Advice for Storm King's Thunder: Wizard School

[gjf2a]

I have a 1st level mountain dwarf Wizard in Storm King's Thunder. The other characters are a Tempest Cleric, a War Cleric, and a rock gnome Wizard planning to go Divination.

My original plan for the character was to go Abjuration. I'm still considering that. But I am also considering Evocation and Enchantment. Evocation is appealing because our clerics tend to charge forward into melee, and it would facilitate dropping AoE attacks at any point in combat to have the Spell Shaping ability. I'm considering Enchantment because (as a mountain dwarf) he has a pretty solid armor class, and might be able to get close to dangerous opponents with low Wisdom (like, perhaps, giants) and use Hypnotic Gaze to take them out of combat.

Thoughts?

[McSkrag]

Assuming you are set on a Dwarf Wizard I think Evocation would help your party the most by giving you friendly AOEs for your front line clerics. But I think you're going to have a lot of overlap with the other wizard.

If you're not set on Dwarf, but want a wizard, you should look at a High Elf Bladesinger. You're still a full wizard but you've got melee skills for skirmishing which your party is lacking. Plus they are a lot of fun to play.

NADRIGOLs guide (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sTjFnr813CNPqBM5joI-_ocHceG5_ZbzP2jD4cE4S6U/edit#heading=h.huy48lg0mddt) has a lot of good advice on Bladesingers.

If you're open to something else a Rogue Arcane Trickster is 1/3 wizard and gives the party a lot of extra damage, skills, and versatility. Also a lot of fun to play.

[ImproperJustice]

Transmutation can be fun and flies under most folls radar. I see a lack of skill monkeys in your crew.
Maybe that could be adaptive, size-changing, shape shifting, tiny servant summoning you?

[Oramac]

I'm running SKT for a group right now, and the Illusionist Wizard in the group is wreaking havoc with the published combat encounters. I've had to double some of the monster counts in fights just so they don't steamroll it.

That said, Illusionist does take some really good creativity with your spells. If you don't want to do that, I think Evocation is probably your best bet

=========================

If you're not dead set on playing a wizard, might I suggest a Rogue/Ranger, Bard, or ranged Fighter? Your party has a lot of spellcasting already, but with the 2 clerics and a wizard already, it lacks a skillmonkey and a dedicated healer. The clerics can fill the healer role, but in my experience War and Tempest clerics much prefer to kill things.

[gjf2a]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

The game is already underway, so the character is set and will definitely continue to be a dwarf wizard. We are all still at first level, but I am trying to think ahead about his ultimate path.

It has worked pretty well so far. The clerics focus on melee, my dwarf focuses on blasting, and the gnome focuses on shenanigans/crowd control.

I'm probably leaning toward Evocation at this point, but still entertaining other possibilities, primarily Abjuration, Enchantment, and Illusion. Transmutation doesn't really seem to be a direction I can imagine with this character.

Thanks again for your input!