Introduction
The Wizard is D&D 5e's most powerful spellcaster by the measure of raw magical variety. You learn more spells than any other class, can copy new spells from scrolls and spellbooks you find, and prepare a flexible daily list from your entire accumulated library. Where the Sorcerer has Metamagic and the Warlock has short-rest slots, the Wizard has depth: access to the most diverse and powerful spell list in the game, at every tier from 1st through 9th level.
The class demands more mechanical knowledge than any other in D&D. Understanding which spells to prepare each day, which concentration option to maintain in a given fight, when to Counterspell and when to hold your reaction: these decisions separate competent Wizard play from excellent Wizard play. The mechanical ceiling is the highest in the game. The entry cost is the highest too.
What makes the Wizard extraordinary at high levels is access to spells that simply do not exist anywhere else: Forcecage (no save, trapped until released), Time Stop (take 1d4+1 free turns), True Polymorph (permanent transformation), Wish (do literally anything). These spells require no subclass investment; every Wizard gets them at level 17.
Disclaimer
- ● Red: Bad. Actively weak or superseded.
- ● Orange: Situational. Correct in specific builds or campaigns.
- ● Green: Good. Reliable and consistently strong.
- ● Blue: Fantastic. Best-in-class, almost always the right choice.
Class Features
Spellcasting (1st Level) ●
Full caster, INT-based, prepared daily from an ever-growing spellbook. The spellbook starts with 6 spells at level 1 and gains 2 free spells per level-up. You also copy spells from scrolls and enemy spellbooks at 50 gp + 2 hours per spell level. Prepared spell count = INT modifier + Wizard level.
The most important Wizard spells by tier:
Tier 1 (levels 1–4):
- ● Sleep (1st) — AoE incapacitation by HP pool. Against groups of low-HP enemies, Sleep is automatic victory without resources.
- ● Thunderwave (1st) — Emergency melee-range AoE push. Saves the Wizard from being mobbed.
- ● Mage Armor (1st) — AC 13 + DEX. Cast once per day; lasts 8 hours.
- ● Shield (1st) — Reaction: +5 AC until next turn. Cancels most hits.
Tier 2 (levels 5–10):
- ● Counterspell (3rd) — Interrupt any spell of 3rd level or lower, or check for higher. The most universally valuable Wizard spell.
- ● Fireball (3rd) — 8d6 fire in 20-foot radius. The iconic damage spell.
- ● Hypnotic Pattern (3rd) — Concentration: incapacitate all creatures in 30-foot cube (WIS save). The best Tier 2 crowd-control spell.
- ● Polymorph (4th) — Transform ally or enemy. T-Rex the party Fighter.
Tier 3 (levels 11–16):
- ● Hold Monster (5th) — Paralyzed condition on WIS save failure. Auto-crit on every melee hit.
- ● Telekinesis (5th) — Move creatures or objects 30 feet per turn. Continuous battlefield control.
- ● Forcecage (7th) — No save, no attack roll: cage a creature in a force box (inescapable without Wish/Plane Shift). One of the most powerful spells in D&D.
- ● Simulacrum (7th) — Create a perfect copy of yourself at half HP. Two Wizards with one character.
Tier 4 (levels 17–20):
- ● Wish (9th) — Do literally anything. The most powerful spell in D&D.
- ● True Polymorph (9th) — Permanently transform a creature, including into different creature types or objects.
- ● Time Stop (9th) — Take 1d4+1 consecutive turns while time is frozen. No other creature can move or act.
- ● Foresight (9th) — Concentration, 8 hours: one creature has advantage on everything and enemies have disadvantage on attacks against it.
Beyond the damage and control spells above, Find Familiar belongs in every Wizard's ritual book: a free scouting and touch-spell-delivery tool that costs no spell slot. See the D&D 5e 2014 Familiars Guide for how it compares to Warlock, Ranger, and Druid companion options.
Arcane Recovery (1st Level) ●
Once per long rest, during a short rest: recover spell slots totaling up to half your Wizard level (rounded up) in slot levels, and none of the recovered slots can be 6th level or higher. At level 10: recover up to 5 levels of slots, whether a single 5th-level slot, five 1st-level slots, or a 3rd and a 2nd. This makes the Wizard significantly more slot-efficient than other full casters across an adventuring day with short rests.
Arcane Tradition (2nd Level) ●
See Subclasses section.
Spell Mastery (18th Level) ●
Choose one 1st-level and one 2nd-level spell from your spellbook: while prepared, you can cast them at their lowest level at will without expending a spell slot (casting at a higher level still costs a slot as normal). Shield and Misty Step permanently free, effectively giving the Wizard unlimited reaction Shield uses and unlimited bonus-action teleportation from level 18 onward.
Signature Spells (20th Level) ●
Two 3rd-level spells always prepared and castable once each without using a spell slot. Standard picks: Fireball (free high-damage AoE once per short rest) and Counterspell (free reaction interrupt once per short rest). Two free 3rd-level slots per short rest on top of all normal slots.
Ability Scores
Recommended Array:
| Ability | Score | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| INT | 17 (15+2 racial) | Spell save DC, spell attacks, prepared count |
| CON | 14 | HP, concentration saves |
| DEX | 14 | AC (Mage Armor), initiative |
| WIS | 12 | Perception, WIS saves |
| CHA | 10 | Social checks |
| STR | 8 | Dump |
● INT: Everything. Spell save DC, spell attack modifier, prepared spell count, and Arcane tradition features. Max to 20 first. Every point matters.
● CON: HP and concentration saves. The Wizard has a d6 hit die, so CON 14+ is mandatory. Concentration spells (Hypnotic Pattern, Hold Monster, Forcecage) are the Wizard's primary combat tools.
● DEX: AC. Mage Armor = 13 + DEX. With DEX 14: AC 15. With DEX 16: AC 16. Adequate for a backline character.
● STR and CHA: No standard Wizard feature uses these. Dump to 8.
Races
● High Elf: +2 DEX, +1 INT, Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, Trance (only 4 hours for long rest), and one free Wizard cantrip. The INT bonus and free extra cantrip make High Elf the definitive Wizard race.
● Gnome (Forest or Rock): +2 INT, +1 DEX or CON, Darkvision, Gnome Cunning (advantage on INT/WIS/CHA saves against magic). Gnome Cunning is extraordinarily strong for a Wizard who fears being targeted by enemy casters: advantage on INT/WIS/CHA saves against magic covers most of the Wizard's weak save coverage.
● Variant Human: +1 INT, +1 CON, extra skill, feat at level 1. War Caster at level 1 is the single best starting feat for a Wizard: concentration advantage from the very first combat.
● Vedalken (Guildmaster's Guide): +2 INT, +1 WIS, advantage on INT/WIS/CHA checks (not saves, but checks). The +2 INT is the highest available. Tireless Precision adds half proficiency to proficient tools.
● Dragonborn: +2 STR (wasted), +1 CHA (wasted). Only the Breath Weapon adds non-spell utility. Poor race choice.
Skills
Wizards choose 2 from: Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Religion.
● Arcana: INT-based. The most thematically important skill for a Wizard: identify spells, magic items, and magical phenomena. With INT 20, Arcana checks are nearly always successful.
● Investigation: INT-based. Find hidden things, piece together clues, analyze evidence. The Wizard's INT makes Investigation reliable for dungeon exploration and mystery scenarios.
● History: INT-based. Political and cultural knowledge for campaign context. Situationally useful.
● Insight: WIS-based. Detect lies. With average WIS, this is mediocre, but proficiency compensates somewhat.
Backgrounds
For a full ranking of all 13 PHB backgrounds and how each compares outside this class, see the D&D 5e 2014 Backgrounds Guide.
● Sage: Arcana and History (both INT-based and excellent for the Wizard), Researcher feature (always know where to find information even when the knowledge itself eludes you). The perfect background for a Wizard: both skills are INT-based and the Researcher feature is uniquely powerful for information-gathering campaigns.
● Hermit: Medicine and Religion, Herbalism Kit, Discovery. Medicine is WIS-based (mediocre) but Religion (INT-based) is useful. The Discovery feature is campaign-dependent.
● Noble: History and Persuasion. History is INT-based and good. Persuasion is CHA-based (weak for Wizards). Position of Privilege provides social access. Take this if social encounters are a major campaign component.
Feats
● War Caster: Advantage on concentration saves, cast spells as opportunity attacks. Mandatory for any Wizard whose primary role involves sustained concentration spells in melee-adjacent combat. Hypnotic Pattern, Hold Monster, Forcecage: losing any of these to a failed CON save is catastrophic.
● Resilient (CON): CON save proficiency. Alternative to War Caster for concentration protection. Take one or the other.
● Alert: +5 initiative, can't be surprised. The Wizard who acts before enemies can drop Hypnotic Pattern before anyone has taken damage. Pre-combat control is the Wizard's strongest play.
● Lucky: Three rerolls per long rest. Reroll failed concentration saves, crucial attack rolls, or death saves. Universal applicability at every tier.
● Spell Sniper: Double ranged spell attack range, ignore 3/4 cover. Useful in specific builds that rely on Ray of Frost, Disintegrate, or other ranged spell attacks.
● Observant: +5 to Passive Perception and Investigation. With INT 20 and Observant, passive Investigation of 25 means you never miss hidden traps or compartments. Situationally extraordinary.
For the full level-by-level feat priority list, see our Best Feats for Wizard guide. For the complete spell priority list by level, see our Best Wizard Spells guide.
Subclasses
The Wizard is the only class whose subclass grants no new spells: the spellbook already holds the whole list. An arcane tradition instead changes what happens when you cast the spells you already own, so judge each one by which of your spells it improves and how often its trigger actually fires.
| Tradition | Source | What it changes about your casting | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| School of Divination | PHB | Replaces d20 results with numbers you already know | ● |
| Chronurgy Magic | Wildemount | Forces rerolls, then dictates outcomes outright | ● |
| School of Evocation | PHB | Your area spells stop hitting your own party | ● |
| Bladesinging | SCAG | Turns Intelligence into AC and concentration | ● |
| School of Abjuration | PHB | Every abjuration you cast becomes hit points | ● |
| School of Conjuration | PHB | Conjuration concentration cannot be broken | ● |
| School of Illusion | PHB | Part of your illusion becomes physically real | ● |
| Graviturgy Magic | Wildemount | Every damaging spell also repositions the target | ● |
| War Magic | Xanathar's | Converts a failed save into a success | ● |
| Order of Scribes | Tasha's | Changes damage types and casts from elsewhere | ● |
| School of Necromancy | PHB | Kills return hit points, corpses become an army | ● |
| School of Enchantment | PHB | Single-target enchantments hit two creatures | ● |
| School of Transmutation | PHB | A stone that grants one chosen benefit | ● |
Every tradition is analysed feature by feature, with Portent, Sculpt Spells and Bladesong ratings, in the D&D 5e Wizard Subclasses guide.
Build Your Dungeons & Dragons (5e, 2014) Character
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Start BuildingWeapons
● Quarterstaff: Simple weapon. Versatile. Bladesinging Wizards use it for Song of Victory bonus damage. Standard Wizards: cast spells instead.
● Dagger: Simple weapon, finesse, thrown. Backup option when melee is unavoidable. Generally: cast spells.
● Any weapon requiring proficiency you lack: Cannot make effective weapon attacks without proficiency. Non-Bladesinging Wizards should never engage in weapon combat.
Armor
● Mage Armor: 13 + DEX modifier, 8-hour duration. Cast each morning. AC 15 with DEX 14. The standard Wizard AC solution.
● Light Armor + Bladesong: Bladesinging only. Studded Leather + DEX 14 + Bladesong INT bonus = AC 21 at INT 20. The highest-AC Wizard option by far.
● Shield of Faith / Mage Armor stacking (Abjuration): Arcane Ward absorbs damage before HP rather than improving AC. The Abjuration Wizard's defensive system is HP absorption rather than hit avoidance.
● Any non-proficient armor: Prevents spellcasting. Never wear.
Multiclassing
Multiclassing requirement: INT 13.
● Fighter 1–2: CON save proficiency (concentration), Action Surge (two full spell-casting action turns), Fighting Style. Fighter 1 gives CON saves without the feat cost. Fighter 2 adds Action Surge: two Fireballs in one turn.
● Cleric 1–2: Armor proficiency (light/medium/heavy depending on domain), a Domain feature, Channel Divinity. Life Domain Cleric 1 for heavy armor on a Wizard enables plate-wearing Arcane Casters. War Domain Cleric 1 for heavy armor + martial weapons on a Wizard is the classic gish chassis.
● Sorcerer 1–2: Sorcery Points for Metamagic. Two levels gives Flexible Casting and one Metamagic option. Twinned Spell on the Wizard's Hold Monster is appealing but the level cost delays 9th-level Wizard spells.
● Warlock: CHA conflict; it doesn't pair well with INT-based spellcasting. The Warlock's short-rest slots are not useful for a Wizard who already has Arcane Recovery.
Example Build: The Controller (Divination School)
| Level | Class | Key Gain | ASI/Feat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wizard | Spellbook (Sleep, Mage Armor, Thunderwave, Shield, Detect Magic, Identify, Fog Cloud, Charm Person) | — |
| 2 | Wizard | Divination: Portent (2 dice/day) | — |
| 3 | Wizard | 2nd-level spells (Hold Person, Misty Step) | — |
| 4 | Wizard | Ability Score Improvement | INT 17 → 19 |
| 5 | Wizard | 3rd-level spells (Counterspell, Fireball, Hypnotic Pattern) | — |
| 6 | Wizard | Expert Divination (regain slot from Divination cast) | INT 19 → 20 |
| 7 | Wizard | 4th-level spells (Polymorph, Banishment) | — |
| 8 | Wizard | Ability Score Improvement | War Caster |
| 9 | Wizard | 5th-level spells (Hold Monster, Telekinesis) | — |
| 10 | Wizard | The Third Eye (see invisibility option) | — |
| 11 | Wizard | 6th-level spells (Disintegrate, Eyebite) | Alert |
| 12 | Wizard | Ability Score Improvement | Resilient (CON) |
| 13 | Wizard | 7th-level spells (Forcecage, Simulacrum) | — |
| 14 | Wizard | Greater Portent (3 dice/day) | — |
| 15 | Wizard | 8th-level spells (Maze, Dominate Monster) | — |
| 16 | Wizard | Ability Score Improvement | Lucky |
| 17 | Wizard | 9th-level spells (Wish, True Polymorph, Foresight) | — |
| 18 | Wizard | Spell Mastery (Shield + Misty Step free) | — |
| 19 | Wizard | Ability Score Improvement | +INT (ASI) |
| 20 | Wizard | Signature Spells (free Counterspell + Fireball/short rest) | — |
Race: High Elf (+2 DEX, +1 INT, free cantrip: Booming Blade, Darkvision, Fey Ancestry)
Starting Stats: INT 17 (16+1), CON 14, DEX 14 (12+2), WIS 12, CHA 10, STR 8
Tactics: Before combat (Alert: +5 initiative bonus, going first): cast Hypnotic Pattern on the enemy cluster if three or more enemies are grouped. Multiple enemies incapacitated without a slot if Portent (low die result) guarantees a WIS save failure on the most dangerous target. Round 2: Fireball the incapacitated group if physical damage is needed, or Counterspell any spell that threatens concentration. Portent dice (3 per day with Greater Portent at level 14) reserved for: forcing failure on an enemy's save against Forcecage (the most important use), guaranteeing success on a party death save, or ensuring a Fireball cannot be Countered by replacing the enemy's Counterspell check with a low number.
At level 18: Spell Mastery makes Shield free as a reaction and Misty Step free as a bonus action. The Wizard is effectively never hit (Shield before every hit that would connect) and never trapped (free 30-foot teleport every turn).
Final Notes
The Wizard is D&D 5e's most intellectually demanding class and its highest ceiling. The class asks you to know your spells deeply: to understand which concentration option to maintain in which fight, to correctly time Counterspell, to know when Polymorph saves a failing encounter. Played at a high level, the Wizard shapes every encounter through preparation, positioning, and perfect selection of the right spell at the right moment.
Evocation is the default recommendation for new Wizards: Sculpt Spells makes AoE spells compatible with any party composition. Divination is the strongest optimization choice: Portent's d20 control is the most effective single feature in the PHB. Abjuration is the most durable. Bladesinging is the best melee option. Chronurgy (Wildemount) rivals Divination for d20 manipulation.
The Wizard at level 17 with Forcecage, Wish, True Polymorph, and Time Stop is simply the most powerful character in D&D. Getting to level 17 requires the discipline to stay alive: War Caster or Resilient (CON), Misty Step as a permanent known spell, and positioning behind your martial allies in every fight. The Wizard who lives to level 17 is playing the strongest single class in the game.
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