Picked a Wizard as your starting character but not finding it’s quite the joyride you thought it would be? Here’s our handy guide for how to make that wizard more of a badass.
Re-think those first and second level spells
A good cantrip has saved a wizard or two from a terrible situation, but not if all your cantrips are more role-based rather than fighting based. A couple of things to keep in mind here is what sort of campaign the DM is running. Are you constantly storming into battle? Or are battles small interstitials between heavy role-playing inside towns and taverns? Spec your badass wizard accordingly.
A good use of the prestidigitation spell can carry you a long way when you’re playing to your wizard’s role. Next time, try illuminating a particular torch in a room or throwing out a loud noise to distract your adversaries or even the town guard while your party is out there sneaking around or getting into general mayhem.
Magic Missile remains a staple even in 5e, but that doesn’t mean you should automatically stick with it. For example, if you favor more proximity as (say) a half-orc wizard specced out to pursue at close range, then perhaps Shocking Grasp might be more your cup of tea.
Remember to look and closely analyze all the cantrips available to you at your next level up and talk to your DM about swapping some that might not be working for with ones that you care about and you’ll find yourself struggling less to figure out what to cast at that pivotal moment in your next battle.
Items are a Wizard’s Best Friend
There’s some stand-by classics that have migrated into 5e that you need to be aware of, one is the Cape of Mountebank. This wondrous cape is a higher level item, but it allows you to cast Dimension Door, essentially a teleportation spell.
There’s also the Staff of the Magi, one of the most OP magical staves that a wizard has access to, with the ability to absorb spells thrown at it and with spell charges built into the staff. Access to the staff will highly depend on when your DM decides you can have it because this item is incredibly powerful, but once you have your hands on it, it’s highly worth keeping up with the staff’s many uses.
The point being, your items are a crucial part of your character’s arsenal, try to make sure every chance you get you’re going over potions, staves and other magic items that can lend you a hand. Beyond old staples like the Bag of Holding and your main weapon, try and grab an amulet or magic armor. Your best bet is complementing your weaknesses to better make your wizard a jack of all trades.
Play to Your Class
You’re a wizard so you’re obviously doing more wizardly things, but are you actually playing to your specialization? Some wizards are more able to channel magic through objects like a weapon whereas others are elemental. Your character build should give you some indication of the type of wizard you’re playing, but if you’re unsure, see the first tip, it’s time to change more to your play type.
At Level 2, you get to select what school of magic you’re going to engage in and since you have to just pick one, for my money it’s the School of Illusion. Becoming an Illusion mage, you effectively turn into David Blaine but you can actually light things on fire with your mind. Imagine using Mirage together with your higher level spells to effectively create a fake environment around your enemies and in their confusion, ending them. It’s easily one of the most badass wizard specs you can run.
Bonus Tip: The One Cantrip you Absolutely Need
Two words: Minor Illusion. Somehow, WoC didn’t really think this one through and made Minor Illusion a useable cantrip at any time. It says “minor”, but you need to recall your creative writing class in college and think about how to best get out of a situation. Being surrounded by kobolds? Maybe it’s time to conjure an illusory wall of hands that reach out and freak out your enemies. Need to imitate an NPC you saw walking around town? You could probably use this instead of Disguise Self to achieve a similar effect from a distance. Minor Illusion is an incredibly OP spell for role-playing and at higher levels, you get the added benefit of using your illusion magic to create objects that actually act like real objects and work like them as well.
Following our guide, you should be able to better get results from your wizard build. Just remember, it’s your character and it’s in your hands. You can always spend hours min-maxing your way to some “God-Build”, but it won’t be your character, it’ll be somebody else’s. So make sure you’re making the best choices for you, not just for the party.
