasts a minute.

[Keravath]

Hi

I'd suggest the shadow sorcerer/hexblade warlock multiclass from both a thematic and mechanical perspective (though you could also go with GOO warlock if you want the ability to project your thoughts ... Ghostwise halfling can also do this).

-Shadow and illusion would seem to go well thematically
-The warlock illusion based invocations .. disguise self at will and Silent Image at will would both be awesome for an illusionist .. since you won't need spell slots for either.
- take warlock to level 5 to get agonizing blast as well if want to have the typical sorcerer/warlock quickened eldritch blast trick.
- the invocations also free up these spells from your fairly short sorcerer spell list
- shadow sorcerer also gets darkness and the ability to see in their own darkness spells which from the point of view of a stage performer would be pretty cool

Mechanically, using hexblade makes the character only dependent on charisma for both spells and
weapon attacks

- sorcerer also lets you choose the "subtle" meta magic which makes it much easier to cast the illusion spells in social or combat situations without being noticed.

Another possibility might be a yuan-ti pureblood illusion wizard/sorcerer or warlock ... but this requires a bit more in the way of stats.

[Dalebert]

In summary, if you can be patient, you basically get the warlock stuff as an illusionist:

* Disguise Self at will: 9th level you get Seeming. It lasts 8 hours and you can change it thanks to Malleable Illusions

* Silent Image at will: 11th, you can cast Major Image with a 6th level slot making it permanent. Now use Malleable Illusions to turn it into whatever illusion you want. Only it's better because you don't have to concentrate on it... ever.