Bladesinger, God of Combat

[KittenMagician]

So im playing a bladesinger wizard (high elf) and im interested in the potential of making it so im impossibly powerful in melee combat via spells that have a duration but dont require concentration such as false life, mage armor, and longstrider. i really want to be like "oh combat is coming up? gimme a minute to cast a bunch of spells. whump, foosh, bling. ok now im a god of combat."

what i need help with is finding all the spells that would be good in this sense. also maybe a small list of concentration spells to determine which my one for combat should be. (im partial towards haste and tenser's transformation) thanks for your help

[RSP]

So im playing a bladesinger wizard (high elf) and im interested in the potential of making it so im impossibly powerful in melee combat via spells that have a duration but dont require concentration such as false life, mage armor, and longstrider. i really want to be like "oh combat is coming up? gimme a minute to cast a bunch of spells. whump, foosh, bling. ok now im a god of combat."

what i need help with is finding all the spells that would be good in this sense. also maybe a small list of concentration spells to determine which my one for combat should be. (im partial towards haste and tenser's transformation) thanks for your help

First, I think there’s more lower level spells than higher in terms of helping melee combat, so if you can get the Spell Point Variant in play, that’ll help lengthen your day.

Second, I think Shadow Blade is the better option over Haste for a Bladesinger as the BS already has great defense but lacks added damage. Advantage in a lot of situations and an added d8 or two helps more than +1 Attack. Also, SB doesn’t waste a turn if it drops.

[McSkrag]

Mirror Image is a great non-concentration defensive spell.

Mage Armor is the same as +1 Studded Leather. So you can save a spell slot if you can find that armor or better.

Upcast Shadow Blade is your best bet to increase damage. You'll want to start with a 17 DEX so you can take Elvish Accuracy to get the most out of the advantage it gives you in dim light and darkness.

A few levels of swashbuckler rogue would also help with melee damage and maneuverability.

[iTreeby]

Find familiar is a great non concentration spell, magic initiate could let you pick up ceremony. If you went bard you might be able to steal more spells and be a different race than bladesinger but you like what you like.

[Dork_Forge]

Some non concentration defensive buffs:

Mage Armor
False Life
Mirror Image
Blink
Flame Shield
Shout out to Armor of Agathys (Dip, magic initiate etc.)

[Crgaston]

Jump can be fun if you want to imagine leaping about the battlefield.

If you have the Cha for it, either one level of Warlock or Magic Initiate: Warlock for Armor of Agathys, Booming Blade, and whatever utility cantrip(s) is something to consider. AoA is one of the absolute best non-concentration gish spells there is once you get higher level slots. MI won't impact your slot progression, but taking the level gets you another Spell Known and a groovy ability like telepathic communication (GOO) or healing (Celestial).

(Doh!!! ninja'd!!)

[CheddarChampion]

Hard to beat Tenser's Transformation (XGtE) at higher levels. And Foresight if you get that far.
You can go to this site and filter for all kinds of spells (Wizard, no concentration, action/bonus action):
https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/spells/

I don't think you'll easily surpass a Battle Master of your level. You get a few THP, a spell that makes you harder to hit, a slightly faster speed... very similar to a fighter with Mobile compared to a wizard (extra attack, armor, d10 HD...)

[Damon_Tor]

Keep in mind that if you've got the time and money to set one up, a Glyph of Warding can be used to remove concentration from a spell, even a "buff" spell you deliver onto yourself. There is some debate as to if and how a Glyph of Warding works for a "self" spell like Tenser's Transformation or Shadow Blade, but a spell like Haste or Greater Invisibility will certainly work. At high levels when you have access to the spell Demiplane you can store said Glyph inside the Demiplane and access it whenever you need it. Earlier it's possible you might get away with storing it inside a Bag of Holding or a Portable Hole, but that's somewhat more questionable in terms of the rules and it's certainly bordering on cheesy.

[Xetheral]

Some non concentration defensive buffs:

Mage Armor
False Life
Mirror Image
Blink
Flame Shield
Shout out to Armor of Agathys (Dip, magic initiate etc.)

One of the best ways to get Armor of Agathys on a melee-focused Bladesinger is a three-level (or four-level) dip into Conquest Paladin. It's more costly than Magic Initiate, but the addition of smiting to a Bladesinger massively increases their offense. And upcast Armor of Agathys is brutal when you liberally use Song of Defense to keep it up longer.

(Admittedly, this doesn't work as well if the DM uses multiclass stat minimums.)

[KittenMagician]

Keep in mind that if you've got the time and money to set one up, a Glyph of Warding can be used to remove concentration from a spell, even a "buff" spell you deliver onto yourself. There is some debate as to if and how a Glyph of Warding works for a "self" spell like Tenser's Transformation or Shadow Blade, but a spell like Haste or Greater Invisibility will certainly work. At high levels when you have access to the spell Demiplane you can store said Glyph inside the Demiplane and access it whenever you need it. Earlier it's possible you might get away with storing it inside a Bag of Holding or a Portable Hole, but that's somewhat more questionable in terms of the rules and it's certainly bordering on cheesy.

are you saying to cast glyph of warding while inside the demiplane? so that i can pull them out later and use them?

[furby076]

how does glyph of warding remove concentration component from a spell?

[Dork_Forge]

One of the best ways to get Armor of Agathys on a melee-focused Bladesinger is a three-level (or four-level) dip into Conquest Paladin. It's more costly than Magic Initiate, but the addition of smiting to a Bladesinger massively increases their offense. And upcast Armor of Agathys is brutal when you liberally use Song of Defense to keep it up longer.

(Admittedly, this doesn't work as well if the DM uses multiclass stat minimums.)

I've never come across a DM that doesn't use the stat reqs (and personally I use them, though I make Paladins Str/Dex 13 Cha 1, it makes more sense, though I also remove race restrictions from the SCAG subclasses), even if you do avoid the prereqs though that's too heavy a dip for me. You're pushing your ASIs significantly when you want to be maxing Dex and Int as soon as possible, hopefully with room left for feats.

[SVamp]

The biggest problem you’ll have is that your melee damage won’t scale well. At level 11 when you are fighting an enemy with 200ish hps, your cute 1d8+stat rapier x 2 is ridiculous and stupid, specially when you are one crit away from losing most of your HPs. (And it doesn’t even compare favourably to a cantrip, 3d12 (toll the dead) never mind a real action)

As a comparison the fighter will be hitting 3x 2d6+10+stat + precision hit due, in addition to any buffs he manages to get (ring of spell storing, for example)

Yes, you could, for example, drop a lvl 5 slot on shadow blade to do 2x 4d8+stat for 1 minute or until the enemy crits, whichever happens first. Doesn’t sound TOO bad right? Except of course you could have instead used animate objects lvl 5 to do 10 x 1d4+4 , each turn, as a bonus action, while being safe at range, and STILL being able to do USEFUL wizard stuff with your turn instead of poking things with a neato toothpick. (Carry 10 daggers to use with this spell in a small bag)

There’s a reason that people go valor bard or sorcadin for these melee caster builds: they’re simply far more powerful.

Blade singer is a perfectly fine wizard if you play it as a ranged wizard with truly good AC who isn’t defenceless vs someone in melee. Heck I wonder if you could make a reasonable one handed crossbow range build with it, now that I think about it. Would take some good rolled stats. But a powerful melee blade singer isn’t really a thing. You can make it work, but never powerfully, imho.

[HiveStriker]

The biggest problem you’ll have is that your melee damage won’t scale well. At level 11 when you are fighting an enemy with 200ish hps, your cute 1d8+stat rapier x 2 is ridiculous and stupid, specially when you are one crit away from losing most of your HPs. (And it doesn’t even compare favourably to a cantrip, 3d12 (toll the dead) never mind a real action)

As a comparison the fighter will be hitting 3x 2d6+10+stat + precision hit due, in addition to any buffs he manages to get (ring of spell storing, for example)

Yes, you could, for example, drop a lvl 5 slot on shadow blade to do 2x 4d8+stat for 1 minute or until the enemy crits, whichever happens first. Doesn’t sound TOO bad right? Except of course you could have instead used animate objects lvl 5 to do 10 x 1d4+4 , each turn, as a bonus action, while being safe at range, and STILL being able to do USEFUL wizard stuff with your turn instead of poking things with a neato toothpick. (Carry 10 daggers to use with this spell in a small bag)

There’s a reason that people go valor bard or sorcadin for these melee caster builds: they’re simply far more powerful.

Blade singer is a perfectly fine wizard if you play it as a ranged wizard with truly good AC who isn’t defenceless vs someone in melee. Heck I wonder if you could make a reasonable one handed crossbow range build with it, now that I think about it. Would take some good rolled stats. But a powerful melee blade singer isn’t really a thing. You can make it work, but never powerfully, imho.
Why in the world would you be "one crit away"? Contrarily to Fighter, Wizard has many mobility enhancements available: Bladesong brings 10 feet, Longstrider is a cheap way to add another 10, and that's before accounting for things like instant move spells (Misty Step and other), magical equipment, or the Mobile feat which most smart melee martial should pick...

So any decent Bladesinger that builds into melee will have at minimum 30 (race) + 20 (Mobile + Bladesong) feet of movement before Dashing or extras, AND ability to fall back after attacking without OA (Mobile feat).
And it's not until CR 15 great minimum that you start getting enemies that can match that speed.

--> First enemy needs to reach you (most multiattacks are melee attacks, so by forcing a fallback on ranged attack you already reduce the risk)

Furthermore Wizard has great base AC while Bladesinging, to which he can add Shield and possibly Mirror Image for the biggest fight.

---> Few enemies can reliably hit a 23+ AC until CR 15+ creatures, at which time you should have many safety nets set up anyways.

As for crits, Adamantine is a quality found on Uncommon magic items and negates crits, there are also items that force disadvantage on attacks against you. So it's not like it's that hard to mitigate that risk either.

As for "Valor Bards or Sorcadins" are more powerful, that's simply a false assessement because largely too wide. How do define "powerful"?
If you go by "highest melee damage attainable in a nova round", disclaimer, the most powerful is neither Valor Bard or Sorcadin anyways, but a strange mix of Hexblade Warlock, Whispers Bard, Devotion Paladin and possibly a bit of Sorcerer or Rogue (doesn't remember exacty, someone did the maths but was months ago: basically stacking Whisper's once per turn damage with Warlock and Paladin smite, or simply Whispers and upcast Shadow Blade).

And otherwise? Bladesinger is actually the one with the widest tools available without requiring any far-stretched investment: defensive spells (Shield / Absorb Elements / Mirror Image / Protection from Energy / Contingency / etc), mobility spells (Longstrider / Expeditious Retreat / Misty Step / etc), versatile spells (Invisibility / Haste / Greater Invisibility / Polymorph), offensive spells (Magic Weapon / Shadow Blade / Tenser's Transformation / or even Hold Person or Monster)...
Plus natural access to Simulacrum (costly until you get Wish but means you can have another concentration buff running on you -or tag-team-) and Find Familiar (which apparently by RAW can, provided adequate appendice, use Ring of Spell Storing so yet another concentration spell).

Other characters can get this, sure, but it requires either feat investment, multiclass or simply Magical Secrets (which makes Bard the best second chassis for that, because Sorcadin while getting other goodies will struggle with spell progression).

Who cares that playing Bladesinger Wizard as a melee character is not necessarily the overall best way to play it? Only OP's friends would have any legitimity in grumbling around, and only if OP was the only caster in group with access to powerful concentration spells.
Otherwise, you are simply badwrongfuning him without any ground to boot: because (properly thought out) Bladesinger can outshine Fighter in damage from second round onwards in many, many situations on most levels as long as still having slots (which means at least 3 fights per day, more with a bit of luck).

[Waazraath]

@HiveStriker: OP says he wants a 'god of combat'. SVamp explains bladesinger isn't going to be one, at least not a melee god of combat. And he's right, even though the '1 crit away' remark might be an exaggeration.

Mirror Image, False Life, Longstrider: all nice spells, with their uses, but none of them makes you a combat god. Neither does Armor of Agathys; though it can be great in melee, you'll have to upcast it in a high slot to make it work, and then you'll burn rescources at an alarming rate, especially when you also need an upcast Shadow Blade, and other buff spells. For a result in damage that is lacking compared to dedicated fighters, paladins, or other gish/ multiclasses.

[Chronic]

I love the bladesinger subclass but I fail to see how you can turn it in a combat god as the title says. The bladesinger is a very defensive mage with decent capabilities in melee. If he invest heavily in a melee build he will be good but will never reach the top of the dpr charts. The major problem with the bladesinger is how much you must invest to stay competitive with other martials, thus depleting your other options.
Still they makes strong defensive combatant when built in a proper fashion and are thematically very cool.

[Ceiphied]

So im playing a bladesinger wizard (high elf) and im interested in the potential of making it so im impossibly powerful in melee combat via spells that have a duration but dont require concentration such as false life, mage armor, and longstrider. i really want to be like "oh combat is coming up? gimme a minute to cast a bunch of spells. whump, foosh, bling. ok now im a god of combat."

what i need help with is finding all the spells that would be good in this sense. also maybe a small list of concentration spells to determine which my one for combat should be. (im partial towards haste and tenser's transformation) thanks for your help

Hello!

I'm currently playing with a bladesinger. If you want to be good at close-combat, I think the best option is to select several classes. I've followed the next steps:

- First level I recommend to be warrior, to get expertise in constitution save rolls (along with the bonus of bladesong for concentration rolls, you'll get to almost never lose a concentration spell), also, you will get weapon and armor proficiency and combat style (I prefer duelist). Nevertheless, one of the best parts is going to be: Second Wind.

-The next 6 levels should be invested as wizard. Doing this, we get defensive and useful interesting spells:


a) Level 1 (shield, absorb elements, mage armor, feather fall, find familiar...).
b) Level 2 (blur and misty step (mental barrier if UA spells are allowed in your campaign)).
c) Level 3 (haste, counterspell and dispel magic).

Mirror image does not worth it, because of the high class armor you will have. Blur is useful when you are going to receive a lot of attacks. Even when you think the attacks will be splitted between other characters in the game. On the other hand, haste gives you one more attack, double the speed (80 feet), grants +2 AC and skill roll advantages... it's really a top option here. Also, at level 6 you have two attacks to use alternately with the green flame blade cantrip.

-The next 3 levels in warrior. You will get at second level: Action Surge to activate all shenanigans in the first turn and attack without action economy issues. At third level: You can take the champion archetype (here you get Superior Critical). In the fourth level of warrior the feat elven accuracy, together with the familiar (using help action) and the three attacks you possess (two attacks + one more attack under the haste spell effect) you generate a very favorable scenario for fishing crits (with 19-20 on each die). I recommend the owl as a family option because of its flyby ability that allows it to go out in combat without provoking attacks of opportunity.

-The rest of the levels would be invested in rogue, Inquisitive or Swashbuckler subclass. I prefer the inquisitive subclass because its features are more interesting both in and out of combat. In any case, the sneak attack and cunning action will give you damage and maneuverability. Additionally, Evasion and Uncanny Dodge will sky-rocket your survival in close combat.

Other interesting options that could generate a lot of synergy with the class, besides the elven accuracy feat, would be to raise the intelligence to the maximum using ASIS and go for more dexterity after that. The feats that you must consider meanwhile you go up in the rogue class would be: Resilience in Saves (more survival), alert and lucky (with the last one you can prevent the damage done by critics).

All in all, it's true that you may not have the fighting power or prowess of other classes, but you will get a lot of survival, maneuverability, and useful spells in exchange, building in this way a tough character with respectable damage.

Regarding the spell "Tenser's Transformation", it blocks you from casting other spells. This affects basic defensive spells like shield.

[Xetheral]

I've never come across a DM that doesn't use the stat reqs (and personally I use them, though I make Paladins Str/Dex 13 Cha 1, it makes more sense, though I also remove race restrictions from the SCAG subclasses), even if you do avoid the prereqs though that's too heavy a dip for me. You're pushing your ASIs significantly when you want to be maxing Dex and Int as soon as possible, hopefully with room left for feats.

The four-level Paladin dip doesn't lose any ASIs at all. It loses one spell level worth of spell slots, and two spell levels worth of spells known. For a melee-focused Bladesinger that might be an acceptable cost from the dramatic increase in damage output possible with Smite and the Armor of Agathys/Song of Defense combo.

[RSP]

The four-level Paladin dip doesn't lose any ASIs at all. It loses one spell level worth of spell slots, and two spell levels worth of spells known. For a melee-focused Bladesinger that might be an acceptable cost from the dramatic increase in damage output possible with Smite and the Armor of Agathys/Song of Defense combo.

I think the “pushing ASIs” statement was in having to max Dex and Int, while also needing Con, and then needing 13 Cha and Str to multiclass, rather than referring to losing ASIs.

If not having rolled ridiculously well, there’s no way to meet the multiclass requirements without sacrificing your Int and Dex.

Edit: also, I agree it’s a very taxing dip. As a BS you want your spell slots and spells known. Further, using slots on Smites, AoA, SoD and a combat buff leaves very, very little sustainability, so not a very useful build, outside of the one combat workday, in my opinion (for whatever that’s worth).

Using AoA at a high slot, and needing to preserve the tHPs, will use spell slots much faster than just playing a normal BS, which can take hits and use their HPs as a resource that can be replenished during SRs (which are needed anyway). Using AoA means having to use SoD before any HPs can be used to soak up hits. Using Smites means less slots for SoD, Shield, AE, SB, utility, buffs, etc. it’s a very resource heavy build, that doesn’t even get the benefits of armor proficiency.

The base BS is fine as a melee combatant, with potential “god” AC and defenses. With SB, it does decent consistent damage to go with that defense. That shines plenty in combat and out (as they’re still a Wizard).

[Xetheral]

I think the “pushing ASIs” statement was in having to max Dex and Int, while also needing Con, and then needing 13 Cha and Str to multiclass, rather than referring to losing ASIs.

If not having rolled ridiculously well, there’s no way to meet the multiclass requirements without sacrificing your Int and Dex.

Edit: also, I agree it’s a very taxing dip. As a BS you want your spell slots and spells known. Further, using slots on Smites, AoA, SoD and a combat buff leaves very, very little sustainability, so not a very useful build, outside of the one combat workday, in my opinion (for whatever that’s worth).

Using AoA at a high slot, and needing to preserve the tHPs, will use spell slots much faster than just playing a normal BS, which can take hits and use their HPs as a resource that can be replenished during SRs (which are needed anyway). Using AoA means having to use SoD before any HPs can be used to soak up hits. Using Smites means less slots for SoD, Shield, AE, SB, utility, buffs, etc. it’s a very resource heavy build, that doesn’t even get the benefits of armor proficiency.

The base BS is fine as a melee combatant, with potential “god” AC and defenses. With SB, it does decent consistent damage to go with that defense. That shines plenty in combat and out (as they’re still a Wizard).

From my standpoint the option to go Nova when required is extremely valuable. Sure, most days a Bladesinger/Conquest Paladin can use resources like a normal melee Bladesinger, and is a bit worse at it since they have slightly fewer spell slots and significantly less access to higher level spells. But when the chips are down, the peak power output of the Bladesinger/Conquest Paladin dwarfs that of a standard Bladesinger. Sure, it burns resources at an unsustainable pace, but while your spell slots hold out the character is much more survivable and puts out much greater damage. That seemed to me to be what the OP was looking for.

[KittenMagician]

Hey OP here:

First of all i think most of you misread my original post. I wasnt asking what class combinations were conceivably the "God of Combat" combinations. I already know what I'm doing for the class combos and feats. I was asking for help with spells that have a decent duration (1 minute or longer preferably hour+) that dont require concentration. I wanted opinions on spells that i should consider "must-haves" and which i should consider to be "garbage." And then i further asked for what might be some good concentration spells for the one i concentrate on.

A few of you did point out some interesting things i had not considered, such as combining Demiplane with Glyph of Warding but im still a little confused on the timing required for it.

Also I feel like i should say that the only classes i could multiclass into are Fighter, Rogue, and Artificer, and im sure as hell not wasting an ASI on getting the prereqs for any other possible multi classing.

[HPisBS]

Demiplane Glyphs are awesome. Demiplane lets your circumvent the part where Glyphs break "if you move it more than 10 ft from where you cast it." How? Simple: Demiplane is stationary, but the door to the Demiplane appears wherever you are.

Thus, you cast your Greater Invisibility, etc into Glyphs within the Demiplane during downtime. Then, when the time comes, the first thing you do is open your Demiplane, go in, and activate however many Glyphs you want, which you can do because they never moved > 10 ft in the Demiplane.

[Misterwhisper]

My plan for playing a blade singer:

1. Engage blade dance for great ac, and concentration.

2. Cast spells like a normal wizard.

3. Win.

[KittenMagician]

Demiplane Glyphs are awesome. Demiplane lets your circumvent the part where Glyphs break "if you move it more than 10 ft from where you cast it." How? Simple: Demiplane is stationary, but the door to the Demiplane appears wherever you are.

Thus, you cast your Greater Invisibility, etc into Glyphs within the Demiplane during downtime. Then, when the time comes, the first thing you do is open your Demiplane, go in, and activate however many Glyphs you want, which you can do because they never moved > 10 ft in the Demiplane.

Glyph of warding has a casting time of 1 hour, and demiplane only lasts an hour. if you become trapped inside your own demiplane you cant cast demiplane to get out only to another demiplane and thats why im confused about the timing.

[iTreeby]

Glyph of warding has a casting time of 1 hour, and demiplane only lasts an hour. if you become trapped inside your own demiplane you cant cast demiplane to get out only to another demiplane and thats why im confused about the timing.
Banish yourself?

[McSkrag]

My plan for playing a blade singer:

1. Engage blade dance for great ac, and concentration.

2. Cast spells like a normal wizard.

3. Win.

Yep. This is the right answer for pure/mostly bladesinger tactics. You are a wizard first who can also melee if needed. Bladesong helps you stay closer to the action to get in position for cone and line shaped AOE's and to better cover your frontline with counterspell.

If you want to be a bladesinger melee "God of Combat", you are better off as an arcane trickster that dips 2-3 levels of bladesinger. You'll have insane AC, mobility, rogue goodies, and magical ambush will help you land spells. With booming blade + shadow blade + sneak attack you'll do solid melee damage.

I am currently playing this build and it is exceptional in melee. I've tanked a balor and an adult black dragon.

[RSP]

From my standpoint the option to go Nova when required is extremely valuable. Sure, most days a Bladesinger/Conquest Paladin can use resources like a normal melee Bladesinger, and is a bit worse at it since they have slightly fewer spell slots and significantly less access to higher level spells. But when the chips are down, the peak power output of the Bladesinger/Conquest Paladin dwarfs that of a standard Bladesinger. Sure, it burns resources at an unsustainable pace, but while your spell slots hold out the character is much more survivable and puts out much greater damage. That seemed to me to be what the OP was looking for.

It’s a lot worse of a BS.

You sacrifice Con, and dump Wis, for two meaningless 13’s in Str and Cha. You need to go Eladrin to make it work, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

With other arrays you can get a higher Int and/or Con. Starting with Con 14 rather than Con 10 is a noticeable difference on the BS.

And you’re 2 levels of spells known, and 1 level of slots back, not to mention behind on BS abilities (Extra Attack, SoD, etc), depending on when you multi.

All this for a spell, AoA, that doesn’t mesh well with the abilities of the class. BS have great defense, and specifically, a very high AC, however, AoA is only effective when you get hit, so it doesn’t really have a synergy with the rest of the class.

Also, using SoD to maintain AoA only comes online at level 14, when a straight BS has 6th and 7th level spells, and +Int mod to damage. That’s a big loss for an ability that requires a lot of your limited resources.

So that’s Tensor’s Transformation - which probably would do more then the smiting damage (each hit, with Advantage on attacks, does ~13 damage with TT, about the same as a 2nd level Smite), and 50 tHPs, more than a 9th level AoA, for a combat without having to burn so many resources - and, say, Forcecage, while having a Contingency of your choice up and getting a bunch of help from your Simulacrum.

If you hit 6 times in a combat (let’s ignore that TT gives Advantage for now and so with TT you’re going to hit more often), that’s all your 2nd and 3rd level slots burned on Smites (the 3rds will do about 4-5 points more damage than TT, per hit), plus a 6th level AoA upcast to get the tHPs/damage. Then maybe burning your 4ths and 5ths to SoD damage. So that one encounter burns all of your 2nd and 3rd level slots, your 6th, and a couple 4ths or 5ths.

I admit that would be a great way to do a lot of damage in an encounter, however, it’s too much of a sacrifice, in my opinion, particularly since a Sorcadin or Palalock works so much better if you’re looking for a Paladin multiclass. If you know you’re doing 1 encounter work days, and roll really well for stats, it’ll work a lot better (though so would a P6/S8 or anything else).

[Nagog]

I'd say the greatest weakness of the Bladesinger is extremely low HP and MADness. Regular Wizards are pretty SAD with Int, Bladesingers need good Dex for AC and good Con for health as well. Even with good Con, you'll want to pick up Tough as well, as well as probably War Caster/Resilient (Con). Considering how far the base Wizard class is from any form of martial prowess ever, it's gonna take a lot of building to make them a top notch martial combatant.

[Xetheral]

It’s a lot worse of a BS.

You sacrifice Con, and dump Wis, for two meaningless 13’s in Str and Cha. You need to go Eladrin to make it work, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

With other arrays you can get a higher Int and/or Con. Starting with Con 14 rather than Con 10 is a noticeable difference on the BS.

And you’re 2 levels of spells known, and 1 level of slots back, not to mention behind on BS abilities (Extra Attack, SoD, etc), depending on when you multi.

All this for a spell, AoA, that doesn’t mesh well with the abilities of the class. BS have great defense, and specifically, a very high AC, however, AoA is only effective when you get hit, so it doesn’t really have a synergy with the rest of the class.

Also, using SoD to maintain AoA only comes online at level 14, when a straight BS has 6th and 7th level spells, and +Int mod to damage. That’s a big loss for an ability that requires a lot of your limited resources.

So that’s Tensor’s Transformation - which probably would do more then the smiting damage (each hit, with Advantage on attacks, does ~13 damage with TT, about the same as a 2nd level Smite), and 50 tHPs, more than a 9th level AoA, for a combat without having to burn so many resources - and, say, Forcecage, while having a Contingency of your choice up and getting a bunch of help from your Simulacrum.

If you hit 6 times in a combat (let’s ignore that TT gives Advantage for now and so with TT you’re going to hit more often), that’s all your 2nd and 3rd level slots burned on Smites (the 3rds will do about 4-5 points more damage than TT, per hit), plus a 6th level AoA upcast to get the tHPs/damage. Then maybe burning your 4ths and 5ths to SoD damage. So that one encounter burns all but your 1st level spells and a couple 4ths or 5ths.

I admit that would be a great way to do a lot of damage in an encounter, however, it’s too much of a sacrifice, in my opinion, particularly since a Sorcadin or Palalock works so much better if you’re looking for a Paladin multiclass. If you know you’re doing 1 encounter work days, and roll really well for stats, it’ll work a lot better (though so would a P6/S8 or anything else).

I did note in my original post that the Paladin/Wizard multiclass doesn't work nearly as well if the DM enforces multiclass stat minimums. So I agree with you there. However, since the OP has clarified that they're not looking for a different multiclass combination and are specifically focused on spell selection, I'm going to drop the debate on whether the advantages of the multiclass outweigh the other costs.

[Spore]

i really want to be like "oh combat is coming up? gimme a minute to cast a bunch of spells. whump, foosh, bling. ok now im a god of combat."

While this is a cool idea in and of itself, I suggest spreading your efforts between buffs, utility (invisibility AVOIDS unnecessary combat AND allows you to scout ahead so you actually got time to buff up) and debuffs/battlefield control. You are still a wizard after all.

The action isn't going to stop for a minute every time combat breaks out and you shouldn't rely solely on buffs. Additionally long terms buffs are very much your friend.

[HiveStriker]

@HiveStriker: OP says he wants a 'god of combat'. SVamp explains bladesinger isn't going to be one, at least not a melee god of combat. And he's right, even though the '1 crit away' remark might be an exaggeration.

Mirror Image, False Life, Longstrider: all nice spells, with their uses, but none of them makes you a combat god. Neither does Armor of Agathys; though it can be great in melee, you'll have to upcast it in a high slot to make it work, and then you'll burn rescources at an alarming rate, especially when you also need an upcast Shadow Blade, and other buff spells. For a result in damage that is lacking compared to dedicated fighters, paladins, or other gish/ multiclasses.
Except I still disagree on that, kinda strongly to boot.
Yeah, Bladesinger cannot get GWM's extra damage.
Sure, even going Crossbow Expert while working RAW would require some multiclass or feat investment to get hand crossbow proficiency.

But BS has otherwise enough AC and mobility to kite, especially once he picked Mobile (first ASI). (S)he naturally qualifies for Elven Accuracy (second ASI) AND has several spells that allow to generate advantage, either through self-buff or enemy debuff, although the latter is usually harder to take advantage of because using an action spell. Self-buff works well though: Greater Invisibility allowing you to be better in both offense and defense than most other martials, from level 7 onwards, so just before the chance to go EA way.

If you don't care about chance to hit, Haste at level 5 makes you precisely the kind of melee god of combat (for that level), up to 3 encounters. Because yes, let's not forget about Arcane Recovery. Paired with Mobile, you can woosh in and out back to a safe range before any enemy could act unless they Readied for you. Or you could instead buff yourself with a simple Warding Wind or Blur. It all depends on your assessemnt of the situation, with primary question being of course "if I went Haste how high is the chance for enemies to break it early and doom me as a consequence?" (which is why Haste is but one option among others ^^) :)

Of course, using "regular" spells like Hold Person or Slow can bring better value when they land because everyone in party profits, but you can perfectly use them for yourself first and foremost.

It gets "worse" at higher levels: Steel Wind Strike is a very effective cost for benefit spell as long as you hit on the melee attack (so qualifies as "melee god"). Plus although it's not RAW so obviously DM-dependent, most DM that I know would rule that you get advantage on a prone target because the spirit of the spell definitely is that you make flash teleport attacks.

And that's before accounting for Simulacrum tricks (although this is indeed a very costly tactic), plus Find Familiar Hold the Ring tricks...
Yeah, Wizard consumes lots of spells to be great at melee, but properly played it's definitely better than any martial damage wise except extremely niche, optimized characters... "As long as he has spells", sure, but most good buffs you want are 1st to 4th level, and you get Arcane Recovery, so you can be fully functional with comparable overall efficiency to a martial usually 3-4 fights a day ime. And when you finally get 18th level and 20th, you have better AC defense than any martial unless lucky magic equipment and short-rest replenishable 3rd level spells.

In other words: "melee god of combat" =/= "highest ceiling of RAW weapon damage". You have to take into account player defenses, mobility, ways to affect enemy decision-making, defense or action economy to really get the true overall efficiency of anyone.
Bladesinger will fail hard in most mental saves compared to most other melee at least martial ones, that's a certitude. He'll also get wiped if he's not careful and get a nasty surprise, and he'll definitely feel weak if blowing everything early. No argue on that.

Thing is, Wizard is supposedly smart, and have a lot of tools to anticipate and plan the best course of action.
You cannot evaluate it without keeping that. :)

Furthermore, you're not supposed to be alone. D&d is a teamwork game, so you have to plan with and around it. Like a Barbarian is a sucker on mental saves, should he run away whenever party faces enemy with it? Nope, unless nobody has ways to diminish risk of sucking or has ways to remove condition.
Same here. Just know your strenghs, party's, and decide what spells and tactics to use. :)

Only true problem of Bladesinger ime is that if your DM doesn't give chances at learning extra spells, you will really have to choose between niching yourself into just a magically empowered melee, or choose a few "melee empowering spells" and hope your tactic will work always (dubious ^^), or just be a regular Wizard that sometimes gets fancy and wades into melee. And considering the many fun spells Wizard have, it's a tough choice, unless you jump out of the boat to make a multiclass gish (which is out of scope here).

Really though, just the Shield (Absorb Elements) + Blur + Mirror Image with occasional Haste, Hold Person or Shadow Blade, and later Greater Invisibility and Hold Monster, with only specific investment being Mobile, carries far enough weight up until level 13 or so. How many people play further? :)

[kazaryu]

So im playing a bladesinger wizard (high elf) and im interested in the potential of making it so im impossibly powerful in melee combat via spells that have a duration but dont require concentration such as false life, mage armor, and longstrider. i really want to be like "oh combat is coming up? gimme a minute to cast a bunch of spells. whump, foosh, bling. ok now im a god of combat."

what i need help with is finding all the spells that would be good in this sense. also maybe a small list of concentration spells to determine which my one for combat should be. (im partial towards haste and tenser's transformation) thanks for your help

first of all, I apologize for all the people that are wildly off topic.

regardless,
for concentration: shadow blade, Haste, greater invisibility, tenser's transformation are the big 4. each has their own place. i tend to disagree that shadowblade is 'better' than haste. thing is that haste doesn't *just* give you a free attack. if the only thing you consider is damage, then sure shadow blade can give you more of that. but haste means you always move at double speed (can't hit whats not in range) and you can dash/disengage. It also ignores the possibility of magic items. a flametongue weapons, for example. greater invis is probably going to be better than haste in pretty much every way, although overall less versatile, disadvantage to hit you, with that massive AC you have, is really good. and all your attacks being at advantage.

tenser's vs greater invis is actually a fairly tough call. i'd probably go tenser's for battles with fewer, beefier, enemies (and use greater invis when there are a large number of enemies. the logic being that more enemies means that more attacks. generally with a lower to-hit. but youre still likely to get hit regularly, and you don't have much HP. and song of defense only works 1/round. whereas with disadvantage, you'll almost never get hit (and its nearly impossible to crit you).

[HPisBS]

Glyph of warding has a casting time of 1 hour, and demiplane only lasts an hour. if you become trapped inside your own demiplane you cant cast demiplane to get out only to another demiplane and thats why im confused about the timing.


Banish yourself?


Yeah, you'd want Plane Shift to get back.

Banishment also works, except that spell doesn't say anything about letting you choose where the target ends up on their plane. So, assuming the dm reads that to mean "returns to a random spot in his home plane," you'd likely return to the middle of the ocean (statistically speaking).


Though, if you have Demiplane, you're fairly close to being able to just Wish up a Glyph for free once per day.