Archmage with better choice of spells?

[HoboKnight]

Hey guys,

I'm making an eladrin archmage and to be sincere, I find archmage's array of spells a bit lacking. My guy is a noble, a traveller of the planes and a couple of hundred years old. I'd like his combat competence to reflect that. Here are archmages's spells:


• Cantrips (at will): Fire Bolt, light, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Shocking Grasp
• 1st Level (4 slots): Detect Magic, Identify, mage armor*, Magic Missile
• 2nd Level (3 slots): Detect Thoughts, Mirror Image, Misty Step
• 3rd Level (3 slots): Counterspell,fly, Lightning Bolt
• 4th Level (3 slots): Banishment, fire Shield, stoneskin*
• 5th Level (3 slots): Cone of Cold, Scrying, Wall of Force
• 6th Level (1 slot): globe of Invulnerability
• 7th level (1 slot): Teleport
• 8th level (1 slot): mind blank*
• 9th level (1 slot): Time Stop

With spells known changed, I would also greatly appreciate a description on how to use new spells (like monsters know what they're doing).

Given his history, I'd also give him 3 magic items: 1x Common, 1xUncommon, 1x Rare.

If anyone feels like taking on this one, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks :)

[PallyBass]

If I remember correctly changing/ adding spells can change the Challenge Rating of the creature. Especially if you start adding in more effective damage spells or spells that reliably boost their AC. Just something to note.

The first major boost the archimage can get is adding Shield as a first level spell known for a reliable 5 extra AC option .
If you want to really boost his damage potential look at any non utility spells of 6th level and up then he gets really scary pretty fast: Disintegrate, Finger of Death, Meteor Swarm, Prismatic Spray...

[PhoenixPhyre]

If I remember correctly changing/ adding spells can change the Challenge Rating of the creature. Especially if you start adding in more effective damage spells or spells that reliably boost their AC. Just something to note.

The first major boost the archimage can get is adding Shield as a first level spell known for a reliable 5 extra AC option .
If you want to really boost his damage potential look at any non utility spells of 6th level and up then he gets really scary pretty fast: Disintegrate, Finger of Death, Meteor Swarm, Prismatic Spray...

Right. Even just switching the 9ths to something offensive jumps the cr up by a lot.

[Keravath]

You might swap out the 1st level at will spell disguise self with the shield spell (give him a hat of disguise if changing their appearance is important to the NPC).

You should also give the wizard Planeshift (since he is a planes traveller). However, other than missing the obvious shield spell, the list of prepared spells for the Archmage isn't bad though I would give them Dimension Door as a prepared spell too.

You could also throw in a couple of other additional prepared spells. The biggest issue is probably that the higher level spells are a bit lackluster. Globe of Invulnerability and Timestop in particular seem to be less than ideal choices. Stoneskin is another that isn't useful for this particular NPC. The odds of creatures attacking them with non-magical weapons is probably close to zero so maintaining concentration on it is likely a waste of a spell slot in most game worlds. Greater Invisibility is likely a better choice.

However, Timestop is probably included in case the wizard is caught in a situation where they can't prepare for a fight since it would allow them to cast Mindblank, Mage armor and whatever other spell might be useful in a fight - eg they could cast Mindblank, Mage armor, Greater invisibility and Dimension door to place themselves effectively hidden and invisible wherever would be most advantageous for the encounter (or flee if that is the better choice).

One thing you might want to add is proficiency in constitution saves since it would change their con save from +1 to +7 (at least giving them a chance). It is also something that pretty much every PC wizard character I've seen would take by level 18 through resilient constitution.

[HoboKnight]

Thank you. This is really helpful, just what I needed.

[kingcheesepants]

You've only got one concentration slot and Mage Armor and Mind Blank have such long duration that they're expected to be precast. (Especially Mind Blank.) Which means that Time Stop doesn't have enough to do if you roll well for it. Fire Shield, Mirror Image, one concentration spell (either Globe of Invulnerability or Wall of Force) and then an attack. He has room for one more spell, maybe give him Blink or perhaps See Invisibility. Crown of Stars would also be really solid if you gave him a Contingent Dimension Door or something like that to replace Teleport.

Or honestly scrap Time Stop altogether and give him almost any other 9th level spell. Something like Meteor Swarm might be good but it also might be just way too much damage (you didn't actually specify what level your group is). Power Word Kill if you just want to be mean. Something good but complex like Wish, Shapechange or True Polymorph could be a lot of fun but also might be a bit of a hassle to handle so think about them if you decide to go that route. Foresight is really strong, easy to handle and won't actually kill the players, thus a very solid option. Invulnerability would be great if you want him to show off and do something evil and get away. Prismatic Wall won't outright kill anyone (though if they're not careful it certainly can kill them) and it can cause all sorts of trouble for the party and thus is worth considering.

Actually while we're talking about replacing spells, Mind Blank isn't bad but It's probably not super handy against your party, replacing that with something like Feeblemind or Maze would be much more effective (I don't actually recommend Maze for NPCs as being in a time out Maze is boring for players). Teleport can also be replaced, either with Contingency (Dimension Door) or with an item that lets him run away. Use that slot for something like Crown of Stars or Reverse Gravity (Forcecage is better optimization but again trapping players is boring gameplay.) Globe of Invulnerability is really good but it doesn't move which makes anyone in it a really easy target for the martial characters, he needs to have a safe place up and out of the way to put that Globe or the paladin/barbarian/other melee guys are just going to go to town on him. If he isn't controlling the battlefield than Globe gets replaced with Mass Suggestion, Irresistible Dance, or Chain Lightning. The lower level stuff is mostly fine, he should probably have Shield, Dispel Magic, and a backup control spell like Slow or Web in case he loses concentration on the higher level spell. Oh and a familiar. Familiars are great and a fun RP opportunity and another good way for our guy to spy on the group and possibly sneakily attack too.

If they're going to his base of operations lots of long term effect spells and traps. Things like Guards and Wards, Private Sanctum, Antipathy/Sympathy, Glyph's of Warding (a ward that summons a greater demon, one that casts Web paired with one that casts Cloudkill, if you want to be real mean a Feeblemind ward). Perhaps a few presummoned and bound creatures. And of course he's already got Scrying so make use of that to spy on the party beforehand, learn their tactics and prepare accordingly. He can and should know the general strengths/weaknesses and go to strategies of the group and have a counter in mind for them, Target weak saves, split the party, kill the support first, dispel or counterspell whatever magic they have. He's an experienced and intelligent foe with the ability to remotely spy on the group, act like it.

As for items. Common; Hat of Wizardry. Uncommon; Cloak of Protection or Winged Boots. Rare; One of the spellbooks like the Astromancy Archive, Planecallers Codex, or Atlas of Endless Horizons. Alternatively something like a Staff of Defense or a +2 Arcane Grimoire.

[Chronos]

Quoth PallyBass:

If I remember correctly changing/ adding spells can change the Challenge Rating of the creature.
The DMG clearly states that it does. And the Monster Manual clearly states that it doesn't. Good old 5th edition designers.