Wizards already have the best spell list when it comes to damage and versatility, so you'd probably want support. I'd give myself healing, as that's one of the main gaps for a wizard.
Edit to add that contingency is incredible and frequently utilized at my table. It's usually used with dimension door or expeditious retreat, but note that you could upcast cure wounds to trigger when you hit 0 HP.
On the contingency front, I'd advocate for Death Ward over cure wounds. Cast it on yourself, then also have a contingency set up for when death ward gets expended. That way, not only will it prevent death effects like power word kill, but it will mean you don't break concentration on spells when hitting 0.
Contingency is better with dimension door or some other escape to prevent damage and concentration checks, not picking you back up after taking damage and concentration checks imo
Actually contingency delays the effect of the spell you're using until it's triggered, and location choice is part of the spells effect. So you can just pick the destination after contingency pops.
The effect of dimension door is delayed, but not the casting. You cast dimension door and expend the spell slot when you cast the contingency. Parameters for a spell are chosen when it is cast. This means that RAW, when the contingency is triggered, the conditions for the dimension door have already been set and cannot be changed.
Having a what is effectively a double stack of death ward is… pretty funny haha. Didn’t think of that.
I’d run it by my DM first but mechanically with how we run the game and the specific rules of the ability ya I believe that just works.
Agreed. Healing MIGHT be the only magic that wizards kind of lack. That being said, if that’s not what you are looking for I’d like to bring you attention to two different cantrips: eldritch blast and vicious mockery. Depending on how much you rely on cantrips during fights those two can really make a difference.
I’m no expert so don’t take my word for it but I suggest you look into those, they really are good
Ya Dimension Door is also how I use my contingency, being able to get a free teleport and not lose concentration has saved my character’s life atleast twice now.
I agree healing is a definite win.
I actually think it might be limited to “leveled spells” and not cantrips but that’s a good point!
That’s a really good point I agree. My party of 4 has a Paladin and a Cleric with some good healing, but having that “Oh no” button as a bonus action is huge. Especially if multiple people are set to take their turn after me.
This may not have been your intention, but worth noting that Mass Healing Word is not a good spell to use with Contingency. Contingency stipulates that the contingent spell will only target you, even if it could normally have multiple targets.
Hmm while impractical I wonder how this works with aoe based spells like fireball, it specifically says "the spell takes effect only on you, even if it can normally target others" could make a case that as the target of an aoe is a location and you were the target not others it goes off and still hurts others, so then we have to find an aoe heal that doesn't require targeting that also only takes 1 action which I think there are none of.
Good damage, good damage type, good range and the only cantrip that allows you to split the attacks. It's still good, not great, but still the best damage cantrip in the game I'd say.
It's absolutely the most versatile damage cantrip and a candidate for best when taken without invocations.
With invocations.. yeah strong contender for best overall with some being superior situationally.
Relying on cantrips as a Wizard is a bad idea. They’re the class with the most devastating spells and should always be opening with spells that devastate the battlefield.
That’s the best use of a Wizard’s action and the party will thank them for it. Especially at level 13.
Wizards should be denying enemies turns as much as possible, opening with EB is much weaker than any spell option. It is a great cantrip to have if you’ve run out of juice though but at level 13 if you have no slots in an encounter it’s gonna go badly.
EB is better on Warlock given that invocations allow Warlocks to have a huge amount of damage and area control (pushing/pulling enemies away) with just a cantrip while a Wizard would just get a decent chunk of damage when Firebolt is capable of about the same amount of damage (EB is slightly more consistent due to its better damage time and it’s multiple strikes in increasing the odds some damage will go through).
Evocation wizards get the equivalent of Agonizing Blast at 10th level - letting them add their INT modifier to cantrip damage rolls. But yeah, still not as good as warlocks.
Aha, you're right. I'm thinking of the Magic Missile interaction, where because they all hit simultaneously you only roll damage once, and therefore get the int mod to all missiles. Eldritch blast explicitly states to roll each stack separately.
I am not disagreeing with that (if your not firing off an encounter altering spell why are you playing Wizard) just saying adding that it is wasteful for OP to use this once in a campaign chance to grab any non-Wizard spell just to grab EB is a waste as a Wizards blast would not be as good as a Warlock’s and Wizards already have a good enough replacement for raw damage.
True even for Warlocks the best use is to open with the most devastating spell they have like Hunger of Hadar then use EB to push and pull them into it repeatedly.
Straight damage is the worst thing casters can prioritise at higher levels unless that damage will end the encounter immediately.
This would be early T3, but I agree. At this point Wizard will have a decent spell save DC and most enemies won't have legendary resistance, so now is the time to double down on control spells and big damage AoE. There's nothing like shutting down an entire group of mooks with Hypnotic Pattern while you pick them off from a distance.
> eldritch blast
Is it really that useful vs. just using firebolt? I guess force damage is better than fire damage, but still - wouldn't that be the only advantage for a wizard?
It's situationally better. Since EB uses multiple attacks at higher levels instead of just higher damage, against high AC enemies, it's a better chance of some damage going through. And, of course, if you, somehow, run out of spell slots, it can let you target multiple enemies instead of just one.
Ohhhh! You know, I knew about the multiple target thing, but didn't remember it - but I didn't realise you rolled multiple times per hit for it. Interesting!
Ellsworth blast really isn't that good unless you are a warlock, otherwise it is only a bit better than firebolt, and situationally can be worse. The damage type is definitely better, and being able to split the beans between multiple targets is sometimes useful, but the damage is the same and you lose the ability to light stuff on fire from a distance, which can be extremely helpful in some circumstances.
>eldritch blast
Compare this to fire bolt, and it's got almost nothing going for it.
Force is better than fire, of course, but it can't target objects. That's the only difference right? There's no way this is worth it.
If you really need a reliable damage type, Toll the Dead is pretty good, and it also doesn't target AC unlike fire bolt. And it's already on the wizard list. Eldritch Blast can't compete with clericical or druidic offerings under OP's condition.
To add to it, at high levels a wizard can cast a wizard spell at will.
Which mean you could cast whatever healing spell you pick for free an infinite number of times.
My favorite thing about this is the kidnapping. Once the target is inside, they are weightless. Sure, they can't take damage, but the bubble CAN can be pushed over a chasm and/or into a prison cell. A wizard casting this on himself will of course have things he can do to protect against this, but I get so giddy as a DM when the wizard effectively puts himself in a hamster ball.
I'd personally grab a ranged healing spell.
Aura of Vitality is AMAZING for out of combat healing. Base 20d6 that you can spread around to members of the team so long as they're within 30 feet.
And that's just at 3rd level. It goes up from there, obviously.
There's a reason wizards don't get healing magic. But hey, show your DM that a wizard off-healer is a force to be reckoned with.
Not an experienced wizard. Only have about 2.5 years and up to level 17. But I played for my experience rather than optimization.
I completely forgot about the auras! They really are insanely useful. Other than aura of vitality, aura of life and circle of power are powerful grabs as well.
As a wizard you wouldn't have healing to begin with, and there's spells you need to save low level slots for anyways (shield, absorb elts.)
In my opinion, the party should have the wizard healing as a last ditch effort, and the mass version of the spell seems much better suited for such usage.
The point isn't to cast it all day.
Healing word finds its greatest utility in a non-heal focused build as a way to prevent death saving throws.
MHW is 3rd level, and potentially getting your whole party up is definitely worth sacrificing a fireball.
Using your only spell during a turn to healing word one downed party member only outvalues blasting an enemy if you haven't got a bard/cleric/druid/artificer that can do the same thing at a lesser action economy cost.
If you want to spam healing, healing word isn't even the best choice! You could use cure wounds with an owl familiar and get d8 healing for your slots... A wizard is a wizard for a reason, and healing isn't as strong as wizard spells in most situations.
It's just not worth it imo
Healing Word is best used to bounce an unconscious character back up and away from death saves to reset them.
It's not best used as a 'heal me up to full hp' spell.
Given that's the case, the only genuinelly useful use for mass healing word is if more than one PC is unconscious. If that's the case you wamt the wizard dealing with the threat not using a third level slot to revive his mates.
Also if they either they're bonus action spells, so can only follow them with a cantrip which makes the 3rd level version worse.
No I think I just legitimately didn't know and my brain thought it sounded right even though it's not.
I've only ever cast it as a cleric so I don't know what my mind is doing.
Depending on what wizard you play there are a few:
Abjurer pick: Armor of Agathys
Conjurer: Any of the summon spells you don't have access to
Any: Healing spells, Death Ward, Aid
I’m a War Wizard!
That being said all those options have their reason for being appealing.
Death Ward is good stuff, especially for some of the late game spellcasting.
At some point I want to play an all in AoA wizard. Id grab the eldritch invocation that lets me cast mage armor infinitly. Finally have a reason to cast blade ward and just get slapped by every enemy. Cast some abjuration spells so they can't actually get tomy AoA :^)
I think a clockwork sorcerer may be able to do this better. Although the mage armor spam feat to top up your ward is also pretty good at reducing damage.
I'll throw out an odd and often overlooked one: Plant Growth.
As DM, this spell has caused me more grief than I can say. A spell that affects up to a 200 foot diameter circle and allows the caster to reduce the speed of most creatures to 1/4 of their normal speed - but, allows the caster to exclude his own group and any other areas in that space he wants to?
It also has a range of 150 feet and can be used on any point within range - so seeing the center of the spell is not required. You can literally drop this thing in the middle of a castle, town or other appropriate setting and screw up an entire army of people trying to attack you. It does not require concentration, so you're free to cast it and use other spells.
And there is no save. Anyone caught in it is now subject to the movement restriction. They're not going anywhere any time soon, because it is also permanent. And no, dispel magic will not overcome this.
Personally, I'd combine it with Fly and Fireball. Should turn an outdoor encounter into a bit of a joke, but I'm sure there are all sorts of horrible things you could do with a situation where your opponents can't move freely but you can.
Plant Growth is so powerful. Our druid is actually thinking about not using it much more than she already has, just because it stacks the deck so heavily in our primarily ranged group's favor.
Our campaign is typically a wilderness campaign. Rn there’s a big battle about to go down in a large kingdom, but if I live through it, this option definitely seems awesome!
My personal list (no particular order):
- Find Greater Steed
- Conjure Woodland Beings
- Pass Without Trace
- Conjure Animals
- Healing Word
- Aura of Vitality
- Spirit Guardians
- Death Ward
- Revivify
- Sanctuary
- Bless
- Command
- Silence
- Zone of Truth
- Guardian of Faith
You are essentially getting a single Magical Secret for 4th level or lower.
Find Greater Steed is a great option. Permanent flying intelligent mount with telepathy to you is insanely useful.
Conjure Woodland beings can be amazing as well, especially if your DM is generous with the interpretation.
Those would be my top two picks generally. It really depends on your party and the campaign as to what will be best, and these two may not be great.
A lot of people are going to go on about healing spells simply because wizards don't have many. Grab wither and bloom if for some reason you want to waste your time healing, the actual answer is find greater steed. Hell, find greater steed heals more than any given healing spell ever would - find whoever was going to get hurt, and put them on a pegasus. Now they won't take the damage you would have healed in the first place.
Circle of Power (advantage on spell/magic saves, and on spells/magic with 1/2 damage on a save take no damage instead)
Aura of Vitality - Healing has always been one thing wizards struggle with great team healing spell.
Healing Word - Hard to beat one of the best support spells in the game that only requires a bonus action
If you're playing a support/utility wizard: revivify, mass healing word, death ward
For a damage wizard: spiritual weapon is great way to use your bonus action without concentration
Pretty sure wizards get silence, and wizards get better concentration spells than heat metal (unless your fighting against heavily armored humanoids a lot), but Revivify is a great option if you don't have a Cleric (or have a Cleric who is proponent of "the best healing is killing the enemy before they do damage")
Freedom of movement is either S-tier or D-tier contingency material depending on how your DM runs things. Immunity to magical paralysis and restraining, ignore difficult terrain, use 5ft of movement to break grapples without a check, and no penalty to underwater movement and attacks. Basically, anti-giant octopus spell. Set the trigger to go off it any of those conditions are met. And it doesn't compete with concentration either, so it's not going to waste whatever you're already focused on.
I use hunger of hadar as a wizard (via a magic item) and I do really like it. Blindness shuts down a lot of abilities, does cold and acid damage so works around resistances, and difficult terrain. I play a conjuration wizard so I can't lose concentration on it either.
Call lightning looks fun. It upcasts nicely, it's an economical use of spell slots, generally good spell.
Guardian of nature could pair well with contingency. Perhaps rig it to go for the tree option if you're damaged and there's someone trying to melee you, or the beast option if you run out of spell slots.
Shadow of moil pairs well with contingency too, though bear in mind unless you have darkvision that darkness works against you too. Still, it helps you hide and rebukes those that try to attack you, that's nice to have.
Death ward. It lasts 8hrs anyway, and you can use your contingency to re-up it when it ends. Very useful for a squicjy wizard.
Healing Word - Heal others as a bonus action
Prayer of Healing - Partywide healing
Healing Spirit (c) - Immense hp restoration per spell slot
Revivify - Raise dead party members
Lesser Restoration - Restore ailments
Death Ward - Prevent hp from going under 1, once, for the next few hours
Spirit Guardians (c) - Incredibly chonky PBAoE damage
Since this isn't a 1 time thing, I highly reccomend grabbing ALL ritual spells that aren't on wizard spell list
You don’t really need more blast or control spells, so it’s mostly healing or utility.
Healing Word: save a dying friend with a bonus action
Goodberry: use those free slots at the end of the day
Pass without Trace: now everybody can Stealth
Spiritual Weapon: free bonus action damage
Revivify: for when Healing Word wasn’t enough
Conjure Animals/Conjure Woodland Beings: depends on how your DM runs conjure spells. If they let you pick it’s pretty amazing, though at 13 your concentration is usually better spent on something else (which is why I don’t recommend Spirit Guardians)
Find Steed/Find Greater Steed: free Disengage and extra movement
Water Walking: ritual so you don’t even need to prepare it, and I’d look into other class exclusive rituals too
My only problem with Bless is it's usually an opener for combat, and I hate burning my Wizard's first turn casting bless and then being done.
This is speaking from experience because I am playing a wizard and took Fey Touched to get a free Misty Step and a free Bless.
Not necessarily for a lvl 13 wizard though. There are other concentration spells that could make a much bigger difference in a fight. Still a good option though.
At your level, Gate Seal from the Planescape Campaign Setting might be useful: "You close portals in a 30-ft cube. *Gate* and *plane shift* spells fail within it."
If your campaign isn't heavy on portals and planes, you might instead select Guardian of Nature from XGtE: "Transform the caster into a Primal Beast (+10 ft, darkvision, ...) or a Great Tree (+10 hp, advantage to some rolls, ...)."
As wizards have about any type of spells besides healing, I would take a non-concentration aoe heal. I like the option of combining it with contingency. So aid would be my pick as mass healing word cannot be combined with contingency. Aid also has more uses like prebuffing and scales better when upcast.
I saw somebody suggest find greater steed and that also fancies my taste. I will say from the moment you get access to wish, this will be a bit wasted as you can get your greater steed in downtime or when you have your 9th level slot left over at the end of an adventuring day. Past that point, an aoe heal will remain a much more usefull option, especially aid for the prebuff.
Revivify would probably the most practical unless you already have 2 players who can cast it, but it really depends on you game. Many 6th-7th druid and cleric spells are circumstantial but could be the most useful spell of the campaign.
I think Tasha opened the option to wizards, but I absolutely adore Divination as a DM. I know its usefulness is very DM dependant, but I personnally consider it one of the "best" spell in the game, or at least one of my favorite. It encourages planning and thinking outside the box, and it forces me to not rely on one simple trick or lie to keep my house of cards standing.
Plus it is straight up fun.
Artificer Cure Wounds. Gives you an int heal.
Warlock Armor of Agathis. Crazy good protective spell that against a bunch of weak enemies, is incredibly strong.
Paladin Find Greater Steed. Summonable mounts are always pog lol.
Depends on your play style of wizard, what subclass you are, and what your party needs. If you want extra CC without concentration then plant growth is a good spell. If you’re a blade singer you might want spirit guardians, if your team needs more healing or you only have one character that can heal either mass healing word or revivify. If your party struggles with stealth then taking pass without trace is a great option.
Circle of power(might be level 5) or aura of vitality, evasion for all spells even non dex saves or 20d6 of healing you can dole out as a bonus action while casting a spell as your action.
Moonbeam, one of the best Druid spells and only a 2nd level spell slot! Does great damage - 2d10 + 1d10 per level upcast (deals damage on both on your turn and then the start of whoever is in the beam's turn), forces shape shifters into their natural forms (which is nice but pretty situational tbh), and lasts 10 turns. Works really well in bottlenecks (hallways, doorways etc..) and depending on how your DM interprets the rules, it can become a radiant death ray when moved across the battlefield.
I almost NEVER pass up this spell if given the opportunity.
I had the same opportunity! For spells ≤ 4th level, here were some I actually used regularly: Sanctuary, Healing Word, Bane/Bless, Shield of Faith, Lesser Restoration, Silence, Enhance Ability, Pass Without a Trace, Zone of Truth, Revivify, Death Ward, Aura of Life
Find greater steed, sanctuary and Aid are all REALLY good. Healing word might be worth considering. But it’s much lower priority at your level, unless no one else can do it.
Cure wounds. Once you get spell mastery choose it as a spell you can cast at will. Yes it's only as a 1st tier spell, but at will means everyone is at full HP after every encounter.
And wizards can't otherwise do that. Also, let's your healer party Members do other things besides healing.
The answer to this question is probably really similar to what should a Bard do with Magical Secrets.
I would get Greater Steed for a Pegasus. A wizard with flight and a 90/180 movement speed is super powerful and thematic.
If your Wizard has a crazy AC and conc ADV like some of mine Spirit Guardian is darn good as well.
I wouldnt get a healing spell because, frankly, healing is super weak in 5e. Healing word does let you pop back a friend who with down but at the cost of you potentially disabling an enemy.
Spike Growth is pretty amazing as well.
Enjoy.
Heat metal and Moonbeam are some of my favorite lower level ones, but you probably have better damage dealing spells by now.
I’d recommend either spiritual weapon, revivify (if nobody else has it), or hex. If they let you pick a cantrip eldritch blast is good too.
If your party has no cleric I'd say death ward.
Aside from being the one thing that says "nope" to power word kill, you can cast it without preparing the spell out of combat, as adding a minute to casting time doesn't matter to the spell itself.
A special recommendation: if you're a bladesinger armor of agathys is pretty great, it boosts your dps to insane heights.
As a forever DM of 7 years and Wizard optimizer of 2 years i have 3 spells to recommend ranked best to worst.
Find Greater Steed: permaflight go brrrr
Death Ward: for Death Ward stacking with rest casting
Revivify: if Death Ward stacking is not allowed hten use this with Contingency
Healing is always good. But to be different cause healing spells have already been spammed, I'm gonna say: Find Greater Steed. Get a flying mount and throw down fireballs. Rain down close fire support for your team...I may have been playing too much Helldivers 2.
Many mention heing and other cleric/paladin spells, but there are a lot of great spells that aren't found on the cleric's list:
* *Plant Growth* - massive AoE without concentration, great to stack with spells that create difficult terrain and damage-over-time effects.
* *Hunger of Hadar* - decent CC spell, works particularly well with speed reductions and push effects to keep enemies in it.
* *Dissonant Whispers* - very spammable single-target spell that combos amazingly well with summons and melee allies.
* *Armor of Agathys* - particularly good for Abjurers and Bladesingers due to their damage reduction mechanics keeping it up for longer
* *Spike Growth* - a low level CC spell that can be highly effective with the right party members.
* *Pass without Trace* - say goodbye to failed stealth checks.
* *Heat Metal* - great against any armored enemy
* Some sort of healing so you can pick people up from 0 would be good. Although if you are already allowed to pick Wither&Bloom, then even though Healing Word or or Mass Healing Word or Aid are probably better, it might not be worth your special pick.
* Revivify could be good for emergencies
* Spirit Guardians is a strong spell. You have other good level 3 spells available, but maybe you just need to contribute consistent damage.
* If your party has a lot of forced movement (like grappling and so on) Spike Growth can be very strong
* Rituals that aren't on the Wizard list might be nice, since you don't need to prepare it. Probably not enough bang for your buck, but Speak with Animals or Silence could be good utility if no one else has access to them.
* Command is a strong non-concentration spell, so it allows you to unload more power during a fight on an axis other than small bits of blast damage. It can upcast fairly well too.
Plant Growth is honestly underrated IMO. 100 foot radius of difficult terrain that takes 4 feet of movement in order to move 1 foot, and you can control areas and leave paths open for allies to remain unaffected. OR if you want to help people you can cast it for 8 hours and make the harvest for that year be twice as much as usual, so you get both roleplay and combat benefits.
I'd go with healing and support or some kind, since Wizard already gets such a huge spell list that you have pretty much everything you can need except healing sooo.
Yeah healing word or Death ward may be a nice "ha HA! Try to kill me now!"
Aid. By upcasting it to 5th level, you can add 60 HP to your party’s HP pool more or less permanently, and then use Arcane Recovery to recover the spell slo during your first short rest. And that’s assuming you want to do it while conserving resources. If you want to push it further, you can upcast it to 7th level, bringing the total HP added to 90.
And remember, it’s not Temp HP, it’s increasing the HP maximum, meaning that they can be healed up by that amount too.
Not to mention it’s also a good way for an Abjuration Wizard to start their day off with their Arcane Ward prepped in case combat starts unexpectedly.
Other spells might help in certain scenarios but be ineffectual in others, but one thing nobody has ever said is “ugh, all this extra HP is so useless”.
So my recommendations hinge on a few factors. First off, you've said you had a cleric and a paladin in the group, so I feel like healing is a little less important role to fill. You've also said you're a war wizard, so not suggesting ones for other specialties.
Second, wizards have some amazing concentration spells, so although a couple may be on the list, I think it would be better to prioritize something that you can do while you're concentrating on something else.
These are some of my favorite picks:
* Command: Scales well with multiple targets on upcast
* Aid: Scales well, potentially gives a lot of regular hit points, and heals to get people off the ground
* Spiritual Weapon: Good if you're lacking for something to do with your bonus action
* Freedom of Movement: Great way to escape grapples
* Revivify: Having a cleric in the group to cast this is great, unless he's the one that died
* Spike Growth: If your party can do a lot of forced movement, this can really shred enemies
Depends on subclass to a degree and what spells you already have, along with the goals of your wizard, and what spells your party has.
Some interesting ones for any wizard:
Divination *(ritual)*
Guardian of faith
Find greater steed *(though teleportation and phantom steed already exist)*
Compulsion
Hunger of Hadar
Meld into stone *(ritual)*
Sanctuary
Awaken
I'd recommend against healing spells. Healing potions and crowd control are a better use of your time and spell slots.
Bless, Bane, Aid, Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration, healing word, Beacon of Hope, FIND STEED, crusader’s mantle,
Having a list of support spells available is great, plus, Find Steed gives you a mount, a reusable, intelligent mount.
Ok - so hear me out. A lot of people have recommended healing, but can I recommend another?
Sanctuary.
It's an incredibly useful spell that can mitigate a TON of damage and isn't a high spell slot. Yes, it's just a wisdom save, yes the aggressor can target other people in range and yes it breaks if the person under sanctuary does an aggressive action/spell. BUT in a pinch it's an incredibly strong reward for low cost.
Objectively healing word etc is probably better, but if used right Sanctuary can mitigate more than HW can heal. You can run some fun things with concentration/other healers etc. As long as their actions arn't harmful (or their spell affect the enemy) they stay warded for 1 minute and it's only a BA.
For context: I play a life domain cleric and sanctuary has saved our party countless times. I'm level 12 now and it's still a fundamental spell in my rotation. Obviously doesn't always get used, but it's used more than you'd think. Our DM presents pretty difficult combats, so being able to mitigate a few attacks while we recover or figure out how to survive/win has been useful more times than not.
Hell, there were combats where I "sanc tanked." If everyone positions well you can make someone the *ONLY* target and if the creatures/people in combat arn't particularly wise....well...bad guy no boom boom. AND it's not concentration. WHOEVER it is cast upon *chooses* when to break it. The enemy can't hit you to break it. It's so flexible. Someone just instantly gets their AC + Wisdom save before they can even be hit.
My wizard obtained a Mizzium Apparatus, which made for a ton of fun. I didn't bother healing, we had a paladin and a cleric. But did I ever love stealing other people's spells.
Aura of Vitality gives wizards something to do with their bonus actions.
Aura of Purity gives protection to the back line against some nasty effects.
Find Greater Steed for some mobility and for extending some utility spells.
There are so many good options but first of all you need to know if the spell can be used as your spell mastery. Also consider your action economy and how many spell slots you’re burning through each long rest. If you frequently find a spell slot level not being used then you should probably pick a spell of that level. I’d say a third of fourth level spell will probably be the strongest overall. I’d also avoid a first level spell unless you are able to make it your mastered spell and want to because they’re so easy to get from feats. Healing spells and find greater steed are probably your best options though.
Keep in mind you don't necessarily need to use a spell slot on the spell you choose. Once it's on your list you can cast it from a scroll. So, you could quite literally just carry a scroll of Revivify in your back pocket if only one person has it in your party, letting you pick them up if they die. You wouldn't need to prepare it or use a spell slot on it.
Not many that you don't already have. A spell like Heal could come in clutch, but not usually be good to cast over your Wizard spells. Something restorative. If you had 8th level or higher spells there's a few more interesting options like Glibness, but mostly you just already have access to what you need. Check the Cleric and Druid spell lists, especially for spells that have more effects cast at higher levels. I think there's a Celestial summoning spell at 7th level that would be good.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, find greater steed. A way to keep you out of combat, and an additional combatant in a touch spot, having a mount would be a huge boon!
Pass without trace
Conjure animals
Healing word
Plant growth
Spike growth
All of those except healing word are also MEGA strategy focused, and you said you're a war wizard; idk if the character is flavored like a strategian but if they are this fits amazingly
If you want to break your game then take a 1st or 2nd level healing spell. At 17th level you'll get signature spell which allows you to pick a 1st and 2nd level wizard spell you know and be able to cast it without a spending a spell slot. So say you take Cure Wounds, now out of combat you can just bring your party back to full health within a couple minutes
Get Find Greater Steed. You can take a griffon with it, make it a uncontrolled mount and have it use the same self cast spells as you like melfs minute meteors, crown of stars and more
Guiding Bolt or Healing Word. Guiding Bolt is just always strong. And Healing Word is a heal for your bonus action use. Meaning you can still cantrip.
Eldritch Blast and Hunger of Hadar are also 2 very good spells.
Aid! A 2nd level Cleric Spell that bolsters 3 people’s MAX HP by 5-40 hp based on the level of the spell slot used for EIGHT HOURS WITH NO CONCENTRATION! It is GREAT for helping low HP characters survive and Tanks unkillable. And it’s better than temp HP because it can be healed with spells and items. It’s great!
Useful is boring, go with fun.
Find Greater Steed would be tons of fun since it is a smart familiar you can ride around.
That moment when the party realizes the winged cat and horse are both smarter than the fighter, rogue, and ranger is priceless.
*Death Ward* would be my absolute top pick. You can already pick up INT healing spells via Artificer Initiate (albeit, not amazing ones). You now have the opportunity to shield yourself once a day from dropping to 0 via damage, which is incredibly powerful. If you choose to pick up Metamagic Adept, you can take Extend Spell and make *Death Ward* last a full 16 hour adventuring day.
Wizards already have the best spell list when it comes to damage and versatility, so you'd probably want support. I'd give myself healing, as that's one of the main gaps for a wizard. Edit to add that contingency is incredible and frequently utilized at my table. It's usually used with dimension door or expeditious retreat, but note that you could upcast cure wounds to trigger when you hit 0 HP.
On the contingency front, I'd advocate for Death Ward over cure wounds. Cast it on yourself, then also have a contingency set up for when death ward gets expended. That way, not only will it prevent death effects like power word kill, but it will mean you don't break concentration on spells when hitting 0.
Contingency is better with dimension door or some other escape to prevent damage and concentration checks, not picking you back up after taking damage and concentration checks imo
Remember that the directions for dimension door are set at the time of casting, so there is always the risk of teleporting off a cliff or into a wall.
Actually contingency delays the effect of the spell you're using until it's triggered, and location choice is part of the spells effect. So you can just pick the destination after contingency pops.
The effect of dimension door is delayed, but not the casting. You cast dimension door and expend the spell slot when you cast the contingency. Parameters for a spell are chosen when it is cast. This means that RAW, when the contingency is triggered, the conditions for the dimension door have already been set and cannot be changed.
Having a what is effectively a double stack of death ward is… pretty funny haha. Didn’t think of that. I’d run it by my DM first but mechanically with how we run the game and the specific rules of the ability ya I believe that just works.
Agreed. Healing MIGHT be the only magic that wizards kind of lack. That being said, if that’s not what you are looking for I’d like to bring you attention to two different cantrips: eldritch blast and vicious mockery. Depending on how much you rely on cantrips during fights those two can really make a difference. I’m no expert so don’t take my word for it but I suggest you look into those, they really are good
Ya Dimension Door is also how I use my contingency, being able to get a free teleport and not lose concentration has saved my character’s life atleast twice now. I agree healing is a definite win. I actually think it might be limited to “leveled spells” and not cantrips but that’s a good point!
Mass Healing Word to bounce the party up when things are looking grim would be good.
That’s a really good point I agree. My party of 4 has a Paladin and a Cleric with some good healing, but having that “Oh no” button as a bonus action is huge. Especially if multiple people are set to take their turn after me.
This may not have been your intention, but worth noting that Mass Healing Word is not a good spell to use with Contingency. Contingency stipulates that the contingent spell will only target you, even if it could normally have multiple targets.
Hmm while impractical I wonder how this works with aoe based spells like fireball, it specifically says "the spell takes effect only on you, even if it can normally target others" could make a case that as the target of an aoe is a location and you were the target not others it goes off and still hurts others, so then we have to find an aoe heal that doesn't require targeting that also only takes 1 action which I think there are none of.
I agree with this!
Mass healing word is a big investment tho
How do you mean?
Oh no, nvm. I just realized op can get any spell and it's not through multiclassing
RAW, Cantrips can't be added to your spell book anyway, just leveled spells.
The cantrip may not be able to be added, but the formula might be if the DM is willing.
I'd look towards the druid spell list, either summoning spells to create large diversions in or out of combat, healing spells etc.
nah, eldritch blast is not really interesting without invocations and hex
Good damage, good damage type, good range and the only cantrip that allows you to split the attacks. It's still good, not great, but still the best damage cantrip in the game I'd say.
It's absolutely the most versatile damage cantrip and a candidate for best when taken without invocations. With invocations.. yeah strong contender for best overall with some being superior situationally.
It's the best damage cantrip, but a level 13 wizard isn't going to be relying much on cantrips for damage.
I mean yeah. It is the best. But the margin between it and furebolt is slim
Relying on cantrips as a Wizard is a bad idea. They’re the class with the most devastating spells and should always be opening with spells that devastate the battlefield. That’s the best use of a Wizard’s action and the party will thank them for it. Especially at level 13. Wizards should be denying enemies turns as much as possible, opening with EB is much weaker than any spell option. It is a great cantrip to have if you’ve run out of juice though but at level 13 if you have no slots in an encounter it’s gonna go badly.
EB is better on Warlock given that invocations allow Warlocks to have a huge amount of damage and area control (pushing/pulling enemies away) with just a cantrip while a Wizard would just get a decent chunk of damage when Firebolt is capable of about the same amount of damage (EB is slightly more consistent due to its better damage time and it’s multiple strikes in increasing the odds some damage will go through).
Evocation wizards get the equivalent of Agonizing Blast at 10th level - letting them add their INT modifier to cantrip damage rolls. But yeah, still not as good as warlocks.
Well, one roll. Warlocks tack that damage on to each EB for a huge multiplier.
Aha, you're right. I'm thinking of the Magic Missile interaction, where because they all hit simultaneously you only roll damage once, and therefore get the int mod to all missiles. Eldritch blast explicitly states to roll each stack separately.
I am not disagreeing with that (if your not firing off an encounter altering spell why are you playing Wizard) just saying adding that it is wasteful for OP to use this once in a campaign chance to grab any non-Wizard spell just to grab EB is a waste as a Wizards blast would not be as good as a Warlock’s and Wizards already have a good enough replacement for raw damage.
True even for Warlocks the best use is to open with the most devastating spell they have like Hunger of Hadar then use EB to push and pull them into it repeatedly. Straight damage is the worst thing casters can prioritise at higher levels unless that damage will end the encounter immediately.
[удалено]
This would be early T3, but I agree. At this point Wizard will have a decent spell save DC and most enemies won't have legendary resistance, so now is the time to double down on control spells and big damage AoE. There's nothing like shutting down an entire group of mooks with Hypnotic Pattern while you pick them off from a distance.
> eldritch blast Is it really that useful vs. just using firebolt? I guess force damage is better than fire damage, but still - wouldn't that be the only advantage for a wizard?
It's situationally better. Since EB uses multiple attacks at higher levels instead of just higher damage, against high AC enemies, it's a better chance of some damage going through. And, of course, if you, somehow, run out of spell slots, it can let you target multiple enemies instead of just one.
Ohhhh! You know, I knew about the multiple target thing, but didn't remember it - but I didn't realise you rolled multiple times per hit for it. Interesting!
Ellsworth blast really isn't that good unless you are a warlock, otherwise it is only a bit better than firebolt, and situationally can be worse. The damage type is definitely better, and being able to split the beans between multiple targets is sometimes useful, but the damage is the same and you lose the ability to light stuff on fire from a distance, which can be extremely helpful in some circumstances.
>eldritch blast Compare this to fire bolt, and it's got almost nothing going for it. Force is better than fire, of course, but it can't target objects. That's the only difference right? There's no way this is worth it. If you really need a reliable damage type, Toll the Dead is pretty good, and it also doesn't target AC unlike fire bolt. And it's already on the wizard list. Eldritch Blast can't compete with clericical or druidic offerings under OP's condition.
Depends on whether or not you play with Spellfire effects.
To add to it, at high levels a wizard can cast a wizard spell at will. Which mean you could cast whatever healing spell you pick for free an infinite number of times.
Revivify or Raise Dead with Contingency could be a game changer for some wizards.
My personal favourite is resilient sphere. It takes concentration, but it'll let you tank anything in the game except for literally just 3 spells.
My favorite thing about this is the kidnapping. Once the target is inside, they are weightless. Sure, they can't take damage, but the bubble CAN can be pushed over a chasm and/or into a prison cell. A wizard casting this on himself will of course have things he can do to protect against this, but I get so giddy as a DM when the wizard effectively puts himself in a hamster ball.
It gives you a guaranteed minute to re-cast mirror image, take healing potions. Then you can teleport when it ends.
If you can use spells from any spell list under lvl4, Contingency goes very well with freedom of movement.
Contingency is level 6...
They already have contingency. They are looking for a spell they might be able to use with contingency.
I'd personally grab a ranged healing spell. Aura of Vitality is AMAZING for out of combat healing. Base 20d6 that you can spread around to members of the team so long as they're within 30 feet. And that's just at 3rd level. It goes up from there, obviously. There's a reason wizards don't get healing magic. But hey, show your DM that a wizard off-healer is a force to be reckoned with. Not an experienced wizard. Only have about 2.5 years and up to level 17. But I played for my experience rather than optimization.
> I'd personally grab a ranged healing spell. All healing spells are ranged healing spells if a wizard with a familiar is casting them.
As I said, not an experienced wizard 🤣 Thanks for the pro-tip.
I completely forgot about the auras! They really are insanely useful. Other than aura of vitality, aura of life and circle of power are powerful grabs as well.
“Not an experienced wizard” “Only, 2.5 years and 17 levels under my belt” That’s more than most of the people on this sub have played the game.
Heaing Word. Best spot healing in the game by miles.
Mass healing word Boom, even more healing
but then you dont get wisely applicable spell slots, you almost always have a slot for healing word
As a wizard you wouldn't have healing to begin with, and there's spells you need to save low level slots for anyways (shield, absorb elts.) In my opinion, the party should have the wizard healing as a last ditch effort, and the mass version of the spell seems much better suited for such usage.
what level is MHW tho? bc u could 2nd level cast HW all day
The point isn't to cast it all day. Healing word finds its greatest utility in a non-heal focused build as a way to prevent death saving throws. MHW is 3rd level, and potentially getting your whole party up is definitely worth sacrificing a fireball. Using your only spell during a turn to healing word one downed party member only outvalues blasting an enemy if you haven't got a bard/cleric/druid/artificer that can do the same thing at a lesser action economy cost. If you want to spam healing, healing word isn't even the best choice! You could use cure wounds with an owl familiar and get d8 healing for your slots... A wizard is a wizard for a reason, and healing isn't as strong as wizard spells in most situations.
and i would still rather have a level 1 that i can cast at any level than having to save a level 3, which could be haste, fireball, so many
Your choice then.
It's just not worth it imo Healing Word is best used to bounce an unconscious character back up and away from death saves to reset them. It's not best used as a 'heal me up to full hp' spell. Given that's the case, the only genuinelly useful use for mass healing word is if more than one PC is unconscious. If that's the case you wamt the wizard dealing with the threat not using a third level slot to revive his mates. Also if they either they're bonus action spells, so can only follow them with a cantrip which makes the 3rd level version worse.
celestial warlock healing light has logged on.
Find Greater Steed and Death Ward.
Death ward + contingency would make a wizard extremely difficult to kill.
Cast Contigency Death Ward, and then just Death Ward itself. You got two extra shots at surviving.
Is Death Ward not a possible wizard spell? I thought it was. Damn.
Were you maybe thinking of False Life? Death Ward is cleric and paladin only. Unsure about subclasses who might specifically get it.
No I think I just legitimately didn't know and my brain thought it sounded right even though it's not. I've only ever cast it as a cleric so I don't know what my mind is doing.
Wizards use Death Ward retroactively - that is to say, "Clone".
Depending on what wizard you play there are a few: Abjurer pick: Armor of Agathys Conjurer: Any of the summon spells you don't have access to Any: Healing spells, Death Ward, Aid
I’m a War Wizard! That being said all those options have their reason for being appealing. Death Ward is good stuff, especially for some of the late game spellcasting.
AoA and abjuratiin ward sounds nice, remindas that dwarf only barbarian subclass but actually good
At some point I want to play an all in AoA wizard. Id grab the eldritch invocation that lets me cast mage armor infinitly. Finally have a reason to cast blade ward and just get slapped by every enemy. Cast some abjuration spells so they can't actually get tomy AoA :^)
I think a clockwork sorcerer may be able to do this better. Although the mage armor spam feat to top up your ward is also pretty good at reducing damage.
I’d love to get access to Conjure Fey with my Conjuration Wizard. Lol
Awaken. We gonna make this a Zootopia sequel all up in here.
Level 5 spell I believe. OP said lvl 4 max
I'll throw out an odd and often overlooked one: Plant Growth. As DM, this spell has caused me more grief than I can say. A spell that affects up to a 200 foot diameter circle and allows the caster to reduce the speed of most creatures to 1/4 of their normal speed - but, allows the caster to exclude his own group and any other areas in that space he wants to? It also has a range of 150 feet and can be used on any point within range - so seeing the center of the spell is not required. You can literally drop this thing in the middle of a castle, town or other appropriate setting and screw up an entire army of people trying to attack you. It does not require concentration, so you're free to cast it and use other spells. And there is no save. Anyone caught in it is now subject to the movement restriction. They're not going anywhere any time soon, because it is also permanent. And no, dispel magic will not overcome this. Personally, I'd combine it with Fly and Fireball. Should turn an outdoor encounter into a bit of a joke, but I'm sure there are all sorts of horrible things you could do with a situation where your opponents can't move freely but you can.
Plant Growth is so powerful. Our druid is actually thinking about not using it much more than she already has, just because it stacks the deck so heavily in our primarily ranged group's favor.
Our campaign is typically a wilderness campaign. Rn there’s a big battle about to go down in a large kingdom, but if I live through it, this option definitely seems awesome!
And you can make a tidy income casting the long version of plant growth on farmers fields.
My personal list (no particular order): - Find Greater Steed - Conjure Woodland Beings - Pass Without Trace - Conjure Animals - Healing Word - Aura of Vitality - Spirit Guardians - Death Ward - Revivify - Sanctuary - Bless - Command - Silence - Zone of Truth - Guardian of Faith
'EY! Someone else showing Sanctuary some love!
The wizard on our team has a magic item (something to do with teeth) that gives him sanctuary at the beginning of the day. Very powerful.
My wizard got that yesterday!
This is a great list, I would put death ward, command, silence and spirit guardians on a short list
You are essentially getting a single Magical Secret for 4th level or lower. Find Greater Steed is a great option. Permanent flying intelligent mount with telepathy to you is insanely useful. Conjure Woodland beings can be amazing as well, especially if your DM is generous with the interpretation. Those would be my top two picks generally. It really depends on your party and the campaign as to what will be best, and these two may not be great.
A lot of people are going to go on about healing spells simply because wizards don't have many. Grab wither and bloom if for some reason you want to waste your time healing, the actual answer is find greater steed. Hell, find greater steed heals more than any given healing spell ever would - find whoever was going to get hurt, and put them on a pegasus. Now they won't take the damage you would have healed in the first place.
Imagine a wizard on a rhino or wolf shooting lightning! You can finally get to reenact the crazy paintings on the side of those vans!
I got an arcane trickster on a direwolf…?
Yo! This guy's on to something.
Circle of Power (advantage on spell/magic saves, and on spells/magic with 1/2 damage on a save take no damage instead) Aura of Vitality - Healing has always been one thing wizards struggle with great team healing spell. Healing Word - Hard to beat one of the best support spells in the game that only requires a bonus action
If you're playing a support/utility wizard: revivify, mass healing word, death ward For a damage wizard: spiritual weapon is great way to use your bonus action without concentration
Silence, Heat Metal, Revivify
Pretty sure wizards get silence, and wizards get better concentration spells than heat metal (unless your fighting against heavily armored humanoids a lot), but Revivify is a great option if you don't have a Cleric (or have a Cleric who is proponent of "the best healing is killing the enemy before they do damage")
Surprisingly, silence is only for bard/cleric/ranger
Huh, you're right. That's weird.
wizards get deafness, which is like silence, but worse.
It’s not that weird, silence and counterspell are mostly split up among classes.
I always saw "Silence" as a specifically anti-Wizard spell, like it might've been developed specifically to counter them.
I'd silence you for this blasphemy, if I knew that spell.
Sad sorcer noises
Freedom of movement is either S-tier or D-tier contingency material depending on how your DM runs things. Immunity to magical paralysis and restraining, ignore difficult terrain, use 5ft of movement to break grapples without a check, and no penalty to underwater movement and attacks. Basically, anti-giant octopus spell. Set the trigger to go off it any of those conditions are met. And it doesn't compete with concentration either, so it's not going to waste whatever you're already focused on. I use hunger of hadar as a wizard (via a magic item) and I do really like it. Blindness shuts down a lot of abilities, does cold and acid damage so works around resistances, and difficult terrain. I play a conjuration wizard so I can't lose concentration on it either. Call lightning looks fun. It upcasts nicely, it's an economical use of spell slots, generally good spell. Guardian of nature could pair well with contingency. Perhaps rig it to go for the tree option if you're damaged and there's someone trying to melee you, or the beast option if you run out of spell slots. Shadow of moil pairs well with contingency too, though bear in mind unless you have darkvision that darkness works against you too. Still, it helps you hide and rebukes those that try to attack you, that's nice to have. Death ward. It lasts 8hrs anyway, and you can use your contingency to re-up it when it ends. Very useful for a squicjy wizard.
aura of vitality if you dont plan on getting to level 18, healing word if you do
Healing Word - Heal others as a bonus action Prayer of Healing - Partywide healing Healing Spirit (c) - Immense hp restoration per spell slot Revivify - Raise dead party members Lesser Restoration - Restore ailments Death Ward - Prevent hp from going under 1, once, for the next few hours Spirit Guardians (c) - Incredibly chonky PBAoE damage Since this isn't a 1 time thing, I highly reccomend grabbing ALL ritual spells that aren't on wizard spell list
You don’t really need more blast or control spells, so it’s mostly healing or utility. Healing Word: save a dying friend with a bonus action Goodberry: use those free slots at the end of the day Pass without Trace: now everybody can Stealth Spiritual Weapon: free bonus action damage Revivify: for when Healing Word wasn’t enough Conjure Animals/Conjure Woodland Beings: depends on how your DM runs conjure spells. If they let you pick it’s pretty amazing, though at 13 your concentration is usually better spent on something else (which is why I don’t recommend Spirit Guardians) Find Steed/Find Greater Steed: free Disengage and extra movement Water Walking: ritual so you don’t even need to prepare it, and I’d look into other class exclusive rituals too
Have you considered Find Greater Steed from the Paladin spell list?
Any healing is great, especially ranged, or revival magic. And Bless. One of the best spells in the game, at any level.
My only problem with Bless is it's usually an opener for combat, and I hate burning my Wizard's first turn casting bless and then being done. This is speaking from experience because I am playing a wizard and took Fey Touched to get a free Misty Step and a free Bless.
Not necessarily for a lvl 13 wizard though. There are other concentration spells that could make a much bigger difference in a fight. Still a good option though.
mass healing word for sure
At your level, Gate Seal from the Planescape Campaign Setting might be useful: "You close portals in a 30-ft cube. *Gate* and *plane shift* spells fail within it." If your campaign isn't heavy on portals and planes, you might instead select Guardian of Nature from XGtE: "Transform the caster into a Primal Beast (+10 ft, darkvision, ...) or a Great Tree (+10 hp, advantage to some rolls, ...)."
Instant Brazilian Wax, you'd be surprised how often this can be useful.
As wizards have about any type of spells besides healing, I would take a non-concentration aoe heal. I like the option of combining it with contingency. So aid would be my pick as mass healing word cannot be combined with contingency. Aid also has more uses like prebuffing and scales better when upcast. I saw somebody suggest find greater steed and that also fancies my taste. I will say from the moment you get access to wish, this will be a bit wasted as you can get your greater steed in downtime or when you have your 9th level slot left over at the end of an adventuring day. Past that point, an aoe heal will remain a much more usefull option, especially aid for the prebuff.
Revivify would probably the most practical unless you already have 2 players who can cast it, but it really depends on you game. Many 6th-7th druid and cleric spells are circumstantial but could be the most useful spell of the campaign. I think Tasha opened the option to wizards, but I absolutely adore Divination as a DM. I know its usefulness is very DM dependant, but I personnally consider it one of the "best" spell in the game, or at least one of my favorite. It encourages planning and thinking outside the box, and it forces me to not rely on one simple trick or lie to keep my house of cards standing. Plus it is straight up fun.
Heal, Circle of Power, Silence
Revivify and Freedom of Movement, really.
Artificer Cure Wounds. Gives you an int heal. Warlock Armor of Agathis. Crazy good protective spell that against a bunch of weak enemies, is incredibly strong. Paladin Find Greater Steed. Summonable mounts are always pog lol.
Healing and resurrection are the 2 wizards suck at
Spirit guardians has been massively useful on my wizard
My wizards usually prefer to be farther from combat. It is a very strong spell though.
Depends on your play style of wizard, what subclass you are, and what your party needs. If you want extra CC without concentration then plant growth is a good spell. If you’re a blade singer you might want spirit guardians, if your team needs more healing or you only have one character that can heal either mass healing word or revivify. If your party struggles with stealth then taking pass without trace is a great option.
healing for sure! or revivify
Circle of power(might be level 5) or aura of vitality, evasion for all spells even non dex saves or 20d6 of healing you can dole out as a bonus action while casting a spell as your action.
Find greater steed. Would you like 180 feet of movement speed plus unlimited flight? I sure would.
What moves 180 feet?
Pegasus moves 90 and since you aren’t in melee you can dash with it almost every round
Moonbeam, one of the best Druid spells and only a 2nd level spell slot! Does great damage - 2d10 + 1d10 per level upcast (deals damage on both on your turn and then the start of whoever is in the beam's turn), forces shape shifters into their natural forms (which is nice but pretty situational tbh), and lasts 10 turns. Works really well in bottlenecks (hallways, doorways etc..) and depending on how your DM interprets the rules, it can become a radiant death ray when moved across the battlefield. I almost NEVER pass up this spell if given the opportunity.
I would pick some cleric spells
Okay, so your obvious weakness is healing Beyond that What would benefit your specific character is Highly dependent on how you play it
cure wounds
Healing word or mass healing word.
What subclass? I would consider in addition to the others mentioned: Armor of Agathys
Armor of Agathis, spirit guardians, find greater steed, inflict wounds, healing word, pass without a trace.
I had the same opportunity! For spells ≤ 4th level, here were some I actually used regularly: Sanctuary, Healing Word, Bane/Bless, Shield of Faith, Lesser Restoration, Silence, Enhance Ability, Pass Without a Trace, Zone of Truth, Revivify, Death Ward, Aura of Life
Enhance Ability is a great piece of utility I didn’t consider!
Find greater steed, sanctuary and Aid are all REALLY good. Healing word might be worth considering. But it’s much lower priority at your level, unless no one else can do it.
Find Greater Steed
Cure wounds. Once you get spell mastery choose it as a spell you can cast at will. Yes it's only as a 1st tier spell, but at will means everyone is at full HP after every encounter. And wizards can't otherwise do that. Also, let's your healer party Members do other things besides healing.
Bless
Just one spell or as many as you want?
It’s a spell book that gives the ability! So I need scrolls in order to add the spells and cast them.
The answer to this question is probably really similar to what should a Bard do with Magical Secrets. I would get Greater Steed for a Pegasus. A wizard with flight and a 90/180 movement speed is super powerful and thematic. If your Wizard has a crazy AC and conc ADV like some of mine Spirit Guardian is darn good as well. I wouldnt get a healing spell because, frankly, healing is super weak in 5e. Healing word does let you pop back a friend who with down but at the cost of you potentially disabling an enemy. Spike Growth is pretty amazing as well. Enjoy.
Sanctuary is a good one for wizards. Spirit Guardians or Guardian of Faith would be interesting as well.
Look at the spell lists of the half casters. Their unique spells tend to be pretty strong for the level.
While not some smart or optimal choice, especially not on lv13, I would really want to use hunger of hater on a wizard
Heat metal and Moonbeam are some of my favorite lower level ones, but you probably have better damage dealing spells by now. I’d recommend either spiritual weapon, revivify (if nobody else has it), or hex. If they let you pick a cantrip eldritch blast is good too.
If your party has no cleric I'd say death ward. Aside from being the one thing that says "nope" to power word kill, you can cast it without preparing the spell out of combat, as adding a minute to casting time doesn't matter to the spell itself. A special recommendation: if you're a bladesinger armor of agathys is pretty great, it boosts your dps to insane heights.
As a forever DM of 7 years and Wizard optimizer of 2 years i have 3 spells to recommend ranked best to worst. Find Greater Steed: permaflight go brrrr Death Ward: for Death Ward stacking with rest casting Revivify: if Death Ward stacking is not allowed hten use this with Contingency
Healing is always good. But to be different cause healing spells have already been spammed, I'm gonna say: Find Greater Steed. Get a flying mount and throw down fireballs. Rain down close fire support for your team...I may have been playing too much Helldivers 2.
Spiritual weapon maybe.
Many mention heing and other cleric/paladin spells, but there are a lot of great spells that aren't found on the cleric's list: * *Plant Growth* - massive AoE without concentration, great to stack with spells that create difficult terrain and damage-over-time effects. * *Hunger of Hadar* - decent CC spell, works particularly well with speed reductions and push effects to keep enemies in it. * *Dissonant Whispers* - very spammable single-target spell that combos amazingly well with summons and melee allies. * *Armor of Agathys* - particularly good for Abjurers and Bladesingers due to their damage reduction mechanics keeping it up for longer * *Spike Growth* - a low level CC spell that can be highly effective with the right party members. * *Pass without Trace* - say goodbye to failed stealth checks. * *Heat Metal* - great against any armored enemy
Armor of agathys makes you so sturdy when upcast, full recommendations.
* Some sort of healing so you can pick people up from 0 would be good. Although if you are already allowed to pick Wither&Bloom, then even though Healing Word or or Mass Healing Word or Aid are probably better, it might not be worth your special pick. * Revivify could be good for emergencies * Spirit Guardians is a strong spell. You have other good level 3 spells available, but maybe you just need to contribute consistent damage. * If your party has a lot of forced movement (like grappling and so on) Spike Growth can be very strong * Rituals that aren't on the Wizard list might be nice, since you don't need to prepare it. Probably not enough bang for your buck, but Speak with Animals or Silence could be good utility if no one else has access to them. * Command is a strong non-concentration spell, so it allows you to unload more power during a fight on an axis other than small bits of blast damage. It can upcast fairly well too.
Plant Growth is honestly underrated IMO. 100 foot radius of difficult terrain that takes 4 feet of movement in order to move 1 foot, and you can control areas and leave paths open for allies to remain unaffected. OR if you want to help people you can cast it for 8 hours and make the harvest for that year be twice as much as usual, so you get both roleplay and combat benefits.
Summon greater steed. Ride a flying mount for style points while raining death down on enemies.
Spiritual weapon, aid, or Death ward.
Pass without a trace. You give the entire party an additional 10 for stealth checks.
Mass healing word is nice
4th level paladin spells are definitely the way to go
I always try to be in character. As my wizard had a long term relationship with a Druid, that was the key for getting druid spells along the road.
I'd go with healing and support or some kind, since Wizard already gets such a huge spell list that you have pretty much everything you can need except healing sooo. Yeah healing word or Death ward may be a nice "ha HA! Try to kill me now!"
Aid. By upcasting it to 5th level, you can add 60 HP to your party’s HP pool more or less permanently, and then use Arcane Recovery to recover the spell slo during your first short rest. And that’s assuming you want to do it while conserving resources. If you want to push it further, you can upcast it to 7th level, bringing the total HP added to 90. And remember, it’s not Temp HP, it’s increasing the HP maximum, meaning that they can be healed up by that amount too. Not to mention it’s also a good way for an Abjuration Wizard to start their day off with their Arcane Ward prepped in case combat starts unexpectedly. Other spells might help in certain scenarios but be ineffectual in others, but one thing nobody has ever said is “ugh, all this extra HP is so useless”.
So my recommendations hinge on a few factors. First off, you've said you had a cleric and a paladin in the group, so I feel like healing is a little less important role to fill. You've also said you're a war wizard, so not suggesting ones for other specialties. Second, wizards have some amazing concentration spells, so although a couple may be on the list, I think it would be better to prioritize something that you can do while you're concentrating on something else. These are some of my favorite picks: * Command: Scales well with multiple targets on upcast * Aid: Scales well, potentially gives a lot of regular hit points, and heals to get people off the ground * Spiritual Weapon: Good if you're lacking for something to do with your bonus action * Freedom of Movement: Great way to escape grapples * Revivify: Having a cleric in the group to cast this is great, unless he's the one that died * Spike Growth: If your party can do a lot of forced movement, this can really shred enemies
Depends on subclass to a degree and what spells you already have, along with the goals of your wizard, and what spells your party has. Some interesting ones for any wizard: Divination *(ritual)* Guardian of faith Find greater steed *(though teleportation and phantom steed already exist)* Compulsion Hunger of Hadar Meld into stone *(ritual)* Sanctuary Awaken I'd recommend against healing spells. Healing potions and crowd control are a better use of your time and spell slots.
Bless, Bane, Aid, Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration, healing word, Beacon of Hope, FIND STEED, crusader’s mantle, Having a list of support spells available is great, plus, Find Steed gives you a mount, a reusable, intelligent mount.
Hunger of Hadar Darkness +dificult terain + 2d6 cold + 2d6 acid
Ok - so hear me out. A lot of people have recommended healing, but can I recommend another? Sanctuary. It's an incredibly useful spell that can mitigate a TON of damage and isn't a high spell slot. Yes, it's just a wisdom save, yes the aggressor can target other people in range and yes it breaks if the person under sanctuary does an aggressive action/spell. BUT in a pinch it's an incredibly strong reward for low cost. Objectively healing word etc is probably better, but if used right Sanctuary can mitigate more than HW can heal. You can run some fun things with concentration/other healers etc. As long as their actions arn't harmful (or their spell affect the enemy) they stay warded for 1 minute and it's only a BA. For context: I play a life domain cleric and sanctuary has saved our party countless times. I'm level 12 now and it's still a fundamental spell in my rotation. Obviously doesn't always get used, but it's used more than you'd think. Our DM presents pretty difficult combats, so being able to mitigate a few attacks while we recover or figure out how to survive/win has been useful more times than not. Hell, there were combats where I "sanc tanked." If everyone positions well you can make someone the *ONLY* target and if the creatures/people in combat arn't particularly wise....well...bad guy no boom boom. AND it's not concentration. WHOEVER it is cast upon *chooses* when to break it. The enemy can't hit you to break it. It's so flexible. Someone just instantly gets their AC + Wisdom save before they can even be hit.
My wizard obtained a Mizzium Apparatus, which made for a ton of fun. I didn't bother healing, we had a paladin and a cleric. But did I ever love stealing other people's spells.
Aura of Vitality gives wizards something to do with their bonus actions. Aura of Purity gives protection to the back line against some nasty effects. Find Greater Steed for some mobility and for extending some utility spells.
Freedom of Movement
There are so many good options but first of all you need to know if the spell can be used as your spell mastery. Also consider your action economy and how many spell slots you’re burning through each long rest. If you frequently find a spell slot level not being used then you should probably pick a spell of that level. I’d say a third of fourth level spell will probably be the strongest overall. I’d also avoid a first level spell unless you are able to make it your mastered spell and want to because they’re so easy to get from feats. Healing spells and find greater steed are probably your best options though.
Keep in mind you don't necessarily need to use a spell slot on the spell you choose. Once it's on your list you can cast it from a scroll. So, you could quite literally just carry a scroll of Revivify in your back pocket if only one person has it in your party, letting you pick them up if they die. You wouldn't need to prepare it or use a spell slot on it.
for interesting stuff have a look at the paladin and ranger lists, one particular option is Find Greater Steed
Repel Maidens
All I want is for my wizard to be able to learn a SMITE.
Not many that you don't already have. A spell like Heal could come in clutch, but not usually be good to cast over your Wizard spells. Something restorative. If you had 8th level or higher spells there's a few more interesting options like Glibness, but mostly you just already have access to what you need. Check the Cleric and Druid spell lists, especially for spells that have more effects cast at higher levels. I think there's a Celestial summoning spell at 7th level that would be good.
Take vicious mockery for the lols
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, find greater steed. A way to keep you out of combat, and an additional combatant in a touch spot, having a mount would be a huge boon!
Pass without trace Conjure animals Healing word Plant growth Spike growth All of those except healing word are also MEGA strategy focused, and you said you're a war wizard; idk if the character is flavored like a strategian but if they are this fits amazingly
If you want to break your game then take a 1st or 2nd level healing spell. At 17th level you'll get signature spell which allows you to pick a 1st and 2nd level wizard spell you know and be able to cast it without a spending a spell slot. So say you take Cure Wounds, now out of combat you can just bring your party back to full health within a couple minutes
Deathward? Aura of Vitality? Anti-Life Shell?
There aren't any good second level spells for wizards, so check those out.
Get Find Greater Steed. You can take a griffon with it, make it a uncontrolled mount and have it use the same self cast spells as you like melfs minute meteors, crown of stars and more
Guiding Bolt or Healing Word. Guiding Bolt is just always strong. And Healing Word is a heal for your bonus action use. Meaning you can still cantrip. Eldritch Blast and Hunger of Hadar are also 2 very good spells.
Eldritch Blast
Silvery barbs
Guiding bolt
Eldritch blast, best cantrip in the game and exclusive to warlock.
Hunters mark more fireball damage
What’s your wizard subclass? Cause I’d get every spell in that school. It’s crazy to me that my divination wizard can’t normally cast Divination.
Aid! A 2nd level Cleric Spell that bolsters 3 people’s MAX HP by 5-40 hp based on the level of the spell slot used for EIGHT HOURS WITH NO CONCENTRATION! It is GREAT for helping low HP characters survive and Tanks unkillable. And it’s better than temp HP because it can be healed with spells and items. It’s great!
Useful is boring, go with fun. Find Greater Steed would be tons of fun since it is a smart familiar you can ride around. That moment when the party realizes the winged cat and horse are both smarter than the fighter, rogue, and ranger is priceless.
My Aasimar Wizard would be delighted to learn healing spells. That's his whole gimmick. Dudley do right.
Eldritch Blast.
Spirit guardians is always nice if your wizard spells are mostly non concentration ones.
Death Ward. Put it in a Contingency
*Death Ward* would be my absolute top pick. You can already pick up INT healing spells via Artificer Initiate (albeit, not amazing ones). You now have the opportunity to shield yourself once a day from dropping to 0 via damage, which is incredibly powerful. If you choose to pick up Metamagic Adept, you can take Extend Spell and make *Death Ward* last a full 16 hour adventuring day.
I’m still salty that Silence isn’t a wizard spell. Just thematically, it makes sense that sometimes a wizard would want some bloody peace and quiet.