D&D 5E Treantmonk's Guide to Wizards 5e

smbakeresq · Mar 12, 2019

lyracian said:
I really enjoyed your guide since I prefer playing controlling rather than blasting Wizards. Thank you for all the effort you put into it.

For the Diviner I think a 5 Star rating on "Expert Divination" is too high. A little bit of extra arcane recovery is nice but it is quite limited as you need to have already cast a lower level spell first and there are not that many Divination spells you are going to cast during the adventuring day.

Arcane eye should be cast every day. Others also, it’s very much a planned class where you should be casting stuff before session even starts.

lyracian · Mar 15, 2019

smbakeresq said:
Arcane eye should be cast every day. Others also, it’s very much a planned class where you should be casting stuff before session even starts.

Before ‘session starts’? My point is what spells are you casting before your divination spells? You can only recover a spell slot if you have already used it?

MooreVol · Mar 17, 2019

lyracian said:
Before ‘session starts’? My point is what spells are you casting before your divination spells? You can only recover a spell slot if you have already used it?

At the very least Mage Armor.... the rest might depend on your circumstances, but often my group has encounters before we get to a dungeon... or cast it after your first encounter. The first isn't usually that deadly and if it's more than a 5 room dungeon Arcane Eye should still be pretty worthwhile.

I feel like being able to regain that spell slot makes me both more willing to cast Arcane Eye, but also more willing to use 2nd and 3rd level spells in early encounters, which makes those easier for the party and lets other members conserve their spells and such.

smbakeresq · Mar 17, 2019

MooreVol has it right.

With a huge range you should cast it before the session and tell DM about it and then recover it normally. You should always know everything within a large area, 30’ per round for an hour is a big space.

Going to the dungeon you can usually get in a few encounters and spend a spell then send in Arcane Eye. Knowing encounters before they happen is a game changer.

Once you know you get that spell recovery mechanic you just plan around it.

smbakeresq · Mar 17, 2019

Although you have to work with DM. A regular thing like a closed window with shade will block vision

jgsugden · Mar 18, 2019

An interesting multiclass for the diviner is Warlock. It allows you to grab Armor of Agathys which is a great non-divination 'prep' spell that is useful at various casting levels.

Merudo · Mar 21, 2019

Treantmonklvl20 said:
Arcane Tradition: School of Enchantment. Rank 2

[...]

Hypnotic Gaze (2nd level): SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!

I do agree Hypnotic Gaze is very good, but I couldn't help but disagree with two of your points:

Treantmonklvl20 said:
Is not a spell so bypasses magic immunity or resistances

The description of Magic Resistance states that it works against "magical effects".

The description of Hypnotic Gaze states that it "magically enthralls" another creature.

So unfortunately, Hypnotic Gaze does not bypass Magic Resistance.

Treantmonklvl20 said:
Is not a spell, so can be used in the same round as a bonus action spell

Technically true, but there are only six Bonus Action Wizard spells:

Dragon's Breath
Expeditious Retreat
Far Step
Magic Weapon
Misty Step
Shadow Blade

Of these, only Dragon's Breath & Magic Weapon can be realistically used while using Hypnotic Gaze.

Dipping Cleric 1 gives access to Healing Word & Sanctuary though, which are wonderful uses of a Bonus Action.

By the way, using Hypnotic Gaze does not break the Sanctuary's protection.

EmuNemo · Apr 5, 2019

When I read "What I found really surprising is that everyone in the group still considered my character “useless”." I had to step back and breathe for a few moments.

Treantmonklvl20 · Apr 5, 2019

Merudo said:
Of these, only Dragon's Breath & Magic Weapon can be realistically used while using Hypnotic Gaze.

Remember that many spells require bonus actions to use every round, so if they are cast on round 1, they work very well with a hypnotic gaze initiated on round 2. Flaming Sphere, Melf's Minute Meteors, Crown of Stars, or even commanding your Animate Dead thrall come to mind immediately.

In addition, remember there is also the initial setup round, in those cases something like a Misty Step to move into position + Hypnotic Gaze is going to be an excellent combo.

So for example:
Round 1: Cast Flaming Sphere
Round 2: Misty Step into position and Hypnotic Gaze big baddie
Round 3: Maintain gaze and slam stuff with your sphere. Repeat.

krunchyfrogg · Apr 5, 2019

EmuNemo said:
When I read "What I found really surprising is that everyone in the group still considered my character “useless”." I had to step back and breathe for a few moments.

Yup. Crazy. The most useful character too!