The Wizard who isn't

[Randomthom]

I'm currently developing a backup character for a campaign where I'm frequently close to losing my front-line hexblade warlock due to the DM's penchant for throwing things that can dish out some serious damage (in a recent battle I got dealt >150 damage by an assassin boss before I got to take a turn).

We're a big party but a little bit magic-light, and the front-line can make do without having to replace me with another front-liner so my thought instantly turned to the arcane casters I rarely get to play but always wanted to.

I love Sorcerer and I love pulling the wool over the eyes of NPCs and my fellow players so my idea is to bring in a character who poses as a wizard but actually isn't. They need to pull off enough magic from a spellbook so as to appear to be a wizard but I want to be able to cast magic on-the-sly too sometimes. My first thought was subtle spell but then I saw the 6th level abberrant mind ability and now I'm loving that too.

So, must-haves: Some form of subtle/silent casting, full spell progression, not dumping intelligence.
Nice-to-have: Ritual caster and/or good utility from spells, good deception, twinned spell disintegrate without anyone knowing it was me.
Don't want: Too much/any Warlock.
Open to ideas: Race, subclass

So, the build idea... I'm looking for suggestions/improvements to this concept but not over-the-top optimisation. Currently adventuring at lvl 12, close to 13.

[Unoriginal]

I'm currently developing a backup character for a campaign where I'm frequently close to losing my front-line hexblade warlock due to the DM's penchant for throwing things that can dish out some serious damage (in a recent battle I got dealt >150 damage by an assassin boss before I got to take a turn).

We're a big party but a little bit magic-light, and the front-line can make do without having to replace me with another front-liner so my thought instantly turned to the arcane casters I rarely get to play but always wanted to.

I love Sorcerer and I love pulling the wool over the eyes of NPCs and my fellow players so my idea is to bring in a character who poses as a wizard but actually isn't. They need to pull off enough magic from a spellbook so as to appear to be a wizard but I want to be able to cast magic on-the-sly too sometimes. My first thought was subtle spell but then I saw the 6th level abberrant mind ability and now I'm loving that too.

So, must-haves: Some form of subtle/silent casting, full spell progression, not dumping intelligence.
Nice-to-have: Ritual caster and/or good utility from spells, good deception, twinned spell disintegrate without anyone knowing it was me.
Don't want: Too much/any Warlock.
Open to ideas: Race, subclass

So, the build idea... I'm looking for suggestions/improvements to this concept but not over-the-top optimisation. Currently adventuring at lvl 12, close to 13.

Taking the Ritual Master feat will get you a book filled with magic scripts that let you cast rituals.

For the "they don't know I'm the one twinning" you could get a Familiar and pretend that they have a spell-storing ring.

[GeoffWatson]

How about a College of Lore Bard with Ritual Caster? You get good spellcasting, and enough skills to be a smartypants.
I had considered playing a character like that, but the campaign didn't get off the ground.

[Ir0ns0ul]

How about a College of Lore Bard with Ritual Caster? You get good spellcasting, and enough skills to be a smartypants.
I had considered playing a character like that, but the campaign didn't get off the ground.

I definetely want to highlight this! The closest you can get from a real Wizard without actually being a Wizard is through a Lore Bard. Get Fireball and Counterspell at level 6, Ritual Caster and go to town. I personally think Sorcerers are needlessly complicated.

[Gignere]

Aberrant Mind + Ritual Caster feat and if you feel it’s still not enough spell casting take Fey Touched and Shadow Touched.

[Osuniev]

my idea is to bring in a character who poses as a wizard but actually isn't. They need to pull off enough magic from a spellbook so as to appear to be a wizard but I want to be able to cast magic on-the-sly too sometimes.

Wow. TWO PCs in my campaign independently had the same idea !!

One of them is a Warlock (Pact of the Tome), who failed as a Wizard so made a pact with an Archdevil. He took the Rituals invocation and was pretty good at maintaining cover, although some people were suspicious of his number of high level spells (the campaign is Gritty Realism in Waterdeep, so Short Rests are easier to come by than long rests).

He was eventually found out because the party Cleric detected that his familiar was a devil, and they spied on him talking to his Patron. (The player knew they were spying but the character did not, they all loved that roleplay session).

The other is a Bard of Whispers, she's done well so far, pretending she's not inscribing new spells in her spellbook to save money for the party's debt. She has privately revealed one of the other PCs she's not a Wizard, and so far no one has found her out. Although it helps that the 3 other players don't know much about wizard mechanical rules, it allowed her to fluff her Song of Rest and Bardic Inspiration as spells.

There were some amazing moments in the early campaign where both of them were asking each other questions about wizardry, each terrified to show their ignorance... For example when the bard explained her Song of Rest "spell", the Warlock said "oh yeah, I think I've heard of that spell !" (and the Bard PMed me : "I didn't even KNOW there was such a spell !!!")

If your players are familiar with the game rules, I'd say Sorcerer is your best bet, with the Ritual Caster feat.

[Droppeddead]

I'm currently developing a backup character for a campaign where I'm frequently close to losing my front-line hexblade warlock due to the DM's penchant for throwing things that can dish out some serious damage (in a recent battle I got dealt >150 damage by an assassin boss before I got to take a turn).

We're a big party but a little bit magic-light, and the front-line can make do without having to replace me with another front-liner so my thought instantly turned to the arcane casters I rarely get to play but always wanted to.

I love Sorcerer and I love pulling the wool over the eyes of NPCs and my fellow players so my idea is to bring in a character who poses as a wizard but actually isn't. They need to pull off enough magic from a spellbook so as to appear to be a wizard but I want to be able to cast magic on-the-sly too sometimes. My first thought was subtle spell but then I saw the 6th level abberrant mind ability and now I'm loving that too.

So, must-haves: Some form of subtle/silent casting, full spell progression, not dumping intelligence.
Nice-to-have: Ritual caster and/or good utility from spells, good deception, twinned spell disintegrate without anyone knowing it was me.
Don't want: Too much/any Warlock.
Open to ideas: Race, subclass

So, the build idea... I'm looking for suggestions/improvements to this concept but not over-the-top optimisation. Currently adventuring at lvl 12, close to 13.

Forge cleric 1, Clockworks sorcerer X. You can have the best armour, lots of damage negating abilities, lots of fun spell.

[Bardon]

I'm having fun with my Arcana Cleric with Ritual Caster:Wizard and Magic Initiate: Druid. They don't know *what* to make of him! The backstory is he was obsessed by magic but didn't have the intelligence or aptitude to become a wizard but he loved magic SO MUCH that the local God of Magic made him a cleric of hers.

Ritual Caster: Wizard gives him a familiar and Unseen Servant right off the bat and he's constantly on the lookout for scrolls of certain Wizard spells... :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

[MrStabby]

What options are on the table?

With things like the Eberron races and Ravnica backgrounds you can pick up enough wizard spells on your spell list to play any spellcasting class and to still come accross as a wizard.

[ff7hero]

I'm having fun with my Arcana Cleric with Ritual Caster:Wizard and Magic Initiate: Druid. They don't know *what* to make of him! The backstory is he was obsessed by magic but didn't have the intelligence or aptitude to become a wizard but he loved magic SO MUCH that the local God of Magic made him a cleric of hers.

Ritual Caster: Wizard gives him a familiar and Unseen Servant right off the bat and he's constantly on the lookout for scrolls of certain Wizard spells... :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

It's a slight tangent, but I'm currently playing a build which similarly confuses people. He's a Sorc1/Hex1/BardX (currently Bard4) who started with Ritual Caster (Wizard) in a West Marches server. I really enjoy the moment during tactical planning when I explain my capabilities and I'm met with "wait, what class are you?"