Looking for a class

[Youshallnotpass]

Hey everyone

What class would fit or come closest to a character that uses medium armor, sword and shield. Plus uses illusion, abjuration and necromancy Spells?

[Eldariel]

Moderately armored Hobgoblin Wizard.

[kazaryu]

Hey everyone

What class would fit or come closest to a character that uses medium armor, sword and shield. Plus uses illusion, abjuration and necromancy Spells?

thats a rather wide net you've cast...any wizard besides bladesinger would work, but you'd need to get shield/armor proficiency elsewhere. and you'd probably be more focused on using booming blade or greenflame blade for damage, rather than swinging the sword normally.

swords and valor bard both get medium armor proficiency at 3. and valor even gets shield proficiency. but if you go bard you don't get the same access to abjurationa nd necromancy that a wizard gets. so thats something to think about. but both DO get extra attack which means you can get by without the scagtrips (swords is probably overall better if you can figure out how to get shield proficiency).

[Bobthewizard]

Hexblade has everything you are looking for. It's the only one optimized for medium armor since you can use Charisma for attacks. You can mix in some paladin for smites, and sorcerer or bard for more spells.

Here are some other options.

1. Eldritch Knight - but I've always been a little disappointed in this as a Gish. It's a fighter that dabbles in spells, and you'll be severely limited on illusion and necromancy
2. Artificer 1 / Wizard X - I like bladesinger for this. Yes you lose out on blade song, but it gets you extra attack and longsword or rapier proficiency. But any other wizard works with the SCAG cantrips.
3. Paladin 2 / Swords bard X - armor and extra attack. Not a lot of abjuration spells though. This lets you use the bards spell slots for paladin smites.
4. Oathbreaker Paladin 7 / Sorcerer X - get your extra attack from paladin and then metamagic and more spells from sorcerer, but it comes online later.

[Mastikator]

Mountain dwarf blade singer.

Or just battlesmith artificer (plus you get a robo-friend)

[Arkhios]

Mountain dwarf blade singer.

Or just battlesmith artificer (plus you get a robo-friend)

One small but in there: bladesinger loses access to their key ability if they ever don an armor heavier than light OR use a shield.

[Psyren]

Battlesmith 3/Wizard X

Valor/Swords Bard works too but you'll be light on the necromancy front before you get your Magical Secrets.

[Theodoxus]

Hey everyone

What class would fit or come closest to a character that uses medium armor, sword and shield. Plus uses illusion, abjuration and necromancy Spells?

Wizard 1 / Fighter 1 or 2 / Wizard X, if you're adamant on not being even able to use heavy armor.

Though personally, I'd go Fighter 2 / Wizard X for the Con saves... but it does also grant heavy armor...

Fighter 1 is enough, obviously, but if you're gonna dip, might as well get Action Surge - even if you're only looking to primarily use A,I,N spells, there will be times when being able to toss out two in a single turn will be useful.

As for Wizard subclass, I'd go with Scribes if you can. War is decent, but if you're stuck with PHB, Abjuration IMO, is the better of the three you're looking at - especially if you're looking at going front-line light as it sounds with armor, sword & board...

[Brawnspear]

If you're looking for a single class, you could go an Elven Trickery Cleric. They get Medium armor and shields from class, swords from elf. If you go High elf you could pick up an illusion cantrip. You could also grab Shadow-touched for invisibility and a necro or illusion spell. Or pick up Magic initiate for a couple cantrips and silent image.

Cleric base gives some solid necromancy and abjuration options, trickster gives a conjured duplicate and some disguise / shapechange capability.
I wouldn't call it a powerhouse, but you could make it fit the theme from level 1. And there's always begging the DM for access to comparable spells like Summon Undead from Tasha's

Edit: Or heck, just go Hexblade. They get medium armor, shields and martial weapons. They can summon a Specter at 6th level and have access to chill touch and toll the dead, and some fun summon-y necromancy spells, not to mention the fear line and invocations that give access to a swarm of poison damage and the ability cast animate dead once per day. They get access to Invisibility and Blur and Blink, and you can grab the 2 invocations that give access to Silent image and Disguise self at will. Pick up Fiendish vigor for spooky temp hp. For abjuration they get shield and armor of agathys, protection from good and evil, the 2 different banishments, and dispel magic/counterspell, plus their armor of hexes fits the theme. You could go talisman if you want to mimic some other abjuration type abilities, but any pact could fit the flavor(more illusion and necro cantrips from tome, an undead fluffed servant from chain, hit things good with sword from blade). You won't be slinging big spells all the time, but you can have a sustainable spooky spellsword that you can tweak towards casty or smashy by pact and invocation choice.

[RogueJK]

I agree that some flavor of Wizard with access to Medium Armor and Shields from either feats or a multiclass dip is likely going to be the best option. (Warlocks, Bards, or Eldritch Knights don't have the same access to Abjuration/Illusion/Necromancy spells as a Wizard).


The previously mentioned 1 level dip into either Fighter or Artificer gets you the medium armor and shield that you're wanting, as does a 1 level dip into Cleric. It just comes down to what exactly what else you're wanting:

Artificer 1/Wizard X: Additional INT-based 1st level spells and cantrips, plus no delay to your upper level spell slots, no additional stat requirements, and potentially CON save proficiency for Concentration (if you start as Artificer at Level 1). I think this combo presents the overall best/most optimal build for a medium armor Wizard.

Cleric 1/Wizard X: Additional WIS-based 1st level spells and cantrips, plus a 1st level domain ability, and no delay to spell slots, although it also requires a moderate WIS for multiclassing minimums

Fighter 1/Wizard X: Fighting style and potentially CON save proficiency for Concentration (if you start as a Fighter at Level 1), but you'll be a level behind in both spell slots and spells known


The other route, especially if you're starting the PC at Level 4+, is to take a single classed Wizard with the Variant Human/Custom Lineage race, and take the Lightly Armored feat at Level 1 and Moderately Armored at Level 4. Also doable with a Mountain Dwarf or old MToF Hobgoblin taking the Moderately Armored feat at Level 4.



Or, Paladin 2/Sorcerer X is a close second option to Medium Armor Wizard to fit what you're wanting, being a bit better at melee damage output than the Wizard at the cost of being a level behind in spell slots and two levels behind in spells know, plus having fewer spells known overall compared to a Wizard.