new optimized abjuration wizard

[samuraijaques]

With the new options available in Tasha's I started thinking about old builds that I've been wanting to play. The one I want to try next is the abjuration wizard. Specifically I've always wanted to combine abjuration wizard with armor of agathys and some method of recharging the ward.

So the things the build needs are:
- as many levels of abjuration wizard as possible
- armor of agathys
- a method of recharging the ward

There's a couple ways to get armor of agathys but I think the best ways are either mark of warding dwarf, levistus tiefling or just taking a level or two in warlock. As for the ward I think the best ways are svrfneblin magic, the alarm ritual (which takes forever unfortunately) or the armor of shadows invocation.

So here's the thinking. We can take 2 levels of warlock and get both armor of shadows and armor of agathys but it delays our wizard levels by 2 and means we need 13 cha. if we go with one of the races that get armor of agathys we can take the eldritch adept feat and get armor of shadows with our first asi and not delay our wizard levels at all.

So my question is how best do you get these features onto one character with the least disruption to the build overall? any thoughts? I'm honestly just leaning towards the 2 level warlock dip.

[ftafp]

With the new options available in Tasha's I started thinking about old builds that I've been wanting to play. The one I want to try next is the abjuration wizard. Specifically I've always wanted to combine abjuration wizard with armor of agathys and some method of recharging the ward.

So the things the build needs are:
- as many levels of abjuration wizard as possible
- armor of agathys
- a method of recharging the ward

There's a couple ways to get armor of agathys but I think the best ways are either mark of warding dwarf, levistus tiefling or just taking a level or two in warlock. As for the ward I think the best ways are svrfneblin magic, the alarm ritual (which takes forever unfortunately) or the armor of shadows invocation.

So here's the thinking. We can take 2 levels of warlock and get both armor of shadows and armor of agathys but it delays our wizard levels by 2 and means we need 13 cha. if we go with one of the races that get armor of agathys we can take the eldritch adept feat and get armor of shadows with our first asi and not delay our wizard levels at all.

So my question is how best do you get these features onto one character with the least disruption to the build overall? any thoughts? I'm honestly just leaning towards the 2 level warlock dip.

Generally, a 1-level dip is less intrusive than a full-feat, but a 2 level dip is pushing it. I'd recommend you play either a custom race or vuman and get the armor of shadows invocation from your starting feat with eldritch adept. One level of warlock can get you armor of agathys, but I'd recommend starting on wizard and taking the warlock level later so you're not useless at your most vulnerable levels

[Greywander]

Something to keep in mind is that racial spells are usually cast at their lowest level, unless it says otherwise, and cannot be cast using spell slots. Armor of Agathys is most potent when upcast, as not only does the temp HP increase, but so does the damage per hit taken. While it might not be the best use of a 9th level slot, the most efficient use of Armor of Agathys is when casting it at 9th level (for 45 temp HP and 45 damage per hit) as a 20th level Abjuration wizard. You need Armor of Agathys as a known spell, not a racial spell. As such, it seems like the only viable options are the Mark of Warding dwarf or a warlock dip. It's generally accepted that Magic Initiate doesn't work unless you actually have warlock levels, though I'll still assert that the text says nothing to that effect, only that the spell becomes known to you.

Sadly, it seems like your Arcane Ward will take any damage before things like resistance apply, but you can at least stretch those temp HP by getting resistance (e.g. Blade Ward), or using something like Heavy Armor Master. Oddly enough, you might benefit from having a low AC, as Armor of Agathys only deals damage when you get hit. That said, if every enemy hits you, you might die, but if every enemy misses you, then you basically get a free turn, so maybe high AC is better after all.

IIRC, there are some subclasses that get Armor of Agathys as part of an expanded spell list, though I don't recall off the top of my head which class or subclass gets this. But it might be worth looking into as an alternative to a warlock dip. The problem with a warlock dip is that you're trading a high level spell slot (or two) for a short rest spell slot, and you could use that high level spell slot to cast Armor of Agathys. Having an extra 7th level slot lets you deal 35 damage with Armor of Agathys, not as good as casting it at 9th level but way better than casting it at 1st or 2nd level.

[samuraijaques]

Generally, a 1-level dip is less intrusive than a full-feat, but a 2 level dip is pushing it. I'd recommend you play either a custom race or vuman and get the armor of shadows invocation from your starting feat with eldritch adept. One level of warlock can get you armor of agathys, but I'd recommend starting on wizard and taking the warlock level later so you're not useless at your most vulnerable levels

so variant human/custom lineage for armor of shadows plus a 1 level dip into warlock then?


Something to keep in mind is that racial spells are usually cast at their lowest level, unless it says otherwise, and cannot be cast using spell slots. Armor of Agathys is most potent when upcast, as not only does the temp HP increase, but so does the damage per hit taken. While it might not be the best use of a 9th level slot, the most efficient use of Armor of Agathys is when casting it at 9th level (for 45 temp HP and 45 damage per hit) as a 20th level Abjuration wizard. You need Armor of Agathys as a known spell, not a racial spell. As such, it seems like the only viable options are the Mark of Warding dwarf or a warlock dip. It's generally accepted that Magic Initiate doesn't work unless you actually have warlock levels, though I'll still assert that the text says nothing to that effect, only that the spell becomes known to you.

Sadly, it seems like your Arcane Ward will take any damage before things like resistance apply, but you can at least stretch those temp HP by getting resistance (e.g. Blade Ward), or using something like Heavy Armor Master. Oddly enough, you might benefit from having a low AC, as Armor of Agathys only deals damage when you get hit. That said, if every enemy hits you, you might die, but if every enemy misses you, then you basically get a free turn, so maybe high AC is better after all.

IIRC, there are some subclasses that get Armor of Agathys as part of an expanded spell list, though I don't recall off the top of my head which class or subclass gets this. But it might be worth looking into as an alternative to a warlock dip. The problem with a warlock dip is that you're trading a high level spell slot (or two) for a short rest spell slot, and you could use that high level spell slot to cast Armor of Agathys. Having an extra 7th level slot lets you deal 35 damage with Armor of Agathys, not as good as casting it at 9th level but way better than casting it at 1st or 2nd level.

I looked at the other subclasses that get it and the only other one that isn't UA was the oath of conquest paladin which doesn't really work with the build. Mark of warding really does seem like the optimal race pick to me.

[diplomancer]

A new option now (still worse than Mark of Warding Dwarf though, but interesting if your DM does not allow for Dragonmarked races) is 2 levels of Clockwork Sorcerer; it delays your spellcasting by more than 1 level of Warlock does, but you'd have better slots. You can get the new metamagic feat, perhaps even at level 1 as a V. Human, to make full use of the Flexible Casting feature you get from Sorcerer 2. Restore Balance is pretty decent and scales with proficiency. You also get Con saves if you start with Sorcerer, though I'm not sure that's an improvement; Wis saves are pretty important, and if you are going to get Resilient, you'd rather raise your odd Con than your odd Wis. Though honestly, and as much as I hate to say it, I believe this build, though viable, is still worse than Hexblade 1, mostly because of the armor proficiencies.

You could also go full sorcerer of course; clockwork sorcerer gets something like Arcane Ward at level 6; but though the trick works the same way, I'd say the 2 builds are different enough that they are still both viable choices.

Finally, a completely different build I just thought of would be a Sorcadin with Clockwork Sorcerer 6 for the ward. Interesting idea for a very high level campaign. A conquest paladin 7/clockwork sorcerer 6 is scary; hold the people in your fear aura. Now all they can do is attack you. When they do, they take damage and not even scratch your Armor of Agathys.

[Ir0ns0ul]

Mark of Warding Dwarf is the best by a mile. You get one free cast of Mage Armor and Alarm as a racial feature, and at level 3 you can also cast Arcane Lock (2nd level) for free. You have basically three free methods of replenish your Ward without burning spell slots. Who needs Armor of Shadows?

Of course a Hexblade dip can offer some other major benefits like medium armor & shield prof, and Hexblade Curse which is the basis for the Nuclear Wizard build, giving you even more repertoire. But personally speaking, I rather don’t multiclass and progress as full Warding Dwarf Abjurer getting all lovely spells and ASIs at the proper level. Sometimes even 1 level dip sounds a little frustrating in my humble experience.

[diplomancer]

Mark of Warding Dwarf is the best by a mile. You get one free cast of Mage Armor and Alarm as a racial feature, and at level 3 you can also cast Arcane Lock (2nd level) for free. You have basically three free methods of replenish your Ward without burning spell slots. Who needs Armor of Shadows?

Of course a Hexblade dip can offer some other major benefits like medium armor & shield prof, and Hexblade Curse which is the basis for the Nuclear Wizard build, giving you even more repertoire. But personally speaking, I rather don’t multiclass and progress as full Warding Dwarf Abjurer getting all lovely spells and ASIs at the proper level. Sometimes even 1 level dip sounds a little frustrating in my humble experience.

Yes, if Mark of Warding is an option, always go with it. I'd say an Artificer level is still worth it then, but probably only after level 5. There is NO power increase a wizard gets, at any level, proportionally higher than the 2 3rd level slots at 5th level, with the possible exception of Simulacrum at 13 and Wish at 17, and most games simply don't get that far. The difference between an upcast 2nd level slot and a 3rd level spell is huge, and you have that difference 2 times per day at level 5. Definitely bigger than the difference between an upcast 3rd level and a 4th level slot, which you only have one time per day at level 7.

[Sol0botmate]

@LudicSavant did a full best build for Abjurer back then and it's still best, especially now because you can grab Eldricht Adept: Shadow Armor feat from Tasha's.

So 1 Level Cleric with heavy armor (Life, Forge for +1 AC, Twilight etc.)/19 level Abjurer. Race: Mark of Warding Dwarf. Feat: Eldricht Adept: Shadow Armor. Pack rest in INT to 20.

Done. You have 21 AC Wizard (if you went Forge) with heavy armor + shield, who has access to Armor of Agathys (Mark of Warding) + Shadow Armor Mage Armor spam between fights to refill his Ward. Concentration is pretty much safe as enemies have to go through your Ward, your Armor of Agathys, your Shield (+5 AC giving you 26 AC), your Absorb Elements and your 21 AC. Once you have Contingency: make it cast AoA when your AoA is down, instantly repleneshing your AoA to make sure enmies will die from frustration trying to even get to your HP bar.

On top of that of course you are still Wizard so Wall of Force, Fireball, Hypnotic Pattern, Simulacrum and so on are to your disposal.

Plus as Abjurer you are getting spell damage resistance + advantage on save throws vs spells at level 15. You are ultimate tank.

[LudicSavant]

@LudicSavant did a full best build for Abjurer back then and it's still best, especially now because you can grab Eldricht Adept: Shadow Armor feat from Tasha's.

So 1 Level Cleric with heavy armor (Life, Forge for +1 AC, Twilight etc.)/19 level Abjurer. Race: Mark of Warding Dwarf. Feat: Eldricht Adept: Shadow Armor. Pack rest in INT to 20.

Done. You have 21 AC Wizard (if you went Forge) with heavy armor + shield, who has access to Armor of Agathys (Mark of Warding) + Shadow Armor Mage Armor spam between fights to refill his Ward. Concentration is pretty much safe as enemies have to go through your Ward, your Armor of Agathys, your Shield (+5 AC giving you 26 AC), your Absorb Elements and your 21 AC. Once you have Contingency: make it cast AoA when your AoA is down, instantly repleneshing your AoA to make sure enmies will die from frustration trying to even get to your HP bar.

On top of that of course you are still Wizard so Wall of Force, Fireball, Hypnotic Pattern, Simulacrum and so on are to your disposal.

Plus as Abjurer you are getting spell damage resistance + advantage on save throws vs spells at level 15. You are ultimate tank.

Hey, thanks!

I dunno if I'd go so far as to say my Hobgoblin Iron Wizard is necessarily the best Abjurer build, but it's definitely still strong and hasn't been made obsolete with Tasha's. Mountain Dwarves still don't get a shield proficiency, and that jump from 17+spells to 19+spells is a bigger deal than the jump from Mage Armor to Medium Armor (due to the way AC has nonlinear returns). Mountain Dwarves can take Moderately Armored too if they want, but in that case they're basically trading in 5 movement speed and Save Face for Poison Resistance and +1 on their statline.

Mark of Warding Dwarf with a 1 level Cleric dip is a lean, mean, Abjuring machine. So is a single class Mark of Warding Dwarf, for that matter.

VHuman or Custom Lineage with Eldritch Adept is quite good, too, getting the infinite recharge going immediately, and will be up an ASI over Svirfneblin.

Mark of Healing Halfling with a 1 level Life Cleric dip is not only are great at mitigating damage, but at healing it back, too (using things like Life Domain-boosted Aura of Vitality, Healing Word, Lesser Restoration, Greater Restoration, Soul Cage, etc).

Mark of Shadows can give you Pass Without Trace as an Abjuration on your spell list. Combine it with a 1-level dip into an initiative or stealth boosting Cleric (like Peace or Twilight) for an Abjurer that turns the party into an iron ninja strike team.

For some real gouda you can throw in Ravnica backgrounds too to expand your spell list. Pass Without Trace, Warding Bond, Aid, Protection from Poison, Freedom of Movement, and Death Ward are all examples of useful Abjuration spells that can be granted by Ravnica backgrounds.

[Dualswinger]

Yeah, my plan to run this is Mark of Warding Dwarf, with the feat at earliest opportunity to grab Eldritch Adept, Armor of Shadows. That'll set me for the early levels. Probably take something like Sword Burst to just walk into the middle of groups of foes and start AOE blasting, using my Shield and Absorb Elements to mitigate damage from single large foes

[samuraijaques]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Getting a lot of useful info. Ludicsavant's iron wizard is almost exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for so that's a great help.

As it stands I think I'm going 1 level of some cleric with heavy armor (not sure which yet) and then the rest wizard, taking eldritch adept at my first asi then dumping the rest into int.

My other thought is fighter 1 then wizard x. I get a fighting style, the heavy armor proficiency and con save proficiency. Thoughts?

[Sol0botmate]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Getting a lot of useful info. Ludicsavant's iron wizard is almost exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for so that's a great help.

As it stands I think I'm going 1 level of some cleric with heavy armor (not sure which yet) and then the rest wizard, taking eldritch adept at my first asi then dumping the rest into int.

My other thought is fighter 1 then wizard x. I get a fighting style, the heavy armor proficiency and con save proficiency. Thoughts?

Cleric all the way. Especially likes like Forge, Twilight or Life gives better omph than 1 level Fighter.

[Ir0ns0ul]

My other thought is fighter 1 then wizard x. I get a fighting style, the heavy armor proficiency and con save proficiency. Thoughts?

Honestly, I don’t think Fighter is a good multiclass because it delays your spell progression and you’ll want to have WIS prof at some point. Cleric 1 is fine, specially because heavy armor will not impact in movement, you can have same AC by going Forge Cleric, as the guys said.

However, as I said, I wouldn’t multiclass because you have plenty of durability as an Abjurer.

[samuraijaques]

Honestly, I don’t think Fighter is a good multiclass because it delays your spell progression and you’ll want to have WIS prof at some point. Cleric 1 is fine, specially because heavy armor will not impact in movement, you can have same AC by going Forge Cleric, as the guys said.

However, as I said, I wouldn’t multiclass because you have plenty of durability as an Abjurer.

The role I'm trying to fill is that of a front line character so the high ac is actually pretty important to me and I appreciate the versatility that a level of cleric gives me along side that.

[diplomancer]

The role I'm trying to fill is that of a front line character so the high ac is actually pretty important to me and I appreciate the versatility that a level of cleric gives me along side that.

But remember that, with this build, you actually want to be hit, at least while in melee, not all the time, obviously, but at the very least you want to end every combat having "spent" your Arcane Ward and a few of your Armor of Agathys.

It's another reason why I think one level of artificer is better; you can have 18 AC without investing 5 points into Wis and no stealth disadvantage (which is a big deal); artificer 1 gives you, eventually, more 1st level spells prepared than Cleric 1. True, you have to invest 7 points into dex, but I think Dex is a better stat to invest in than Wis. They are both good, but initiative is the "tie-breaker".

Finally, one word of warning for going the Heavy Armor route if your DM tracks encumbrance; though dwarves don't have a movement penalty for wearing heavy armor, if you simply dump strength you might be limited in what else you can carry. You might have to go all "old D&D" and buy a beast of burden to carry stuff like food.

[samuraijaques]

But remember that, with this build, you actually want to be hit, at least while in melee, not all the time, obviously, but at the very least you want to end every combat having "spent" your Arcane Ward and a few of your Armor of Agathys.

It's another reason why I think one level of artificer is better; you can have 18 AC without investing 5 points into Wis and no stealth disadvantage (which is a big deal); artificer 1 gives you, eventually, more 1st level spells prepared than Cleric 1. True, you have to invest 7 points into dex, but I think Dex is a better stat to invest in than Wis. They are both good, but initiative is the "tie-breaker".

Finally, one word of warning for going the Heavy Armor route if your DM tracks encumbrance; though dwarves don't have a movement penalty for wearing heavy armor, if you simply dump strength you might be limited in what else you can carry. You might have to go all "old D&D" and buy a beast of burden to carry stuff like food.

I guess I just value the level 1 abilities from cleric more than the level 1 abilities from artificer.

[diplomancer]

One more thing to consider if going the Heavy Armor/Armor of Shadows route is the sheer time it takes to doff/don heavy armor. Time that not only might be eating into your Armor of Agathys, but time during which you can be very vulnerable if you dumped Dex.

Sure, your DM might waive the requirement of needing to be without armor to be a valid target for Mage Armor; but unless he does, this is something to take into account in this particular combo. I'd honestly just skip the Mage Armor invocation; Mark of Warding Dwarf has 3 free Abjuration spells, that you use to recharge your ward when time is of the essence; when it isn't, Ritual Alarm will be sufficient while walking/exploring.

One more thing in favour of the Hexblade 1/Abjurer X Deep Gnome build, at least.

[Valmark]

One more thing to consider if going the Heavy Armor/Armor of Shadows route is the sheer time it takes to doff/don heavy armor. Time that not only might be eating into your Armor of Agathys, but time during which you can be very vulnerable if you dumped Dex.

Sure, your DM might waive the requirement of needing to be without armor to be a valid target for Mage Armor; but unless he does, this is something to take into account in this particular combo. I'd honestly just skip the Mage Armor invocation; Mark of Warding Dwarf has 3 free Abjuration spells, that you use to recharge your ward when time is of the essence; when it isn't, Ritual Alarm will be sufficient while walking/exploring.

One more thing in favour of the Hexblade 1/Abjurer X Deep Gnome build, at least.

Note that the Magic Ward requires you to cast a spell, not be targeted by it. You can still cast it on yourself even if you're an invalid target (obviously the spell fails, but you wouldn't care about that in this context).

[noob]

Get non detection at will: it is the best power that ever existed in the entirety of dnd 5e since scry and die was born.(without nondetection 3 times a day for each party member you just die from a scry and die attack)
It also replenish your ward fast.
I forgot which race and feat you needed for that however.

[diplomancer]

Note that the Magic Ward requires you to cast a spell, not be targeted by it. You can still cast it on yourself even if you're an invalid target (obviously the spell fails, but you wouldn't care about that in this context).

This works IF your DM uses the Xanathar optional rule for invalid targets; if he doesn't, he might say no spell was cast because of a lack of valid target. I'm not saying "it doesn't work". I'm saying "ask your DM how he rules before comitting to this build; point out the Xanathar rule to convince him that it's alright to rule like this if necessary."


Get non detection at will: it is the best power that ever existed in the entirety of dnd 5e since scry and die was born.(without nondetection 3 times a day for each party member you just die from a scry and die attack)
It also replenish your ward fast.
I forgot which race and feat you needed for that however.

It's the Deep Gnome racial feat; but if you go that route you will need either Hexblade 1 or Sorcerer 2. But I agree, non detection at will is good by itself, specially once your opponents start to be powerful spellcasters in their own right, though it should be noted that limiting the casting to yourself only is a considerable drawback; recharging your ward is what makes it really worthwhile.

[Damon_Tor]

if we go with one of the races that get armor of agathys we can take the eldritch adept feat and get armor of shadows with our first asi and not delay our wizard levels at all.

This right here makes sense to me.

One nice thing about the Mark of Warding Dwarf as opposed to the tiefling is that it makes Armor of Agathys a wizard spell for you, so you can make it one of your Spell Mastery options later if you want to (though there are better options, since you'll want to upcast AoA when possible). Mark of Warding also has one free casting of Mage Armor a day, so that saves you a spell slot every day before you get Armor of Shadows, which makes a big difference at early levels.

[samuraijaques]

One more thing to consider if going the Heavy Armor/Armor of Shadows route is the sheer time it takes to doff/don heavy armor. Time that not only might be eating into your Armor of Agathys, but time during which you can be very vulnerable if you dumped Dex.

Sure, your DM might waive the requirement of needing to be without armor to be a valid target for Mage Armor; but unless he does, this is something to take into account in this particular combo. I'd honestly just skip the Mage Armor invocation; Mark of Warding Dwarf has 3 free Abjuration spells, that you use to recharge your ward when time is of the essence; when it isn't, Ritual Alarm will be sufficient while walking/exploring.

One more thing in favour of the Hexblade 1/Abjurer X Deep Gnome build, at least.

Literally never even thought of that. Thankfully my DM is chill with it being cast anyway. Never noticed that you had to be unarmored to cast mage armor.

[Valmark]

Literally never even thought of that. Thankfully my DM is chill with it being cast anyway. Never noticed that you had to be unarmored to cast mage armor.

To be a valid target, not to cast it. Ideally you can spam it on your familiar and no issue would rise up (assuming you have a familiar).

Honestly with at-will Mage Armor throwing it on the familiar is always a good idea, I think.

[diplomancer]

To be a valid target, not to cast it. Ideally you can spam it on your familiar and no issue would rise up (assuming you have a familiar).

Honestly with at-will Mage Armor throwing it on the familiar is always a good idea, I think.

Armor of Shadows is at-will Mage Armor on yourself. It would be way too good otherwise... undead minions, moon druids, familiars, rogues, bards, dex fighters and rangers..

[LudicSavant]

Per the “Invalid Spell Target” rules, you cast the spell, it just doesn’t give anyone an AC bonus. But you don’t care, because you still get the ward regen. No doffing required.

[diplomancer]

Per the “Invalid Spell Target” rules, you cast the spell, it just doesn’t give anyone an AC bonus. But you don’t care, because you still get the ward regen. No doffing required.

True, but that is an optional rule from Xanathar. Better check with your DM if it works this way before you invest in this route.

[Valmark]

Armor of Shadows is at-will Mage Armor on yourself. It would be way too good otherwise... undead minions, moon druids, familiars, rogues, bards, dex fighters and rangers..

Missed that. Oh well, still good to cast on yourself if the DM's fine with it.

[Klorox]

IME, if you play a wizard like a typical wizard (back lines, casting spells, being awesome), you really don't need to worry about that ward too much. It'll naturally recharge and be far ahead of any damage you'll normally take.

If your playstyle is different, you need to look at a gimmick to keep that ward full or near full. You've already pointed out a few, but an often overlooked way to do this is to have a higher AC. While attack rolls are only one way to generate damage in this game, you'll probably take more damage this way than any other. And if you have a better AC, you will not get hit as often, keeping that ward nice and plump.

A mountain dwarf, hobgoblin, or tortle all work well for the higher AC. A dip into cleric, hexblade warlock, and artificer all work well too.

The deep gnome way is kinda cheesy IMO. Why would you actually cast non-detection all day when the spell itself lasts 8 hours? I guess if you limit yourself to casting it once every 8 hours that would be more acceptable.

As said above, there's no way I'd dip more than one level away from wizard if I want to play a primary wizard.

[mistajames]

The key components are Abjurer's Ward (Wizard exclusive), Armor of Agathys, and access to a level 1 or higher at-will Abjuration spell.

Options for Armor of Agathys:

Warlock 1
Dragonmark of Warding
Clockwork Soul Sorcerer 1
Conquest Paladin 2

Options for a recurring level 1 or higher at-will Abjuration spell:

Warlock 2 (Armor of Shadows)
Eldritch Adept Feat (Armor of Shadows)
Alarm (Ritual - limited use)
Svirfneblin Magic

Damage reduction options are also massively useful if using this strategy for the same reason why the Abjurer's Ward is useful. Namely:

Heavy Armor Master feat
Stoneskin,
Clockwork Soul's Bastion of Law
Bladesinger's L10 ability
Barbarian Rage
Interception fighting style
Protective Field (Psi Warrior 3)
Absorb Elements
Warding Bond
Blade Ward

I'm sure that I'm missing some of these. Basically, you should be able to mix-and-match these options if you're optimizing for Armor of Agathys - just keep in mind that you need to have some way to make stuff target you as well. Basically, the more Abjurer levels, the better.

I also think that you can build the same kind of character via Clockwork Soul, as a lot of the necessary moving parts are attainable via the subclass.

EDIT: In terms of actual build, a Dragonmark of Warding Abjurer can get all of the moving parts together by level 4 without multiclassing. All you need is the Eldritch Adept feat at 4 and you're good to go.

[heavyfuel]

Okay, so this isn't exactly on topic, but it is related. If it derails the thread too much I'll start a new one.

How effective is Arcane Ward + Armor of Shadows really?

It's basically "2*Level+3" HP every combat. I don't think it's terrible, but you're hardly invincible because of it. Effetively, it's one extra hit you can tank.

Am I missing something?

[kaervaak]

Okay, so this isn't exactly on topic, but it is related. If it derails the thread too much I'll start a new one.

How effective is Arcane Ward + Armor of Shadows really?

It's basically "2*Level+3" HP every combat. I don't think it's terrible, but you're hardly invincible because of it. Effetively, it's one extra hit you can tank.

Am I missing something?

It makes your effective hit die into a d10 which is pretty great. At second level when you get your ward, it gives you ~50% more HP.

[Valmark]

Okay, so this isn't exactly on topic, but it is related. If it derails the thread too much I'll start a new one.

How effective is Arcane Ward + Armor of Shadows really?

It's basically "2*Level+3" HP every combat. I don't think it's terrible, but you're hardly invincible because of it. Effetively, it's one extra hit you can tank.

Am I missing something?

The main draw is that you can recharge the Arcane Ward for free out of combat by spamming Mage Armor (Armor of Shadows is Mage Armor at will right?).

[heavyfuel]

The main draw is that you can recharge the Arcane Ward for free out of combat by spamming Mage Armor (Armor of Shadows is Mage Armor at will right?).

Indeed. I'm just questioning how effective that really is.

[Valmark]

Indeed. I'm just questioning how effective that really is.

Free healing after every fight where somebody received damage seem like a pretty sweet deal to me.

Unless one does only one fight each day and stuff like that, I guess.

[Sol0botmate]

Indeed. I'm just questioning how effective that really is.

I don't see how it's not clear.

1 Forge Cleric/5 Abjuration Wizard, Mark of Warding Dwarf. 17 INT, 16 CON. Let's say you didn't take Eldricht Adept: Shadow Armor, so you took one of half-feats to get 18 INT.

With 16 CON you have 46 HP. You cast Armor of Agathys from 3rd level - you get extra 15 Temp. HP. Your Ward gives you extra 14 HP on top. That is extra 29 HP, giving you total of 75 HP.

To compare level 6 Barbarian with 18 CON will have 71 HP.

But you also have 21 AC (26 with Shield) and you are Wizard. If enemies hit you in melee they will receive 15 cold damage. Since ward protects your AoA - at this level if you are hit 4 times during encounter - you will deal 60 dmg. And bear in mind that you can have left even only 2 temp HP from AoA after one of encounters - but if you recharge that Ward before next one - you will still deal 15 cold dmg to anyone that will hit you because Ward has to go down first again.

It gets better and better at higher levels. Once you have Contingency, you put AoA there to trigger then you current AoA goes down. Giving you Effectively (1/11) 86 extra HP during encounter before enemies will get to your HP bar. At the same time anything that will hit you will get 30 cold dmg. Add to that resistance to spell damage later + super high AC (26) + advantage vs saves + bonus to counterspell and it's very effective at being a tank. You can face tank an enemy and if he hits you 3 times in a row - he will get 90 cold dmg. Without you doing anything else if you want.

Now as if Eldricht Adept: Shadow Armor is necessary- depends. If your table plays more around 2-4 encounters per day - then Ritual Alarm should be enough to recharge Ward. If you have play tons of encounters during day like 6-9: it's better to have Shadow Armor to make sure that Ward is fuly charged before next combat.