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<blockquote data-quote="Leatherhead" data-source="post: 8714523" data-attributes="member: 53176"><p><h3>Wizards (VGtM)</h3><p></p><p>The entry you have all been waiting for, I am sure: Wizards. The iconic spellcasters of D&D. All of which have been changed in accordance with the new formatting of this book. Wizards for 5e have been branched off into schools, and the 8 schools from the PHB (plus a generic apprentice) have been represented here. All of the Wizards have Wizard in their name, which counts as having the Wizard tag in every area except the most useful one: Performing a quick search by tags on D&D Beyond.</p><p></p><p>Because the “New” CR system assumes DPR and “Ease of Use for DMs” (instead of just having the DM know that tossing out a Wall spell or the like is one of the most devastating things you can do as a Wizard), you would think that WotC would make it so that a Wizard NPC could cast a spell and toss out an attack for DPR. Unfortunately, this is not the case.</p><p></p><p>Each of these Wizards has an ability that is modeled off of the PC school of the same name. They also possess the Arcane Burst attack (for some reason the attack is significantly different depending on the Wizard) and often a Multiattack for their offensive output, but lack the ability to swap one of those attacks with a spellcast. Instead, most of the Wizards here use their bonus action and/or reaction to use their signature powers. If you know about the Wizard in the PHB, you know that most of their subclass powers aren’t exactly the most impactful things. Portent might be the most infamous outlier, but even that is primarily just a way to land the impactful spells more often. I cannot help but feel like some of these Wizards are half-baked, considering other Wizards in this book have fared much better in the transition</p><p></p><p>Interestingly enough, there is no random table for spellbooks in this entry, despite that being the obvious pick for a NPC Wizard table.</p><p></p><p>Apprentice Wizard</p><p></p><p>Apprentices are CR ¼ Magelings. People who have just started out training in the arcane arts. They know just enough magic to get themselves into trouble, and possibly defend themselves when said trouble comes knocking. In combat, the Apprentice should have <em>Mage Armo</em>r running (if they know it is coming). Laying out the DPR with their Arcane Burst attack and <em>Burning Hands</em> spell.</p><p></p><p>In the changeover, the Apprentice lost<em> Shield </em>and <em>Mending</em>, but gained <em>Mage Armor </em>and <em>Mage Hand</em> in their stead. They also lost their dagger attack, but gained a bit of HP. </p><p></p><p>Abjurer Wizard</p><p></p><p>Abjuration is the school that deals with protective magics and anti-magics. To illustrate this, Abjurers have the Arcane Ward reaction, which can be used to reduce the damage one target receives from a single source of damage. For offense, they have the Arcane Burst (force damage) and Force Blast (which sort of mimics <em>Thunderwave</em>) attacks. Both of which are actually quite a bit more potent than you would expect from a defensive mage seeing as how they are CR 9. They have a selection of spells that spans defense, utility, and (for some reason) offense. All of their Big Ticket spells require concentration, and which one to pick is entirely dependent on the situation the Abjurer is in. Area control or single target control, self defense or targeted defense. Options are good. </p><p></p><p>Outside of the entirely new spellcasting system, the most notable change to the Abjurer is the lack of<em> Counterspell</em>, or any equivalent reaction. If any Wizard should have countermagic, the Abjurer is it. The other notable changes are the new format of Arcane Ward, which is no longer a rejuvenating pool of damage reduction, but a single use reaction with a recharge of 4-6. And a slight boost to HP.</p><p></p><p>Conjurer Wizard</p><p></p><p>Conjuration is the school that deals with teleportation and summoning. To that end, the Conjurer has a Bonus Action Benign Transportation (recharge 4-6) that can be used for teleportation (even swapping to characters around if need be) and the Summon Elemental power, which does exactly what you think it does: giving the Conjurer a CR 5 elemental pet, but without the need of Concentration. Conjurers have an arcane burst that deals force damage, and a selection of offensive and control spells to pick from. They also have <em>Fly</em>, which could be useful if they ever get to fall back to extreme range with it.</p><p></p><p>Conjurers have had one of the better transitions. Their only noticeable lack is of the higher level Conjuration control spells, but freeing up their summons by removing the Concentration from it really opened up their combat options. Also their Benign Transportation recharges automatically now. Overall, a good change. </p><p></p><p>Diviner Wizard</p><p></p><p>Diviners wield the school of Divination, seeing the future, plucking at the strands of fate, seeing the unseen. All that kind of jazz. They can deal a lot of damage with their CR 8 Arcane Burst, which is radiant damage (how?). They also have the Overwhelming Revelation AoE stun power (nice). And their signature Portent allows them to force a reroll on any d20 attack save or check they can see up to thrice daily. The Diviner has the weakest selection of spells so far, being mostly utility spells, alongside<em> Fly</em> and <em>Lighting Bolt</em> for some reason.</p><p></p><p>Diviners have had one of the worst transitions, losing all of their control spells, which is what made Portent so powerful on them. Portent was also changed to 3/day, instead of recharging whenever they cast a divination spell, which honestly makes it more usable. They also got a smattering of more HP.</p><p></p><p>Enchanter Wizard</p><p></p><p>Enchanters use Enchantment magic, which is all about mind control in D&D. The book specifically calls out malevolent Enchanters as some of the most evil spellcasters. A nice nod to recent online discourse. Enchanters are on the weaker side of the Wizard spectrum, being only CR 5. They have a Psychic flavored Arcane burst, and Instinctive Charm to redirect attacks from themselves to another target. They boast a selection of charm spells (though nothing on the level of actual mind control like <em>Dominate Person</em>, or even just <em>Crown of Madness</em>). They do have <em>Hold Person</em> as a control option at the very least.</p><p></p><p>Enchanters didn’t lose much in the transition, but they didn’t get much either (basically just some HP). Honestly, they are only going to truly miss<em> Fireball</em> and<em> Dominate Beast.</em> But IMO, WotC should have at least thrown in some way for the Enchanter to directly mind-control their enemies for flavor and gameplay elements.</p><p></p><p>Evoker Wizard</p><p></p><p>Evokers cast the spells that burninate all the peasants and their thatched roof cottages. Seeing as how Evocation is the school of direct elemental damage spells, like <em>Fireball,</em> and a few other elemental effects. The Evoker has an Arcane Burst, but that is a secondary attack to their Sculpted Explosion, which is a souped-up variation of <em>Fireball</em> with a 4-6 recharge. Their spell section features a few supplementary damage spells and <em>Wall of Ice</em> for a control option.</p><p></p><p>For the changeover, the Evoker had most of their damage options compressed into Sculpted Explosion. They also lost the notable spells <em>Mirror Image, Counterspell,</em> and <em>Misty Step</em> from their spell selection. Even going as far as losing the Sculpt Spells signature power, all in exchange for a boost to HP.</p><p></p><p>Illusionist Wizard</p><p></p><p>Illusionists practice the art of Illusion, which is mostly just an excuse for the DM to make stuff up more than normal. Illusionists are only CR 3, have an Arcane Burst of the psychic type, a Displacement bonus action that gives disadvantage to incoming attack rolls, and a spell selection full of misdirection spells that can be used for soft control. </p><p></p><p>The illusionist lost basically nothing in the transition, other than the Fear condition from one spell. In exchange they gained some HP and a different recharge mechanic for Displacement. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Necromancer Wizard</p><p></p><p>Necromancers practice magic that manipulates the dead, commonly known as Necromancy (which is a sort of misnomer) Necromancers (at least ones of sufficient level) typically animate undead to do their bidding, backing up their army with control or debuff spells as needed. At CR 9, they have a necrotic Arcane Burst (They really need to change the name going forward), can summon 5 undead as a bonus action, and have a small selection of control spells to fall back on. Their signature Grim Harvest ability triggers whenever they kill a target with Necrotic damage, regaining them a bit of HP</p><p></p><p>In the changeover, Necromancers lean more towards the Conjurer level of changes. They lost a bit, but everything that was kept made them better in practice. (<em>Cloudkill</em> would have been nice to keep though). Summoning undead is a nifty power that really works thematically, given that it’s hard to just have someone walk around with a bunch of zombies all day long. Necromancers also gained a bit of HP.</p><p></p><p>Transmuter Wizard</p><p></p><p>Transmuters practice Transmutation, the school of magic that changes things, and are vaguely inspired by IRL alchemist. Transmuters are CR 5, have an Arcane Burst that deals Acid Damage, and use a selection of spells primarily composed of control and utility effects. Their signature ability lets them change the passive bonus on their Transmuter’s Stone or cast<em> Alter Self </em>as a Bonus action. One nifty trick you can pull is have the Transmuter <em>Polymorph</em> themselves into a Brontosaurus*, twice, allowing them to become a massive melee threat and extending their encounter lifespan significantly. </p><p></p><p>*:Earlier in this book</p><p></p><p>Transmuters didn’t lose much in this reprinting, basically just the <em>Blink</em> and<em> Expeditious Retreat </em>spells, in return for a bit more HP.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Leatherhead, post: 8714523, member: 53176"] [HEADING=2]Wizards (VGtM)[/HEADING] The entry you have all been waiting for, I am sure: Wizards. The iconic spellcasters of D&D. All of which have been changed in accordance with the new formatting of this book. Wizards for 5e have been branched off into schools, and the 8 schools from the PHB (plus a generic apprentice) have been represented here. All of the Wizards have Wizard in their name, which counts as having the Wizard tag in every area except the most useful one: Performing a quick search by tags on D&D Beyond. Because the “New” CR system assumes DPR and “Ease of Use for DMs” (instead of just having the DM know that tossing out a Wall spell or the like is one of the most devastating things you can do as a Wizard), you would think that WotC would make it so that a Wizard NPC could cast a spell and toss out an attack for DPR. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Each of these Wizards has an ability that is modeled off of the PC school of the same name. They also possess the Arcane Burst attack (for some reason the attack is significantly different depending on the Wizard) and often a Multiattack for their offensive output, but lack the ability to swap one of those attacks with a spellcast. Instead, most of the Wizards here use their bonus action and/or reaction to use their signature powers. If you know about the Wizard in the PHB, you know that most of their subclass powers aren’t exactly the most impactful things. Portent might be the most infamous outlier, but even that is primarily just a way to land the impactful spells more often. I cannot help but feel like some of these Wizards are half-baked, considering other Wizards in this book have fared much better in the transition Interestingly enough, there is no random table for spellbooks in this entry, despite that being the obvious pick for a NPC Wizard table. Apprentice Wizard Apprentices are CR ¼ Magelings. People who have just started out training in the arcane arts. They know just enough magic to get themselves into trouble, and possibly defend themselves when said trouble comes knocking. In combat, the Apprentice should have [I]Mage Armo[/I]r running (if they know it is coming). Laying out the DPR with their Arcane Burst attack and [I]Burning Hands[/I] spell. In the changeover, the Apprentice lost[I] Shield [/I]and [I]Mending[/I], but gained [I]Mage Armor [/I]and [I]Mage Hand[/I] in their stead. They also lost their dagger attack, but gained a bit of HP. Abjurer Wizard Abjuration is the school that deals with protective magics and anti-magics. To illustrate this, Abjurers have the Arcane Ward reaction, which can be used to reduce the damage one target receives from a single source of damage. For offense, they have the Arcane Burst (force damage) and Force Blast (which sort of mimics [I]Thunderwave[/I]) attacks. Both of which are actually quite a bit more potent than you would expect from a defensive mage seeing as how they are CR 9. They have a selection of spells that spans defense, utility, and (for some reason) offense. All of their Big Ticket spells require concentration, and which one to pick is entirely dependent on the situation the Abjurer is in. Area control or single target control, self defense or targeted defense. Options are good. Outside of the entirely new spellcasting system, the most notable change to the Abjurer is the lack of[I] Counterspell[/I], or any equivalent reaction. If any Wizard should have countermagic, the Abjurer is it. The other notable changes are the new format of Arcane Ward, which is no longer a rejuvenating pool of damage reduction, but a single use reaction with a recharge of 4-6. And a slight boost to HP. Conjurer Wizard Conjuration is the school that deals with teleportation and summoning. To that end, the Conjurer has a Bonus Action Benign Transportation (recharge 4-6) that can be used for teleportation (even swapping to characters around if need be) and the Summon Elemental power, which does exactly what you think it does: giving the Conjurer a CR 5 elemental pet, but without the need of Concentration. Conjurers have an arcane burst that deals force damage, and a selection of offensive and control spells to pick from. They also have [I]Fly[/I], which could be useful if they ever get to fall back to extreme range with it. Conjurers have had one of the better transitions. Their only noticeable lack is of the higher level Conjuration control spells, but freeing up their summons by removing the Concentration from it really opened up their combat options. Also their Benign Transportation recharges automatically now. Overall, a good change. Diviner Wizard Diviners wield the school of Divination, seeing the future, plucking at the strands of fate, seeing the unseen. All that kind of jazz. They can deal a lot of damage with their CR 8 Arcane Burst, which is radiant damage (how?). They also have the Overwhelming Revelation AoE stun power (nice). And their signature Portent allows them to force a reroll on any d20 attack save or check they can see up to thrice daily. The Diviner has the weakest selection of spells so far, being mostly utility spells, alongside[I] Fly[/I] and [I]Lighting Bolt[/I] for some reason. Diviners have had one of the worst transitions, losing all of their control spells, which is what made Portent so powerful on them. Portent was also changed to 3/day, instead of recharging whenever they cast a divination spell, which honestly makes it more usable. They also got a smattering of more HP. Enchanter Wizard Enchanters use Enchantment magic, which is all about mind control in D&D. The book specifically calls out malevolent Enchanters as some of the most evil spellcasters. A nice nod to recent online discourse. Enchanters are on the weaker side of the Wizard spectrum, being only CR 5. They have a Psychic flavored Arcane burst, and Instinctive Charm to redirect attacks from themselves to another target. They boast a selection of charm spells (though nothing on the level of actual mind control like [I]Dominate Person[/I], or even just [I]Crown of Madness[/I]). They do have [I]Hold Person[/I] as a control option at the very least. Enchanters didn’t lose much in the transition, but they didn’t get much either (basically just some HP). Honestly, they are only going to truly miss[I] Fireball[/I] and[I] Dominate Beast.[/I] But IMO, WotC should have at least thrown in some way for the Enchanter to directly mind-control their enemies for flavor and gameplay elements. Evoker Wizard Evokers cast the spells that burninate all the peasants and their thatched roof cottages. Seeing as how Evocation is the school of direct elemental damage spells, like [I]Fireball,[/I] and a few other elemental effects. The Evoker has an Arcane Burst, but that is a secondary attack to their Sculpted Explosion, which is a souped-up variation of [I]Fireball[/I] with a 4-6 recharge. Their spell section features a few supplementary damage spells and [I]Wall of Ice[/I] for a control option. For the changeover, the Evoker had most of their damage options compressed into Sculpted Explosion. They also lost the notable spells [I]Mirror Image, Counterspell,[/I] and [I]Misty Step[/I] from their spell selection. Even going as far as losing the Sculpt Spells signature power, all in exchange for a boost to HP. Illusionist Wizard Illusionists practice the art of Illusion, which is mostly just an excuse for the DM to make stuff up more than normal. Illusionists are only CR 3, have an Arcane Burst of the psychic type, a Displacement bonus action that gives disadvantage to incoming attack rolls, and a spell selection full of misdirection spells that can be used for soft control. The illusionist lost basically nothing in the transition, other than the Fear condition from one spell. In exchange they gained some HP and a different recharge mechanic for Displacement. Necromancer Wizard Necromancers practice magic that manipulates the dead, commonly known as Necromancy (which is a sort of misnomer) Necromancers (at least ones of sufficient level) typically animate undead to do their bidding, backing up their army with control or debuff spells as needed. At CR 9, they have a necrotic Arcane Burst (They really need to change the name going forward), can summon 5 undead as a bonus action, and have a small selection of control spells to fall back on. Their signature Grim Harvest ability triggers whenever they kill a target with Necrotic damage, regaining them a bit of HP In the changeover, Necromancers lean more towards the Conjurer level of changes. They lost a bit, but everything that was kept made them better in practice. ([I]Cloudkill[/I] would have been nice to keep though). Summoning undead is a nifty power that really works thematically, given that it’s hard to just have someone walk around with a bunch of zombies all day long. Necromancers also gained a bit of HP. Transmuter Wizard Transmuters practice Transmutation, the school of magic that changes things, and are vaguely inspired by IRL alchemist. Transmuters are CR 5, have an Arcane Burst that deals Acid Damage, and use a selection of spells primarily composed of control and utility effects. Their signature ability lets them change the passive bonus on their Transmuter’s Stone or cast[I] Alter Self [/I]as a Bonus action. One nifty trick you can pull is have the Transmuter [I]Polymorph[/I] themselves into a Brontosaurus*, twice, allowing them to become a massive melee threat and extending their encounter lifespan significantly. *:Earlier in this book Transmuters didn’t lose much in this reprinting, basically just the [I]Blink[/I] and[I] Expeditious Retreat [/I]spells, in return for a bit more HP. [/QUOTE]
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