Wizard dd 3.5 handbook

I recommend allowing Cantrip Versatility on all wizards. 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.

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

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. Note that setting-specific races like the Changeling and the Satyr are addressed in setting-specific sections, below. Excellent, but other flying options are typically more effective.

Default Rules : Lack of an Intelligence increase hurts, but flight without Concentration may be worth it. Healing Hands offers a rare healing option for the Wizard, but the Transformation is still the big reason to play the Aasimar. Surprise Attack only works with spells which make attacks, so at low levels the damage boost can be a great opener. The Draconblood and Ravenite subraces are addressed under Races of Wildemount , below.

The new variants are strictly better in absolutely every way. The damage resistance is nice, but wizards can and should cast Absorb Elements.

Chromatic Warding is harder to replicate, but nowhere near good enough to justify the Chromatic Dragonborn as your race. Short of bladesingers, wizards should never be so close to enemies. I think the Gem Dragonborn would make a good bladesinger. Metallic : Repulsion Breath can be replaced by Thunderwave, but Enervating Breath is harder to replace. The Palid Elf subrace is addressed under Races of Wildemount , below. Darkvision is welcome on any character, but when you can cast Darkvision or conjure up light it quickly stops being important.

Access to that plus non-magical flight are absolutely stellar for the Wizard. Overall, the Fairy is just an amazing basis for the Wizard. Default Rules : A bonus to Intelligence is exactly what you want. Darkvision is nice, but can be replicated with a spell. Nimble Escape helps you stay out of melee, minimizing the need for things like Misty Step.

Fury of the Small applies to spells, including AOE spells, but remember that saving for half damage will also reduce the damage from Fury of the Small so you want to apply the damage bonus when an enemy fails their save. Look at the Hill Dwarf or the Githyanki instead.

Lucky is less useful for the Wizard than for most other characters because wizards rely more heavily on other creatures making saving throws instead of relying on attacks. Default Rules : Dexterity is nice for your AC, but the Halfling offers little else that is specifically useful to the Wizard.

Saving Face is the big selling point here, and you can use it for high-value spell attacks or save it for a saving throw. Expert Forgery and Mimicry will rarely be impactful. Fun theme, but nothing mechanically impressive. Default Rules : With a familiar or a conveniently-place ally , Pack Tactics can give you easy Advantage. Pack Tactics still works with spell attacks, but spells which make attacks become less common as you gain levels so Pack Tactics will diminish in importance very quickly.

Note that errata has corrected the multiple versions of the Orc to all provide the same traits. The Intelligence decrease has been removed, and the Primal Intuition now allows selecting two skills from a list. Certainly better than the Aarakocra, if only because it provides more than just move speed, but not as good as the Winged Tiefling or the Fairy.

Darkvision and Stealth proficiency are both great, but few wizards are brave enough to sneak around without relying on magic, and you can always get Darkvision from a spell, so neither are crucial. Avoid spells which allow saving throws or which require attacks.

Default Rules : A small bonus to Intelligence and access to Thaumaturgy, which is weird for a Wizard. Not quite as good as the Hill Dwarf poison resistance, Darkvision or the Githyanki innate spellcasting , but pretty close. Default Rules : 17 AC is great, but the Githyanki can do the same and also provides an Intelligence increase and some Innate Spellcasting. Magic Resistance is a fantastic defense on any character, and the Wizard is no exception even though you have other defensive options like Counterspell.

Default Rules : Better suited to Sorcerers and Warlocks, but purebloods still make good wizards. Magic Resistance gives you a huge advantage over other spellcasters, and poison immunity helps with a very common damage type. Setting-specific races are address below. So, is this worth it or no? Consider that by specializing you gain an extra 45 spell levels, which is a significant amount. The main problem to this however, is which schools to give up.

The best choice if your spell selection isn't limited as in, you have access to spells outside the SRD, like spell compendium is to be a diviner.

Content from Unearthed Arcana is generally considered optional variant rules. Many of these options are poorly balanced, so be sure to consult your DM before selecting any such options. In addition to normal ability considerations, Wizards can also make excellent use of the aging rules. However, this can be a problem for your already low reflex and fortitude saves. OK now lets consider that same wizard without scribe scroll. This said wizard will still use scrolls like water just as much as the wizard with the feat The total cost?

No xp cost. Can switch scribe scroll for Improved Initiative at level 1. So the benifit of keeping scribe scroll in this excercise? The Benifit of switching scribe scroll in this excercise?

I have to say, I'm not horribly convinced this is worth a feat. Am I missing something? Now I admit in a campaign that restricts the sale of magic items - crafting feats may be much better. However, most campaigns don't have such restriction. I have to say that once again Treant, you made a excellent handbook! One item that I think would be possibly be useful is a ring of continuous prestidigitation.

As many others put it, it's wish lite. Obviously it's only handy in non-combat situations but it's not like your gonna be actually lifting your hand to write something down right? Have the mug lift itself up to your lips, etc etc. Mostly it's for displaying your power above your peons.. I mean party. Well, at level 1 not so much past that , you have so very few spells per day that scrolls are gunna be pretty mandatory to keep from resorting to the longsword.

Good for dungeon crawls where you want to prepare sleep, but know you'll need identify later. How many sessions are you level 1? Maybe 2. The first session you don't have any scrolls you've scribed - since you don't have that steep 1xp cost necessary. The second session you could have a couple as long as you've made some money in the first session. Of course - once again you may have just been able to buy some at that point.

However - I agree that first level is tough. Hey Ed! Where do I find that ring? Before you get Teleport, you can't always get the scrolls you want when you need them Even with Teleport, you need to not be too far from civilization. One of my current wizards - level 10 - has a Quill of Scribing CM to scribe for him during the night. Since the group is in the wilderness, I think it's going to be useful.

That said, it took me a long time to get to like Scribe Scroll. Not sure of that, but continuous Mage hand can be acquired from an item called Hand of the Mage. Just wondering why force cage isn't one of the evocation spells worth memorizing? A nice list of spells that I didn't know about.