Whether it's an old man in a long hat or a child with a lightning-shaped scar, Wizards are the classic spell casters. In Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards remain the epitome of arcane spellcasters, far outpacing other casters in terms of spell availability and versatility.

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Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Sorcerer

Your magic is incredible, and you've even more access to it using the 2024 Player's Handbook, so let's build a sorcerer to rival other spellcasters.

Posts By  Jim Ziegler

Wizards are incredibly focused around a single stat, yet are one of the most versatile classes, able to fill almost any role in the party as long as they're dedicated to that function. Or they can act as a toolbox, accumulating new spells for every contingency. More than any other class, Wizards reward you for being prepared, so get to know them with this guide.

Wizard Highlights

Mordenkainen, by Ryan Pancoast

Wizards are arcane spellcasters who use Intelligence (INT) as their spellcasting stat. This represents a Wizard’s long study of magic in order to be able to cast spells, to the exclusion of most other pursuits, which explains why they’re usually frail and struggle with athletic pursuits.

Since a Wizard’s spell list comes from studying, they can learn more spells by studying more, giving them access to the most spells of any spellcaster. Wizards are capable of learning spells from scrolls that they find or purchase or from other Wizards’ spellbooks, as long as they have enough time to study.

Differences From The 2014 Player’s Handbook

Wizard's Spellbook, by Iris Compiet

Wizards were a strong class in the 2014 Player’s Handbook, and they’ve undergone few changes in the transition to 2024 rules. The changes are mostly for the better, but veteran Wizards will likely miss the wide range of subclasses available in the previous edition.

Cantrips are minor spells that can be cast at-will, but a first-level Wizard only knows three. In the 2014 rules you were stuck with your choices, but in the updated rules you can replace one cantrip after each Long Rest. This gives a Wizard more flexibility and eliminates the feeling that they spent years of study to only learn a couple of cantrips.

After years of study, Wizards learn a lot about their subject of choice. In the 2024 rules, this is represented by the Scholar class feature, which grants Expertise in Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, or Religion. Expertise in a skill grants you double your proficiency bonus in that skill whenever you roll a check.

You have to be proficient in a skill in order to have Expertise in it, so you can’t min-max your character by taking proficiency in two skills and Expertise in a third.

In the 2014 edition, Wizards selected an Arcane Tradition at level two, gaining benefits to a specific school of magic including reduced time and resources to learn new spells. The 2024 rules replace Arcane Tradition with a subclass feature at level three, and cut your options down from eight school to four. All four subclasses are significantly buffed, but you may no longer be able to specialize in your favorite school.

A new feature at level five, Memorize Spell allows you to replace a prepared spell after every Short Rest, which eases the stress of trying to predict what spells you’ll need each morning. Now you can take a Short Rest to prepare Feather Fall before jumping off a cliff that’s too tall to climb down safely, or switch offensive spells if you expect to fight something with resistance to the one you have prepared.

Spell Mastery received a slight nerf at level 18, limiting your spells to ones that have a casting time of one action, so you can no longer get free Shield spells at will. The mastered spells can be changed more easily, though, since it can be done after a Long Rest instead of requiring eight hours of dedicated study.

Subclass Highlights

Cone of Cold, by Kim Sokol

The 2014 Player’s Handbook allowed you to specialize in any of the eight schools of magic, but the 2024 edition cuts that down to four. This eliminates a lot of customization options and makes it harder to play a proper necromancer or transmuter, but each of the subclasses are more robust.

The player-favorite Evokers and Diviners return, allowing you to focus on blasting your enemies to smithereens and tinker with fate, respectively, along with Abjurers and Illusionists. Conjurers, Enchanters, Necromancers, and Transmuters are all missing from the Player's Handbook.

All subclasses get to add extra spells of their chosen school to their spellbook. Upon choosing the subclass they gain two spells from the chosen school, and another bonus spell each time they gain access to a higher level spell slot.

Abjurer

Duel In Avernus, via Wizards of the Coast

Abjurers tend to be defensive in nature. Their magic focuses on spells that provide shields and wards to themselves and their allies, as well as countering and redirecting enemy spells.

Abjurers can use The Weave to form a ward around themselves that absorbs damage, and as they level up they can use that ward to protect their allies. Later on they also become more adept at countering spells and dispelling magic, which makes Abjurers excellent picks for campaigns featuring a lot of spellcasting antagonists.

Diviner

Contact Other Plane, by Alix Branwyn

Diviners are adept at looking into the future, the past, and the distance. Nobles may hire them to magically spy on their rivals, or to protect themselves from their neighbors’ Diviners. As an adventurer, this makes you an excellent source of information about upcoming encounters and allows the party to prepare for fights they’d otherwise be unaware of.

One way the Diviner’s future sight is represented is with the Portent feature, which allows you to roll two d20s after a Long Rest and save those results for later. You can hang on to high rolls for when you or an ally makes an important skill check or saving throw, and keep low rolls to ensure your opponents miss attacks or fail their own saves. Diviners also gain extra spell slots, regaining lower spell slots whenever they cast a Divination spell of at least level two.

Evoker

Wizards of Thay, by Josh Hass

Evokers focus on elemental magic, typically offensively. The warmage who freezes anything that moves and the crazed gnome whose hair crackles with electricity are the types of flashy characters associated with Evokers, and it’s a great subclass for players who just want to cast big fireballs.

Evokers gain additional damage on their Evocation spells, all the way down to their cantrips. Creatures that succeed on a saving throw against an Evoker’s cantrip or who dodge the attack roll still take half damage, and higher level Evokers can add their Intelligence modifier to spell damage, and even maximize the damage! Most importantly, they can sculpt spells around their allies, allowing them to cast fireballs freely without singing their friends.

Illusionist

Illusionist Subclass, via Wizards of the Coast.

Illusionists are limited primarily by their imagination, using their magic to fool the senses and make the impossible seem real. This subclass is highly dependent on your own creativity and your DM’s willingness to work with you, so it’s important to have a discussion with them about expectations before committing to being an Illusionist.

Illusionists are able to cast Illusion spells without verbal components and at a longer range than other Wizards. More powerful Illusionists can make their illusions more substantial, using them to summon creatures to assist them.

Illusionists are the only subclass to gain bonus prepared spells on top of the bonus spells for all subclasses. They gain Minor Illusion (or another cantrip if they already have that one) at level three, as well as Summon Beast and Summon Fey at level six.

Best Species

Secret Door, by Francisco Miyara

Elves are frequently associated with magic, and they make excellent Wizards. They have access to a handful of spells outside of the normal Wizard spell list, which makes you even more versatile, and Darkvision is always great. The Proficiency bonus to Insight and Perception is also handy, since both are frequent checks that Wizards otherwise struggle with.

Humans are frequently frowned upon by players who think that they’re boring, but they gain access to both an extra skill and an extra origin feat. These are both useful for any class, and can go a long way in making your Wizard both feel more unique and more effective on the battlefield.

Gnomes are magical in origin, and make great wizards. Both lineages get Darkvision and advantage on Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence saving throws, which are frequently helpful. Forest Gnomes are a better option than Rock Gnomes, gaining access to Minor Illusion as an extra cantrip and Speak with Animals that they can cast several times per day for free before resorting to spell slots or ritual casts.

Without the negative Intelligence bonus of earlier editions, Orcs can be solid Wizards. On top of Darkvision, which everyone on this list gets aside from humans, Orcs can Dash as a bonus action while gaining Temporary Hit Points and can resist death once per long rest. Both abilities are great for a Wizard who doesn’t want to be in melee and doesn’t have a lot of AC or Hit Points to spare.

Best Stat Placement

You Find the Villains' Lair, by Gabor Szikszai

Wizards use Intelligence for all of their class features, and no other stat is really important. This should be your highest stat, and it should be as high as you can get it in order to empower your spells.

Dexterity and Constitution are secondary stats only for the purpose of survival. Dexterity increases your AC and helps with Dexterity saves, while Constitution provides more hit points and bonuses to Constitution saves. Both are important, and you should aim for at least 14 in each.

Wisdom helps with Wisdom saves, which are common. Wizards are already proficient in Wisdom, but a little more won’t hurt.

Strength and Charisma are both dump stats. Neither does anything useful for a Wizard.

Best Spells For Wizards

Signature Spell, by Reiko Murakami

Which spells work best for you depends on a lot of factors, including the themes of your campaign and what other characters are in your party. Wizards can fill most rolls when built for it, so you'll find different spells helpful if you're the dedicated dungeoneer in a party that lacks a skillful Rogue than if they rely on you to control the battlefield.

Talk to the other members of your party and your DM prior to building any character. There's little more dissatisfying than building a great character for the wrong campaign.

Wizards suffer less from a restricted spell list than other classes because they can research additional spells from scrolls and spellbooks. Still, some are decidedly more useful than others. In this guide we'll only be covering low-level spells you're likely to need early in the campaign and during character generation.

Spell

Level

Effect

True Strike

True Strike is your most effective offensive cantrip when combined with a ranged weapon such as a Light Crossbow. It deals more damage than other offensive cantrips until you reach higher levels, and can deal Radiant damage, which almost nothing resists.

Shield

1

Shield is a staple: it's cast as a reaction when you would be hit by an attack, giving you a plus-five bonus to AC, which can deflect a lot. It also blocks Magic Missiles. Lacking armor proficiency, this is a must0have spell.

Find Familiar

1

For 10 GP you can gain a second set of eyes and ears and the ability to deliver touch spells at a distance of 100 feet. Familiars are an excellent resource, serving as scouts, messengers, and assisting in some combat scenarios. Best of all, this is a Ritual, so it won't use up a spell slot.

Detect Magic

1

Detect Magic is a staple that allows you to pick up on traps and wards that Rogues might miss, and can even detect the presence magically invisible creatures. It lasts for ten minutes, so you can cast it from a spell slot or as a ritual and gain the benefits for a long time.

Identify

1

The 2024 rules specify that the only person who can read a Wizard's notebook is herself or someone using the Identify spell. If you want to copy spells from another Wizard's spellbook, this spell is mandatory.

Web

2

Web slows and entangles every creature in the area, making it one of the best crowd control options for groups. If you can catch a bunch of monsters in a Web spell before they can act, your party can pick off the rest without much of a struggle.

Misty Step

2

Misty Step is so good that it's worth taking the Fey-Touched feat just to gain access to it. Wizards don't want to be caught in melee range, so the ability to teleport 30 feet away as a bonus action is a huge survivability boost.

Hypnotic Pattern

3

All creatures within the area of the spell need to make a Wisdom save or become incapacitated for up to a minute, giving your party plenty of time to deal with them. This spell only works on creatures that can see, so don't try it on creatures that sense you through other methods such as oozes.

Fireball

3

The gold standard of offensive area of effect spells, Fireball remains a solid choice for the discerning mage. Be nice and tell your party members to take cover first, or cast it as an Evoker to keep them safe in the middle of it.

Best Starting Equipment

Adventuring Gear, by Davig Griffith

As a Wizard, you start with two daggers, an arcane focus that also serves as a quarterstaff, a robe, a spellbook, a scholar’s pack, and five gold pieces (GP). You can choose to instead start with 55 GP. The default starting equipment contains everything you’ll need for an urban setting where food and water are plentiful, but you’ll need to invest in rations and a waterskin before traveling.

If you outfit your character from scratch you’ll need almost the exact same kit, minus the daggers and ink, which doesn’t fit the criteria for recording spells in your spellbook. Most other equipment is optional.

Books in the 2014 Player’s Handbook were primarily decorative, but in the 2024 edition they give +5 bonus to Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion checks, depending on the subject of the book. Choose one that increases your focused check, or one that shores up a deficiency. Or start collecting them!

If you have enough funds through your class and background, or if you’re lucky enough to find one, you should pick up a Light Crossbow and some bolts as early as possible. The damage output from casting True Strike with a Light Crossbow outpaces your other cantrips and can deal Radiant damage, which practically nothing resists.

Best Feats And Backgrounds

Candlekeep Sage, by Kim Sokol

The Player's Handbook includes a lot of fantastic feats, and you can build a solid Wizard with any of them. But for the sake of brevity, we'll focus on a handful of outstanding ones.

Feat

Type

Reason

Alert

Origin

If you're playing as a controller, the initiative bonus can help you cast Sleep, Web, Grease, and other control spells on opponents before your allies get mixed in with them. If you're playing as a blaster, you get the same benefit opening combat with safe Fireballs.

Elemental Adept

General

An Intelligence increase is always good, but you're likely to be too much of a generalist to focus on one type of damage. This is a great feat if you're an Evoker specializing in one element for roleplay purposes.

Fey-Touched

General

Two extra known spells, plus the ability to cast them for free on top of an Intelligence boost make this one of the best options for a low-level Wizard. The free level-one Divination or Enchantment spell can come from outside of the Wizard spell list, so you can expand your spell list a little more.

Keen Mind

General

You gain Proficiency or Expertise in one of the Intelligence skills, an Intelligence boost, and the ability to Study as a Bonus Action. As the rules are written this should allow you to study enemies mid-combat to figure out weaknesses and other important information.

Lucky

Origin

Lucky is a good option for any character, giving you advantage and your opponents disadvantage when you need it most. If you're ever stuck on Origin feats, Lucky is a good choice.

Magic Initiate

Origin

This is another feat that expands your spell options right from the start, and allows you to dip into the spell lists from other classes. Great for adding a little healing to your arsenal or roleplaying a student from a magic school.

Resilient

General

Constitution saves are common, so proficiency in them goes a long way. This also grants advantage on Concentration checks, which is useful in combat.

Shadow-Touched

General

Bonus spells are always good, especially Invisibility. Fey-touched offer better spell options, but this can be good for roleplaying a darker campaign.

Telekinetic

General

You gain an empowered version of the Mage Hand cantrip and an Intelligence boost, plus the ability to more creatures around in combat. This is a really handy feat that makes you invaluable in combat as you help your allies position and break your opponents' formations, plus it gives you a lot of extra magic flavor to be able to manipulate things with an invisible hand at will.

Wizards can come from any background, from a street urchin to a prince. But characters from some backgrounds tend to make better Wizards than others.

Background

Benefit

Acolyte

The Acolyte background presents you with access to some Cleric spells absent from your spell list, but the skills are a little lackluster. You do gain proficiency in Calligrapher's Tools, which you can use to craft spell scrolls to artificially increase your spell slots or sell.

Criminal

Criminals have the perfect ability score selection for Wizards, and the Alert feat, which is one of your best Origin feat options. The skill and tool proficiencies aren't great, except for the occasional Stealth check, but the feat and ability scores make up for it. The equipment is probably less useful than the 50 GP option.

Guard

Like Criminals, Guards also get the Alert feat, plus proficiency in Perception. The Athletics and Gaming Set proficiencies aren't very useful, unless you play an Illusionist who dabbles in card tricks, but the Light Crossbow in your equipment is a nice bonus.

Sage

Sage is one of the best backgrounds for Wizards: you get Intelligence and Constitution for you ability scores, plus proficiency in Arcana, History and the Calligrapher's Supplies. The Magic Initiate feat doesn't expand your spell list, but it does give you a couple more spells and an extra free cast.

Scribe

Scribes get Intelligence and Dexterity, excellent stats for a Wizard, plus the Skilled feat to pick up three more proficiencies on top of Investigation and Perception. In campaigns focused more on skills than combat, this is an excellent way to round out a Wizard.

Best Multiclass Options

Archivist of Oghma, by Stella Spente

Wizards can benefit from taking an early level in another class in order to gain some extra proficiencies, skills, or even spells.

Class

Benefit

Cleric

A single level as a Cleric gains you a handful of extra spells outside of your Wizard spell list, plus proficiency in Medium armor and shields. If you choose the Protector divine order that proficiency will be upgraded to Heavy armor, while the Thaumaturge order gets you an extra Cleric cantrip and a bonus to Arcana and Religion checks.

Fighter

Fighters get a lot at level one! Heavy armor, shields, Constitution save, and martial weapon proficiencies, plus Weapon Mastery can make your Wizard both harder to kill and more dangerous in combat. True Strike can stack with Weapon Mastery on your martial weapons, giving you a lot more options during combat without touching your spell slots.

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Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Barbarian In 2024

Ready to wreck the frontlines and protect the party? Here's how to build a barbarian using the 2024 Player's Handbook.

Posts By  Michael Czarnowski