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Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition – RPGBOT

DnD Characters: Guides for DnD 5e – RPGBOT

DnD Classes and Subclasses: Guides for DnD 5e

Wizard 5e: DnD 5th Edition Class Guide – RPGBOT


WIZARD 5E: DND 5TH EDITION CLASS GUIDE – RPGBOT

T.E. "RPGBOT" Kamstra August 17, 2024


INTRODUCTION

The Wizard is the iconic arcane spellcaster, capable of doing all manner of
fantastic tricks, and generally limited only by their spellbook and their spell
slots. A Wizard with a comprehensive spellbook can do essentially anything in
the game, often as well as or better than a non-magical character who is built
to do that thing. A Wizard with Invisibility is as stealthy as a Rogue. A Wizard
with a summoned pet can replace a fighter (at least temporarily). A clever
Wizard could even find a way to heal their allies and replace a Cleric.

Because Wizards can do so much so well, their roles are numerous and varied.
However, in a typical party the Wizard’s primary functions are as a Blaster,
Controller, Librarian, Support caster, Striker, and Utility Caster. Depending on
your spells and potentially your skills, you can also serve as a Defender, Face,
Healer (though it’s difficult), and Scout. You may think, “but wait, isn’t that
every role?”. Yes. Yes, it is.

However, with that incredible breadth of capability comes both complexity and
risk. Most of this complexity is buried in the Wizard’s spellcasting. Wizards
get very few actual class/subclass features, but spellcasting fills in the gaps.
Managing a spellbook is complex, and unlike Clerics and Druids who can select
from a vast spell list after every long rest, you need to hoard newly-learned
spells to expand your capabilities, sometimes at great expense, so learning new
spells may be a gamble, costing precious gold for a spell which you may never
use. If you are prone to analysis paralysis or don’t enjoy carefully tracking
resources, the Wizard is a waking nightmare.

Wizards are among the least durable characters in the game, having no armor
proficiencies, poor saving throws, and the lowest hit dice available. Staying
alive as a wizard can be very difficult, and in most cases requires a party of
sturdy allies willing to protect you from harm. There are exceptions to this
rule (bladesingers can achieve some of the highest AC in the game without the
aid of magic items), but they are few in number.

I’ll tell anyone who asks that the Wizard is my favorite class, and that has
been the case since early in my career with Dungeons and Dragons. The Wizard is
a class that rewards system mastery, and while you don’t need to be an
experienced player to succeed as a wizard, improving your familiarity with the
game will pay dividends.

After reading this handbook, I encourage you to read our other supporting
articles:

 * Wizard Races Breakdown
 * Wizard Spells Breakdown
 * Wizard Subclasses Breakdown
 * WIZARDS Levels 1 – 7 with Treantmonk! – RPGBOT.Podcast S4E79
 * WIZARDS Levels 8 – 20 with Treantmonk – RPGBOT.Podcast S4E80

This article is for the 2014 rules. For the 2024 rules, see our 2024 DnD 5e
Wizard Class Guide. If you’re playing Baldur’s Gate 3, you might also enjoy our
Baldur’s Gate 3 Wizard Handbook.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 * Introduction
 * Disclaimer
 * Wizard Class Features
   * Optional Class Features
 * Wizard Ability Scores
 * Wizard Races
 * Wizard Skills
 * Wizard Backgrounds
 * Wizard Feats
 * Wizard Weapons
 * Wizard Armor
 * Multiclassing
 * Wizard Magic Items
   * Common Magic Items
   * Uncommon Magic Items
   * Rare Magic Items
   * Very Rare Magic Items
   * Legendary Magic Items
 * Example Wizard Build – High Elf Wizard (Evoker)
   * Abilities
   * Race
   * Skills and Tools
   * Background
   * Feats
   * Levels


DISCLAIMER

RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder
build handbooks, which is simple to understand and easy to read at a glance.

 * Red: Bad, useless options, or options which are extremely situational. Nearly
   never useful.
 * Orange: OK options, or useful options that only apply in rare circumstances.
   Useful sometimes.
 * Green: Good options. Useful often.
 * Blue: Fantastic options, often essential to the function of your character.
   Useful very frequently.

We will not include 3rd-party content, including content from DMs Guild, in
handbooks for official content because we can’t assume that your game will allow
3rd-party content or homebrew. We also won’t cover Unearthed Arcana content
because it’s not finalized, and we can’t guarantee that it will be available to
you in your games.

The advice offered below is based on the current State of the Character
Optimization Meta as of when the article was last updated. Keep in mind that the
state of the meta periodically changes as new source materials are released, and
the article will be updated accordingly as time allows.


WIZARD CLASS FEATURES

Optional Class Features are detailed below under Optional Class Features.

Hit Points: d6 hit points is the lowest in the game. Fortunately, Intelligence
is the only ability which Wizards strictly need, so you can afford a decent
Constitution score.

Saves: Intelligence saves are very rare, and proficiency in Wisdom saves won’t
help much if your Wisdom is terrible.

Proficiencies: Wizard’s weapons are pitiful, but can be easily replaced by
cantrips. Wizards also get no armor, so it’s either Mage Armor or nothing for
the vast majority of wizards. Wizards only get the standard two skills, which is
difficult considering that your party will expect you to cover as many knowledge
skills as possible, leaving many wizards with little room to diversify.

Spellcasting: Wizards are the king of spellcasters. They can do everything: kill
stuff, charm stuff, solve problems, gather information, travel, whatever. If you
can imagine doing it with magic, a Wizard can do it. Except healing. They can’t
really do that.

For help selecting spells, see our Wizard Spells Breakdown.

Arcane Recovery: This provides a bit of sustainability to the Wizard which was
missing in previous editions. Wizards were the biggest cause of the “five minute
day”, in which the Wizard would burn their biggest spells in the first
encounter, then would be essentially useless unless the party immediately took a
long rest. Arcane Recovery gives you the ability to recover a bunch of spell
slots, allowing you to continue at least through the first Short Rest of each
day without issue. While Arcane Recovery can’t restore slots above 6th level,
it’s still a crucial resource, allowing you to recover low-level spell slots
which will remain a perpetual source of crucial defensive and utility spells
like Shield and Darkvision.

Arcane Tradition: Wizard subclasses are briefly summarized below. See my Wizard
Subclasses Breakdown for help selecting your subclass.

 * Bladesinging: Masters of fighting with both weapons and with spells,
   bladesingers can perform a secret song and dance which makes them deadly in
   combat. Among the most caster-focused gish options.
 * Chronurgy Magic: Manipulate the flow of time, allowing you to force rerolls,
   to stop creatures, and even to temporarily suspend spells in a tiny bead and
   share it with your allies. Chronurgists also gain access to the Dunamancy
   spell list.
 * Graviturgy Magic: Manipulate space and gravity to move your foes about on the
   battlefield and crush them with powerful gravitational effects. Graviturgists
   also gain access to the Dunamancy spell list.
 * Order of the Scribes: Awaken your spellbook, and master the central concepts
   of wizardly magic, allowing you to learn spells faster than other wizards and
   employ them in new and unusual ways.
 * School of Abjuration: Masters of protective magic, Abjurers gain a powerful
   magical ward which can absorb damage dealt to you or your allies and
   recharges when you cast abjuration spells.
 * School of Conjuration: Masters of teleportation and summoning, conjurers can
   teleport without using a spell and are better at using summoned creatures.
 * School of Divination: Diviners gain the powerful Portent feature, allowing
   them to roll two to three d20’s at the beginning of the day and use them to
   replace rolls, as well as the ability to cast divination spells and
   incredible little cost.
 * School of Enchantment: Powerful and versatile spellcasters, enchanters gain
   abilities to charm and hypnotize foes, and to affect additional targets with
   single-target enchantment spells.
 * School of Evocation: Exceptional at dealing damage with spells, evokers deal
   more damage with cantrips than other spellcaster, and can make safe spaces in
   their area damage spells to avoid harming allies.
 * School of Illusion: Masters of illusion spells, illusionists gain abilities
   to manipulate illusion spells beyond their normal limits, including the
   ability to make them partially real.
 * School of Necromancy: Gain the ability to heal yourself when you kill other
   creatures, and to more easily create and control undead, including powerful
   ones far more powerful than spells alone would allow.
 * School of Transmutation: Gain abilities to turn things into other things,
   like wood into metal, yourself into an animal, dead things into live things,
   and injured or sick things into happy and healthy things.
 * War Magic: Powerful combatants, war wizards gain abilities to defend
   themselves against attacks and to boost their spell damage by countering or
   dispelling other spells.

Spell Mastery: Your first thought might be to pick up something to replace your
cantrips as a go-to damage solution, but your cantrips hit 4dx damage a level
ago, which means they will outstrip nearly all 1st-level and 2nd-level spells in
terms of single-target damage. Your best bets for damage are Shatter (if you
need a spammable AOE) and Scorching Ray, but even scorching ray only beats
cantrips by an average of 3 damage. Instead, look for utility spells which are
helpful to spam like Invisibility, Mirror Image, save-or-suck spells like
Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, defensive options like Absorb Elements and Shield, and
more strategically interesting options like Magic Missile for breaking enemy
spellcasters’ Concentration.

Signature Spells: Cool, but not nearly as important as Spell Mastery. The free
castings are nice, but the biggest draw is the two extra spells prepared per
day, which improves your versatility even at this level when you’re already able
to prepare so many.


OPTIONAL CLASS FEATURES

Introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Optional Class Features offer ways
to add additional features or replace existing ones. These rules are optional,
and you should not assume that your DM will allow these features without
consulting them first.

Assessments and suggestions for specific Optional Class Features are presented
here, but for more information on handling Optional Class Features in general,
see my Practical Guide to Optional Class Features.

Additional Wizard Spells (Addition): Everything added by this optional feature
makes sense on the Wizard’s spell list, And surprisingly few of them are
additions from existing sources. Most of the new spells are published or
re-published in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

I recommend allowing the expanded spell list on all wizards. The new spells fill
in gaps in the wizards capabilities which made it either mechanically or
thematically unsatisfying to play certain wizard subclasses like School of
Conjuration and School of Necromancy because spell options for those subclasses
were so limited and often involved significantly disrupting the game for
everyone at the table.

Cantrip Formulas (Addition): The fact that wizards have no way to replace their
known cantrips has confused me since the earliest days of DnD 5e’s lifespan.
They’re the one type of spell that the wizard can’t expand or replace, and I’m
still not sure why. My one complaint with this feature is that the Wizard
doesn’t need to write the cantrips into their spellbook, which thematically
feels very odd.

I recommend allowing Cantrip Versatility on all wizards. You can’t get anything
which you couldn’t already have, so it doesn’t make your character more
powerful. If you need a way to balance that, make the wizard write cantrips into
their spellbook at half the cost of a 1st-level spell.


WIZARD ABILITY SCORES

Wizards are a single-ability class. All you need is Intelligence, and everything
else is supplemental.

Str: Dump stat. A Wizard should know better.

Dex: A bit for AC is nice and Dexterity saves are common, but that’s all you get
unless you go for Bladesinging, in which case you will want a bunch for the
weapon that you’re going to use. You can limp along at low levels using a
crossbow in place of offensive cantrips, but you don’t need to strain yourself
to get 16 Dexterity unless your race makes that easy. 14 will do fine.

Con: Hit points and Constitution saves are problems for Wizards. A wizard with
less than 14 Constitution is a choice to gamble with your life.

Int: A Wizard’s first priority should be to get 20 Intelligence. Their second
priority should be to find a way to exceed 20 Intelligence, but there are very
few ways to do that.

Wis: Good for Wisdom saves. You want a bit to protect yourself, but fortunately
wizards are also proficient in Wisdom saves.

Cha: Dump stat.

Point BuyStandard ArrayStr88Dex1413Con1414Int1515Wis1212Cha810


WIZARD RACES

Intelligence bonuses are crucial, and nothing else is strictly necessary. Things
which add to your spellcasting capabilities like extra cantrips are great, and
ways to increase your durability are like Dexterity or Constitution increases or
natural armor can be really nice, but none of those are absolutely necessary.

For help selecting a race, see our Wizard Races Breakdown.

For a classic wizard feel, consider the High Elf. For a nice durable wizard, the
Mountain Dwarf and the Tortle will both improve your durability considerably.
For a powerful build, consider the Fairy.


WIZARD SKILLS

 * Arcana (Int): Wizards are all about Arcana, so it’s reasonable to assume that
   you know it.
 * History (Int): Helpful, especially in campaigns which go into history
   frequently.
 * Insight (Wis): You likely don’t have enough Wisdom to be particularly good at
   this, but it can be helpful if your party’s Face doesn’t have it.
 * Investigation (Int): Helpful, but likely best left for the party’s Scout.
 * Medicine (Wis): This skill is useless. Medicine is best done magically.
 * Religion (Int): One of the more important knowledge skills, and you are
   probably better with it than the Cleric.


WIZARD BACKGROUNDS

This section does not address every published background, as doing so would
result in an ever-growing list of options which don’t cater to the class.
Instead, this section will cover the options which I think work especially well
for the class, or which might be tempting but poor choices. Racial feats are
discussed in the Races section, above.

With the Wizard’s Intelligence, you want as many knowledge skills as you can
get. There aren’t great tool options for most wizards and languages may not be
useful with poor Charisma and access to magical solutions to language barriers,
but when all of the options are poor there’s a lot of flexibility to pick
something fun rather than something that’s definitely useful.

If you’re having trouble deciding, here are some suggestions:

 * AcolytePHB: Two skills from the Wizard skill list, and two languages. Not
   awful, but nothing that you really need to have and it doesn’t expand your
   options.
 * Clan CrafterSCAG: History is good, but Wizards typically don’t get a lot of
   use out of Insight, and artificer’s tools aren’t terribly useful.
 * Cloistered ScholarSCAG: Two knowledge skills are great, and you get to pick
   one. The bonus languages might not be particularly helpful, since you can
   handle languages magically.
 * Faction AgentSCAG: Insight is okay, and the flexible skill choice is nice,
   but you can get the languages magically.
 * HermitPHB: Two skills from the Wizard skill list, one language, and
   proficiency with the herbalist’s kit, which you can use to craft potions of
   healing.
 * SagePHB: Two of the better skills from the Wizard skill list and two
   languages. The bonus languages might not be particularly helpful since you
   can handle languages magically.


WIZARD FEATS

This section does not address every published feat, as doing so would result in an ever-growing list of options which don’t cater to the class. Instead, this section will cover feats which we think work especially well for the class or which might be tempting but poor choices.

 * AlertPHB: The bonus to Initiative is tempting because spellcasters can do so
   much to affect a fight if they go first, but nothing else is particularly
   helpful.
 * Artificer InitiateTCoE: The Artificer’s spell list overlaps considerably with
   the Wizard’s, but the Artificer has some enticing 1st-level spell options
   like Faerie Fire and Cure Wounds, and since the Artificer also uses
   Intelligence these spells will work nicely with the rest of your
   spellcasting.
 * CartomancerBoMT: The card spell effectively lets you choose one spell from
   your spell list (not from your prepared spells) and quicken it ahead of time.
   You do still need to spend a spell slot, so this isn’t any better than
   quickening a spell with Metamagic Adept, and you give up the ability to
   change which spell you quicken. This isn’t bad, it’s just not as good as
   Metamagic Adept for prepared spellcasters.
 * Elemental AdeptPHB: Very tempting for Evokers, but specializing in one
   element is severely limiting. If something is resistant to one element, use a
   different one. Changing 1’s to 2’s averages 1/6 damage per die if you’re
   rolling d6’s, which is as close to nothing as you will ever see.
 * Fey TouchedTCoE: Misty Step once per day for free is nice, but not essential.
   The 1st-level spells include few options that the Wizard can’t already cast,
   but Bless or Heroism might be tempting. There’s nothing here that’s going to
   significantly improve your wizard, but if you’re at 19 Intelligence it’s at
   least worth a look.
   
   For more advice on Fey Touched, see my Spellcasting Feats Breakdown.

 * Gift of the Metallic DragonFToD: The ability to do some healing as a wizard
   is very tempting, but Cure Wounds isn’t a great option and Protective Wings
   forces you to be places where you don’t want to be (near someone being
   attacked) if you want to make it useful. If you only want to use it for
   yourself, just cast Shield.
 * GunnerTCoE: Bladesingers might consider this, but it’s not significantly
   better than using a longbow and since you’re using a cantrip in place of one
   of your attacks (check the Bladesinger’s version of Extra Attack), you’re
   getting very little benefit from this.
 * Keen MindPHB: A partial bonus to Intelligence, but the other bonuses are
   nearly worthless. You could use this to do things like recall the appearance
   of documents and use that recollection to create perfect illusory replicas,
   but the situations in which you would use that are exceptionally rare.
 * Lightly ArmoredPHB: Mage Armor works fine. If you’re desperate for
   manufactured armor, multiclass into something that gets you better armor.
 * LuckyPHB: Amusing, but not particularly useful to Wizards since they don’t
   frequently roll attacks or saves. This could be useful for Concentration, but
   I think it’s better to invest in avoiding damage rather than attempting to
   suffer the damage and mitigate the effects. If you find that you’re making
   more than three Constitution saves in a day, Resilient (Constitution) may be
   a better choice.
 * Magic InitiatePHB: A tempting way to get cantrips from other classes, but
   remember that you use the spellcasting ability of that other class, and since
   your Wisdom and Charisma will be poor compared to your Intelligence, so will
   your spellcasting. Stick to utility options or options which don’t care about
   your spellcasting ability modifier if you insist on taking this.
   
   For more advice on Magic Initiate, see my Spellcasting Feats Breakdown.

 * Metamagic AdeptTCoE: Excellent on any spellcaster. The Wizard has some great
   options for Extended Spell like Mage Armor and summon spells. Evokers will
   enjoy Transmuted Spell, and basically any wizard will enjoy options like
   Quickened Spell and Twinned Spell. For advice on Metamagic Adept, see my
   Sorcerer Metamagic Breakdown.
 * ObservantPHB: A partial Intelligence bonus, and the passive Investigation
   bonus can be useful.
 * ResilientPHB: Proficiency in Constitution saves really helps with
   Concentration, not to mention how common Consitution saves are. If you care
   primarily about Concentration it’s easy to compare this to War Caster.
   Advantage works out to a little more than +3, so once your Proficiency Bonus
   hits +4 Resilient becomes the more effective option of the two. However,
   Concentration only becomes a factor if you’re taking damage. If you’re taking
   damage, you have much bigger problems than Concentration. Instead, boost your
   Intelligence and use the extra prepared spell to pick up something that will
   keep you from getting hit like Shield, Invisibility, Blink, or Mirror Image.
 * Ritual CasterPHB: Really only useful if your party needs access to Cleric
   rituals, and there aren’t enough that you’re likely to miss them.
 * Shadow TouchedTCoE: Most of the spells are already available to the Wizard,
   and the two extra spells per day will have very little impact.
   
   For more advice on Shadow Touched, see my Spellcasting Feats Breakdown.

 * SkilledPHB: Proficiencies are great, especially since Wizards get few skills,
   but if you really need skills you should probably play a race that gives you
   extra skill proficiencies or start as a Rogue.
 * Spell SniperPHB: The only spells that are viable for you to select are
   already on the Wizard’s spell list. If making spell attacks is a problem, use
   something that requires saving throws instead.
   
   For more advice on Spell Sniper, see my Spellcasting Feats Breakdown.

 * TelekineticTCoE: While the Wizard does have options to use their Bonus
   Action, most of them involve spending spell slots, and even if you have a
   mountain of spell slots to burn your Bonus Action is still going to be idle
   on many turns. In those cases, Telekinetic adds a useful way to spend your
   Bonus Action to have a tactical impact. Moving a creature 5 feet often isn’t
   a big deal, but it’s enough to break grapples and sometimes it’s enough to
   force enemies into hazardous places like the area of ongoing spells.
 * TelepathicTCoE: Unlike many sources of telepathy, including those offered by
   some races, this telepathy still uses languages, so the benefits are
   minimally appealing even for a Face. You do get to increase a mental ability
   score, which reduces the cost of the feat, but the benefits are primarily the
   ability to communicate while being stealthy.
 * ToughPHB: Cast False Life instead.
 * War CasterPHB: A really great feat, but generally best left to Artificers and
   Eldritch Knights. Bladesingers can get a lot of use out of it while they’re
   in melee, but if you just want Advantage on Concentration checks I think
   Lucky or Resilient are better options.


WIZARD WEAPONS

 * Dagger: Carry one or two for utility purposes at any level, but the damage
   isn’t good enough to make it better than shocking grasp. You can make
   opportunity attacks with a dagger, but that’s not something you should be
   doing frequently.
 * Light Crossbow: Until you hit level 5, a light crossbow can do more damage
   than firebolt. If you have at least 14 Dexterity, a light crossbow is a
   better option than firebolt at low levels when you just need to do some
   damage (Crossbow DPR with 14 Dex roughly 3.9 compared to 3.575 to Fire Bolt
   with 16 Int from levels 1 through 3, then 3.575 for both at level 4).
 * Quarterstaff: A great cosmetic item, but totally useless in combat. Use
   Shocking Grasp or a Dagger instead.
 * Rapier: The Bladesinger Wizard’s go-to weapon.
 * Scimitar: Tempting for the Bladesinger if you want to explore Two-Weapon
   Fighting, but you can’t perform Somatic components with a weapon in your hand
   so you can’t cast Shield if you’re using two scimitars. You’ll need War
   Caster to overcome that limitation, and even if you go that route remember
   that you’ll often want your Bonus Action for casting spells like Misty Step.


WIZARD ARMOR

Cast Mage Armor and learn Shield. At low levels, that will be enough to keep you
safe, but at high levels you may forgo mage armor because enemies’ attack
bonuses will be so high that it may stop being helpful. You might keep shield
around for times when it would deflect an incoming attack, but you’re better
served by other spells like Blur, Blink, or Mirror Image, none of which care
about attack bonuses.


MULTICLASSING

This section briefly details some obvious and enticing multiclass options, but
doesn’t fully explore the broad range of multiclassing combinations. For more on
multiclassing, see our Practical Guide to Multiclassing.

 * Artificer: Starting with a level in artificer gets you a lot. Proficiency in
   medium armor, shields, and Constitution saving throws are really tempting,
   plus artificers get access to some low-level spells which the Wizard doesn’t
   like Cure Wounds. The Artificer’s multiclassing rules allow you to round up
   when determining spell slots (other spellcasting classes round down), so
   while you don’t learn spells of new spell levels as quickly you still get the
   same spell slot progression. It’s nothing that you absolutely need to have,
   but for 1 level it’s pretty good. Bladesingers might consider 3 levels to get
   the Battlesmith’s Battle Ready feature, allowing them to use Intelligence for
   weapon attacks and damage.
 * Cleric: A single level with the right domain can get you heavy armor
   proficiency, not to mention how many great low-level spells the Cleric has.
 * Fighter: If you want Action Surge, two levels of Fighter are tempting, but
   remember that you’re giving up an entire level of spells to get one to three
   extra spells per day (the game expects two short rests in a full day of
   adventuring). If you want to be a fighter that blasts stuff, Bladesinger and
   Eldritch Knight exist for a reason. If you still want Action Surge, wait
   until you have 9th-level spells.


WIZARD MAGIC ITEMS


COMMON MAGIC ITEMS

 * Hat of Wizardry: Easy access to all of those weird, situational cantrips that
   aren’t worth learning permanently. A DC 10 Arcana check is trivial for the
   Wizard; a typical wizard will get +5 to the check at level 1, and by level 9
   passes the check on a natural 1. Unfortunately, this does require Attunement
   and you can only attempt to use it once per day, so you may abandon this in
   favor of other items later in your career.
 * Ruby of the War MageXGtE: Tempting for the Bladesinger, but the Bladesinger
   generally fights with a one-handed weapon so you have a hand free to cast
   spells. I would consider this if you like two-weapon fighting as a
   bladesinger, but remember that you still need a free hand to cast Absorb
   Elements and Shield and Ruby of the War Mage won’t fix that.


UNCOMMON MAGIC ITEMS

 * Arcane Grimoire: +1 to spell attacks and save DC’s. The improvement to Arcane
   Recovery isn’t huge, but it makes it easier to recover higher-level spell
   slots. You don’t get to exceed the cap of 6th level, but at low levels the
   ability to recover slightly more powerful spell slots is a big improvement.
 * Broom of FlyingDMG: Easily overlooked, but one of the best ways to get flight
   for any character. It doesn’t require attunement, and has a fly speed of 50
   feet, though many medium characters will exceed the 200 pound limit to reduce
   the speed to 30 feet, but even then 30 feet fly speed with no duration cap
   and requiring no action after speaking the command word is absolutely
   incredible. The only drawback is that you’re using the item’s speed rather
   than giving yourself a fly speed, so things that improve your speed won’t
   make the broom move faster, and you can’t Dash with the broom. Even so, I
   honestly can’t justify why this is only Uncommon considering how
   exceptionally good it is.
 * Cloak of ProtectionDMG: Good on any character, but it requires Attunement and
   it’s not very interesting.
 * Eyes of Minute SeeingDMG: Excellent in dungeon crawls. Investigation is
   typically used for finding things like traps, and even if you’re not
   proficient you almost certainly have the highest Intelligence in the party.
 * Goggles of NightDMG: Crucial for races which don’t get Darkvision, especially
   if your party can’t cast the Darkvision spell for you.
 * Headband of Intellect: By the time you can get this, you probably already
   have 18 Intelligence so there’s little benefit. Give it to the
   least-intelligent person in the party.
 * Pearl of PowerDMG: Useful on any spellcaster.
 * Slippers of Spider ClimbingDMG: The next-best thing to flight. Walking up a
   wall has all the benefits of flying out of reach.
 * Stone of Good LuckDMG: Excellent on literally any character, but if you just
   want better defense a Cloak of Protection may be more effective. Note that
   ability checks include Initiative rolls and checks to counter/dispel things.
 * Wand of the War MageDMG: Helpful if you’re heavily reliant on cantrips like
   Fire Bolt, but an Arcane Grimoire will be considerably more useful.
 * Weapon, +1DMG: Helpful for the Bladesinger.
 * Winged BootsDMG: Excellent on its own, but Winged Boots are more limited in
   use than a broom of flying, and they require Attunement.


RARE MAGIC ITEMS

 * Alchemical CompendiumTCoE: While the Alchemical Compendium doesn’t provide a
   bonus to your spell attacks and spell DC’s like the Arcane Grimoire, it’s
   still an amazing item with a ton of utility that may not be obvious at first.
   The first benefit of the item is the simplest, allowing you to draw on your
   growing collection of spells in your spellbook on short notice, allowing you
   to use weird, situational transmutation spells that typically aren’t worth
   preparing like Alter Self or Skywrite.
   
   The second benefit is considerably more complex, but it’s complex enough that
   it’s definitely worth exploring. The obvious use is to turn one object into
   another object, such as a weapon into a tool to get past an obstacle, or a
   block of gold into a diamond so that you can raise an ally from the dead.
   There doesn’t seem to be any limitation on the final size of the object or on
   special materials, so you can do weird things like turning a gold bar into a
   stone boulder or a torch into a dead mouse (dead bodies are objects).
   
   Even better, you can use this to sabotage obstacles, such as by turning door
   hinges or locks into coins. In fact, spending a charge of the book to turn
   random objects into money (coins, gems, or bars of precious metals all work)
   is a great idea because it removes a problematic object and gives you a
   small, value-dense object of a specific value which you can then use later to
   recreate that object if necessary. Unfortunately you can’t turn multiple
   objects into one object or one object into multiple objects (no piles of
   coins), but if necessary you can just melt metal together to make it a single
   object.

 * Amulet of HealthDMG: Setting your Constitution to 19 means that you don’t
   need to put Ability Score Increases into it unless you’re really certain that
   you want 20 Constitution. Less ASI’s into Constitution means more room for
   feats. Combining this with Resilient (Constitution) or War Caster can do a
   lot to make Concentration easier.
 * Arcane Grimoire: +2 to spell attacks and save DC’s. See Arcane Grimoire under
   Uncommon Magic Items for more.
 * Astromancy ArchiveTCoE: The ability to trade prepared spells to access
   divination spells as-needed means that you can easily access things like
   Identify and Tongues without needing to keep them prepared all the time. The
   second benefit is extremely powerful even at a maximum of three uses per day.
   Use it to buff your allies saves against dangerous things like save-or-scuk
   effects or to debuff enemies who are attempting to resist your high-level
   spells.
 * Atlas of Endless HorizonsTCoE: The ability to trade prepared spells to access
   conjuration spells as-needed means that you can easily access things like
   Find Familiar and Plane Shift without needing to keep them prepared all the
   time. Many conjuration spells are very situational and you may not need them
   while actively adventuring, but might want them at the end of the day or when
   you decide it’s time to teleport home. The teleportation effect is neat and
   can get you out of grapples, but the range is tiny so you may still want
   Misty Step prepared. You only need to hit by an attack to trigger it, so you
   could punch yourself (or have an ally do it) in order to forcibly trigger the
   teleportation.
 * Barrier Tattoo (Rare)TCoE: Way better than Mage Armor and you don’t need to
   raise your Dexterity past 14 to still have good AC.
 * Bracers of DefenseDMG: Get a Barrier Tattoo (Rare).
 * Cloak of DisplacementDMG: Among the best defensive items in the game. Taking
   damage from any source (spells, etc.) suppresses the effect temporarily, so
   make a point to kill anything that can damage you without an attack roll.
 * Duplicitous ManuscriptTCoE: Among the school-specific focuses of this type,
   the Duplicitous Manuscript is one of the least useful. While it shares the
   ability to change a prepared spell, you’ll rarely need to change which
   illusions you’ve prepared within the space of a day unless you need to break
   out the really unusual options like Seeming and Hallucinatory Terrain. The
   second benefit allows you to impose Disadvantage when creatures try to break
   your illusions, but it’s one charge to affect one creature on one check or
   save, so it’s expensive and not very effective. A +1 or +2 spellcasting focus
   will yield more consistent results and will work consistently across all of
   your spells rather than only for the maximum of three times per day where you
   can use the Duplicitous Manuscript.
 * Elven ChainDMG: One less AC than Barrier Tattoo (Rare), but it doesn’t
   require attunement, so in a game with abundant magic items Elven Chain may be
   a better choice.
 * Fulminating TreatiseTCoE: Generally evocation enthusiasts are Blasters, and
   have a good mix of spells that they prepare every day to fulfill their
   magical violence needs. But there are a few situational spells (Contingency,
   etc.) which you may need to cast once but don’t want to keep prepared when
   you walk into a fight, so trading a spell can be very helpful. The secondary
   benefit adds a small amount of damage against a single target and knocks them
   prone. Considering the book’s rarity, that’s a fairly minor benefit most of
   the time. But remember that knocking a flying foe prone causes them to fall
   unless they can hover, and since the effect doesn’t allow a save you can add
   it to Magic Missile and knock flying foes out of the air unerringly. Imagine
   casting Magic Missile at first level and causing an ancient dragon to fall
   and take a mountain of falling damage.
 * Heart Weaver’s PrimerTCoE: An absolute must for an enchantment enthusiast,
   the Heart Weaver’s Primer’s second benefit is basically the same as Enhanced
   Spell. Imposing Disadvantage on even one save can negate a creature as a
   threat. Enchantment spells include some of the best save-or-suck options in
   the game, and while many include additional saving throws (Hold Monster,
   etc.), many don’t unless specific conditions are met (Charm Monster, Hypnotic
   Pattern). The Disadvantage only affects one creature per charge, but that’s
   still enough to be massively impactful.
 * Libram of Souls and FleshTCoE: If you’re working with undead you need to be
   able to handle them without them murdering you for much longer than 30
   minutes per day.
 * Planecaller’s CodexTCoE: Summon spells are fantastic, especially with the
   addition of the new spells in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. The second
   benefit of this item has a very short duration which encourages you to wait
   to summon a pet until you actually plan to fight things (normally you can do
   it ahead of time thanks to the generous hour-long durations), but doing so is
   absolutely worth the strain for the dramatic improvement in effectiveness.
 * Protective VersesTCoE: Abjuration includes a huge number of situational
   spells like Arcane Lock, so having access to them easily is a big advantage.
   The second benefit applies a decent amount of temporary hit points, but I
   would reserve at least 1 charge for trading prepared spells because it’s so
   easy to spend your charges on the temporary hit points.
 * Ring of ProtectionDMG: Cloak of Protection is lower rarity and has the same
   effect.
 * Ring of ResistanceDMG: A fine item in a vacuum, but a Ring of Spell Storing
   full of Absorb Elements will be much more effective.
 * Ring of Spell StoringDMG: Fill it with Absorb Elements and Shield, and
   recharge it whenever possible and this is a spectacular defensive asset.
 * Sun StaffBoMT: The attack and damage bonuses are totally useless for you, and
   the damage reroll isn’t useful enough to justify actively trying to get one
   of these. The best user for this is an Eldritch Knight with Polearm Master,
   but they can’t attune to this without multiclassing.
 * Weapon, +2DMG: Helpful for the Bladesinger.
 * Wings of FlyingDMG: Broom of Flying is much better, lower rarity, and doesn’t
   require attunement.


VERY RARE MAGIC ITEMS

 * Absorbing TattooTCoE: Good, but too high rarity to devote to a single damage
   type. Get a Ring of Spell Storing and fill it with Absorb Elements.
 * Amulet of the Planes: Plane Shift for free, and since it’s an Intelligence
   check you’ll be able to pass it without too much trouble. If you do fail, you
   can use it again the next round so long as you don’t end up somewhere which
   would prevent you from doing so.
 * Arcane Grimoire: +3 to spell attacks and save DC’s. See Arcane Grimoire under
   Uncommon Magic Items for more.
 * Barrier Tattoo (Very Rare)TCoE: The fixed AC matches full plate, so you don’t
   need to worry about Dexterity to boost your AC and you don’t even suffer
   Disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
 * Crystalline ChronicleTCoE: By the time you’re high enough level to get this
   item, the 100gp cap won’t be especially helpful. You do get to pretend to
   know three additional cantrips, which is nice, but at this level you really
   need this to be better.
 * Deck of OraclesBoMT: Basically Portent once per day, plus one free casting of
   Divination once per day. Excellent on literally any character.
 * Manual of Bodily HealthDMG: Permanent Constitution bonus and raises your cap
   by 2. Unless you’re using a magic item that fixes your Constitution as a
   specific score, this is excellent.
 * Rod of Hellish FlamesBoMT: The damage resistances are nice, but you’re here
   for the ability to maximize fire or necrotic damage once per day. Easily
   missed but very important: It’s not “the first damage roll” like most similar
   effects. You simply don’t roll damage. That means that this works with spells
   that do repeated or ongoing damage such as Dragon Breath, Fire Shield, Hex,
   Illusory Dragon, Scorching Ray, Spirit Shroud, and Wall of Fire. Yes, it’s
   only once per day, but you can get a ton of mileage out of that single use.
   Not all of those are on your spell list, but I really want you to understand
   the possibilities here.
 * Spellguard ShieldDMG: Basically only useful against spellcasters, but if
   you’re facing a spellcaster there are few better defenses.
 * Staff of FireDMG: Good go-to spells a few times per day.
 * Staff of IceDMG: Decent spells, but knowing Fireball and Wall of Force makes
   the best options on the staff obsolete.
 * Staff of PowerDMG: A +2 quarterstaff, +2 to spell attacks (though not to
   spell DC’s for some reason, so you may want another focus), +2 to both AC and
   to saving throws, 20 charges, and 9 spells which you can cast. This is
   powerful, versatile, and all around just an exceptionally powerful item.
 * Tome of Clear ThoughtDMG: Permanent Intelligence bonus and raises your cap by
   2.
 * Weapon, +3DMG: Helpful for the Bladesinger.


LEGENDARY MAGIC ITEMS

 * Cloak of InvisibilityDMG: Invisibility is extremely powerful in 5e. Note that
   this is just the invisible condition, not the spell spell Invisibility, so
   you can still attack or whatever while invisible. Unless you’re playing a
   Defender and actively trying to draw attacks away from your allies, this is
   absolutely amazing.
 * Ioun Stone (Mastery)DMG: Proficiency Bonuses apply to a lot of things and a
   +1 bonus goes a long way. Attacks, saves, skills, etc. all benefit. However,
   most wizards rely mostly on spells which require saving throws so it’s not as
   beneficial as it would be for other characters. A Stone of Good Luck may be
   just as useful.
 * Orb of SkoraeusGotG: Darkvision, see in magical darkness, a bonus to saves to
   maintain concentration, and mitigate 300gp of material component costs per
   day. This feels very tempting, but it’s just not good enough for this rarity.
   By this level, 300gp is a pittance, and you have access to magical options
   that make magical darkness much less of a problem.
 * Ring of Spell TurningDMG: Given the choice, I would much rather have a Mantle
   of Spell Resistance simply because the Ring of Spell Turning doesn’t provide
   any protection against area effect spells. Otherwise, this is a really fun
   item, and if it provided Advantage on saves against area of effect spells it
   would shoot straight up to blue.
 * Ring of Three WishesDMG: Learn Wish and give this to someone in your party
   who can’t cast spells so that they can use it to give everyone permanent
   damage resistance.
   
   For more help with Wish, see my Practical Guide to Wish.

 * Robe of the ArchmagiDMG: Combine the benefits of a Very Rare spellcasting
   focus, a Barrier Tattoo (Rare), and a Mantle of Spell Resistance. Those are
   three absolutely fantastic items, and combining them on one item is
   spectacular.
 * Scarab of ProtectionDMG: An upgrade from the Mantle of Spell Resistance, the
   Scarab of Protection adds a limited benefit against necromancy and undead
   creatures, and doesn’t take up your cloak slot, leaving you free to take
   items like a Cloak of Protection or Cloak of Invisibility instead.
 * Spindle of FateBoMT: The third bullet is why you’re here. Force a creature to
   auto-fail a save up to twice per day. Perfect for all those awesome
   save-or-suck spells rendered useless by targeting Con saves.
 * Staff of the MagiDMG: Mostly an upgrade from the Staff of Power, the Staff of
   the Magi is a +2 quarterstaff and adds +2 to spell attacks (though not to
   spell DC’s for some reason, so you may want another focus), but loses the
   Staff of Power’s AC and saving throw bonuses, though you do get Advantage on
   saves against spells. You get a massive pool of charges and 20 spells that
   you can cast, 6 of which can be cast without spending charges. You can also
   absorb spells which other creatures cast, allowing you to turn those spells
   into charges in the staff and recharge it faster than you could simply by
   waiting for dawn. This is a great way to recharge the staff before a long
   rest if you have allies whose spell slots would otherwise go unspent.
   Strangely, this mechanic allows you to absorb cantrips, but since they’re
   0-level spells they don’t charge the staff. It’s like drinking an empty glass
   of water.
 * Tome of the Stilled TongueDMG: In addition to serving as a spellbook and a
   casting focus, this allows you to cast one spell without spending a spell
   slot. There’s no restriction on the level of the spell, so in a practical
   sense you get to cast a 9th-level spell once per day for free as a Bonus
   Action with no somatic/verbal components. You don’t need to have the spell
   prepared, either, so you have access to everything in your spell book at a
   moment’s notice. Of course, realistically you’re going to cast Wish if you
   want anything except a 9th-level spell, so the ability to cast any spell in
   your spellbook only matters if you somehow find this below level 17.


EXAMPLE WIZARD BUILD – HIGH ELF WIZARD (EVOKER)

> Frankkóttir the High Elf School of Evocation Wizard
> 
> Evocation Wizard A slender figure sits hunched over a table in the corner,
> scribbling furiously into a thick tome, seemingly oblivious to your presence.
> The fluffy white cat curled up next to the book opens an eye to study you,
> before letting out an annoyed mewl. The figure jumps to their feet with
> surprise at the sound, much taller than you expected, their delicate high
> elven features at odds with their disheveled pale gold hair. From the state of
> their rumpled robes they seem to have been working for several hours, if not
> days, and had not been expecting interruption.
> 
> — Boxed text provided by dScryb (affiliate link)

This is a “Staple Build”. This build is simple, and relies on options from the SRD and the Basic Rules wherever possible. If you need a functional build with nothing fancy or complicated, this is a great place to start.

By wizard standards, the evoker is simple. Blow stuff up, long rest, repeat. The
biggest impediment to evokers is needing to overcome enemy resistances to
various types of damage from their spells, and that’s easy to overcome by
diversifying your spells.

For a more optimized example, see our School of Evocation Wizard Handbook.


ABILITIES

We will assume the point buy abilities suggested above.

 BaseIncreasedStr88Dex1416Con1414Int1516Wis1212Cha88


RACE

High Elf. High Elf is a spectacular option for the Wizard. The ability score
increases line up nicely, and a free cantrip provides extra versatility at low
levels where it is sorely needed. You also get proficiency with longbows, and
with 16 Dexterity and proficiency you’re just as good with a longbow as anyone
else, and 1d8+3 damage will be more damage than a cantrip at low levels.


SKILLS AND TOOLS

The Wizard’s skill list is almost exclusively dominated by Intelligence-based
skills, and that’s exactly what we want. Your party will look to you to know
things about stuff, and you should meet that expectation as much as possible.
You’ll get two more skills from your background, so try to find a background
that lets you cover the knowledge skills which no one else in your party can
cover. You also get Perception proficiency as a racial trait. Assuming that you
take the Sage background as suggested below, I recommend that you take
Investigation and Religion to start with the following proficiencies:

 * Arcana
 * History
 * Investigation
 * Perception
 * Religion


BACKGROUND

Acolyte and Sage both have things to offer. Sage is the go-to option for
wizards, giving you two knowledge skills and two languages. Languages may not
seem important with dumped Charisma, but it’s hard to read ancient tomes if you
don’t know the language. Of course, you could cast Comprehend Languages as a
ritual.

Acolyte gives you proficiency in Insight and Religion, both of which are on your
skill list, but Insight should usually be left to someone with higher Wisdom if
anyone else in the party has it. You also get two languages, but again:
Comprehend Languages as a ritual.

We’ll use Sage for this build.


FEATS

Intelligence is the only ability score that wizards really need, so once you hit
20 Intelligence you might consider exploring feats. Magic Initiate can get you
some powerful options from other class’s spell lists, and Elemental Adept can
help you focus on your favorite element without worrying as much about damage
resistances. If you’re not ready for complicated feats but still don’t see
ability score increases as appealing, try something simple like Skilled.


LEVELS

LevelFeat(s) and FeaturesNotes and Tactics1Spellcasting
Arcane Recovery
Cantrips Known:
– Acid Splash
– Chill Touch
– Prestidigitation
– Ray of Frost
Spells Known:
– Burning Hands
– Comprehend Languages (R)
– Detect Magic (R)
– Find Familiar (R)
– Mage Armor
– Magic MissileFor your starting equipment, take a dagger, a component pouch or
spellcasting focus, either pack, and a spellbook.

The list of cantrips I’ve suggested include three offensive options, giving you
good damage type coverage. Acid Splash requires a saving throw, while Chill
Touch and Ray of Frost require attack rolls. Use Acid Splash on clustered
enemies, on enemies within 5 ft. (you don’t care about Disadvantage on ranged
attacks while adjacent to an enemy if you don’t make an attack roll), or enemies
with problematically high AC, but Ray of Frost is your go-to offensive cantrip.
A 10 ft. speed reduction can be a significant tactical advantage, especially if
you position yourself so that enemies would need to Dash to reach you in a
single turn.

I’ve notably skipped over Fire Bolt. Fire Bolt is the most damage (1d10) which
you can get from a cantrip while remaining within the SRD. But at this level if
all you want is damage you should grab a longbow. With 16 Dexterity, Fire Bolt
would attack at +5 and deal 1d10 (avg. 5.5) damage, while a longbow will attack
at +5 and deal 1d8+3 (avg. 7.5) damage and has considerably better range.

Because your spell slots are so limited at 1st level, we’ll lean hard on ritual
spells, spending half of our free spellbook entries on ritual spells. Get a
familiar as soon as possible, and use Detect Magic as a ritual whenever it could
be useful. That leaves use three useful combat options: burning hands, mage
armor, and magic missile. Mage Armor is a significant AC boost, bringing you to
16 AC which matches the AC of a fighter without a shield, but you’re still frail
so standing behind someone durable is still better protection. Burning Hands is
your go-to crowd control option, while Magic Missile is a reliable pile of
damage at range.

Don’t forget Arcane Recovery. You only get to use it once per day, but it allows
you to recover a few spell slots, which can be the difference between life and
death in a full day of adventuring. Use it early, use it often.2School of
Evocation
Evocation Savant
Sculpt Spells
Spells Known:
– Identify (R)
– ShieldThe “Savant” feature is a staple of every wizard school. So long as you
can find written spells to copy (which depends heavily on the setting in which
your campaign takes place), it’s often smarter to spend gold to learn spells
from your school while using your two free spells at each level to get spells
from other schools. However, the point of staple builds is to emphasize
simplicity and ease of access, so I’ll continue to assume that you’re only
getting the two free spells per level.

Sculpt Spells is a crucial tactical option for evokers. The majority of the best
evocation spells are area spells like Fireball, and when you drop big damage
spells into a fight it typically means damaging your allies. Sculpt Spells
largely removes that difficulty, and scaling the number of safe spaces based on
the spell’s level means that as the area of effect of your spells gradually
increases, you’ll be able to adequately protect your allies. However, it notably
doesn’t work on yourself, so you can’t drop fireballs on yourself without taking
damage.

At this level we pick up yet another ritual spell, but don’t expect to use
Identify until you start finding magic items. If you know that your campaign
doesn’t include magic items, get something else like Thunderwave. Shield adds
another defensive option, allowing you to block an attack at the last second and
potentially protecting you better than Mage Armor.3Spells Known:
– Scorching Ray
– Shatter2nd-level spells give us more offensive options. Shatter is your go-to
option whenever you can hit three or more targets. Two or more would be more
damage than you can do with nearly any of your existing spells, but hitting two
targets probably isn’t worth one of your two 2nd-level spell slots. Scorching
Ray is a good single-target option, but expect to do partial damage because
you’ll inevitably miss with some of the rays, so Magic Missile may actually be a
better option.4Ability Score Improvement ( 16 -> 18)
New Cantrips Known:
– Fire Bolt
Spells Known:
– Flaming Sphere
– Misty Step4th level is typically boring, but there’s a lot going on here.
First, and most importantly, your Intelligence increases, raising your spell
attacks and your spell DCs. For the first time your cantrips are more accurate
than your longbow, and with Fire Bolt added to our arsenal it may be worthwhile
to use Fire Bolt. However, your longbow will still deal more damage, so against
foes with low AC I would lean on your longbow first, and use Acid Splash or a
leveled spell on targets with high AC. We mostly want Fire Bolt for 5th level
and beyond.

We’re notably not picking up any new evocation spells at this level. Flaming
Sphere is a great option for long fights to stretch your spell slots, and it’s a
great way to use your under-utilized bonus action. Misty Step is a crucial
defensive option that gets you out of grapples, traps, etc.5Spells Known:
– Fireball
– Fly5th level brings the first cantrip damage improvement. Fire Bolt now deals
2d10 damage (avg. 11), greatly exceeding your longbow, so it’s finally time to
set aside mundane weaponry.

3rd-level spells bring iconic options like Fireball and Lightning Bolt. Fireball
is among the best spells in the game for its level, so I would recommend taking
it even if we weren’t building an evoker. Fly provides some utility and
mobility. We’ll skip lightning bolt because it’s really hard to hit more than
two creatures with a line, and thanks to Sculpt Spells it’s easier to drop big
AOEs over your allies.6Potent Cantrip
Spells Known:
– Counterspell
– Dispel MagicPotent Cantrip is less helpful than you’d think. Acid Splash and
Poison Spray are the only wizard cantrips in the Basic Rules or the SRD which
calls for a saving throw. If you look beyond those confines (and you should)
you’ll find numerous excellent options like Frostbite and Mind Sliver.

Our leveled spells at this level are boring, but extremely important.
Counterspell allows you to shut down enemy spellcasters, while Dispel Magic
removes numerous problematic magical effects. Both spells are crucial parts of
your party’s arsenal at any level.7Spells Known:
– Conjure Minor Elementals
– Wall of FireThe SRD contains very few 4th-level evocation spells, and most of
them are bad. Wall of Fire stands out as a potent crowd control effect, but the
other options aren’t worth a spell slot. Instead, we’ll look to other schools to
expand our options. Conjure Minor Elementals gives us a versatile option for
handling problematic encounters. Crowding a hall or small room with elementals
can restrict enemy movement, providing a significant tactical advantage unless
your enemies spend their turns attacking the elementals.8Ability Score
Improvement ( 18 -> 20)
Spells Known:
– Polymorph
– Stone Shape

8th level brings us our final Intelligence increase.

We still don’t have any good new evocations to pick up, so get some interesting
options from other schools. Polymorph is a powerful and versatile spell that’s
equal parts buff and save-or-suck. Stone Shape is a generally useful spell that
provides a lot of utility in a game that involves a lot of dungeons and caves.

9Spells Known:
– Arcane Hand
– Wall of ForceNote that “Arcane Hand” is the SRD name for “Bigby’s Hand”.

Arcane Hand is a great spell that provides much of the utility of a
high-Strength ally for the 1-minute duration of the spell. Clenched Fist and
Grasping Hand are your go-to options, but don’t overlook the other options.

Wall of Force is basically cheating. Almost nothing can break it, and with a
10-minute duration you can easily entrap the biggest thing in a fight while you
go and deal with its friends or while you and your friends heal, buff, and set
up prepared actions. Against especially large creatures you can raise the dome
off the floor enough that you can still target the victim’s feet while the
victim is unable to escape.10Empowered Evocation
New Cantrip Known:
– Any
Spells Known:
– Cone of Cold
– AnyEmpowered Evocation provides a significant damage boost, especially for our
cantrips. Fire Bolt goes from 2d10 (avg. 11) to 2d10+5 (avg. 16), increasing its
damage output by nearly 50%. The damage boost also notably applies to all of our
AOE spells like Acid Splash and Fireball, dramatically boosting your output when
you can apply the bonus to multiple foes.

Cone of Cold is a decent spell, but it’s rarely better than fireball. The
difference between 8d6 and 8d8 damage is only an average of 8 damage, and the
ability to cast fireball from a distance will often make it the superior option.
We mostly want Cone of Cold for when we get Overchannel.11Spells Known:
– Chain Lightning
– SunbeamImmediately after receiving Empowered Evocation, our cantrips get
another damage boost. Fire Bolt now deals 3d10+5 (avg. 21.5), dramatically
exceeding the maximum damage we can deal with our low-level spells

Even with the advantage of Sculpt Spell, it can still be difficult to throw
around AOE spells like Fireball without damaging things you would prefer not to
damage (like the wooden building you’re in). Chain Lightning provides a
convenient way to damage numerous foes and does an impressive amount of damage.

Sunbeam allows you to spend a whole minute firing lines that do as much damage
as lightning bolt and potentially blind targets. It’s an exceptionally efficient
use of a spell slot, and it’s one of very few ways that a wizard can deal
radiant damage.12Ability Score Improvement (Constitution 14 -> 16)
Spells Known:
– Flesh to Stone
– Globe of InvulnerabilityWe’ve already got the best 6th-level evocation spells,
so let’s get some other options. Flesh to Stone is a great save-or-suck option,
and Globe of Invulnerability is an excellent defense should you encounter enemy
spellcasters.13Spells Known:
– Delayed Blast Fireball
– ForcecageDelayed Blast Fireball is admittedly difficult to use. 12d6 is a good
pile of damage, but you get Overchannel next level, and using Overchannel with
Cone of Cold will deal much more damage. Save Delayed Blast Fireball for
situations where it will have time to charge. Long encounters, encounters with
enemies running into the area, or ambush scenarios where you can charge the
fireball before the fight starts.

Forcecage is essentially a better version of Wall of Force’s hemisphere option.
With a longer duration and no concentration component, you can drop it on an
enemy and go about your business while they’re in “time out”. In a pinch, you
could cast it over yourself and your party to give yourself a safe place to take
a short rest.14Overchannel
Spells Known:
– Plane Shift
– TeleportOverchannel dramatically improves the effectiveness of your low-level
spells, and it’s the biggest reason why we learned Cone of Cold. Be very
cautious about using it more than once, however. Even the second use can easily
kill you (10d12 averages to 65 damage, and at this level you have something like
100 hit points), and your lower-level spells likely aren’t powerful enough that
they’re a better option than a cantrip, even while overchanneled.

7th-level spells introduce real long-distance travel options. Between Plane
Shift and Teleport you can go basically anywhere in the multiverse. You won’t
need these options frequently, but you have better access to them than any other
spellcast, so your party will likely rely on you.15Spells Known:
– Incendiary Cloud
– SunburstIncendiary Cloud isn’t an evocation spell, but it’s a fantastic damage
option nonetheless. With a 1-minute duration, 10d8 damage adds up quickly.
Combined with Forecage, you can easily kill groups of powerful enemies with two
spells and some patience while they’re helpless to escape or resist.

Sunburst, while less interesting, is no less effective. It has fantastic range,
a massive AOE, decent damage, and it blinds targets that fail the saving throw.
Throw it at the beginning of a fight and it can easily win the encounter for
your party.16Ability Score Improvement (Constitution 16 -> 18)
Spells Known:
– Feeblemind
– MazeThere are surprisingly few 8th-level evocation spells, so we’ll grab some
good options from other schools. Feeblemind shuts down enemy spellcasters who
aren’t Intelligence-based, and Maze puts enemies with low Intelligence into an
inescapable demiplane for up to 10 minutes while you fight their friends.
Unfortunately, Maze requires Concentration so you can’t set up Delayed Blast
Fireball while you have a target trapped in a Maze.17Spells Known:
– Meteor Swarm
– WishYou get just 1 9th-level spell slot per day, so you really need to pick
the best options available to you. Meteor Swarm is a great go-to damage option,
dealing a truly horrifying 40d6 (avg. 70) damage in 4 40-ft radius spheres. You
can destroy a castle with that.

Beyond Meteor Swarm, you would be a fool to not learn Wish. It’s the best spell
in the game even if you never use its more powerful options.

This level also brings the final cantrip damage boost, raising Fire Bolt to an
impressive 4d10+5 (avg. 26).18Spell Mastery
– Shield
– Shatter
Spells Known:
– Any
– AnyShield is basically free at this point, which means a near-perpetual +5 to
AC and immunity to magic missile.


Shatter becomes an inexpensive option for handling groups of enemies,
dramatically outpacing Acid Splash’s number of targets and roughly matching its
damage with a much more useful damage type.

Selecting spells known at this level is surprisingly difficult. Selecting more
9th-level spells is fine, but since you can never cast more than two in a day it
seems wasteful to learn more than a handful. Pick up whatever other 9th-level
spells you want to diversify your options, but strongly consider picking up
lower-level spells which you passed over previously.

19Ability Score Improvement (Constitution 18 -> 20)
– Spells Known:
– Any
– Any

More of the same. Learn more spells, get more hit points.

20Signature Spell:
– Fireball
– Fly
Spells Known:
– Any
– AnySignature spell is disappointing for 20th level. Sure, two free spell slots
of any level is great, but the ability to prepare two additional spells is
probably more impactful because it means that you can prepare more spells to
diversify your options for the day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

T.E. "RPGBOT" KAMSTRA

Tyler "RPGBOT" Kamstra has been the author of RPGBOT.net since 2013. Tyler began
playing tabletop RPGs with 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons over 20 years ago.
Tyler has a long-standing love for building characters and for game mechanics,
and brings that enthusiasm to everything he creates.

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