Dungeons & Dragons 8 Things To think About Before Starting A New Campaign As A Wizard

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Dungeons & Dragons 8 Things To think About Before Starting A New Campaign As A Wizard

The wizard class is one of the most popular classes in Dungeon & Dragons. For players who want to get the most out of magic consider all of this. There are 12 basic classes in and many more sub-classes. It's sometimes hard to pick what class to take, as each one has its own unique set of skills that have the potential to make for a very rewarding and entertaining game. When it comes to Spellcasters you have 8 classes and 2 sub-classes that can use spells and out of those 8 the is the OG of all them, having been around the longest. If you're wanting to do magic, it's hard to go wrong with a wizard as they have one of the largest pools of spells to dip into and are described as being the "supreme magic-users". Playing a wizard is a lot of fun as well, though there are a few things you should consider before diving into this class of arcana. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

What Role Do You Wish To Fulfill

Maybe the first thing to consider when you're thinking about playing a wizard is what role you want your wizard character to fill within the group. While every party has its own unique collection of characters and dynamics, there are certain roles that are genuinely needed for any adventuring party. For example, there is the "Face" who's typically the most charismatic and handles most interactions with NPCs. There is also the "Brains" of the group who has the highest Intelligence and is good during situations that use logic. As a wizard, Intelligence should be your highest stat as it's what you use to cast your spells, so most wizards tend to become the "Brain" of the group. The other stats (aside from Constitution which should be your second highest stat) you can be more liberal with, but you can also use them to determine the role your character plays among the group. If you dump a few extra points into Charisma maybe they'll be the one to sweet talk merchants into getting discounts or the guards to let your rogue buddy out of jail.

Are You Playing A Battle Or RP Focused Campaign

Artwork Via Wizards of the Coast Depending on the play style of your DM and the rest of the players, they may choose to create a campaign that's focused on combat, meaning it's a little more action-packed and focused on encounters. More -focused is where it focuses on interactions with NPCs and PCs or a mixture of both. Depending on the type of campaign you'll be playing you might want to consider if a wizard is the best class for you. In combat, most wizard spells focus on either buffing allies, debuffing enemies or delivering "blasts" of damage from afar. If doing just that doesn't appeal to you, you might want to consider other spellcaster classes that let you do a little more. In campaigns that are more RP focused or a mix of the two, there's a bit more for wizards to use their skills on and more chances to add a little "flavor" in the game.

How Close To The Action Do You Want To Be

Every campaign has times where the party will face combat and when picking what class you want to play, you should consider where you want to be on the battlefield. Most wizard sub-classes won't find themselves on the front lines, though there are a few sub-classes suited for that. Wizards like to attack from a distance and avoid getting hit. So if you wanted to play a character that loves going toe-to-toe with their enemies, the wizard class might not be the one for you. Though that isn't to say that wizards aren't capable of causing tons of damage, they have access to some of the most powerful spells in the game that can decimate enemy forces. Just from a distance.

Is There A Particular Race You Want To Play

There are many races that can become a wizard. But there are certain races that statistically stack up to make better wizards than others. Probably one of the best races for wizards is a . They naturally have a +2 Intelligence which is great since Intelligence is the greatest stat all wizards need. They also have Gnomish Cunning which gives them an advantage on saving throws against magic. Elves, humans, and half-elves also make pretty good wizards as well for their racial traits. Though again, that's not to say going outside these 4 races won't make for a good wizard. For example, you could have a dwarf wizard who, while not the archetypical choice for the class, can offer some added strength to make a pretty tough wizard.

Do You Want To Multi-Class

isn't something that most players do, but it is an option if there are aspects of another class that you really want to have. What it is, in the simplest terms, is that you gain levels in different classes, which can allow you to create a character that might not be possible in one of the standard classes. In 5e the cap for levels is 20 so all of the levels of every class you take has to collectively amount to 20. In older additions, when you multi-classed out of wizard it meant you lost the ability to gain your 9th level spell slot, but you still can in 5e, you just gain it slower. When it comes to multi-classing and the wizard class, it's typically better to take a few levels in wizard from another class than the other way around.

Are You Prepared To Be A Glass Cannon

You might have heard the wizard class described as being a "glass cannon". A glass cannon is a character that has strong offensive power but a weak defensive one. And that does sum up a typical wizard pretty well as, while they have some of the most powerful spells in the game, they're pretty weak physically. Wizards have one of the lowest AC in the game, and they can't wear armor, making them pretty easy targets. It can make playing a wizard a little difficult in the beginning, especially if they don't try their best to stay away from the frontlines of combat. There are a few ways around those weaknesses, spells like Mage Armor gives them a boost to their AC and they can wear things like Elven chain, though the latter can be pretty pricey.

Which Arcane Tradition Interests You The Most

Every wizard in can study under a specific arcane tradition or school of magic. There are 8 schools of magic that most of the spells in the game fall under. Each one has some unique qualities to them and the spells they offer, giving you plenty of ways to play your wizard. Like for example the school of Enchantment lets your influence and control the minds of others. Picking an Arcane Tradition can help you figure out how to set up your stats. Say, for example, you make a wizard from the school of Enchantment, after dumping your two highest rolls into Intelligence and Constitution, you might consider putting the 3rd highest one into Charisma, as it will aid in checks that certain spells (like Charm Person) in the Enchantment School of Magic require.

Do You Love Research

As a wizard the way you learn spells is different from other spellcasters, wizards have to "study" new spells they wish to take on and write them in their spellbooks. And while this is a costly fact (in both time and money) the payoff of it is that wizards have the ability to learn a ton of different spells. There are few spells that a wizard doesn't have the possibility of learning and this versatility for the arcane is the wizard's strongest feat. Though with all those choices it does mean you'll have to put some time and consideration into what spells you want to take. Especially since you'll have to prepare each of your spells for the day that takes up a spell slot. So for anyone that loves to think strategically, the wizard class might just be right up their alley.