D&D 5E Multiclass for level 3 wizard (evoker)?

[auburn2]

So I inherited a character at our table. Basically the player bailed and the DM asked me to pick up his character (in addition to my rogue/Hex warlock). Looking for some advice on multiclassing.

The character is a dwarf 3rd level evoker. He has great rolls - a S14, D14, C15, I16, W10, Ch13 but does not have mage armor or any armor proficiency. So he is running around with a 12AC (he does have shield spell). This is freaking me out, I have played straight wizards before but always with mage armor. In a perfect world I would multiclass into a cleric to pick up some armor. Probably only a 1-level dip, but in this case wisdom is the ONLY stat too low to multiclass.

We will probably run these characters out until 10-13 level so build at level 20 is not a concern, playability from now until level 10-13 is what I am after.

So what is the best option here?

1. I can take a feat for light armor and give up another feat

2. I can pick up fighter for good armor and shields and a +1 bonus on top of that for fighting style. This would give a huge bonus to AC but give up spell slots, even more slots if I go to level 2 and AS.

3. I can pick up bard, get light armor, 2 more cantrips and 4 1st-level spells (with crappy DC) but I lose no spell slots. I also get inspiration. On paper this seems to be the best option, but I am really going to have a trouble role playing this, I don't see bard in the characters identity.

4. I can just accept it and make sure he stays well out of combat. This really limits the spells he can use though, burning hands, lightning bolt, touch spells are either severely limited or out of the question.

5. I can add mage armor at the expense of a higher level spell.

What would you recommend?

 

[FarBeyondC]

Is buying/questing for a scroll of Mage Armor or asking a fellow wizard for a favor (or trade) simply not an option here?

If not, you could also take Magic Initiate (since taking feats is on the table) and get two extra cantrips on top of a 1/day not spell slot using cast of Mage Armor.

Multiclassing sorcerer or warlock is also on the table, both of which will get you either mage armor (or something equivalent) or light armor (or better if you go hexblade, but you know that) plus a bunch of other stuff.

 

[MarkB]

I have a liking for taking Lightly Armoured with wizard characters, saving myself the spell slot tax of Mage Armour - but then, I generally take an odd number in Dexterity, to get the use out of the stat boost.

Of course, the useful thing with wizards is that they don't have to just pick up spells through levelling. Could you broach the subject with your DM and say your wizard is looking to acquire the Mage Armour spell, perhaps from a friendly NPC?

 

[Seramus]

What subrace is this dwarf? Can you ask the DM to swap to mountain dwarf?

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Just finding a copy of the spell and writing it into your spell book seems like the optimal Wizard choice if that is really all you're after. Even a DM who doesn't generally make spells available to find may be willing to concede that one of the single most common and basic Wizard spells is acquirable. If your DM outright refuses, picking it as one of your 2 free spells on level up in place of a higher level one is a waste, sure, but it will slow down your progression way less than multiclassing and your effectiveness way less than spending an ASI on it when you need to focus on upping your INT.

That said, there are certainly other things to get out of multiclassing.

Since you have a +2 dex bonus, medium armor is your optimal armor. You could get this, as well as potentially a shield as a Fighter. You could also take the defensive fighting style for an additional +1 when wearing that armor. Grab a breastplate and you are then sitting at AC 17 or AC 19 with a shield. So, pure AC-wise, Fighter is your best option. Second Wind and a good hit die are also nice little boons. You could also one day take a second level of Fighter and get Action Surge, the only straightforward way to get two full spells in one turn, which is obviously insanely powerful.

You can also get medium armor and shields from going Artificer. Artificer levels round up for multiclassing spell slot progression, so one level will not slow that at all, but it will let you prep you INT in level 1 Artificer spells and cast them with your primary stat (notable inclusions not available to Wizards being Cure Wounds and Faerie Fire), as well as learn a couple of cantrips to cast with your primary stat. Being able to prep some basic Wizard spells without counting towards your Wizard prep limit means more high level wizard spells you will have prepared.

The Bard only gets you light armor and no shield, so I find it hard to recommend Bard over Artificer for a multiclassing Wizard with your stats if AC is the main goal. But you'll have to look at the spells.

I would argue that the Bard 1st level spell list is a bit better than the Artificer 1st level spell list, at least for someone who already has access to Wizard spells (Healing Word access may be a pretty big deal, depending on the group, and I'm one of those who, all else being equal, likes to keep Sleep on tap even after the early levels), but it would also be 4 set-in-stone choices cast with Charisma, whereas Artificer spells are prepared, Cast with Int, and the number will eventually go up to five when you've maxed your Intelligence.

But there is one major caveat about Artificer spells, and that is that they always require use of a spellcasting focus whether or not there is normally a material component, and at Artificer level 1 that focus has to be some sort of tools. This is particularly irritating for Absorb Elements, since it means you have to already have a pair of tongs or whatever in hand when the spell hits. With a dip for Bard spells you can pick those without material components or use a component pouch or whatever to avoid needing to ever bust out the lute.

The other medium armor and shield options you qualify for, incidentally, are Barbarian and Paladin. Either might be an interesting character move.

 

[aco175]

You could let him die and then make your own mage. May upset the DM, but then you can make what you want. You could also first ask the DM to let you remake the character over since you now control him.

 

[FrogReaver]

So I inherited a character at our table. Basically the player bailed and the DM asked me to pick up his character (in addition to my rogue/Hex warlock). Looking for some advice on multiclassing.

The character is a dwarf 3rd level evoker. He has great rolls - a S14, D14, C15, I16, W10, Ch13 but does not have mage armor or any armor proficiency. So he is running around with a 12AC (he does have shield spell). This is freaking me out, I have played straight wizards before but always with mage armor. In a perfect world I would multiclass into a cleric to pick up some armor. Probably only a 1-level dip, but in this case wisdom is the ONLY stat too low to multiclass.

We will probably run these characters out until 10-13 level so build at level 20 is not a concern, playability from now until level 10-13 is what I am after.

So what is the best option here?

1. I can take a feat for light armor and give up another feat

2. I can pick up fighter for good armor and shields and a +1 bonus on top of that for fighting style. This would give a huge bonus to AC but give up spell slots, even more slots if I go to level 2 and AS.

3. I can pick up bard, get light armor, 2 more cantrips and 4 1st-level spells (with crappy DC) but I lose no spell slots. I also get inspiration. On paper this seems to be the best option, but I am really going to have a trouble role playing this, I don't see bard in the characters identity.

4. I can just accept it and make sure he stays well out of combat. This really limits the spells he can use though, burning hands, lightning bolt, touch spells are either severely limited or out of the question.

5. I can add mage armor at the expense of a higher level spell.

What would you recommend?

I'd ignore mage armor and just stay out of melee. The shield spell is typically a more efficient use of spell slots for defense than mage armor - unless you are taking a high number of attacks in a day for a Wizard.

 

[Mistwell]

So I inherited a character at our table. Basically the player bailed and the DM asked me to pick up his character (in addition to my rogue/Hex warlock). Looking for some advice on multiclassing.

The character is a dwarf 3rd level evoker. He has great rolls - a S14, D14, C15, I16, W10, Ch13 but does not have mage armor or any armor proficiency. So he is running around with a 12AC (he does have shield spell). This is freaking me out, I have played straight wizards before but always with mage armor. In a perfect world I would multiclass into a cleric to pick up some armor. Probably only a 1-level dip, but in this case wisdom is the ONLY stat too low to multiclass.

We will probably run these characters out until 10-13 level so build at level 20 is not a concern, playability from now until level 10-13 is what I am after.

So what is the best option here?

1. I can take a feat for light armor and give up another feat

2. I can pick up fighter for good armor and shields and a +1 bonus on top of that for fighting style. This would give a huge bonus to AC but give up spell slots, even more slots if I go to level 2 and AS.

3. I can pick up bard, get light armor, 2 more cantrips and 4 1st-level spells (with crappy DC) but I lose no spell slots. I also get inspiration. On paper this seems to be the best option, but I am really going to have a trouble role playing this, I don't see bard in the characters identity.

4. I can just accept it and make sure he stays well out of combat. This really limits the spells he can use though, burning hands, lightning bolt, touch spells are either severely limited or out of the question.

5. I can add mage armor at the expense of a higher level spell.

What would you recommend?

I'd say bard is your best bet. Pick spells which don't focus on DC like Healing Word, Feather Fall, Detect Magic, Longstrider, Unseen Servant, etc.. Rituals are pretty attractive here too.

As for the character's identity, I am not sure what his identity is now? Wizards as a generalization like arcane spells, and arcane spells focused on sound seem like an attractive thing to wizards. A deity of magic like Boccob or Ogmah would include both bards and wizards (and clerics with an arcane or knowledge focus). Bard spells provide some unique access to magic a wizard cannot normally access.

 

[Dragongrief]

You could go for a level of barbarian. AC 14 without wearing anything, and a very unpleasant surprise for anyone who gets too close thinking you're an easy target.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'd ignore mage armor and just stay out of melee. The shield spell is typically a more efficient use of spell slots for defense than mage armor - unless you are taking a high number of attacks in a day for a Wizard.

Yes, if you aren't getting attacked it doesn't matter what your AC is - I wouldn't automatically pick Mage Armour myself. But I think it would be quite unreasonable for the DM to ask you the favour of taking over a character and not allowing you to pick up a Mage Armour scroll if you feel you need it.

Have you checked the character sheet closely? If the character is a mountain dwarf they are already proficient in light and medium armour. They might just not be wearing it.

If you want to multiclass because you don't want to play an evoker, then you could role-play the character's mid-life crisis - what would they want to do next? As a new primary class, Arcane Trickster or Eldritch Knight are options with those stats, as is Artificer.

You might also try persuading the DM to let you respec the character's subclass to Warmage. Subclass respecing is an optional rule.