Especially because they didn't talk about one aspect of Abjuration: Projected Ward. I agree with Monty that the Wizard doesn't always need that durability, but being able to suddenly absorb a hit for your allies is *awesome*.
The many flavors of the "nope" class Evocation: no I won't stop casting fireball Conjuration: no I'm not alone Abjuration: no you will not touch me Enchantment: no i am not your enemy Illusion: no I'm not here Necromancy: no you are not dead Transmutation: no this isn't wood I swear Bladesinger: no I'm not an obligate backline class I swear War magic: no I don't need to use shield this turn Divination: no that's not happening
@@BardedWyrm My experience as a Scribes wizard is "No, you will not sneak up on us while we're fighting someone else." Unlike a familiar, you don't trade your own senses to have it stand as a lookout on your rear flank. Send the familiar ahead, and keep the not-at-all-stealthy Manifest Mind 30 feet behind you. The obvious exception is when you need to send the Manifest Mind into a room ahead of the party, in which case it's "No, I don't have to show my face to start blasting yours". Even then it can turn into your flank guard, as I frequently lured enemies out of their trenches and forced them to engage. Another trick that drives a DM mad is to send in the Manifest Mind, cast Banishment on something extra-planar, and then hold concentration for a minute without ever facing a threat -- because you never stepped into the room.
That's because they're friends and can trust each other. You cannot just copy this trust with rando strangers on the internet, you will be fucked around with.
Big thing these guys are forgetting: when the ward takes damage, you don’t have to make a concentration check. Huge, especially when you aren’t taking very much damage
RAW you can combine the eldritch invocation for Mage Armor to charge its ability. I personally wouldn't allow such shenanigans at my table but if you can get a DM to let you do so..
@@ArchmagosErrantCarbos I don't think any reasonable DM would allow that interpretation. It's pretty clear from the wording of the ability that the intention behind the design is for the ward to charge whenever the character uses a spell slot. Getting charges of the ward at will through another ability just isn't the same thing.
@@rayndeon1 That's true, but how many campaigns make it that far? If your campaign lasts that long, as a DM that kind of combination is the least of your concerns.
Monty's example of the dragon resisting a portence roll doesnt seem like a waste. It feels more like we forced the dragon to waste its Legendary Resistance so its more open for better debuff spells
i mean, the dragon might have several layers of legendary resistances, and you only get 2-3 portents. using one of them to not immediately reap the benefits and only slightly weaken the dragon on future turns might feel like a waste to some.
@@timob1681 I mean, except Tiamat and maybe 1-2 other world-ending level monsters, nearly all legendary monsters only have 3 uses of legendary resistance
I like watching your videos because even when you disagree, the two of you talk it out calmly and rationally and keep an open mind while listening to each other. It's nice to see.
And when they disagree they always seem to find common ground on a few aspects but can also accept if they overlooked/overpowered something in their minds
@@NeverZitrone I will now imagine this for every one of the camera cuts. They are always very careful to only wound each other on the legs and back, so that it won't show
I played a divination wizard in my campaign, and I almost never used these divinations in a fight because even if I missed an attack or they passed a save, I was confident that we could still win the fight, my party would pick up the slack. I used these divinations on things like persuasion or deception rolls when interreacting with NPCs. Or anytime that the DM had us roll for something that I knew there was no redo if we failed. This is *HUGE* because if you're playing in a campaign that isn't just a daily survival game and you actually may want to interact with NPCs for whatever reason. Portents can give you a massive advantage in so many scenarios, a fight is the last place you will want to use them.
my fave use is whenever i roll a 20 on portent is giving the paladin/warlock a crit. Used it once to give them a 70ish damage killing blow on their backstory big bad, satisfuing
I'd say that yes, its a good idea to save these for those no redo rolls. However, altering a potential hit by an enemy to a low roll is very helpful and satisfying.
I once played a Paladin / Divination Wizard (essentially a time knight). Rolled two low portent rolls. Quickened (Metamagic Adept) Hold Person on the humanoid enemy, forced them to fail with the first roll. Two guaranteed criticals. Their turn came up, I forced them to fail again with my 2nd low roll. Two more crits for me, and they were pretty much dead :D
I'd also have to say the complaint these guys make about only burning a legendary resistance it a bit off the mark since that loss of a resistance can be HUGE. Monsters don't have all that many resistances to spend from what I've seen and softening up a boss monster with lower level spells can set them up for a failure when the big spells get called in.
@@brandonedwards7114 I forgot it gets that upgrade and yeah, if your friends are doing a good job of keeping you safe you should totally just give em that protection whenever possible, just create this loop of "you protect me, I protect you."
You're right about the Enchanter. I took it for a character because it fit the character concept best and I'd always thought it was fine but then I started playing and I was like "Oh, I'm a god!"
@@xthebumpx Right? I've always been super fond of psychic damage spells, so having a low level, high functionality damage spell available to most of my favorite classes? Fucking golden.
The Fighter or Barb usually have a much bigger HP pool (and usually better AC, at least for the Fighter, so it might not even hit them anyway). So unless they're REALLY low on HP, they're not gonna worry too much about a single attack coming their way. And in the case of the Barbarian, it might actually save their Rage because now they're taking damage.
@@DragonKnightJin that would be pretty funny. Enemies think they’re doing double by attacking the wizard instead of raging Barbarian, taking out the controller while letting the barbarians rage fizzle (presumably their running up and can’t attack that turn) only for the wizard to cause one of the archers to fire the arrow at the barbarian, both saving their health and maintaining the barbs rage.
Now I want to play a character who was once controlled by a big bad and they have wrestle with their fear of this big bad in order to help the party stop them.
As a DM one of the toughest BBEG I did was an enchantress. It was for a one shot, with a party of about 7 and they all made real strong physical fighters. Also this was for my kids and cousins so I was very generous with Magic Items. They were feeling very proud of themselves plowing through a horde of orcs and even taking down a giant without really getting hurt. They were gloating so bad about how they were unstoppable and had the best characters, and then Morgana came in and hypnotized half o them and dominated the strongest of them and sent them after the party. I taught them a valuable lesson about different types of strengths that night. Lol
Same. I play in a homebrew with a lot a heavy hitter. Getting the safety of never failing a counterspell ans keeping the spell slots up was my number one reason to pick it. Also, I am actually using the ward as projected to buff the party tanks than myself.
im playing an Mark of warding Dwarf Abjuration wizard, and let me tell you there is no greater match made in heaven. even went with moderately armored feat to get a shield.
I picked my first abjuration wizard purely for flavor as my wizard never wanted to get hit, total scaredy cat but the subclass was awesome I've always enjoyed playing an ABJ wizard
@@battlemapbrawl If you take the Fey Touched feat, you can get Hex. Since it's an enchantment spell that targets one creature, Split Enchantment applies to it. So you can hex better than the warlock
Blanket Spell Resistance at 14th level, Shield effectively as though it's a cantrip at 18th level for a minor recharge to arcane ward when it's depleted, Over 40 effective bonus HP with arcane ward. I love the Abjuration wizard.
If you play as a Variant Human and pick the "Eldritch Adept" Feat and use it to get the "Armor of Shadows Invocation" you can do that as soon as you reach Level 2
@@mkay6915 At my table, there's the explicit limitation that at-will casting won’t charge an abjuration wizard’s arcane ward. I get the impression that this isn't uncommon.
Small correction about the Divination Wizard's 10th level feature. You can't change the sight option when you finish a rest, but instead can change it with an action 1 time per rest. This means, if you're not sure about what to take for the day, you can hold off on choosing it until you actually need it.
Even better, it's "A rest". Not "A LONG rest". So you can change it after every short rest. "We're going into a cave?" *action to gain darkvision* *time passes* "We're out of the cave? Can we have a short rest, I don't need Darkvision anymore"
The thing with the Abjuration wizard to keep in mind is that that defensive shield doesn't just provide temp HP or boost your max HP, "Whenever you take damage, the ward takes the damage instead." In other words as long as your ward is up you're not rolling concentration checks since you're not taking damage your ward is. That's a good amount of the benefit there.
Seeing this comment a few times now, figured I'd weigh in. Purely speculatively, I think they find the ward protection in concentration negligible; taking War Caster right away seems a default, and that protection is huge.
Counterspell is one of the most important spell in the game hands down. Anyone who consistently casts it effects battles greatly, managing to do so at lower levels and being able to withstand the strikes enemies lash out at you for doing so is huge. Top that off with being able to hold concentration on your other high lvl spells because your ward took the damage for you is even more impressive.
Yeah it's probably the most powerful spell that isn't flat out broken. But I just can't take it due to principal. Upcasting it to just cancel everything seems a little much for me. Especially if you use it against PCs. If it weakened the spell by half ( which could be halfed again on a save, ect) I'd love it. But to just say no, your awesome spell does nothing and no one needs to save. Seems kind of no fun in a way.
@@RocKaFella57 How I often have gotten around that is by alerting the party that there is someone with counter spell on the field in a simple manner. Have your baddy counterspell the Bless at lvl 2 when it first comes out. Thus the players all know shit he can counterspell. Players then tend to dog pile him as the biggest threat which can be a great moment for the players as the wizard busts out his 9th lvl knowing that if the baddy goes to counter it, the monster hunter ranger/bard/warlock is ready to stop him with their own reaction.
@@RocKaFella57 There's also the fact that just "noping" one or two the party's high-level spells might not be the best idea. If there's two full-casters in the party then you usually don't want to burn one of your highest level slots just to maintain the status quo, as you'll be expending resources faster than the party will be. And a PC does have some similar considerations as to whether they want to spend a high level spell slot to cause nothing to happen, or if they want to save that for something that moves the fight closer to a conclusion, potentially conserving their slots overall. Obviously there are plenty of cases where Counterspell is a good choice, but at the same time it's not hard to get into trouble if it's spammed too aggressively.
I thought it was weird their conversation on Abjuration revolved entirely around putting your ward on yourself. I actually completely forgot you can put it on yourself. I thought the allure of Abjuration was warding your party members.
I never project my arcane ward, unless the healer is going down, because a) it’s so valuable for absorbing damage to avoid concentration checks and b) your reaction is needed for absorb elements, shield and especially counterspell.
Enchantment's Alter Memories makes Friends one of the best cantrips in the game. Auto adv on all Cha checks and the downside is negated because they simply can't remember
I trapped my players a bit with the Friends cantrip last night. Sorcerer cast it on a boss, tried to smooth talk his way out of the fight. When others in the party tried to talk their way out too, and mentioned that they are a package deal, it meant the boss said "oh, then you're all my enemy"
Way to stand your ground kelly! I love the abjuration wizard, and I'm glad you stood up for it. On counterspell, there's stuff you can use to help assist bad rolls on the check, like lucky. It makes a world of difference
A great feat for Enchanters is Metamagic Adept with Subtle spells. It only costs 1 sorcery point, so you can cast it twice per long rest. A lot of enchantment spells cast with Subtle can be used in front of everyone and is completely undetectable. You can hold a honey in your pocket (material component) and walk straight into the throne room and cast Dominate Person. And nobody will detect you. Borderline broken
@@mattf5935 Exactly. People often ignore that being SUBTLE for Enchanters and Illusionists is a VERY strong buff. You don't need EVERY spell to be subtle, but those that are can change the plot absurdly.
@@ProfBrunoClemente 18 levels of wizard and 2 levels of sorcerer with metamagic adept as a feat, gives you quickened spell and subtle spell, you have 4 sorcery points and can regain points the normal way. You can now quicken spell and still use hypnotic gaze, 3 creatures completely under your control in 1 turn.
What hurts the Conjurer for me, was that until Tasha's summoning magic felt like it had been nerfed too hard. The school appeals to me more now with the introduction of the new summoning spells in Tasha's.
@@thepurehealer1279 It does the teleportation well, but when I play a conjurer, I do like playing them as someone who summons powerful beings to fight by their side.
@@RAClaus3 I would recommend Shepard druid if summoning is more your style, or lore bard with pet spells like find steed and find familiar, conjuration wizard more has summoning as a top after their mobility and control spells
@@thepurehealer1279 The Circle Of Shepherds Druid is a good class, I'm just not inclined to play Druids in general. Lore Bard is always fun but I just like the idea and theme of a proper conjurer who gets others to fight for him.
Kelly and Monte may have actually undersold it a little. They kept talking about the incapacitated and 0 speed elements of Hypnotic Gaze, but forgot to mention how it can give you advantage on charisma checks against the target for as long as you can keep it active during a roleplay scene (this is the primary effect of the charmed condition for those who do not know) without using any verbal or somatic components which would give away most other charm effects to a casual observer. Now, they did miss that Instinctive Charm requires a reaction to use, but even still, i everything praise they gave was warranted and the S well deserved.
@@theglitch5386 Question from a noob, if a guard (or whoever) resists your hypnotic gaze, do they know you attempted it? I know it doesn't have somatic or verbal components but they could still possibly feel their mind being fiddled with. If not, that's wildly powerful for RP. Imagine a wizard as the party face!
Though final decision should always be left open to the DM, there is no indication in the Hypnotic Gaze ability that a creature that succeeds it's save is aware you tried to charm it. Giving a traditionally 'nerd' class the ability to play the party face, and do so surprisingly well, is one of the reasons I rate enchantment wizards S-tier.
Great video! You guys have come up in my suggested feed dozens of times, but I only pulled the trigger now that I’m looking at playing a wizard for my next game - glad I finally did! Looking forward to watching the rest of the series in the next couple days!
First of all Mind spike is a concentration spell, which means you’ll break your concentration on the “cloud kill” or “DBF” or even a basic “slow” or “haste” which are spells a diviner on the battlefield actually should do: “Battlefield controll, debilitation and support” Second of all mind spike serves more as a method of detecting rather than damaging, that’s why the scale of damage is so flailing comparing to other same level or even lower level damaging spells. Remember normally you only get to cast 1 spell per round, even if you cast it at 5th and gets a 4th back, you still lost a 5th level spell slot which could have been used to cast much more useful spells during that round.
@@zemorph42 you're effectively saying I'm having the wrong fun, look if I want my enchanter to be the girl from that one movie who pretends to be super nice to get what she wants that's what I'm gonna do... also beyond they ability being named instinctive there's nothing in it that makes have to be innate instead of purposeful.
@@devin5201 Except for the definition of the word, "instinctive". It means that it is passive, not under conscious control. It is definitionally innate.
I think that with Hypnotic Gaze, people don't like having their squishy wizards in the frontlines of battle to begin with, let alone staying in the thick of things to lock down one person with their action each round. Often, they would rather use their actions to do other "cooler" stuff from the back where it's safe. To use this effectively, you need to have trust in your party to take care of things while you keep someone locked down.
I agree, to a point. Hypnotic gaze is quite useful in battle at some points, but I think it shines more out of combat. It uses an action to cast and maintain, so I wouldn't exactly call it the best for a battle, unless you need to keep the target alive for some reason. The ability to just enrapture a target and keep them occupied for an extended period of time without needing to cast is nearly always useful out of combat. Have friends with sticky fingers? Hypnotize the shopkeep. Need to your friends past the gate? Enrapture the gatekeep. The amount of times where you can usually use hypnotic gaze for your benefit exponentially increase if you view it as more of a social/control cantrip rather than purely a control cantrip.
I think one reason that people really sleep on the Enchanter Wizard is that the Bard seems like a much better option: high charisma, lots of enchantment spells, and they're less squishy. Hypnotic Gaze and Instinctive Charm seem unimpressive compared to that, until you consider that you can use them as many times as you like so long as you don't use them on the same target.
@@daviddalrymple2284 ... Bard and Wizard have almost the exact same enchantment spells available. The only difference is the few buff spells that bard normally gets, the lack of Tasha's Mind Whip for it, and that Bard gets command in the most recent sourcebook. If you're not playing Glamour bard then there's not really any reason I'd say that enchantment wizard is flat out inferior for what it's intended to be. It's not as if you don't have the entire spell list for wizards to fall back on, and twin enchantment is actually fucking disgusting and can be used to do some horrible things if you think about it. Hypnotic Gaze and Instinctive Charm are smaller aspects of an all around impressive package that works well together and forms a highly competent control spellcaster.
Since hypnotic gaze is not a spell or attack, you can use it while invisible without breaking invisibility. If the DM is unprepared for this, it can be pretty game breaking.
I don't know, forcing a legendary creature to burn a legendary resistance is a pretty useful, if not situational, ability. I wouldn't call it a waste if used well. 20:20
Especially when the Monk is out there forcing the issue with stuns. I bet his Ki thanks you for just saying "No, you burn another resistance right now."
I don't know if I would want to use such a scarce resource to burn a legendary resistance. Other types of resources that are less scarce? Definitely. Something that you get 2-3 times per long rest and only get low rolls even rarer than that? Probably not. I would rather someone else burn the legendary resistances so that you can set up a failed save with this.
@@jacobjensen7704 the point isn't would you rather, but rather that even if it were somehow "wasted" it can still be pretty invaluable because thus is how good an ability it is.
Portent is not that difficult. All you need to know is your Spell Save DC. If you roll lower that number, then you are set to cast a “Save or Suck” spell. If you roll high, then use it for attacks (when you know what you need to hit), or other rolls that you want to replace. If you come up against a creature with Legendary Resistance, and you roll high, then use it on your own saves because you’ll probably need it!
I've been playing an enchantment wizard for about 2 years now. It is incredibly powerful. Being able to use dominate person on 2 people at once can lead to some very lucrative scenarios. The lower level abilities also make it easier to survive as a squishy wizard. I would definitely consider giving it a chance, and I absolutely see it as an S-tier subclass
Just got to the Diviner subclass part of the video. "Can you forsee the ranking of this wizard subclass?" If it's not an S rank, I'll eat my shorts lol.
I very much appreciate the way the two of you communicate with one another regarding your reasoning for each of these choices. It's a lost art form in a way, the ability to have differing opinions while still understanding and seeing the value in other views. Great video, guys.
It is VERY good. Spells like Absorb Elements, Dragon’s Breath, and Protection from Energy get so much value from the Awakened Spellbook. And the level 6 Manifest Mind ability is OP.
At level 6 you get a ghostly severed head you can send into rooms ahead of your party, and if any enemy is in the room your ghost head can shout "I can't feel my legs!" and then cast shatter or fireball on the room. Maybe I play wizard differently than most.
I'm a simple minded fool that's always preferred the classes that are just run in and whack with a big stick but thanks to these videos I've started reconsidering magic classes.
If you want some advice for that switch, consider trying a Ranger, Paladin, or Valor Bard before going full caster. Get a feel for managing components and spell slots with a class that still lets you swing a big stick around. I've just started trying full casters myself and there is a lot more to think about when you've got 30-40 spells to choose from, to say nothing of your positioning in combat given how much less durable most casters are.
I play an Abjuration wizard in my current campaign. The ward is great cause I actually use the Abjuration speciality to be a lot more gunho cause I can eat whatever comes my way. And even if I do get hit I use my reaction to cast shield, which is an Abjuration spell, stopping the hit and making my Ward stronger. Essentially allowing me to be a brave wizard.
Abjurer isn't just defensive for the wizard; the wizard can tank and protect allies. It really synergizes with a bard who can boost counterspelling or dispelling. Spell resistance is quite nice, too. I play an Oath of Ancients paladin in a party with an Abjurer. We do not fear enemy spellcasters. Portent won't be an encounter shutdown if the dice are middling, but it sure does get you or your buddy out of trouble... extra hit, for example. It's only sometimes mind-blowing.
Combine Abjuration Wizard with two levels of Stars Druid (to get the Dragon form) and at tenth level Wizard (assuming you bumped Int to 20) you can reliably counter 9th level spells.
One thing I appreciate abt these tier lists is that they actually use every ranking level. I feel like most of the time (at least in semi-serious tier lists) they only ever use the extremes
My first 5e Wizard was a Lawful Good Tiefling who was born to a retired adventuring cleric of Bahamut and grew up wanting to protect people despite lacking the physical might. So he compensated with using the power of his mind to help keep others safe in the name of The Platinum Dragon.
Nice! My idea for an Abjurer is a High Elf who, as an apprentice, witnissed his master be humiliated by an enemy wizard who used Feeblemind and murdered him. So now this Abjurer is insanely paranoid and never wants that fate to befall him.
I currently play a Divination wizard in my campaign and the odd time when I roll a Nat 20 for the day, I give it to our kobold paladin to give him that extra smite boost. I did this to help our party defeat a Mummy Lord when we were Level 6! And we got so much loot from his tomb after. XD However, I used that Nat 20 portent in a heavy decision to persuade Jarlaxle from TPKing my party when there was a misunderstanding with our Wild Magic barbarian (the barbarian was still killed but we made it out alive at Level 5).
With the abjuration, the other key is that it will synergize SO WELL at 6th level plus with you tank or frontliner. You can essentially give them an extra 15-40 hitpoints which is a BIG difference. It overall just makes your party tougher
I don’t know why, but I just completely love the spells Temporal Shunt and Reality Break. I probably love reality break because it’s so good, but I imagine temporal shunt as looking similar to the scene in Dr. Strange when the ancient one astral projects dr.strange, and I always imagine it looking so cool.
Anyone know if it actually works this way? For me it still remains a second level spell that just got "boosted". If what you say actually works then you could just cast Mind spike over and over again by upcasting it again as 4th and 3rd level spell, which seems kinda broken IMO.
Mate of mine played a 20 con abjuration wizard and it was insane. He was the focal point in most encounters of a violent sort, since his mitigation was so on point.
I think it's so fitting that Illusion looks weak until you actually carefully read into the features and think of how they interact with the rest of the wizard kit and realize that Illusion is a strong subclass. Illusions can appear as another thing and only through careful and deliberate inspection can you realize what it truly is.
I think the big reason is that it requires a smart or patient player to utilize it to its full power. Also, an Enchanter isn't going to be causing huge amounts of damage so that would also initially turn people away who only give it a passing glance. A lot of people say that the Healer is the "unsung hero" in RPG's and various other games, but plenty of people give Healers their dues the back-bone of many of group. If there's any party member that isn't given it's fair credit it's the Crowd Control guy, especial in TTRPG's where the Action Economy is super important. Being able to take one or two enemies out of the fight, even if only for a few rounds, can turn the tide of a battle.
I've an enchanter in my Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign right now. So far they've they've stalled a yeti for a whole encounter while the rest of the party cleans up the second yeti.
To defend the Conjuration Wizard a little bit, it's a subclass that wants to cover all aspects of the school, and I think it does it really well. i feel that you went into it thinking it's supposed to be a summoner subclass, when it's really not. It's a bit more spread out than just being a Summoner.
Especially before supplements came out, there weren't that many wizard summoning spells anyway. People don't play it to be a summoner, that 14th level ability is just a cherry on top to give your familiar 30 temp hp
@Darien B Agreeing with your conjuration wizard defense. And while B rankings mean they the subclass shines in the right campaign, I may be lucky to have been in a LOT of the right campaigns as Benign Transposition has saved me and my party many times. Action to swap places with someone restrained, then bonus action misty step out of the restraint then move to safety was very useful in multiple scenarios and campaigns for me. I would have given it a solid B+ or A-
@@youngsponge92 i will say that with all of the new summon spells that are now in the game, i'd love to see a Wizard subclass that IS about summoning. maybe one of the abilites is that it let's you pull summoning spells off off of other class lists, but you can only cast those like once or twice a day
@@MythicMachina Right! Perhaps an optional class feature to allow the Conjuration Wizard a chance to be more specialized or keep what it has, rather than a whole subclass. But The School of Summoning/Calling/Assembly/etc. sounds ptetty good too. In lieu of this, it would be interesting to see a video series talking about classes/subclasses that got major boosts thanks to the newly released content (e.g. Ranger, etc.)
Seeing what a level 5-6 shepherd druid can do, I'd be scared of a really good wizard summoner. Actually I'd love more to see a demon/devil summoner as warlock.
I think your guys subclass tier rankings are the absolute best videos for DnD players. They are nearly invaluable for creating a new character. Love them all.
Really appreciate the extended discussion on Divination wizard; I think it deserves the ranking it gets, but you're right: it's not an "omniscience subclass": it won't always tell you whatever you want to know. I appreciate the nuance in the discussion
Welcome to part 1 of our 598-part series ranking the wizard subclasses! Seriously, though, keep up the great work guys! Mad respect for all the work that goes into your vids.
benign transposition & misty step: you misty step up to a boss monster then swap position with the fighter. with the wizard most likely acting before the fighter the fighter can move after the bampf
I'm building a level 12 conjuration wizard to replace a dead PC in our game, and you're right, if you look at the downsides of losing concentration on a summon spell, having that just "not be a problem" is huge. Also conjuring consumable spell components is a very useful thing too. I think this subclass doesn't get enough love.
Enchantment Wizard BBEGs are probably one of the most terrifying foes you can face in a campaign. Especially when you remember that Power Word Kill happens to be an Enchantment spell and thus qualify for split enchantment. Or just as bad, double Feeblemind.
I think Chronurgy is S tier, there are a few in B-C tier like OotS, Transmutation, Conjuration, and everything else is packed together as as solid A. So much of a wizard's power level comes from the base class spell-casting abilities the subclasses can only vary the power level so much.
@@saberswordsmen1 I think Divination is a bit overrated and Chronurgist is in a tier by itself. The remote casting for OoS is really unique and strong, but I think it's the only good thing the class gets (and you don't really get enough of it until high levels); many of the other features are among the least impactful out of all Wizard subclass features (I can't tell from what you wrote if you realize, but the level 14 feature is limited to once per long rest). OoS gets a lot better if you're in a campaign like Avernus where a lot of enemies have resistance to a popular damage type, or if the DM is both able and willing to track and balance the number of spells you find vs the amount of gold you get and the time you have to copy spells, but I think that's too situational for A tier. On a side note I think OoS Wizards make terrific villains since you can use the mind to harass the party without much risk or spread faceless terror and murder through the masses.
Agreed, enchantment at level 10 is very good, add another target for free with entchantment spell without the need to upcasting. Hold monster trageting two target is strong and all the power word too are enchentment :)
If I can offer a counterpoint on the conjuration wizard: you seem to be focusing a lot on the idea of conjuring creatures and you may want to think bigger than that to the overall added utility. First, take another look at the list of conjuration spells. There's a lot more on there than you'd think at first glance. Flaming Sphere, Web, Stinking Cloud, Black Tentacles and Cloud Kill are all conjuration spells. Yes, those may not benefit from the extra HP ability you get at level 14, but they certainly benefit from not having to make concentration checks to keep up at level 10. That means you're not wasting an action on your turn to recast them and you're not wasting an additional spell slot either. If I don't have to waste another high level spell slot recasting Cloud Kill, that's one more slot I can keep in my back pocket for an upcast counterspell. Likewise, benign transportation may be an action but it also doesn't need a spell slot. This is great if you're out of combat and don't want to waste a slot to get past a trap, climb up to a ledge, cross a ravine, or get through a locked gate. Who cares if it's an action if you're just in exploration mode? That's one less spell slot I need to waste out of combat on teleportation. Last, consider minor conjuration through the same lens that you view the minor illusion cantrip. Sure, the object is visibly magic, but the trade off is that it's tangible. Think of all the benign objects you always have on hand. Did someone forget to buy a crowbar? Poof! You have one. Need to secure a door? Poof! You have a three foot wooden board or chain. Do you want to set an ambush? Poof! You have a glowing magic object sitting in a room that no self respecting guard is going to ignore while your barbarian hides behind the door with an axe. I'm not trying to say that the conjuration wizard is top tier, but the sheer utility a creative player can get out of it combined with the improved economy of action and spell slot usage make it a solid choice. Frankly, I'd give it an A rank.
A tad late but I have a player who is playing a fey who is a conjuration wizard and I think the teleportation ability for them is just so cool and it really makes me think that the conjuration wizard was just torn in two separate directions which sucks.
Its not even just having a topped up ward, It ends up that an enemy has to deal 40 damage every round just to reach the party's HP. This can outpace any healing spell, with only Polymorph coming close or lvl 20 Druid outclassing for its ability to put raw HP on the table and this doesn't take concentration.
@@ArchmagosErrantCarbos I have to agree with ya, a player presenting this does comes across as trolling. I mentioned it more tongue in cheek as a rules quirk. But I would consider it on a case by case basis, depending if I felt the player was taking the piss. It does require the investment of a feat and out-of-combat setup. And like Monty rightly said, being more tough doesn't make a Wizard better at what they're really good at. ie Having a beefy HP shield doesn't help you put down baddies faster.
What i will say about the conjuration wizard is that you can use that lvl 3 ability to create spell components as well as long as you've seen it, and it can be worth any amount bc it doesn't have a monetary limit. For example a diamond worth 500 gp as long as it's less than the allotted size and weight
Man, I almost had an aneurysm when they were throwing a B-tier for Divination, especially when it was because in entirely hinged on DMs screwing you over in particular (any school of magic or character can be similarly shut down). I also disagree about Portent being wasted when legendary resistance is used, it’s a depletion of resources, and you can always hold on using Portent until you know they’ve used all of them. In addition, Portent stands out as one of the few features in the game where any roll is a good one so I disagree about it being hard to use sometimes. 1-4? That’s for an enemy save (with any ability you can see, including allies spells) 5-9, useful for enemy ability checks or saves that you suspect them to be poor at. 10-15, death saves, or crucial saves you or someone is proficient in but cannot risk failing, 16-20, well that’s for attacks that really need to hit. Edit: also, mind spike is a solid divination combat spell that gives you back a use of shield after you applied mage armor at the beginning of the day. Just a nice little combo which is useful at many levels. I am glad they saw enchantment magic as the powerhouse it was. I remember having a similar realization one day and I was stunned (or was I hypnotized?) Enchantment wizards make one of the best BBEGs, with their role-playing capabilities with alter memory, and their combat prowess with dual-targeting high level spells. Their thoughts on conjugation and abjuration are pretty spot on, and Kelly has the right of it regarding abjuration wizards. Better to use your high level spell slots on acting that just trying to stop the enemy. In addition, the bonus to that ability check provides a benefit when you’re trying to counterspell or dispel enemy magic that is more powerful that your wizard can currently cast.
I really enjoyed the extended back and forth discussion on the divination wizard! Really interesting how experience with a class gives you a very distinct insight.
Hm, I think that the Benign Transposition from the Conjuration Wizard is more valuable than they gave it credit. This ability gives the Wizard the ability to instantly break out of something holding them down, without having to use a spell slot. More importantly though, if an ally is in a situation like this, and can't break out, the wizard can switch places with them and then teleport themselves out with Misty Step, completely negating the ability used by the enemy creature, and then still being able to use the ability after. Plus the increase to the Wizard's mobility and not having to use the Disengage action, means even less spells being used for defense.
The only wizard I've played so far was Evocation, but I've been wanting to play a Divination wizard for a while (although I'm slightly worried that I'll forget to use portent rolls at critical moments lol). I hadn't given much thought to the Enchantment wizard, but I've taken a second look after hearing you guys discuss it and I'm quite impressed. I'm currently playing an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer with a similar play style, so I would definitely consider playing an Enchantment wizard sometime.
My favourite is Abjuration, but it's more because I adore the concept of "shield mages" and supportive casters. But, personal bias aside, I think it allows people who are scared of dying to buff themselves easily, while still being able to play a Wizard with all the cool tools that implies. So, while I personally love it, I know it's not the "most efficient", but I would highly recommend it to new players who might be a bit scared of playing a class that's more vulnerable than a fighter or paladin.
I think my favourite part about hypnotic gaze is that you get the charmed condition for advantage on all charisma checks against them, without the downside from friends of at the end they realise they were manipulated by magic and are likely to look back on what you asked negatively. It's actually hypnosis.
To me its a by product of 5e's design. Due to the action economy, especially if you have a smaller party, it can seem like a waste to "try" to incapacitate one of the foes vs doing damage during combat. I'm not saying I agree, but I think that's a common mindset.
@@MonkeyChessify Yes you are right. In various ecounters it often accurs. But it depends of the adventure and the flavor of the character. I was playing curse of Stradh with a lore bard that just had control and illusion spells, it was very difficulty for the DM. Because he doesn't expected this kind of spells.
The point with the divination wizard is it makes divination spells incredibly cheap to cast, you're never worried about spending a spell slot to find out a bit more information because you just get one back
Until you met a jerk DM who shuts down your scrying and won’t let your arcane eye see anything he doesn’t want to reveal. It’s the information from divination spells that counts, not how many you can cast them. And every DM is protective to their hard-works.
You guys are amazing! I love playing wizards, both as a PC or as DM, and I feel especially as DM I've played so many out-of-box campaigns that are lacking spellcasting NPCs by early or mid level to provide a non-martial challenge to make my players think outside the box. Your comments about that creative thinking are entirely on point; I found myself nodding in agreement with so many takes where you rank subclasses as "this is super cool buuuuut it requires inventive thought, which not to be mean but is often lacking." My friends and I are constantly debriefing sessions in which we wish we had done cool new things but end up resorting to what we know just maximizes damage rather than having some eureka moment. Anyway this is all to say I really appreciate the experience you show and balance between what is possible versus what is likely in terms of optimization. This is the video that inspired me to join your Patreon, but every one is outstanding, honestly. Drakkenheim is so dope too. [doffs cap] Keep up the good work, you are an inspiration!
Wizard: "Actually your dragon rolled a 1 due to my portent ability :)" DM: "Actually your character just had a sudden aneurysm, you take 20d6 psychic damage..."
My first wizard was abjuration and she saved the party with counterspell and projectet ward more often than i can remember. Its just 1 of the best clutch classes.
@@alessandropereira4976 Right. But also, D&D is collaborative. "You can't pick Cthulhu, but there is a whole other legion of Abberation gods to pick from." I get that sometimes, DMs want to say "NO! Because..." but it's everyone's game, not the DM's game, and the DM should not be revoking a player's agency. Often, the answer should really be "No, but we can do..."
@@kloaf1131 "oh you wanna cast fireball? Counterspell." "That goblin knows counterspell?" "Well...umm....you were also standing in a anti-magic field." "Anti-magic? Here? In the forest?" "Well...umm...ummm....whoops! A portal opens up underneath you. You fell right into the plane of fire. Like, into a giant sea of lava. Just...plop...Tough luck, mate. Better luck next time."
I have the problem that a lot of times, I haven't actually prepared anything for the area or location the wizard wants to scout. This means I'm making it up on the spot, and I'm bound by it later. Yeah, I'd really prefer to do as little of that as possible. The alternative is to say "You cast Scrying? OK, 5 minute break while I figure out what's going on there because until now, it didn't matter."
@@mal2ksc Yup, the existence of divination spells makes a lot of extra work for DMs, especially the ones that ask the DM to predict the future. I think that's why Divination Wizard gets to essentially trade down spell slots - it feels bad to waste a spell slot on some ropey fortune telling, scrying to a place with nothing going, reading someone's mundane surface thoughts or legend-lore-ing a non-legendary event and getting nothing, but if it stings less if you're only wasting a fraction of a spell slot. No school of magic is as demanding on the DM as divination. Illusion and Enchantment come a distant second with determining NPC reactions, Conjuration and Necromancy can cause some shenanigans too while Evocation needs no DM adjudication 9 times out of 10.
I don't think any of them mentioned this, but if you have your Arcane Ward up as an Abjuration Wizard, technically the ward takes damage instead of you, which means that you don't have to make Concentration checks, which is clutch if you like to play a utility caster with spells like Haste or Fly
How do you talk about the Divination school for 10 minutes without mentioning Mind Spike and the ability to spam it almost as often as a cantrip with Diviner cascading spell slots?
Mind Spike is a huge boon to Divination for when you run into those limitations they talk about in your actual information gathering magic. You turn into a machine gun of rarely resisted damage with a nice tracking rider on it.
@@DungeonDudes But it's a way to make use of those returning spell slots in combat, which is where casters are going to be spending most of their spell slots and therefore where you're going to want to have the most efficiency out of your spells. Upcast Mind Spike at 6th level, then at 5th level, then at 4th, 3rd, and finally 2nd. If my calculations are correct, that's a potential 25d8 damage (admittedly spread out over a lot of rounds) at the cost of one 6th level spell slot. You're right that it's not the most damaging spell in the game, but it's a way to get a lot of mileage out of the returning spell slots mechanic in the middle of battle, which is when you're most going to want them. And yes, I know you waste that concentration effect every time you recast it, but with this kind of spell efficiency, who cares?
@@toddhadley9002 But that's my point. It's not efficient, it's not good damage, and it's not worth doing. It's a wombo-combo: looks good on paper, but the math doesn't add up when compared to other options. Let's take a level 10 Wizard, who starts by upcasting Mind Spike using a 5th level spell slot. This spell deals 6d8 damage to a single target, uses up concentration, but returns a 4th level slot. If we cycle that slot all the way down, over 4 rounds of combat we can cast Mind Spike to deal a total of 18d8 damage to a single target. The "total cost" was one 5th level spell slot. The slots they got back were funneled back into more mind spikes. They get an extra 1st level spell slot in the end, which is cool, but we can't use it to cast mind spike, so we'll use it to toss out a Chromatic Orb for 3d8 more damage. 21d8 damage over 5 rounds, not bad! Now, if that same wizard casts Bigby's Hand, they also use a 5th level slot and their concentration. They smack a target for 4d8 force damage. Darn, not as much as Mind Spike... but next round, they can punch again as a bonus action, and cast Ray of Frost to deal an extra 2d8 cold damage. They repeat this over 4 more rounds, dealing a total of 28d8 damage. They expended a 5th level slot, but did LOT more single-target damage!
@@DungeonDudes Sure there are more damaging combos, but it's a rarely resisted damage type, a less often resisted saving throw, it's better than just using cantrips most levels, and it's an economic way to save spell slots over the course of an adventuring day. The Concentration effect is icing on the cake and doesn't really matter except in rare instance of fighting lurker-type enemies. Obviously every table is different, but if you cast a high-value 5th-level Concentration spell like Bigby's, I feel that in a lot of encounters the enemies are going to recognize that and interrupt your concentration or Dispel it if they have magic as soon as possible. And if that happens you get one turn of 4d8 force damage and you're still out the 5th-level slot. I really appreciate the work you guys put into these videos and it's a moot point since Divination got an S-rank anyway, but I do feel like you guys are overvaluing some aspects and undervaluing others. Which is unavoidable since again every table is different. I actually want to give Enchantment Wizard a try now and I hope when I do my experience is similar to what you have because I'll admit I'm still skeptical at Enchantment being S-rank. Also I never expected the creators to reply to this so I just want to say I really enjoy these rankings and can't wait to see Tasha's classes. Keep up the good work! :)
My DivWiz used Mind Spike like it was her job to hurt people's brains and know where the heck they were. Always felt Divination was OpOp, glad you guys were able to really give the proper defining it needed.
As a DM, I had a player bring a spell from an unearthed arcana - mindsliver. And I allowed it. It taught me that the incapacitated condition will absolutely wreck any monster who is ecologically a loner. The illusionists ability to incapacitate something is super clutch, as the incapacitated condition is in my opinion underrated
Kelly: totally appreciate your thought process that led to abjuración and the less skilled/seasoned wizard’s play of the class!! Thank you! Monty: loved your insight into the divination shut down. Classic dm ploy to do that. I think you both were right to acknowledge that happening. And loved the thoughts on the specific exchanger examples. Got me thinking.
As for Divination, I'd like to remind people that Mind Spike is a fantastic SILENT spell that deals damage and gets you back a first level spells slot for things like shield. Use Mind Spike, it's amazing.
Always stoked for Kelly when he convinces Monty to change his vote
They both can make excellent arguments
I enjoy watching them change each other's minds, even when I disagree. (I'm not a fan of Divination for example, but still enjoyed the discussion.)
Especially because they didn't talk about one aspect of Abjuration: Projected Ward.
I agree with Monty that the Wizard doesn't always need that durability, but being able to suddenly absorb a hit for your allies is *awesome*.
For sure I just feel like it’s usually Monty, so I’m like go Kelly!
Yeah they're a great example of how a proper discussion about a topic should be done
The many flavors of the "nope" class
Evocation: no I won't stop casting fireball
Conjuration: no I'm not alone
Abjuration: no you will not touch me
Enchantment: no i am not your enemy
Illusion: no I'm not here
Necromancy: no you are not dead
Transmutation: no this isn't wood I swear
Bladesinger: no I'm not an obligate backline class I swear
War magic: no I don't need to use shield this turn
Divination: no that's not happening
Scribes: no, I did not lose my spellbook and all of its contents
@@BardedWyrm Also "no, we don't have to wait until tomorrow for me to transcribe this scroll of haste I just found."
@@BardedWyrm My experience as a Scribes wizard is "No, you will not sneak up on us while we're fighting someone else." Unlike a familiar, you don't trade your own senses to have it stand as a lookout on your rear flank. Send the familiar ahead, and keep the not-at-all-stealthy Manifest Mind 30 feet behind you.
The obvious exception is when you need to send the Manifest Mind into a room ahead of the party, in which case it's "No, I don't have to show my face to start blasting yours". Even then it can turn into your flank guard, as I frequently lured enemies out of their trenches and forced them to engage. Another trick that drives a DM mad is to send in the Manifest Mind, cast Banishment on something extra-planar, and then hold concentration for a minute without ever facing a threat -- because you never stepped into the room.
Loremaster: no I don't respect spells descriptions
@@InternetMadnez Loremaster from filthy Arcana?
These guys are a complete clinic for how to civilly debate something. Big props to that.
They're Canadian, that's like steroids for civility.
@@c.v.emmans Until the puck drops.
That's because they're friends and can trust each other. You cannot just copy this trust with rando strangers on the internet, you will be fucked around with.
I'm 99% sure the whole video is scripted
@@abcdefghijk123456100 So was the Lord of The Rings my man
‘Get outta here sorceror with your twin spell garbage’
Don’t ever ask me to twin spell haste for you two ever again>:(
It was just a prank, bro
Good, don’t waste twin spell on haste.
Don’t waste twin spell on haste? Hardly a waste to give the party’s fighter and barbarian both haste
Ahhh... But can your wizard twin spell healing word while his 30' range spirit guardians wrecks everything around him?
That’s a world I want to live in
Big thing these guys are forgetting: when the ward takes damage, you don’t have to make a concentration check. Huge, especially when you aren’t taking very much damage
RAW you can combine the eldritch invocation for Mage Armor to charge its ability. I personally wouldn't allow such shenanigans at my table but if you can get a DM to let you do so..
Or a svrivneblin gnome with racial feats of at will nondetction
@@ArchmagosErrantCarbos I don't think any reasonable DM would allow that interpretation. It's pretty clear from the wording of the ability that the intention behind the design is for the ward to charge whenever the character uses a spell slot. Getting charges of the ward at will through another ability just isn't the same thing.
@@ArchmagosErrantCarbos You can eventually just do this anyway at level 18 and take mage armor as a spell mastery.
@@rayndeon1 That's true, but how many campaigns make it that far? If your campaign lasts that long, as a DM that kind of combination is the least of your concerns.
Monty's example of the dragon resisting a portence roll doesnt seem like a waste. It feels more like we forced the dragon to waste its Legendary Resistance so its more open for better debuff spells
i mean, the dragon might have several layers of legendary resistances, and you only get 2-3 portents. using one of them to not immediately reap the benefits and only slightly weaken the dragon on future turns might feel like a waste to some.
@@timob1681 I mean, except Tiamat and maybe 1-2 other world-ending level monsters, nearly all legendary monsters only have 3 uses of legendary resistance
Wasting a Legendary resistances of a dragon with only a 2nd level spell like Hold Person is incredible value imo.
@@serpentsembrace782 I get what you mean but you can't cast Hold Person on a dragon. It's not a humanoid.
Ah, right. Well Hypnotic Pattern at 3rd level would still be a good trade imo, if positioning allows it.
I like watching your videos because even when you disagree, the two of you talk it out calmly and rationally and keep an open mind while listening to each other. It's nice to see.
And when they disagree they always seem to find common ground on a few aspects but can also accept if they overlooked/overpowered something in their minds
because they scream and punch eachother before they turn on the camera
@@NeverZitrone I admit, this made me cackle out loud after a really bad day, so thank you for that. They're too Canadian for that!
@@NeverZitrone I will now imagine this for every one of the camera cuts. They are always very careful to only wound each other on the legs and back, so that it won't show
agreed. I did see a little frustration in the last few episodes, but they are freaking awesome.
I played a divination wizard in my campaign, and I almost never used these divinations in a fight because even if I missed an attack or they passed a save, I was confident that we could still win the fight, my party would pick up the slack. I used these divinations on things like persuasion or deception rolls when interreacting with NPCs. Or anytime that the DM had us roll for something that I knew there was no redo if we failed. This is *HUGE* because if you're playing in a campaign that isn't just a daily survival game and you actually may want to interact with NPCs for whatever reason. Portents can give you a massive advantage in so many scenarios, a fight is the last place you will want to use them.
my fave use is whenever i roll a 20 on portent is giving the paladin/warlock a crit. Used it once to give them a 70ish damage killing blow on their backstory big bad, satisfuing
I'd say that yes, its a good idea to save these for those no redo rolls. However, altering a potential hit by an enemy to a low roll is very helpful and satisfying.
@@fortunatus1 You can’t change it after they get a crit. It’s BEFORE the roll.
I once played a Paladin / Divination Wizard (essentially a time knight). Rolled two low portent rolls. Quickened (Metamagic Adept) Hold Person on the humanoid enemy, forced them to fail with the first roll. Two guaranteed criticals. Their turn came up, I forced them to fail again with my 2nd low roll. Two more crits for me, and they were pretty much dead :D
I'd also have to say the complaint these guys make about only burning a legendary resistance it a bit off the mark since that loss of a resistance can be HUGE. Monsters don't have all that many resistances to spend from what I've seen and softening up a boss monster with lower level spells can set them up for a failure when the big spells get called in.
The other thing they left out of this video for the Abjuration wizard is that if the ward eats all the damage, you don't make a concentration check.
Yep, and it makes any save on a hit that overwhelms it much easier to make
That detail has saved me from having to roll concentration a few times, it's so effing good.
@@devin5201 Don't forget that it can be put on someone else too preventing a con check for them as well
@@brandonedwards7114 I forgot it gets that upgrade and yeah, if your friends are doing a good job of keeping you safe you should totally just give em that protection whenever possible, just create this loop of "you protect me, I protect you."
You're right about the Enchanter.
I took it for a character because it fit the character concept best and I'd always thought it was fine but then I started playing and I was like "Oh, I'm a god!"
As long as your DM cooperates and doesn't use charm immune or resistant enemies.
@@xthebumpx Well that's when you start using twinned mind whips and cripple their ability to fight back.
@@deadseven3474 That spell is so good, even for non-enchanters.
@@xthebumpx Right? I've always been super fond of psychic damage spells, so having a low level, high functionality damage spell available to most of my favorite classes? Fucking golden.
What was your character concept?
"I hope that they're okay with that, because I'm going to do it." I live for Kelly's sass.
We’ve gotten some real gems across this ranking series :)
The Fighter or Barb usually have a much bigger HP pool (and usually better AC, at least for the Fighter, so it might not even hit them anyway).
So unless they're REALLY low on HP, they're not gonna worry too much about a single attack coming their way.
And in the case of the Barbarian, it might actually save their Rage because now they're taking damage.
@@DragonKnightJin that would be pretty funny. Enemies think they’re doing double by attacking the wizard instead of raging Barbarian, taking out the controller while letting the barbarians rage fizzle (presumably their running up and can’t attack that turn) only for the wizard to cause one of the archers to fire the arrow at the barbarian, both saving their health and maintaining the barbs rage.
@@ALDO_GOODENS the purple dragon knight comes to mind
To be fair if i am going to make the ranged attacker hit the barbarian I would, just so he/she could continue raging.
Dominate monster + modify memory? Do you want a Winter Soldier? Because that’s how you get a Winter Soldier.
You, my friend, are a mad man. And I wanna see how your idea play out
Oh..... I’m gonna write this down
Excuse me while I use this to make a Winter Soldier for my Warforged Lich.
@@drax1526 so you’re also running a game with a warforged lich?
Now I want to play a character who was once controlled by a big bad and they have wrestle with their fear of this big bad in order to help the party stop them.
As a DM one of the toughest BBEG I did was an enchantress. It was for a one shot, with a party of about 7 and they all made real strong physical fighters. Also this was for my kids and cousins so I was very generous with Magic Items. They were feeling very proud of themselves plowing through a horde of orcs and even taking down a giant without really getting hurt. They were gloating so bad about how they were unstoppable and had the best characters, and then Morgana came in and hypnotized half o them and dominated the strongest of them and sent them after the party. I taught them a valuable lesson about different types of strengths that night. Lol
The debate on Abjuration was glorious.
As an ABJ wizard myself, I loved it
I usually play defensive casters and abjurers are awesome and add a lot to the wizard! Amazing school and I love it.
Same. I play in a homebrew with a lot a heavy hitter. Getting the safety of never failing a counterspell ans keeping the spell slots up was my number one reason to pick it. Also, I am actually using the ward as projected to buff the party tanks than myself.
im playing an Mark of warding Dwarf Abjuration wizard, and let me tell you there is no greater match made in heaven. even went with moderately armored feat to get a shield.
I picked my first abjuration wizard purely for flavor as my wizard never wanted to get hit, total scaredy cat but the subclass was awesome I've always enjoyed playing an ABJ wizard
So glad y'all are supporting Runesmith! He's a cool guy!
and doesn't afraid of anything!
How cool is it that the Enchantment Wizard can use its second level Hypnotic gaze ability to break a barbarian out of their rage?
This makes me think of Black Widow calming Hulk down XD
I never thought of that before. Interesting...
@@nickschile4807 I like this example. I'm set in playing the Enchantment Wizard as my first Wizard now. Seems hella bad ass.
@@battlemapbrawl If you take the Fey Touched feat, you can get Hex. Since it's an enchantment spell that targets one creature, Split Enchantment applies to it. So you can hex better than the warlock
@@maid_of_heart3261 That is cool. Thanks for the tip Malena Vez.
Blanket Spell Resistance at 14th level, Shield effectively as though it's a cantrip at 18th level for a minor recharge to arcane ward when it's depleted, Over 40 effective bonus HP with arcane ward. I love the Abjuration wizard.
If you play as a Variant Human and pick the "Eldritch Adept" Feat and use it to get the "Armor of Shadows Invocation" you can do that as soon as you reach Level 2
@@mkay6915 You could do that with Custom Lineage as well
@@snazzyfeathers Or that way, good point
@@mkay6915 yup
@@mkay6915 At my table, there's the explicit limitation that at-will casting won’t charge an abjuration wizard’s arcane ward. I get the impression that this isn't uncommon.
Small correction about the Divination Wizard's 10th level feature. You can't change the sight option when you finish a rest, but instead can change it with an action 1 time per rest. This means, if you're not sure about what to take for the day, you can hold off on choosing it until you actually need it.
Even better, it's "A rest". Not "A LONG rest". So you can change it after every short rest. "We're going into a cave?" *action to gain darkvision* *time passes* "We're out of the cave? Can we have a short rest, I don't need Darkvision anymore"
The thing with the Abjuration wizard to keep in mind is that that defensive shield doesn't just provide temp HP or boost your max HP, "Whenever you take damage, the ward takes the damage instead." In other words as long as your ward is up you're not rolling concentration checks since you're not taking damage your ward is. That's a good amount of the benefit there.
Seeing this comment a few times now, figured I'd weigh in.
Purely speculatively, I think they find the ward protection in concentration negligible; taking War Caster right away seems a default, and that protection is huge.
You may also stack it with temporary hit points, since they're not technically the same.
@@EnrocaLaRoca This!
Not to mention projecting the ward to protect others which is of occasional usefulness and every once in a while can be super clutch.
Counterspell is one of the most important spell in the game hands down. Anyone who consistently casts it effects battles greatly, managing to do so at lower levels and being able to withstand the strikes enemies lash out at you for doing so is huge. Top that off with being able to hold concentration on your other high lvl spells because your ward took the damage for you is even more impressive.
Yeah it's probably the most powerful spell that isn't flat out broken. But I just can't take it due to principal. Upcasting it to just cancel everything seems a little much for me. Especially if you use it against PCs. If it weakened the spell by half ( which could be halfed again on a save, ect) I'd love it. But to just say no, your awesome spell does nothing and no one needs to save. Seems kind of no fun in a way.
@@RocKaFella57 How I often have gotten around that is by alerting the party that there is someone with counter spell on the field in a simple manner. Have your baddy counterspell the Bless at lvl 2 when it first comes out. Thus the players all know shit he can counterspell. Players then tend to dog pile him as the biggest threat which can be a great moment for the players as the wizard busts out his 9th lvl knowing that if the baddy goes to counter it, the monster hunter ranger/bard/warlock is ready to stop him with their own reaction.
@@RocKaFella57 There's also the fact that just "noping" one or two the party's high-level spells might not be the best idea. If there's two full-casters in the party then you usually don't want to burn one of your highest level slots just to maintain the status quo, as you'll be expending resources faster than the party will be. And a PC does have some similar considerations as to whether they want to spend a high level spell slot to cause nothing to happen, or if they want to save that for something that moves the fight closer to a conclusion, potentially conserving their slots overall. Obviously there are plenty of cases where Counterspell is a good choice, but at the same time it's not hard to get into trouble if it's spammed too aggressively.
@@RocKaFella57 counterspell the counterspell
As a relatively new DM I can't describe how useful these videos are.
Just dont be a monster to any divination wizards
Or any player!
Killgrave, the villain in Jessica Jones is great inspiration for Enchantment wizards.
Was thinking of Kilgrave the whole time they were discussing a BBEG that used his MO.
I thought it was weird their conversation on Abjuration revolved entirely around putting your ward on yourself. I actually completely forgot you can put it on yourself. I thought the allure of Abjuration was warding your party members.
Just remember projecting your ward is a reaction. So if you project your ward you can't counter spell for the rest of the round.
From levels 2-5 you can only put the ward on yourself, so that's something to consider.
I never project my arcane ward, unless the healer is going down, because a) it’s so valuable for absorbing damage to avoid concentration checks and b) your reaction is needed for absorb elements, shield and especially counterspell.
Well, to protect you is more important than protecting the beotian that act as meat-fodder. Duh.
Enchantment's Alter Memories makes Friends one of the best cantrips in the game. Auto adv on all Cha checks and the downside is negated because they simply can't remember
I trapped my players a bit with the Friends cantrip last night. Sorcerer cast it on a boss, tried to smooth talk his way out of the fight. When others in the party tried to talk their way out too, and mentioned that they are a package deal, it meant the boss said "oh, then you're all my enemy"
unfortunately Alter Memories only works on Charmed creatures and Friends doesn't apply the charm effect.
Way to stand your ground kelly! I love the abjuration wizard, and I'm glad you stood up for it. On counterspell, there's stuff you can use to help assist bad rolls on the check, like lucky. It makes a world of difference
One thing that Monty failed to take into account. The good old "Geek the mage first" rule that Shadowrun taught us.
Abjurer says "Bring it".
A great feat for Enchanters is Metamagic Adept with Subtle spells. It only costs 1 sorcery point, so you can cast it twice per long rest. A lot of enchantment spells cast with Subtle can be used in front of everyone and is completely undetectable.
You can hold a honey in your pocket (material component) and walk straight into the throne room and cast Dominate Person. And nobody will detect you. Borderline broken
And cast Dominate Person on two people when you do it.
@@mattf5935 Exactly. People often ignore that being SUBTLE for Enchanters and Illusionists is a VERY strong buff. You don't need EVERY spell to be subtle, but those that are can change the plot absurdly.
@@ProfBrunoClemente You sound like someone id love to play with and hate to dm for 😂
@@ProfBrunoClemente 18 levels of wizard and 2 levels of sorcerer with metamagic adept as a feat, gives you quickened spell and subtle spell, you have 4 sorcery points and can regain points the normal way. You can now quicken spell and still use hypnotic gaze, 3 creatures completely under your control in 1 turn.
@@Thetruepianoman hahaha that is great!
What hurts the Conjurer for me, was that until Tasha's summoning magic felt like it had been nerfed too hard. The school appeals to me more now with the introduction of the new summoning spells in Tasha's.
Idk if conjurer was ever very nerfed or weak, it just served a purpose that's kinda misleading (teleportation junkie rather than summoner)
@@thepurehealer1279 It does the teleportation well, but when I play a conjurer, I do like playing them as someone who summons powerful beings to fight by their side.
@@RAClaus3 I would recommend Shepard druid if summoning is more your style, or lore bard with pet spells like find steed and find familiar, conjuration wizard more has summoning as a top after their mobility and control spells
But the problem remains: every subclass gets those new summoning spells, and the conjurer is no better at casting them than anyone else.
@@thepurehealer1279 The Circle Of Shepherds Druid is a good class, I'm just not inclined to play Druids in general. Lore Bard is always fun but I just like the idea and theme of a proper conjurer who gets others to fight for him.
The enchantment school is so slept on. You can control the whole battlefield
Kelly and Monte may have actually undersold it a little. They kept talking about the incapacitated and 0 speed elements of Hypnotic Gaze, but forgot to mention how it can give you advantage on charisma checks against the target for as long as you can keep it active during a roleplay scene (this is the primary effect of the charmed condition for those who do not know) without using any verbal or somatic components which would give away most other charm effects to a casual observer. Now, they did miss that Instinctive Charm requires a reaction to use, but even still, i everything praise they gave was warranted and the S well deserved.
@@theglitch5386 being able to ASMR your whole party past a guard is kinda crazy
Haha, "slept on" because Sleep is an Enchantment spell
@@theglitch5386 Question from a noob, if a guard (or whoever) resists your hypnotic gaze, do they know you attempted it? I know it doesn't have somatic or verbal components but they could still possibly feel their mind being fiddled with.
If not, that's wildly powerful for RP. Imagine a wizard as the party face!
Though final decision should always be left open to the DM, there is no indication in the Hypnotic Gaze ability that a creature that succeeds it's save is aware you tried to charm it. Giving a traditionally 'nerd' class the ability to play the party face, and do so surprisingly well, is one of the reasons I rate enchantment wizards S-tier.
Great video! You guys have come up in my suggested feed dozens of times, but I only pulled the trigger now that I’m looking at playing a wizard for my next game - glad I finally did! Looking forward to watching the rest of the series in the next couple days!
There is Divination spell that deals damage. So divination Wizard low on spell slots, while in combat, can cast more spells. Mind Spike
First of all Mind spike is a concentration spell, which means you’ll break your concentration on the “cloud kill” or “DBF” or even a basic “slow” or “haste” which are spells a diviner on the battlefield actually should do: “Battlefield controll, debilitation and support”
Second of all mind spike serves more as a method of detecting rather than damaging, that’s why the scale of damage is so flailing comparing to other same level or even lower level damaging spells. Remember normally you only get to cast 1 spell per round, even if you cast it at 5th and gets a 4th back, you still lost a 5th level spell slot which could have been used to cast much more useful spells during that round.
Instinctive Charm is just your character doing cutesy eyes at the opponent and saying "You wouldn't hit me would you?"
No, you wouldn't have to say anything; that's active. Instinctive charm is what kittens and puppies have.
@@zemorph42 Oh you're right, my apologies for wanting to play pretend.
@@devin5201 verisimilitude. More believable pretend is better pretend.
@@zemorph42 you're effectively saying I'm having the wrong fun, look if I want my enchanter to be the girl from that one movie who pretends to be super nice to get what she wants that's what I'm gonna do... also beyond they ability being named instinctive there's nothing in it that makes have to be innate instead of purposeful.
@@devin5201 Except for the definition of the word, "instinctive". It means that it is passive, not under conscious control. It is definitionally innate.
I think that with Hypnotic Gaze, people don't like having their squishy wizards in the frontlines of battle to begin with, let alone staying in the thick of things to lock down one person with their action each round. Often, they would rather use their actions to do other "cooler" stuff from the back where it's safe. To use this effectively, you need to have trust in your party to take care of things while you keep someone locked down.
I agree, to a point. Hypnotic gaze is quite useful in battle at some points, but I think it shines more out of combat. It uses an action to cast and maintain, so I wouldn't exactly call it the best for a battle, unless you need to keep the target alive for some reason. The ability to just enrapture a target and keep them occupied for an extended period of time without needing to cast is nearly always useful out of combat. Have friends with sticky fingers? Hypnotize the shopkeep. Need to your friends past the gate? Enrapture the gatekeep. The amount of times where you can usually use hypnotic gaze for your benefit exponentially increase if you view it as more of a social/control cantrip rather than purely a control cantrip.
@@deadseven3474 you. Are. Brilliant!
I think one reason that people really sleep on the Enchanter Wizard is that the Bard seems like a much better option: high charisma, lots of enchantment spells, and they're less squishy.
Hypnotic Gaze and Instinctive Charm seem unimpressive compared to that, until you consider that you can use them as many times as you like so long as you don't use them on the same target.
@@daviddalrymple2284 ... Bard and Wizard have almost the exact same enchantment spells available. The only difference is the few buff spells that bard normally gets, the lack of Tasha's Mind Whip for it, and that Bard gets command in the most recent sourcebook. If you're not playing Glamour bard then there's not really any reason I'd say that enchantment wizard is flat out inferior for what it's intended to be. It's not as if you don't have the entire spell list for wizards to fall back on, and twin enchantment is actually fucking disgusting and can be used to do some horrible things if you think about it. Hypnotic Gaze and Instinctive Charm are smaller aspects of an all around impressive package that works well together and forms a highly competent control spellcaster.
Since hypnotic gaze is not a spell or attack, you can use it while invisible without breaking invisibility. If the DM is unprepared for this, it can be pretty game breaking.
I don't know, forcing a legendary creature to burn a legendary resistance is a pretty useful, if not situational, ability. I wouldn't call it a waste if used well. 20:20
Especially when the Monk is out there forcing the issue with stuns. I bet his Ki thanks you for just saying "No, you burn another resistance right now."
I don't know if I would want to use such a scarce resource to burn a legendary resistance. Other types of resources that are less scarce? Definitely. Something that you get 2-3 times per long rest and only get low rolls even rarer than that? Probably not. I would rather someone else burn the legendary resistances so that you can set up a failed save with this.
@@jacobjensen7704 the point isn't would you rather, but rather that even if it were somehow "wasted" it can still be pretty invaluable because thus is how good an ability it is.
Portent is not that difficult. All you need to know is your Spell Save DC. If you roll lower that number, then you are set to cast a “Save or Suck” spell.
If you roll high, then use it for attacks (when you know what you need to hit), or other rolls that you want to replace.
If you come up against a creature with Legendary Resistance, and you roll high, then use it on your own saves because you’ll probably need it!
Also, eating LR is quite valuable.
Also, a key thing is that it specifies you or a creature within range. Each one of your allies is a creature.
Doesn't the enemy still add their saving throw modifier to the portent roll?
@@matthewparker9276 No, it replaces the roll completely.
@@alanschaub147 damn, that is so much more powerful than I thought.
I've been playing an enchantment wizard for about 2 years now. It is incredibly powerful. Being able to use dominate person on 2 people at once can lead to some very lucrative scenarios. The lower level abilities also make it easier to survive as a squishy wizard. I would definitely consider giving it a chance, and I absolutely see it as an S-tier subclass
Just got to the Diviner subclass part of the video. "Can you forsee the ranking of this wizard subclass?" If it's not an S rank, I'll eat my shorts lol.
You almost made a grave error
I very much appreciate the way the two of you communicate with one another regarding your reasoning for each of these choices. It's a lost art form in a way, the ability to have differing opinions while still understanding and seeing the value in other views. Great video, guys.
I'm about to start playing an Order of Scibes wizard. Seems interesting.
I just did and it's fun if you really use your features good
It is VERY good. Spells like Absorb Elements, Dragon’s Breath, and Protection from Energy get so much value from the Awakened Spellbook. And the level 6 Manifest Mind ability is OP.
At level 6 you get a ghostly severed head you can send into rooms ahead of your party, and if any enemy is in the room your ghost head can shout "I can't feel my legs!" and then cast shatter or fireball on the room.
Maybe I play wizard differently than most.
@@CitanulsPumpkin no, that's exactly what I do lmao
I can't wait to play one, I love the flavour and its features sound really useful.
I'm a simple minded fool that's always preferred the classes that are just run in and whack with a big stick but thanks to these videos I've started reconsidering magic classes.
If you want some advice for that switch, consider trying a Ranger, Paladin, or Valor Bard before going full caster. Get a feel for managing components and spell slots with a class that still lets you swing a big stick around. I've just started trying full casters myself and there is a lot more to think about when you've got 30-40 spells to choose from, to say nothing of your positioning in combat given how much less durable most casters are.
Kelly’s speech about Abjuration wizards may be his finest moment. I’m sold. Solid A
I play an Abjuration wizard in my current campaign. The ward is great cause I actually use the Abjuration speciality to be a lot more gunho cause I can eat whatever comes my way. And even if I do get hit I use my reaction to cast shield, which is an Abjuration spell, stopping the hit and making my Ward stronger. Essentially allowing me to be a brave wizard.
Playing my first Abjuration Wizards this weekend and I am super stoked.
YAY rune smith...I love to see my 2 favorite D&D content creators supporting each other 😁
0:00 Introduction
3:30 Abjuration wizard
10:35 Conjuration wizard
16:35 Divination wizard
26:30 Enchantment wizard
34:30 Community votes
38:20 Final notes and ending
Abjurer isn't just defensive for the wizard; the wizard can tank and protect allies. It really synergizes with a bard who can boost counterspelling or dispelling. Spell resistance is quite nice, too. I play an Oath of Ancients paladin in a party with an Abjurer. We do not fear enemy spellcasters.
Portent won't be an encounter shutdown if the dice are middling, but it sure does get you or your buddy out of trouble... extra hit, for example. It's only sometimes mind-blowing.
Combine Abjuration Wizard with two levels of Stars Druid (to get the Dragon form) and at tenth level Wizard (assuming you bumped Int to 20) you can reliably counter 9th level spells.
One thing I appreciate abt these tier lists is that they actually use every ranking level. I feel like most of the time (at least in semi-serious tier lists) they only ever use the extremes
My first 5e Wizard was a Lawful Good Tiefling who was born to a retired adventuring cleric of Bahamut and grew up wanting to protect people despite lacking the physical might. So he compensated with using the power of his mind to help keep others safe in the name of The Platinum Dragon.
Nice! My idea for an Abjurer is a High Elf who, as an apprentice, witnissed his master be humiliated by an enemy wizard who used Feeblemind and murdered him. So now this Abjurer is insanely paranoid and never wants that fate to befall him.
@@FireTalon24 Yeah that would instil paranoia in anyone.
4 part series and 40 min videos of Monty and Kelly talking about wizards??? I'm here for it 🙌
I currently play a Divination wizard in my campaign and the odd time when I roll a Nat 20 for the day, I give it to our kobold paladin to give him that extra smite boost. I did this to help our party defeat a Mummy Lord when we were Level 6! And we got so much loot from his tomb after. XD
However, I used that Nat 20 portent in a heavy decision to persuade Jarlaxle from TPKing my party when there was a misunderstanding with our Wild Magic barbarian (the barbarian was still killed but we made it out alive at Level 5).
With the abjuration, the other key is that it will synergize SO WELL at 6th level plus with you tank or frontliner. You can essentially give them an extra 15-40 hitpoints which is a BIG difference. It overall just makes your party tougher
It's sooo good to see the Enchanter get some love! Great job Dudes!
This is the most careful and wonderfully thought out video in this whole series so far! Nice job!
I don’t know why, but I just completely love the spells Temporal Shunt and Reality Break. I probably love reality break because it’s so good, but I imagine temporal shunt as looking similar to the scene in Dr. Strange when the ancient one astral projects dr.strange, and I always imagine it looking so cool.
I was looking forward for the wizard ranking video and it didn't disappoint. Incredible job, 40 fantastic minutes from beginning to end.
"Scrying is the only 5th level divination spell I'd use". Laughs in upcasted mind spike.
Anyone know if it actually works this way? For me it still remains a second level spell that just got "boosted".
If what you say actually works then you could just cast Mind spike over and over again by upcasting it again as 4th and 3rd level spell, which seems kinda broken IMO.
@@WundawuziAT it does work but it is single target and takes your concentration so it's not worth using all your slot for it.
Mind spike is just an aneurysm
Mate of mine played a 20 con abjuration wizard and it was insane. He was the focal point in most encounters of a violent sort, since his mitigation was so on point.
I think it's so fitting that Illusion looks weak until you actually carefully read into the features and think of how they interact with the rest of the wizard kit and realize that Illusion is a strong subclass.
Illusions can appear as another thing and only through careful and deliberate inspection can you realize what it truly is.
Yup, used to be its own class for a very good reason.
My absolute first 5e character was an Abjuration Wizard. Loved it.
I never would have thought the enchanter was so useful, I'm convinced
Also subscribed, you guys are some of the most knowledgeable dnd players i ever watched.
Thank you!
Kelly to Monty: "I reject your reality and replace it with my own."
NICE, Dunegonmaster!
(I know this is late)
@@gazelle_diamond9768 What? No. Mythbusters. What the heck is Dungeonmaster?
People are kidding with the Enchanter.
This SubClass is insane!
I think the big reason is that it requires a smart or patient player to utilize it to its full power. Also, an Enchanter isn't going to be causing huge amounts of damage so that would also initially turn people away who only give it a passing glance.
A lot of people say that the Healer is the "unsung hero" in RPG's and various other games, but plenty of people give Healers their dues the back-bone of many of group. If there's any party member that isn't given it's fair credit it's the Crowd Control guy, especial in TTRPG's where the Action Economy is super important. Being able to take one or two enemies out of the fight, even if only for a few rounds, can turn the tide of a battle.
I've an enchanter in my Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign right now. So far they've they've stalled a yeti for a whole encounter while the rest of the party cleans up the second yeti.
To defend the Conjuration Wizard a little bit, it's a subclass that wants to cover all aspects of the school, and I think it does it really well. i feel that you went into it thinking it's supposed to be a summoner subclass, when it's really not. It's a bit more spread out than just being a Summoner.
Especially before supplements came out, there weren't that many wizard summoning spells anyway. People don't play it to be a summoner, that 14th level ability is just a cherry on top to give your familiar 30 temp hp
@Darien B Agreeing with your conjuration wizard defense. And while B rankings mean they the subclass shines in the right campaign, I may be lucky to have been in a LOT of the right campaigns as Benign Transposition has saved me and my party many times. Action to swap places with someone restrained, then bonus action misty step out of the restraint then move to safety was very useful in multiple scenarios and campaigns for me. I would have given it a solid B+ or A-
@@youngsponge92 i will say that with all of the new summon spells that are now in the game, i'd love to see a Wizard subclass that IS about summoning. maybe one of the abilites is that it let's you pull summoning spells off off of other class lists, but you can only cast those like once or twice a day
@@MythicMachina Right! Perhaps an optional class feature to allow the Conjuration Wizard a chance to be more specialized or keep what it has, rather than a whole subclass. But The School of Summoning/Calling/Assembly/etc. sounds ptetty good too.
In lieu of this, it would be interesting to see a video series talking about classes/subclasses that got major boosts thanks to the newly released content (e.g. Ranger, etc.)
Seeing what a level 5-6 shepherd druid can do, I'd be scared of a really good wizard summoner. Actually I'd love more to see a demon/devil summoner as warlock.
I think your guys subclass tier rankings are the absolute best videos for DnD players. They are nearly invaluable for creating a new character. Love them all.
The fit of that hoodie is perfect. Weird thing to notice I guess, but it's a great looking hoodie.
Really appreciate the extended discussion on Divination wizard; I think it deserves the ranking it gets, but you're right: it's not an "omniscience subclass": it won't always tell you whatever you want to know. I appreciate the nuance in the discussion
Also, with the School of Abjuration. It doesn't only protect the Wizard, the ability to project it to protect your allies is also excellent.
Welcome to part 1 of our 598-part series ranking the wizard subclasses!
Seriously, though, keep up the great work guys! Mad respect for all the work that goes into your vids.
benign transposition & misty step: you misty step up to a boss monster then swap position with the fighter. with the wizard most likely acting before the fighter the fighter can move after the bampf
Conjuration's "Focused Concentration" is insane and totally underrated
I'm building a level 12 conjuration wizard to replace a dead PC in our game, and you're right, if you look at the downsides of losing concentration on a summon spell, having that just "not be a problem" is huge. Also conjuring consumable spell components is a very useful thing too. I think this subclass doesn't get enough love.
Enchantment Wizard BBEGs are probably one of the most terrifying foes you can face in a campaign. Especially when you remember that Power Word Kill happens to be an Enchantment spell and thus qualify for split enchantment. Or just as bad, double Feeblemind.
This is the best DnD channel on UA-cam and the wizard subclass series highlights why.
I think Chronurgy is S tier, there are a few in B-C tier like OotS, Transmutation, Conjuration, and everything else is packed together as as solid A. So much of a wizard's power level comes from the base class spell-casting abilities the subclasses can only vary the power level so much.
@@saberswordsmen1 I think Divination is a bit overrated and Chronurgist is in a tier by itself.
The remote casting for OoS is really unique and strong, but I think it's the only good thing the class gets (and you don't really get enough of it until high levels); many of the other features are among the least impactful out of all Wizard subclass features (I can't tell from what you wrote if you realize, but the level 14 feature is limited to once per long rest).
OoS gets a lot better if you're in a campaign like Avernus where a lot of enemies have resistance to a popular damage type, or if the DM is both able and willing to track and balance the number of spells you find vs the amount of gold you get and the time you have to copy spells, but I think that's too situational for A tier.
On a side note I think OoS Wizards make terrific villains since you can use the mind to harass the party without much risk or spread faceless terror and murder through the masses.
I'm really surprised at the Enchantment School's lack of support...
Agreed, enchantment at level 10 is very good, add another target for free with entchantment spell without the need to upcasting. Hold monster trageting two target is strong and all the power word too are enchentment :)
This has been such a great series, can't wait for the BladeSinger, thanks Dudes!!!
If I can offer a counterpoint on the conjuration wizard: you seem to be focusing a lot on the idea of conjuring creatures and you may want to think bigger than that to the overall added utility.
First, take another look at the list of conjuration spells. There's a lot more on there than you'd think at first glance. Flaming Sphere, Web, Stinking Cloud, Black Tentacles and Cloud Kill are all conjuration spells. Yes, those may not benefit from the extra HP ability you get at level 14, but they certainly benefit from not having to make concentration checks to keep up at level 10. That means you're not wasting an action on your turn to recast them and you're not wasting an additional spell slot either. If I don't have to waste another high level spell slot recasting Cloud Kill, that's one more slot I can keep in my back pocket for an upcast counterspell.
Likewise, benign transportation may be an action but it also doesn't need a spell slot. This is great if you're out of combat and don't want to waste a slot to get past a trap, climb up to a ledge, cross a ravine, or get through a locked gate. Who cares if it's an action if you're just in exploration mode? That's one less spell slot I need to waste out of combat on teleportation.
Last, consider minor conjuration through the same lens that you view the minor illusion cantrip. Sure, the object is visibly magic, but the trade off is that it's tangible. Think of all the benign objects you always have on hand. Did someone forget to buy a crowbar? Poof! You have one. Need to secure a door? Poof! You have a three foot wooden board or chain. Do you want to set an ambush? Poof! You have a glowing magic object sitting in a room that no self respecting guard is going to ignore while your barbarian hides behind the door with an axe.
I'm not trying to say that the conjuration wizard is top tier, but the sheer utility a creative player can get out of it combined with the improved economy of action and spell slot usage make it a solid choice.
Frankly, I'd give it an A rank.
I’ve only made 1 wizard and she was conjuration, mostly focusing on the teleportation and minor conjuration aspects.
A tad late but I have a player who is playing a fey who is a conjuration wizard and I think the teleportation ability for them is just so cool and it really makes me think that the conjuration wizard was just torn in two separate directions which sucks.
Step 1: Take Abjurer
Step 2: Take Eldritch Adept (Armor of Shadows)
Step 3: Have a permanently topped up Arcane Ward (ie Profit!)
RAW definitely possible, but as a DM I would never allow such shenanigans at my table. If you can convince them though, the world is your oyster.
Its not even just having a topped up ward, It ends up that an enemy has to deal 40 damage every round just to reach the party's HP. This can outpace any healing spell, with only Polymorph coming close or lvl 20 Druid outclassing for its ability to put raw HP on the table and this doesn't take concentration.
@@ArchmagosErrantCarbos I have to agree with ya, a player presenting this does comes across as trolling. I mentioned it more tongue in cheek as a rules quirk. But I would consider it on a case by case basis, depending if I felt the player was taking the piss. It does require the investment of a feat and out-of-combat setup. And like Monty rightly said, being more tough doesn't make a Wizard better at what they're really good at. ie Having a beefy HP shield doesn't help you put down baddies faster.
What i will say about the conjuration wizard is that you can use that lvl 3 ability to create spell components as well as long as you've seen it, and it can be worth any amount bc it doesn't have a monetary limit. For example a diamond worth 500 gp as long as it's less than the allotted size and weight
Oooh, smart! I had chosen a wand as spell focus to get around most material components, but this is a really good idea.
Jeremy Crawford said a while back the object created is worth 0gp, unfortunately. This could work for spell components without a cost though!
Man, I almost had an aneurysm when they were throwing a B-tier for Divination, especially when it was because in entirely hinged on DMs screwing you over in particular (any school of magic or character can be similarly shut down). I also disagree about Portent being wasted when legendary resistance is used, it’s a depletion of resources, and you can always hold on using Portent until you know they’ve used all of them.
In addition, Portent stands out as one of the few features in the game where any roll is a good one so I disagree about it being hard to use sometimes. 1-4? That’s for an enemy save (with any ability you can see, including allies spells) 5-9, useful for enemy ability checks or saves that you suspect them to be poor at. 10-15, death saves, or crucial saves you or someone is proficient in but cannot risk failing, 16-20, well that’s for attacks that really need to hit.
Edit: also, mind spike is a solid divination combat spell that gives you back a use of shield after you applied mage armor at the beginning of the day. Just a nice little combo which is useful at many levels.
I am glad they saw enchantment magic as the powerhouse it was. I remember having a similar realization one day and I was stunned (or was I hypnotized?) Enchantment wizards make one of the best BBEGs, with their role-playing capabilities with alter memory, and their combat prowess with dual-targeting high level spells.
Their thoughts on conjugation and abjuration are pretty spot on, and Kelly has the right of it regarding abjuration wizards. Better to use your high level spell slots on acting that just trying to stop the enemy. In addition, the bonus to that ability check provides a benefit when you’re trying to counterspell or dispel enemy magic that is more powerful that your wizard can currently cast.
I really enjoyed the extended back and forth discussion on the divination wizard! Really interesting how experience with a class gives you a very distinct insight.
Hm, I think that the Benign Transposition from the Conjuration Wizard is more valuable than they gave it credit. This ability gives the Wizard the ability to instantly break out of something holding them down, without having to use a spell slot. More importantly though, if an ally is in a situation like this, and can't break out, the wizard can switch places with them and then teleport themselves out with Misty Step, completely negating the ability used by the enemy creature, and then still being able to use the ability after. Plus the increase to the Wizard's mobility and not having to use the Disengage action, means even less spells being used for defense.
You guys dont know how long I have waited for this video. Thx dudes, u are awesome!
The only wizard I've played so far was Evocation, but I've been wanting to play a Divination wizard for a while (although I'm slightly worried that I'll forget to use portent rolls at critical moments lol). I hadn't given much thought to the Enchantment wizard, but I've taken a second look after hearing you guys discuss it and I'm quite impressed. I'm currently playing an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer with a similar play style, so I would definitely consider playing an Enchantment wizard sometime.
My favourite is Abjuration, but it's more because I adore the concept of "shield mages" and supportive casters.
But, personal bias aside, I think it allows people who are scared of dying to buff themselves easily, while still being able to play a Wizard with all the cool tools that implies.
So, while I personally love it, I know it's not the "most efficient", but I would highly recommend it to new players who might be a bit scared of playing a class that's more vulnerable than a fighter or paladin.
I think my favourite part about hypnotic gaze is that you get the charmed condition for advantage on all charisma checks against them, without the downside from friends of at the end they realise they were manipulated by magic and are likely to look back on what you asked negatively. It's actually hypnosis.
About the enchantment school: the people don't like most of the control aspects of the game. Generally just wants to strike with a lots of damage.
To me its a by product of 5e's design. Due to the action economy, especially if you have a smaller party, it can seem like a waste to "try" to incapacitate one of the foes vs doing damage during combat.
I'm not saying I agree, but I think that's a common mindset.
@@MonkeyChessify Yes you are right. In various ecounters it often accurs. But it depends of the adventure and the flavor of the character.
I was playing curse of Stradh with a lore bard that just had control and illusion spells, it was very difficulty for the DM. Because he doesn't expected this kind of spells.
The point with the divination wizard is it makes divination spells incredibly cheap to cast, you're never worried about spending a spell slot to find out a bit more information because you just get one back
Until you met a jerk DM who shuts down your scrying and won’t let your arcane eye see anything he doesn’t want to reveal.
It’s the information from divination spells that counts, not how many you can cast them.
And every DM is protective to their hard-works.
You guys are amazing! I love playing wizards, both as a PC or as DM, and I feel especially as DM I've played so many out-of-box campaigns that are lacking spellcasting NPCs by early or mid level to provide a non-martial challenge to make my players think outside the box. Your comments about that creative thinking are entirely on point; I found myself nodding in agreement with so many takes where you rank subclasses as "this is super cool buuuuut it requires inventive thought, which not to be mean but is often lacking." My friends and I are constantly debriefing sessions in which we wish we had done cool new things but end up resorting to what we know just maximizes damage rather than having some eureka moment. Anyway this is all to say I really appreciate the experience you show and balance between what is possible versus what is likely in terms of optimization. This is the video that inspired me to join your Patreon, but every one is outstanding, honestly. Drakkenheim is so dope too. [doffs cap] Keep up the good work, you are an inspiration!
Ahh yes. The best D&D class
There's other classes? lol.
Paladin would like a word
@@ArmegeddonCraft lol no
@@ryanbrodeur5105 enjoy this divine Smite you double digit hp having nerd
Like watching the back-and-forth. This is a good discussion and brings up points I had not considered. Thank you!
Just be careful with the Divination wizard's "Antagonize DM" feature.
Wizard: "Actually your dragon rolled a 1 due to my portent ability :)"
DM: "Actually your character just had a sudden aneurysm, you take 20d6 psychic damage..."
@@JB-xl2jc that's a sucky dm
My first wizard was abjuration and she saved the party with counterspell and projectet ward more often than i can remember. Its just 1 of the best clutch classes.
Yes, the DM can shut down a Divination Wizard - technically, A DM can shut down ANY class or subclass in the game.
Well, yes
“So, your patron is Cthulhu right? But he doesn’t exist in my setting. Therefore you don’t have any power”
@@alessandropereira4976 Right. But also, D&D is collaborative. "You can't pick Cthulhu, but there is a whole other legion of Abberation gods to pick from." I get that sometimes, DMs want to say "NO! Because..." but it's everyone's game, not the DM's game, and the DM should not be revoking a player's agency. Often, the answer should really be "No, but we can do..."
@@kloaf1131 "oh you wanna cast fireball? Counterspell."
"That goblin knows counterspell?"
"Well...umm....you were also standing in a anti-magic field."
"Anti-magic? Here? In the forest?"
"Well...umm...ummm....whoops! A portal opens up underneath you. You fell right into the plane of fire. Like, into a giant sea of lava. Just...plop...Tough luck, mate. Better luck next time."
I have the problem that a lot of times, I haven't actually prepared anything for the area or location the wizard wants to scout. This means I'm making it up on the spot, and I'm bound by it later. Yeah, I'd really prefer to do as little of that as possible. The alternative is to say "You cast Scrying? OK, 5 minute break while I figure out what's going on there because until now, it didn't matter."
@@mal2ksc Yup, the existence of divination spells makes a lot of extra work for DMs, especially the ones that ask the DM to predict the future. I think that's why Divination Wizard gets to essentially trade down spell slots - it feels bad to waste a spell slot on some ropey fortune telling, scrying to a place with nothing going, reading someone's mundane surface thoughts or legend-lore-ing a non-legendary event and getting nothing, but if it stings less if you're only wasting a fraction of a spell slot.
No school of magic is as demanding on the DM as divination. Illusion and Enchantment come a distant second with determining NPC reactions, Conjuration and Necromancy can cause some shenanigans too while Evocation needs no DM adjudication 9 times out of 10.
I don't think any of them mentioned this, but if you have your Arcane Ward up as an Abjuration Wizard, technically the ward takes damage instead of you, which means that you don't have to make Concentration checks, which is clutch if you like to play a utility caster with spells like Haste or Fly
How do you talk about the Divination school for 10 minutes without mentioning Mind Spike and the ability to spam it almost as often as a cantrip with Diviner cascading spell slots?
Mind Spike is a huge boon to Divination for when you run into those limitations they talk about in your actual information gathering magic. You turn into a machine gun of rarely resisted damage with a nice tracking rider on it.
Mind Spike does very poor damage, and even with the spell slots coming back, it does less damage compared to just using better spells.
@@DungeonDudes But it's a way to make use of those returning spell slots in combat, which is where casters are going to be spending most of their spell slots and therefore where you're going to want to have the most efficiency out of your spells. Upcast Mind Spike at 6th level, then at 5th level, then at 4th, 3rd, and finally 2nd. If my calculations are correct, that's a potential 25d8 damage (admittedly spread out over a lot of rounds) at the cost of one 6th level spell slot.
You're right that it's not the most damaging spell in the game, but it's a way to get a lot of mileage out of the returning spell slots mechanic in the middle of battle, which is when you're most going to want them. And yes, I know you waste that concentration effect every time you recast it, but with this kind of spell efficiency, who cares?
@@toddhadley9002 But that's my point. It's not efficient, it's not good damage, and it's not worth doing. It's a wombo-combo: looks good on paper, but the math doesn't add up when compared to other options.
Let's take a level 10 Wizard, who starts by upcasting Mind Spike using a 5th level spell slot. This spell deals 6d8 damage to a single target, uses up concentration, but returns a 4th level slot. If we cycle that slot all the way down, over 4 rounds of combat we can cast Mind Spike to deal a total of 18d8 damage to a single target. The "total cost" was one 5th level spell slot. The slots they got back were funneled back into more mind spikes. They get an extra 1st level spell slot in the end, which is cool, but we can't use it to cast mind spike, so we'll use it to toss out a Chromatic Orb for 3d8 more damage. 21d8 damage over 5 rounds, not bad!
Now, if that same wizard casts Bigby's Hand, they also use a 5th level slot and their concentration. They smack a target for 4d8 force damage. Darn, not as much as Mind Spike... but next round, they can punch again as a bonus action, and cast Ray of Frost to deal an extra 2d8 cold damage. They repeat this over 4 more rounds, dealing a total of 28d8 damage. They expended a 5th level slot, but did LOT more single-target damage!
@@DungeonDudes Sure there are more damaging combos, but it's a rarely resisted damage type, a less often resisted saving throw, it's better than just using cantrips most levels, and it's an economic way to save spell slots over the course of an adventuring day. The Concentration effect is icing on the cake and doesn't really matter except in rare instance of fighting lurker-type enemies. Obviously every table is different, but if you cast a high-value 5th-level Concentration spell like Bigby's, I feel that in a lot of encounters the enemies are going to recognize that and interrupt your concentration or Dispel it if they have magic as soon as possible. And if that happens you get one turn of 4d8 force damage and you're still out the 5th-level slot. I really appreciate the work you guys put into these videos and it's a moot point since Divination got an S-rank anyway, but I do feel like you guys are overvaluing some aspects and undervaluing others. Which is unavoidable since again every table is different. I actually want to give Enchantment Wizard a try now and I hope when I do my experience is similar to what you have because I'll admit I'm still skeptical at Enchantment being S-rank.
Also I never expected the creators to reply to this so I just want to say I really enjoy these rankings and can't wait to see Tasha's classes. Keep up the good work! :)
My DivWiz used Mind Spike like it was her job to hurt people's brains and know where the heck they were. Always felt Divination was OpOp, glad you guys were able to really give the proper defining it needed.
As a DM, I had a player bring a spell from an unearthed arcana - mindsliver. And I allowed it. It taught me that the incapacitated condition will absolutely wreck any monster who is ecologically a loner. The illusionists ability to incapacitate something is super clutch, as the incapacitated condition is in my opinion underrated
Kelly: totally appreciate your thought process that led to abjuración and the less skilled/seasoned wizard’s play of the class!! Thank you!
Monty: loved your insight into the divination shut down. Classic dm ploy to do that. I think you both were right to acknowledge that happening. And loved the thoughts on the specific exchanger examples. Got me thinking.
As for Divination, I'd like to remind people that Mind Spike is a fantastic SILENT spell that deals damage and gets you back a first level spells slot for things like shield. Use Mind Spike, it's amazing.
I am getting ready for my first time beening the DM. Your videos are great been watching a lot past 3 weeks. Very informative. And helpful.