Building a Mountain Dwarf Wizard with Int 8. Advice needed

[Z. H. Darkstar]

For this upcoming AL season, I'm planning on testing my system mastery by optimizing a full caster who has dumped the casting stat. Since I haven't played a Wizard yet in 5e, I decided that it's about time.

Things that I've decided on:
Race - Mountain Dwarf (for armor proficiency)
Class - Wizard
Stats - Str 16 Con 17 Dex 14 Int 8 Wis 12 Cha 8
ASI/Feat - 4th: Resilient(Con), 8th/12th: Str +4, 16th: Con +2
Starting Cantrips/Spells: Booming Blade (locking in my +1 book as SCAG), Shield, Magic Missile (my only ranged spell because no attack/save needed), Detect Magic

Things that I still haven't figured out, and thus need advice regarding:
Subclass
Spell progression

 

[pdegan2814]

Since you're setting your character up to basically be a melee fighter with fewer HP and lots of utility spells, I'd say Abjurer seems like the right way to go. As far as spell choices, just grab everything without a spell attack roll or a saving throw that look interesting. Sleep, Feather Fall, Invisibility, Fly, Blur, Mirror Image, Fog Cloud, Protection From Evil/Good, Haste, etc. You also might want to give your party a heads-up that you're not the usual Wizard

 

[mellored]

Divination and Conjuration (abjuration?) doesn't take any Int. Cloud of Daggers is pretty good if you cast it on an immobile enemy. Haste, greater invisibility, polymorph, and any conjunction spell. Wall spells are good at higher levels. Most of your low level slots will go to shield. I would take Warcaster at 4, so you can threatened with an booming OA. Resilience isn't worth much at low levels.

Fireball is still worth having on hand. Kobolds won't survive even if they save.

 

[thethain]

Don't forget minor illusion requires an action to investigate. Even if the DC is crap they still have to lose an action. Friends also has no save.

Also don't forget sleep. Its godly at Tier 1 and only cares what level spell you cast it at.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I think your plan is worth a try.
Booming blade is the goto cantrip at level 1. Maybe twin wield hand axes or a battleaxe dependi g on the situation.
Rely on shield and sleep for a while.
False life could help you with hp until level 2.
I would love to see that wizard played. I would do so myself... but actually missed the chance to do so because I had forgotten about that character Idea...

Just a summary:
AC 15+shield.
HP 9+false life.
Sleep.
Quite good damage will bring you to level 2 easily enough when the abjuration shield sets your hp to at least fighter level.

 

[ZethTheRed]

Pretty sure you can't play a wizard in AL with an Intelligence score of 8. Minimum is 13.

 

[kalani]

Pretty sure you can't play a wizard in AL with an Intelligence score of 8. Minimum is 13.

There is no class minimums for single-class characters.

Multiclass characters must meet the minimum requirements of both classes. As such, all multiclass wizards must have a minimum of 13 Intelligence. Single-class Wizards could have as little as 6 in AL (Orc Wizard). However, such characters can never multiclass until they increase their natural Intelligence to a min 13 (headband of intellect is insufficient in AL to qualify for multiclassing).

 

[ZethTheRed]

Yes, my mistake, I was thinking of multi-class requirements.

 

[seergun]

I was going to do something similar with an orc, but then I realized you can only prepare ONE spell until level 4 (or 3 in your case). You may know many more, but have fun having access to ONLY shield/MM/etc until 3.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Yes. The spell preperation for int 8 wizards is harsh. I just built one and set int to 13. So 2 spells at level 1 prepared.

If I really had rolled int 8 I would go for false life or shield and take only rituals.
Alarm
Find familiar
Unseen servant
Detect magic
Identify

RAW alarm ritual in the morning will trigger the abjuration shield.
I think now that int 8 really is a big burden, but I might go for it. Int 12 or 13 may be a better choice.