Wizard 5e - DnD Class Guide

Tap into the weave with this magical spellcasting class

Wizards are scholars who are educated in the ways of magic using spells as a tool to further their own pursuits. Unlike sorcerors, who inherit their magical abilities, and warlocks who are gifted it in a pact, wizards dedicate themselves to endless study in order to gain access to the powers of magic. As such, wizards are capable of hugely powerful feats of magic, though often are not prepared to go toe to toe in melee combat.

Weirdly, wizards in popular culture are often named something different, for instance, the sorcerer supreme, Dr Strange, is in fact a wizard by D&D standards. Harry Potter on the other hand, is not a wizard but a sorcerer (as his magical gifts are innate). Characters like Gandalf and Merlin make far more stereotypical wizards.

If you’re looking for a powerful and highly specialised spellcasting class, then a wizard is a good option. Our guide below will take you through the steps of creating a highly optimised and powerful wizard.

At a glance

Choose a wizard if you want…

To cast lots of spells
Want more spell options than any other class
To be great at most facets of spellcasting

A wizard might not be for you if…

A martial class
A durable character
Don’t want to play a spellcaster
Want to play a healer

For a more detailed look at a Wizard’s capabilities, I’ve put together the scoring matrix below. This rates wizards on different features and abilities to give you a clear idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie. For a full comparison of all classes and their capabilities, check out our class guide:

Class ratings (out of 5)

Combat

Armor class: 1

Weapon damage: 1

Durability: 1

Mobility: 3

Combat abilities: 2

Spellcasting

Spells known: 5

Spell slots: 4

Spell damage: 4

Spell buffs: 4

Spell debuffs: 4

Spell healing: 1

Battlefield control spells: 5

Out of combat spells: 4

Out of combat

Face abilities: 2

Skills: 2

Out of combat abilities: 1

How have we worked out these scores?

We’ve reviewed and played all the officially released D&D 5e classes and looked at a typical build for these class types. Because subclasses offer a lot of variety, we’ve had to exclude these from our considerations.

There is an exception here as the artificer is shaped hugely by their subclass. When it comes to something like weapon damage, we’ve had to take into consideration the fact that most artificers are decent with weapons, but an alchemist would probably only score a 2, even if the other artificer subclasses would score a 3.

We’ve scored each attribute out of 5 with a score of 5 reserved for classes that are the very best at that attribute. There’s some judgement required here. For example, a druid is typically a 3 in mobility (average mobility), but with wildshape, they can fly and swim quicker (and just travel faster). This elevates their score in our minds, even if they don’t consistently have these levels of mobility.

It’s important to understand though, that these scores are not hard and fast. Obtaining feats and pumping more into certain ability scores can turn any class into a decent face, for example. Different subclasses will also make a class better at different things (like an eldritch knight gaining spellcasting) but we feel that these scores represent most typical versions of their class.

The above tackles a typical wizard build, but with subclasses and multi-classing, there are some interesting and unique wizard builds available to allow you to excel in different areas.

If you think a wizard isn’t for you, not to worry, there are 12 other classes for you to pick from, just check out our class guide to find out about all of them. Some great alternatives to the spell-focused wizard include; bards, clerics, druids, warlocks and sorcerers.

Wizard class features

Below I’ve outlined a wizard’s class features. As you’d expect, they’re great at intelligence and wisdom saving throws, though few spells require an intelligence saving throw, many require wisdom. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability so make sure you go heavy on intelligence to really beef up your spellcasting power.

Unsurprisingly, wizards aren’t very tough with only d6 hit dice and no armor proficiency making them one of the least durable classes in the game (alongside sorcerers). Wizards also have few weapon proficiencies, spells are your main tool and weapons should only come into play rarely.

Party Role	Utility, Spell Damage Dealer, Control
Main Ability	Intelligence
Saving Throws	Intelligence, Wisdom
Hit Dice	1d6 + Consitution modifier per level
HP at 1st Level	6 + Constitution Modifier
Spell Casting Ability	Intelligence
Armour Proficiency	None
Weapon Proficiency	Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows

Strengths

Wizards are a highly specialised class, possibly more so than any other class. They’re there to cast spells and that’s about it. Thankfully, spells have wide and varied uses in D&D so there’s plenty for you to do, but unlike sorcerers, with access to strong face skills or clerics that can operate as a bit of a tank, wizards really are just spell-focused:

Huge repertoire of spells: Wizards are magical scholars, learning a vast array of spells. In fact, their number of spells learnt is the highest of any class and they can change their spell list during each long rest allowing you to adapt to the demands of the following. Ritual casting also gives you even more options for spells if you have the time.
Spells for any situation: While some spellcasters are highly focused in the spells available to them, like clerics with their healing or bards with their buffs, wizards can fill just about any spellcasting need with the exception of healing.

Weaknesses

Sorcerers are a highly specialised class. What they do well, they do really well (spellcasting), but what they don’t do well, they do really poorly:

Durability: With just d6 hit dice and no armor proficiency, wizards, alongside sorcerers, are the least durable class in the game. A good saving throw proficiency (wisdom) only make up for this shortfall by a small amount. A bit of dexterity and some spells that enhance your AC (like mage armor and shield) will help, but let’s be honest, wizards aren’t very tough.
Weapons: Wizards are pretty rubbish when it comes to any kind of armed combat. Dexterity-based ranged weapons are your best bet if for some reason you can’t cast a cantrip. A light crossbow is your friend, especially as you should have some capability in dexterity. In fact, a light crossbow could average more damage than your cantrips at earlier levels.
Reliant on spell slots: When spell slots dry up, wizards become much less effective. This means a lot of resource management to unleash your power during important moments.

Wizard Abilities

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+2	Spellcasting, Arcane Recovery	3	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2nd	+2	Arcane Tradition	3	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
3rd	+2		3	4	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
5th	+3		4	4	3	2	–	–	–	–	–	–
6th	+3	Arcane Tradition Feature	4	4	3	3	–	–	–	–	–	–
7th	+3		4	4	3	3	1	–	–	–	–	–
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	3	3	2	–	–	–	–	–
9th	+4		4	4	3	3	3	1	–	–	–	–
10th	+4	Arcane Tradition Feature	5	4	3	3	3	2	–	–	–	–
11th	+4		5	4	3	3	3	2	1	–	–	–
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	–	–	–
13th	+5		5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	–	–
14th	+5	Arcane Tradition Feature	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	–	–
15th	+5		5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	–
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	–
17th	+6		5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	1
18th	+6	Spell Mastery	5	4	3	3	3	3	1	1	1	1
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	3	2	1	1	1
20th	+6	Signature Spells	5	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	1	1

Wizard subclasses in D&D 5e

Wizard Arcane Tradition	Subclass Abilities	Source Book	Description
Abjuration	Aburation Savant, Arcane Ward, Projected Ward, Improved Abjuration, Spell Resistance	Player’s Handbook	Wizards that specialise in abjuration magic.
Conjuration	Conjuration Savant, Minor Conjuration, Benign Transportation, Focused Conjuration, Durable Summons	Player’s Handbook	Wizards that specialise in conjuration magic.
Divination	Divination Savant, Portent, Expert Divination, The Third Eye, Greater Portent	Player’s Handbook	Wizards that specialise in divination magic.
Enchantment	Enchantment Savant, Hypnotic Gaze, Instinctive Charm, Split Enchantment, Alter memories	Player’s Handbook	Wizards that specialise in enchantment magic.
Evocation	Evocation Savant, Sculpt Spells, Potent Cantrip, Empowered Evocation, Overchannel	Player’s Handbook	Wizards that specialise in evocation magic.
Illusion	Illusion Savant, Improved Minor Illusion, Malleable Illusions, Illusory Self, Illusory Reality	Player’s Handbook	Wizards that specialise in illusory magic.
Necromancy	Necromancy Savant, Grim Harvest, Undead Thralls, Inured to Undeath, Command Undead	Player’s Handbook	Wizards that specialise in necromantic magic.
Transmutation	Transmutation Savant, Minor Alchemy, Transmuter’s Stone, Shapechanger, Master Transmuter	Player’s Handbook	Wizards that specialise in transmutation magic.
Bladesinging	Training in War and Song, Bladesong, Extra Attack, Song of Defense, Song of Victory	Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything	An order of wizards that incorporates artistic swordsmanship with their magic.
War Magic	Arcane Deflection, Tactical Wit, Power Surge, Durable Magic, Deflecting Shroud	Xanathar’s Guide to Everything	Wizards that are adept at casting magic in combat.
Chronurgy Magic	Chronal Shift, Temporal Awareness, Momentary Stasis, Arcane Abeyance, Convergent Future	Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount	Wizards that specialise in chronurgic magic.
Graviturgy magic	Adjust Density, Gravity Well, Violent Attraction, Event Horizon	Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount	Wizards that specialise in graviturgic magic.
Order of Scribes	Wizardly Quill, Awakened Spellbook, Manifest Mind, Master Scrivner, One with the Word	Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything	Lore masters that gain magical mastery through intense study.