D&D 5E 20th level Wizard vs the World

[Krachek]

possible? Sure, IRL people become emperor without any magic to help.
a being that succeed all important ability check can become the leader of the world without magic!

 

[UnknownDyson]

Continuously summon demons via Summon Greater Demon and keep them on the plane with planar binding. When you can congregate enough of them in once place you will create a demoncyst or an abyssal manifest zone and if you prevent paladins, heroes, clerics, etc from closing it you will usher in a planar breach to the Abyss and the eventual doom of the world.

 

[Krachek]

A wizard have all the tools to be a shadow leader of a world. Divination & charm are great to influence others leaders. teleport make him very unlikely to be cornered.
I see no problems for your wizard influencing money, war, trade, religion to keep the control of a world.
but to do that he will need help, its helper may be it’s greatest threats.
sooner or later your wizard will be tempted to be know as the true leader, he will want true rewards and possibly will make mistakes that will bring him down. In a fantasy world a party of 20th level characters can spread out from any source.

 

[TheSword]

Absolutely not. As history has shown time and time again. Sic Semper Tyrannis. The kinds of mass control required is well beyond one person.

Could they influence things as needed, possibly. Though that would require keeping magic secret which would be beyond most effective spellcasting.

People are very optimistic if they think nationalism and self interest would allow the assassination of world leaders to allow one person to take control.

 

[Oofta]

Continuously summon demons via Summon Greater Demon and keep them on the plane with planar binding. When you can congregate enough of them in once place you will create a demoncyst or an abyssal manifest zone and if you prevent paladins, heroes, clerics, etc from closing it you will usher in a planar breach to the Abyss and the eventual doom of the world.

Then the demons play along until it suits their needs at which point they lawyer up on the caster and do only the absolute minimum to satisfy the letter of every request and subjugate it when possible. Once the abyssal manifest zone comes along the demons now control the world and the ones not under direct control of the wizard show him their version of gratitude by having him tortured to death by their best guy.

Making a deal with the devil only ever works for the devil

 

[TheSword]

Look at how people have come to power in real life. Then imagine if Hitler and his henchmen had even basic spells like charm person, mass suggestion, etc available to them? "Dear Yamamoto, it would not be in your best interests to bomb Pearl Harbor and bring the Americans into this war." "Mr. (Hitler waves his sith hand)

You can already achieve a lot of power as a normal person with a decent charisma stat, so you would be extremely powerful just by slyly augmenting that with charming spells. Especially as a sorcerer with subtle spell. You wouldn't need to be a juggernaut yourself, but you'd have all the power at your disposal.

There was a fairly specific set of circumstances that allowed the Nazis’s to rise to power - for a relatively short period of time - that caused the rest of the world (for the most part) to rise against them. That had little to do with a single person, no matter how charismatic.

IF the 20 level caster had the time and intention to train and recruit an organization of people with similar powers then they may be able to maintain control on the scale required. However they have then trained their own replacement. Any group with ambition to take over the world has enough ambition to want to take their leader’s place.

 

[TheSword]

possible? Sure, IRL people become emperor without any magic to help.
a being that succeed all important ability check can become the leader of the world without magic!

They didn’t take over the world. Most absolutist rulers had very little widespread influence without the support of others. Casting a couple of spells a day doesn’t change this.

 

[Hohige]

Wizard? Its bad.
How to conquer The world?
Aberrant Mind Sorcerer. Its the best choice
ALL spells with metamagic, improved Subtle Spells and casting with Sorcery Points and regaining Sorcery Points every short rest.
Skill expert feat (expertise deception) + 5 Cha for +17 deception check.
The Sorcerer's Magical Guidance to reroll a failed Skill check.

It is by far stronger than The Wizard.

 

[nevin]

Assassains poison. Put a coal burning stove in his room while he sleeps. Coat his sheets or put toxin in his bath, 20 5th level mages with fireball while he's sleeping. Clerics make iron golem, dump a thousand rot grubs on him while he's in a bath.

The real question for the survivability of the mage is, do the people who work for him like him or hate him.

 

[nevin]

Assassains poison. Put a coal burning stove in his room while he sleeps. Coat his sheets or put toxin in his bath, 20 5th level mages with fireball while he's sleeping. Clerics make iron golem, dump a thousand rot grubs on him while he's in a bath.

The real question for the survivability of the mage is, do the people who work for him like him or hate him.