A Sorcerer that's actually a Cha-based Wizard

[Edea]

Currently a teenaged human (flavor only) male, Wizard 1. Born with an eidetic memory, along with the innate ability to understand complex magical formulas and interpolate their outcomes relative to anticipated variables via libral synesthesis (basically he can "feel" how a spell work just by reading glyphs that should be complete nonsense to someone untrained, and scribe them down without knowing what he's doing). Otherwise has a perfectly normal Intelligence (Int 10), though he's gregarious and charming (Cha 17), and has noted his magic is more effective as his self-confidence increases (as opposed to any actual broadening of his understanding regarding what he's doing).

Parents are both experienced adventurers, a Paladin and a (battlemaster) Fighter, neither of whom have the slightest interest in anything arcane. Wizard friend came to have dinner with them one night, only to see [my character] writing something in a 'journal'. Innocently went over to ask what he was writing about, only to discover the character had written out the standard spell formula for mage armor, perfectly. Wizard was rightfully stunned, character could only offer that they don't know the "why" or even the "how," just the "what." Wizard decided the best way to teach in this unusual circumstance was to just let the boy have some proper ink and reagents, and 'go to town' while he supervised. Character became a "wizard" himself in short order, despite the Wizard (and both also-stunned, onlooking parents) never offering even a shred of advice; just encouragement and materials.

Character superficially sets out on an adventuring lifestyle for reasons typical of a wizard (and others believe the lie, given how charismatic he is), but in reality he just wants to impress the adult authority figures in his life, who love him dearly and are already well-off from their own adventuring careers, such that they'd really rather he didn't go off on some dangerous trek knowing full-well what might happen to him.

He's shown a particular affinity for force effects, and it's likely he'll turn into an Abjurer.
Race (Skin): Human; qualifies for feats as a Human.
Race (Mechanical): Half-Elf, but replaced Darkvision and Fey Ancestry with Lucky and Brave (DM already vetted this one).
Background: Custom (Religion/Medicine, proficient in herbalism kit, noble equipment set)
So, I got to play a Hexbow character before this, and it was a lot of fun (bit one-note, though, kinda just 'hex-and-shoot'). Now we're rolling up for the next 'mini-set' of adventures (we do this a lot) and I wanted to play a Sorcerer...except I'm just not happy with it, mechanically.

I went ahead and asked our forever-DM if I could play a Cha-based Wizard, instead. He seemed to like the background I wrote up and said it'd be fine, but if I could just draft up a list of changes this causes. Wrote those up, here:

Hit Points: Unchanged

Proficiencies:
-Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
-Skills: (remove History/Religion, add Deception/Persuasion)

Equipment: Unchanged

Spellcasting: replace Int with Cha

Other Class (Chassis) Features: Unchanged

Arcane Traditions:
-Arcane Ward (Abj): replace Int with Cha
Does this seem alright? Am I missing any glaring issues?

We're going to progress quickly, 1st -> 5th -> 10th -> 15th and then rotate again, so no big if it doesn't work out. I think the main issue'd be multiclassing, so going to try and just go straight wizard (or if I do multiclass it'd be into a non-Cha class). Any build advice beyond multiclassing? Magic items tend to be custom drops (100% DM purview, we don't deal with hunting down formulas due to our rotation rate), so no worries about that, either.

[Chugger]

If the DM allows this, you have a Wiz who is really good at social skills like persuasion and so on. Looks fine.

Basically you need to add a rule than any "int roll" - like rolling to add a scroll to your spell book - is a cha roll now.

[Lunali]

Based on your description of him, I would make him a sorcerer that pretends to be a wizard, rather than making a cha version of wizard. Also, I would place his int as being on par with his cha as memory is 90+% of how intelligence is used in game. Alternatively, you could give him a merely above average int with the keen mind feat.

[ahyangyi]

This actually reminds me of a real-life scam: "Quantum Speed Reading". Its advocates claim that with special training, people can learn from books without actually reading it.

A sample of their bull****:


Unlike the many well established forms of speed reading that are in existence QSR does not require the book to be opened at all. The book is simply held up in front of the reader's face and the pages are flipped rapidly using the thumb much like when preparing to shuffle playing cards. It is thus a truly revolutionary advancement in education.

Similarly, perhaps your sorcerer carries a book around, but instead of actually opening the book and preparing daily spells, he just "invokes" the book as if it's a crystal ball or something, and somehow manages to get his spells from it.

Sounds fun actually.

[Edea]

Based on your description of him, I would make him a sorcerer that pretends to be a wizard, rather than making a cha version of wizard.

Unfortunately that was my main beef; mechanically sorcerer's got some issues (at least for this), and what I wanted to be able to do with the character just seems a lot easier if I go with the wizard chassis, instead.

I'm not sure what feats would go well for an abjuration specialist, either. I don't want him getting into melee, so not trying to hybridize him (life cleric 1 seems just as attractive here as it would for a normal Int wizard, honestly).

[Mr Adventurer]

Not sure if you're only making an Abjurer but if not then another subclass with things affected by Int bonus is Bladesinger

[Segev]

I’m not sure why the cha focus on a wizard chassis, myself, either. I don’t see an inherent balance problem, so if it’s fun and your DM is okay with it, why not?

But I will suggest an alternative: Lore Bard. Use comedy or oratory as your primary performance type. More bards know stuff, so can play the know-it-all wizard pretty well. They know a lot of spells, too.

[GalvanicFour64]

I think the main issue'd be multiclassing, so going to try and just go straight wizard (or if I do multiclass it'd be into a non-Cha class). Any build advice beyond multiclassing?


As long as you stay away from Paladin, Sorcerer, bard and warlock multiclassing ( basically anything that uses CHA ), then if your DM is fine with it, go and have a bloody good time 🙃

My advice is a level (or two) in fighter, nothing you haven’t already heard before, nothing too much cos well yer a wizard so you should try stick to that as much as possible.
A level or two in rogue instead would be pretty cool too

Other than that I’d say stick with wizard and have fun.

[Mr Adventurer]

Ritual Caster (Wizard) on a Lore Bard perhaps