Building a Mountain Dwarf Abjuration Wizard

[tchntm43]

I know this isn't a new thing, but I think I want this to be the next character I play, and mostly I want to know if I am missing any obvious synergies or spell choices. With Standard Array and racial ability score increases, I should be able to have the following scores:
STR 10 -> 12, DEX 14, CON 13 -> 15, INT 15, WIS 10, CHA 8

My level 1 spell choices right now would be:
Cantrips: Shocking Grasp, Mage Hand, Fire Bolt
Level 1: Shield, Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Alarm, Detect Magic, Feather Fall
Prepare: Shield, Burning Hands, Magic Missile

At level 2, I take Abjuration and pick 2 new spells: Identify & Find Familiar. The reason I don't take these useful spells at level 1 is that I won't have the components and it would just be wasted at that point.

It seems like the biggest issue is the very early game at level 1. Even though I will have proficiency in medium armor and warhammer/battleaxe, my starting equipment doesn't allow me to have those. So I'll be going in with AC 12 and no Mage Armor and no bonus hit points yet. I figure for level 1 I stick most to Fire Bolt, stay out of melee, and save almost all my spell slots for Shield as self-preservation has to be the main focus then.

At level 2, suddenly I have 14 hit points at 6 bonus hit points. This compares well with fighters. I can cast Alarm as a ritual to trigger the arcane ward, as well as to recover ward hit points for free for every 10 minutes I have available. I'll have 4 spells prepared, 4 other spells that are rituals. Any time I get hit I cast Shield, which probably turns it into a miss as well as recovering 2 ward hit points. Hopefully by level 2 I can upgrade to medium armor, such as Chain Shirt, and by level 3 get breastplate or half plate. With half-plate I have AC 17 and with Shield I have AC 22.

At level 4 I take either the Tough feat to really become a tank, or I make both CON and INT 16 (this is a hard choice - with the AS increases I get half of Tough, an extra spell to prepare, and better spell attacks and spell save DC).

This seems like a really fun build to play. What other options should I consider? This seems like one of the few builds where Vampiric Touch can really shine, since I'll often be in melee range anyway.

[Calen]

If you use the Starting Wealth by Class option (PHB 143) you will get 4d4x10 GP for your starting equipment. On average that should get you some medium armor and a component pouch.

[RogueJK]

Even though I will have proficiency in medium armor and warhammer/battleaxe, my starting equipment doesn't allow me to have those. So I'll be going in with AC 12 and no Mage Armor and no bonus hit points yet.

You could forego your starting equipment and just get starting gold instead. For a Wizard, that's 4d4 x 10 gp, or an average of 100 gold. Plus a bit of additional gold from some backgrounds, like a Noble with 25 additional gp.

You could use that 125 gp to buy an Arcane Focus for 10 gp, a spellbook for 50 gp, a battleaxe for 10 gp, and a set of scale mail for 50 gp. That still leaves you 5 gp for pocket money, food, and lodging.

(But consider whether you truly need the battleaxe at all, since with just a 12 STR you won't be very effective with your axe attacks...)


What other options should I consider?

Instead of locking yourself into Mountain Dwarf, consider a 1 level multiclass dip instead.

Starting with 1 level of Artificer gets you not only medium armor proficiency, but also shield proficiency for an additional +2 AC, plus also lets you get those as part of your starting equipment, as well as a few additional cantrips and 1st level spells, and the always handy CON save proficiency. And you won't be any further behind in your spell slots as your progress, though you will be a level behind in your spells known and Abjurer class abilities.

A good Medium Armor Abjurer build is a Deep Gnome Artificer 1/Abjuration Wizard X. Something like this with standard array:
STR 8
DEX 13+1
CON 14
INT 15+2
WIS 12
CHA 10

You've got Medium Armor and Shield proficiency from the start, CON save proficiency to maintain Concentration, plus strong mental saves from your racial Advantage. And you have a daily racial Nondetection casting, for a free 6 HP recharge of your Arcane Ward each day without using up a spell slot.


Or, if you really do want to be able to be effective with battleaxe melee weapon attacks, consider something like this:
Half Elf Fighter 1/Abjurer X
STR 14+2
DEX 10
CON 13+1
INT 15+1
WIS 12
CHA 8
Defense Fighting Style
Wear heavy armor, and wield a battleaxe and a shield

You've got Heavy Armor, Shield, and Martial Weapon proficiency from the start, and still get CON save proficiency for Concentration. And you have a solid STR score that will allow you to utilize melee weapon much more effectively than the Mountain Dwarf with just a 12 STR. (CON save proficiency and a 19-21 AC is worth being a level behind in Wizard spellcasting, right?)


Tortle is also an option, with their racial armor giving them the same 17 AC as a Mountain Dwarf wearing Half Plate Armor, but without the need to buy armor or invest in DEX at all to get there. This would allow you to start with a higher STR than 12, and you wouldn't need to multiclass to get armor proficiency either, so no delay in your Wizard progression. Something like this:
Tortle Abjuration Wizard X
STR 13+1
DEX 10
CON 14
INT 15+2
WIS 12
CHA 8

They don't get any racial weapon proficiency, but they do get a racial claw melee attack doing 1d6+STR. Or just wield a quarterstaff with two hands for a 1d8+STR melee weapon attack.

[Sherlockpwns]

So I think more context is needed as far as what the goal of the build is. Does it have to be a MD Abj Wizard and you just want suggestions within that setup? Are you looking for multiclass ideas and/or race changes?

Is the level 5-11 goal of the character to be close range with ac/shielding/hp or is it to be long range like a normal caster but with the extra protection of some AC and shielding.

A fun combo for the whole abjuration shield is to find a way to get Armor of Agathys, probably ironically done via Clockwork Sorcerer.

Essentially you are upcasting AoA, which gives you both the temp hp and the wizard shield. This really maximizes the potential value of AoA. With your mild armor, you’ll be a lose/lose target for the dm, and this will let you play a more up close caster than normal. Bonus points if you can mitigate damage to extend this shielding further (like a friendly caster putting warding bong on you etc. )

The real fun isn’t doing the AoA trick btw. That’s just a thing you do, the fun is playing some insane dwarf caster that runs into battle and drops cone, self aoe, and other short range spells, managing the risk/reward of placing yourself in danger as a front line caster.

[Crushgrip]

I know this isn't a new thing, but I think I want this to be the next character I play, and mostly I want to know if I am missing any obvious synergies or spell choices. With Standard Array and racial ability score increases, I should be able to have the following scores:
STR 10 -> 12, DEX 14, CON 13 -> 15, INT 15, WIS 10, CHA 8

My level 1 spell choices right now would be:
Cantrips: Shocking Grasp, Mage Hand, Fire Bolt
Level 1: Shield, Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Alarm, Detect Magic, Feather Fall
Prepare: Shield, Burning Hands, Magic Missile

At level 2, I take Abjuration and pick 2 new spells: Identify & Find Familiar. The reason I don't take these useful spells at level 1 is that I won't have the components and it would just be wasted at that point.

It seems like the biggest issue is the very early game at level 1. Even though I will have proficiency in medium armor and warhammer/battleaxe, my starting equipment doesn't allow me to have those. So I'll be going in with AC 12 and no Mage Armor and no bonus hit points yet. I figure for level 1 I stick most to Fire Bolt, stay out of melee, and save almost all my spell slots for Shield as self-preservation has to be the main focus then.

At level 2, suddenly I have 14 hit points at 6 bonus hit points. This compares well with fighters. I can cast Alarm as a ritual to trigger the arcane ward, as well as to recover ward hit points for free for every 10 minutes I have available. I'll have 4 spells prepared, 4 other spells that are rituals. Any time I get hit I cast Shield, which probably turns it into a miss as well as recovering 2 ward hit points. Hopefully by level 2 I can upgrade to medium armor, such as Chain Shirt, and by level 3 get breastplate or half plate. With half-plate I have AC 17 and with Shield I have AC 22.

At level 4 I take either the Tough feat to really become a tank, or I make both CON and INT 16 (this is a hard choice - with the AS increases I get half of Tough, an extra spell to prepare, and better spell attacks and spell save DC).

This seems like a really fun build to play. What other options should I consider? This seems like one of the few builds where Vampiric Touch can really shine, since I'll often be in melee range anyway.

First, I LOVE that you are going to play a Dwarf Wiz! So awesome. Second, an obvious spell choice to me would be Absorb Elements. It's Abjuration and I am positive it will save your Dwarves life at some point. I would swap out Burning Hands.

@ Level 4 - ASI...having played and currently playing an Artificer 1/ABJ Wiz 12, you will want to get that INT up. IMO, spell save DC's are huge for a single class caster.

Single class Wiz + tank = makes my eye twitch. My caster never wants to be anywhere near melee! If you are looking for some LEEEEEERROOOOOYYYY Jenkins melee action then, as others have pointed out, you may want to multiclass and I would focus on mostly defensive spells and abilities. IMO, Wizards are the king/queen of control. Sit back, watch the carnage unfold and Banish the DM's big baddies for the win! If you want to wade into battle more, I am certain there are some other threads on here for battle mages.

Cheers and have fun...Khazad forever!

[tchntm43]

Second, an obvious spell choice to me would be Absorb Elements. It's Abjuration and I am positive it will save your Dwarves life at some point. I would swap out Burning Hands.

The main reason I was picking Burning Hands is that the main problem for the spell (needing to near hostile targets) is less of an issue. If I can reliably hit 2+ targets with it, it's the best level 1 damage spell.

Also upon further thought I still don't like Vampiric Touch. You still lose a whole turn's action just casting the spell, and have to wait until the next turn to do anything with it.

[RogueJK]

Also upon further thought I still don't like Vampiric Touch. You still lose a whole turn's action just casting the spell, and have to wait until the next turn to do anything with it.

Not quite. You make the melee spell attack when it's cast, and then again each subsequent round. So you don't spend your first turn just casting it.

However, Vampiric Touch is still a poor spell choice, since it eats your Concentration and a 3rd level slot and your Actions, all for around the same damage as just a cantrip (3d6/10.5 avg vs. 2d8/9 avg, 2d10/11 avg, or 2d12/13 avg). So unless you're desperate for the minimal healing rider, your melee wizard will be better off Concentrating on some other leveled spell, and then utilizing a cantrip like Shocking Grasp or Toll the Dead, or Booming Blade/Green Flame Blade if you have a decent weapon attack stat.

From a purely damage-dealing standpoint, better Cantrip+Concentration combos that are available to a Level 5 Frontliner Wizard when Vampiric Touch comes online could include:
SG/TtD/BB/GFB Action + Flaming Sphere Bonus Action damage with Concentration
SG/TtD/BB/GFB Action + Familiar Dragon's Breath damage with Concentration
SG/TtD/BB/GFB Action + Summon Fey/Undead/Shadowspawn attack damage with Concentration
SG/TtD/BB/GFB Action + Ashardalon's Stride movement damage with Concentration
SG/TtD/BB/GFB Action + Melf's Minute Meteors Bonus Action damage with Concentration
SG/TtD/BB/GFB Action + Haste on the party's melee bruiser or Rogue for 3rd attack damage or readied action off-turn Sneak Attack damage with Concentration
Etc.

And aside from pure damage output, then there's a whole slew of powerful control/debuff spells (Hold Person/Web/Suggestion/Slow/Hypnotic Pattern/etc.) that you could be spending your Concentration on, in addition to also dishing out SG/TtD/BB/GFB damage.

Plus, a number of these alternative spells I've mentioned only require 2nd level spell slots instead of 3rd.