Main Stat advice 5e

[Pandreas]

Hello everyone,

its been a while but i wanted to know if anyone has a list of how high your main stat should be on each level?
I am thinking of doing a pretty weird multiclass and my stats are all over the place.
The issue is that i am mainly wizzard but so far my int would only be 16 till level 11

Can someone tell me if thats to low to keep up?

[Bobthewizard]

You'll be fine, but it depends somewhat on what you are doing. If I'm playing a martial character, buffer, or blaster, I'm more ok with having a lower main stat. If you miss an attack every once in a while that's ok. But if I'm playing a controller that primarily debuffs, then I want that stat as high as possible. It stinks to cast a leveled spell and have the target save, wasting the slot.

[DruidAlanon]

Hello everyone,

its been a while but i wanted to know if anyone has a list of how high your main stat should be on each level?
I am thinking of doing a pretty weird multiclass and my stats are all over the place.
The issue is that i am mainly wizzard but so far my int would only be 16 till level 11

Can someone tell me if thats to low to keep up?

It depends on how much you want to optimise your character.

I guess one needs more info to be on the safe side. Maybe this is a gish build that does something different or focuses on spells that don't requre spell saves, but if your character is primarily a spellcaster and you rely on your spell DC to be effective, 16 int is very low imo.

[CTurbo]

I think I value my main stat more than most, but it really just depends on what you're doing and want from your character. You can play an 10 Int Wizard and be fine as long as you avoid spells that don't rely on your spell DC.

16 Int is behind the curve at level 10, but it's not game breaking bad.

[Anymage]

To make a long story short, what you're doing with the rest of your build will be more impactful than the stat difference. -1 to your main rolls isn't too painful. -2 might be, but between the fact that you'll only be spending potentially three levels with that sort of difference and the fact that many players like picking up a feat with either their 4th or 8th level ASI you shouldn't be facing too nasty a numerical difference. I'd only worry about the effectiveness if your group likes tight battles and high optimization, in which case again what you're doing with your levels would be relevant even if your Int were to get regular bumps.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Two separate issues:

1. What does the system expect (if played according to guidelines for things like encounters, CRs, etc). Here it's fairly simple:
- If you start at 16 main stat and increase it every chance you get (reaching 20 at level 8), you'll have a near-constant 70% hit + crit chance against CR = level monsters.
- However, since CR = level is a crappy assumption and the median CR is ~level/2 (+- a bit), you really only need to have a 18 by mid T3 (level 12 or so) to "keep up".

So a 16 is "fine" for most of T1/T2, and starts to be "bad" by mid T3.

2. What does your table expect. This is really what matters. Tables that play significantly optimized (relative to the loose standards of the system itself) will generally make you feel bad (operationally) unless you have an 18 by level 4 or so and a 20 ASAP. At least if you're casting offensive spells that require saves or attack rolls.

If you're just casting buffs, well, it matters a lot less. Not zero, because each point of INT modifier on a wizard is also more spells prepared.

[KorvinStarmast]

If you're just casting buffs, well, it matters a lot less. Not zero, because each point of INT modifier on a wizard is also more spells prepared. Likewise with paladin, druid and cleric but not with Ranger, Sorcerer or Bard.

[firelistener]

For every 2 points to your attribute, you get +1 to your modifier. This results in you being only 5% more likely to succeed an ability check, hit with an attack roll, or have an enemy fail against your spell DC. If you play smart by getting advantage when possible, use saving throw spells against enemies with high AC, and use spells like Magic Missile that don't rely on your stats at all, then you can easily get away with having a lower Int score and performing well.

So it's more about how you play. When you have a high ability modifier, you can just spam attacks or spells and you're more likely to succeed without too much strategy.

[Pandreas]

Okay, thank you for all your opinions so far :D

It helps me get a brief overview.

In general my tables play mainly for fun and many just want to live out there gimmick or funny character ideas.
(I am usually the min maxer but try something with mainly flavor now)

[da newt]

A lowish casting stat will mean your attacks miss a bit more often (~10%) and targets will make their save more often (~10%), so I'd try to account for my lower casting stat by trying to avoid save or nothing spells and attack or miss spells in favor of buffs (100% success) and save vs 1/2 damage and spells that don't care what your stat is (spike growth and fog cloud for example - although crap examples as they are not wiz spells). Your cantrips will be less effective than most, but there are also magic items that can help boost your DC and attack bonuses, and bless, and ....

[Trask]

At high levels most monsters are making the save almost every time, so you'll want to find spells that get around that anyway. Its not unplayable.

[Leon]

As much or as little as you feel it should be, too much stock is placed in getting a 20 in whatever stat is the classes "primary". A 16 is good, maybe raise it eventually if you feel the need or don't want any other feats

[Kane0]

You want to start with at least a +2
Try to get it to +3 by your second ASI, and +4 by your fourth

[LudicSavant]

I mean, if you really want you can build a Wizard that dumps Int entirely and focuses on spells that don't have save DCs. It's not like some other classes where you're helpless if you don't invest in your main stat, so it really is up to you at each ASI opportunity whether you decide the feat or the Int bump is worth more at that juncture.

[Ir0ns0ul]

I saw myself in this situation recently when my Mark of Warding Dwarf Abjurer reached level 4. Should I bump INT or should I go for a feat?

I decided to go with feat in the end of the day. (Alert). As far as I noticed, my DC wasn’t a problem at all. But doing bad in initiative rolls and not being able to properly deploy my control spells in the best way possible (right time and 2+ targets) was frustrating me big time (Sleep, Rime’s Binding Ice and Web).

As of now, Alert has been a blast. Not only because the amazing initiative bump, but avoiding being surprised is also great to have. Now my character usually goes first and my effectiveness as a “classic controller Wizard” improved a lot despite having just INT 16.

[KorvinStarmast]

Our Evoker was similarly pleased with Alert after he took it at level 8.

[OldTrees1]

its been a while but i wanted to know if anyone has a list of how high your main stat should be on each level?

One of 5E's design principles is you are never required to increase your (main) stats. You could have a 14 at 1st and a 14 at 20th and be fine. Increasing your main stat is a strong buff, but it is all bonus and not required.

If your Wizard has 16 Int at level 1-11 and 18 Int at level 12-20, that will be fine. You are forgoing an optional buff in favor for something else you found more interesting/appropriate. 5E is designed to allow that.

That said, I usually default to a baseline of the following.
1st: 14
8th: 16
16th: 18
I then adjust that if something makes it more/less relevant for the character.

My Auradin Paladin rushed to 20 at 12th level because Auras were very important to them.
My Dungeon Tour Guide Rogue on the other hand did not care as much about Dex and was considering stopping at 16.

[Zhorn]

To be honest, it's all entirely subjective and up to too many variables to give a "this is the one and only correct answer".

Assuming the DM is playing strictly within the suggested DMG parameters for xp budgets for encounters to party level, etc; you'll be 100% fine.

Same thing goes for if the DM is doing their own thing, but at the same time the party is in a similar position to you. Generally approach will be to scale the encounters based on they displayed capabilities of the party. Cranking up the CR is something done in response to the party demonstrating they are stronger than the previous encounter balance and so difficulty tends to scale up mostly with the pace of the players.

Having lower stats will only ever be an issue if the encounter challenge is needing to be raising lopsidedly or the party (can be done well, but more often it is just a headache for most people involved). Even here though I don't finger point to the stats being the issue; as tables where that occurs tend to have other issues on matching table/player expectations, and the stat disparity is just the cannery in the coalmine.

Having said that; I've also had games with large stat differences between players, and low stat characters maintained into higher levels and still seen thing work out just fine. It all comes down to playstyle, and that can vary way to much to pinpoint any one single thing that makes it all work or fall apart.

You can chase the big numbers if you want; but if at the end of the day you can get 2 encounters off before needing a short rest, and combats tend to be ~4 rounds then it's still all the same only with larger values.