D&D 5E 9th level NPC wizard, what is your "Minimum Personal Security" suite?

[doctorbadwolf]

Imagine you have a the class NPC wizard in their tower or library or whatever. For them, its not a day of adventuring, not a day they expect to fight heinous evil....just good old research, some scrying, maybe a little divining, etc.

Now in said Wizard's perfect world, they would prepare no combat spells. After all, every spell prepared to blow something up is one less spell you have to do actual useful things. But....the world is a scary place, and you never want to be caught unprepared, so for your "personal security" you do maintain some combat focused spells.

Now the question....what would those spells be? What do you think a 9th level wizard who wants to be prepared for invaders (general trouble, nothing specific), but wants to utilize the minimum amount of prepared slots towards the effort as possible, would prepare?

Lets assume an 18 int wizard, so a total of 13 prepared spells in total. If it matters for your discussion, here are the spell slots per day such a wizard has access to:

5th - 1
4th - 3
3rd - 3
2rd - 3
1st - 4
Floating Slots (assuming one short rest) - 5

Also lets assume the wizard does NOT have access to magic items. So his own spells are what he's got.

If he has the components, probably a permanent Guards and Wards up, morning ritual probably involves Alarm and Mage Armor.

Thats 1 first level slot used, since G&W lasts until dispelled if made permanent and Alarm is a ritual.

If no G&W, then some Glyphs of Warding hopefully, since they last until dispelled or triggered.

Dimension Door, Shield, and Mirror Image should be plenty of defense otherwise, I’d save faithful hound for sleeping.

Could swap hound for proactive defense like hold person or web.

 

[Blue Orange]

Enemy mages in some goldbox games (1e) would have Minor Globe of Invulnerability and Protection from Normal Missiles, and sometimes Mirror Image and Fire Shield precast.

When you get to 15th, Mind Blank lasts a day.

 

[steeldragons]

This is THEIR tower/library facility? Where they live and work?

EVERY door is permanently Wizard Locked. Only the wizard and any apprentices would be allowed to freely move from room-to-room, floor-to-floor.

There are permanent Alarms on all access points...including, as any decent wizard paying attention to their Secure Shelters and Magnificent Mansion spells would know, any chimneys/fireplaces, drainage grates, etc... in addition to windows/shutters and doors.

Glyphs of Warding...um...everywhere? Well, anywhere that's important.

If possible, the "inner sanctum" or library or "lab" or whatever their primary space for magic work would have some sort of permanent Magic Circle built into it.

Depending on how paranoid this wizard is, maybe Nondetection is something they take as a matter of course...or multiple times per day (8 hours per casting) depending on what they are specifically working on/ if they think someone is trying to see what they're doing.

Private Sanctum would be a necessary 4th level slot (lasts 24 hours, so probably a single "beginning of the magic working day" spell to be cast before getting into whatever other business you have.

On 4th level spells, Dimension Door would definitely be a second one...

Let me go in order, here, before things get confusing... not adventuring, going about your average magic working/research day...
1st: Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil (also in spellbook: Alarm, Featherfall, Identify, Shield)
2nd: Detect Thoughts, Invisibility, Mirror Image (in spellbook : Arcane Lock, Knock, Levitate, Scorching Ray)
3rd: Dispel Magic, Fly, Nondetection (in spellbook: Glyph of Warding, Lightning Bolt, Magic Circle, Protection/Energy)
4th: Banishment, Dimension Door, Private Sanctum (in spellbook: Resilient Sphere)
5th: really depends on what your wizard is working on. My top picks would include: Conjure Elemental, Contact Other Plane, Planar Binding, or, if not doing any "big extraplanar stuff" this particular day (or just not being that big into conjuration stuff, at all), Legend Lore, Scrying or Wall of Force. Choose one that fits their area of interest/study and add two more for their spellbook.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

For me this inspires the related question of "what spell scrolls would a non-adventuring wizard keep in their home-invasion emergency kit?"

I think only a weird eccentric doesn't keep a Mage Armor scroll handy. Nobody wants to have to prepare that spell, but first level spell scrolls are pretty cheap. It seems a minimal investment in not having to ever worry about being caught without it at the cost of coppers a day.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

For me this inspires the related question of "what spell scrolls would a non-adventuring wizard keep in their home-invasion emergency kit?"

I think only a weird eccentric doesn't keep a Mage Armor scroll handy. Nobody wants to have to prepare that spell, but first level spell scrolls are pretty cheap. It seems a minimal investment in not having to ever worry about being caught without it at the cost of coppers a day.

Yeah in my Eberron game I made robes of mage armor a cheap uncommon item. It just makes your AC 13+dex.

There is an upgraded version that switches it to 13+int, and another even better one that makes it 15+Int, but those are expensive.

 

[AtomicPope]

Since it's an NPC give him a Shield Guardian. That effectively doubles his hit points.

 

[Lyxen]

I find the discussion interesting, I'd just like to remind everyone that in 5e, you don't have to build the NPCs using PCs guidelines. Just give your NPCs exactly what you want in terms of spells and abilities, and don't limit yourself to PC class.

In particular, what I do in that kind of case, is add rituals that require specific and unmovable focusses like magic circles, or monoliths, or location over specific ley lines of nodes that allow NPCs to have long duration spell always active, if I ever want a justification or, even better, a way for the adventurers to harm the NPC in a sneaky way by attacking his focus of power.

Yeah in my Eberron game I made robes of mage armor a cheap uncommon item. It just makes your AC 13+dex.

There is an upgraded version that switches it to 13+int, and another even better one that makes it 15+Int, but those are expensive.

Don't take it personally, but I dislike this because it's already stronger than any armor made for rogues for example.

 

[steeldragons]

Don't take it personally, but I dislike this because it's already stronger than any armor made for rogues for example.

Well, I mean...not to generate a long tangent on this or anything...but if you have Magic/Sorcery to work with, why wouldn't/shouldn't a decently intelligent magic-maker, in a magical world, be able to enchant themselves protective clothing that is more effective than a rogue's armor?

 

[Lyxen]

Well, I mean...not to generate a long tangent on this or anything...but if you have Magic/Sorcery to work with, why wouldn't/shouldn't a decently intelligent magic-maker, in a magical world, be able to enchant themselves protective clothing that is more effective than a rogue's armor?

Oh, I have nothing against it in principle, what I'm objecting to is making such a cheap and easy to find item. Bracers of Defence are Rare and require attunement for example. Even a +1 armor is rare...

 

[Baldurs_Underdark]

A smart wizard has various alarms and traps in his tower to grant him the 1-minute warning he needs to get the hell out (teleportation circle).

Having said that, I will focus on the OP's question which asks about combat-spells, not get-the-hell-outta-there-spells. Also, I guess it's nicer for most stories if the PCs actually encounter the wizard and fight it, rather than find out that Rincewind the wizard ran away again (which can be an interesting tangent if the DM is ready to follow up in future sessions):

[...] But....the world is a scary place, and you never want to be caught unprepared, so for your "personal security" you do maintain some combat focused spells.

Now the question....what would those spells be? [...]

Depends entirely on what arcane school the wizard is. An evoker would probably always have a magic missile and a fireball ready. An enchanter may rely on Suggestion. And an Illusionist will hide behind a fake wall or scare the intruders away with an illusion of a dragon. Etc.