The Wizard is one of 12 classes you can choose from in the 2024 Dungeon’s & Dragon’s remaster. Player’s Handbook (also known as One D&D, 5.5e and a few other names). Wizards are (literally) wizards according to the manual, and their main skill is Intelligence.
Before we get started, a quick disclaimer: There’s no “best” in D&D. Classes are generally well-balanced when it comes to damage output. More importantly, D&D is a role-playing game as well as a combat game, so there’s more to it than just stabbing monsters. And that variety of situations—from picking locks to kicking kobolds to seducing dragons—means that “best” is entirely subjective.
Our Player’s Handbook (2024) The D&D Wizard Guide walks you through the class and discusses some of the changes from D&D 5e.
Is Wizard the best class in D&D for you?
Wizards are a tough class to play, honestly. They don’t have a lot of HP and don’t get any armor, so they’re very squishy for a long time. That said, Wizards also have access to some of the most powerful spells in the game. If you’re willing to sacrifice strength for brains, the Wizard can quickly become a force on any battlefield.
Inspiration for your Wizard
Wizards have such a clearly defined image that it’s almost impossible to break away from the “pointy hats and robes.” But D&D is a game about thinking outside the box whenever possible, and there are plenty of other examples you can utilize to develop your spellcasting genius:
- The Chosen One archetype conjures up the image of many different characters, but Paul Atreides from Dune is one of the more fascinating ones for Wizards — especially for fans of Divination. These are characters who have a destiny to fulfill and are burdened with purpose. While you may not spend most of your time wielding a blade, Paul’s struggles with power and fate make him a great inspiration for Wizards.
- Wizards are wise, so leaning towards the genius archetype can take you away from the idea of shiny hands and huge sticks. Think of characters like Maester Aemon from Game of Thrones (or any Maestro, really.) Your brains (and charisma block) are what set you apart from a Sorcerer, so drawing from a bookmart character will assist you build a solid foundation.
- The easygoing Wizard fits a bit more into the archetype we’re all familiar with, but it’s about the pursuit of magical knowledge and power. That can certainly be well-intentioned, but characters like Howl from Howl’s Moving CastleMarvel’s Dr. Strange and even Mickey Mouse often overuse the power they are given.
- The classic spellcaster wizard is a classic for a reason, and while coming up with a unique idea is amazing, it’s strenuous to beat a classic wizard like Gandalf. Mysterious, reserved, but inherently good, these wizards really ground your party in this fantasy setting and are simple to nest in. You can always find nuances that make them unique as you play.
What’s novel in Wizards in One D&D?
Regardless of what class you ultimately choose, One D&D is changing the way characters are created. Specifically, your chosen Background now has a Skill Score boost (one point in each of three Skills, or two points in one Skill and one point in another). Additionally, every character gains a Background Feat. We’ll discuss both of these changes below.
The Wizard class in One D&D carries over some of your choices as you level up. Whereas in 5e you would choose Arcane Tradition at level 2, you now choose Wizard Subclass at level 3 (which is essentially the same thing). In One D&D, the trait you get at level 2 is Scholar, which gives you Expertise in a skill.
One D&D also streamlines some of the math behind your spells—instead of a formula that takes into account modifiers and levels, you get a flat number based on your class.
Overview of the Wizard class functions
- Basic skill:Intelligence
- Life Point Cube: k6 per level
- Saving Throw Abilities:Intelligence and wisdom
- Skills: 2 of: Arcana, History, Insight, Research, Medicine, Nature, Religion
- Weapon skills: Simple
- Armor training: Nothing
It starts with six 1st level spells and adds 2 more each time you level up. This is the backbone of your class and you’ll be able to learn more and more powerful spells at each stage of your journey.
Any wizard can cast any spell with the Ritual tag, as long as he has the spell prepared. The Wizard’s Ritual Adept feature removes the preparation requirement (as long as the spell is in his spellbook).
Whenever you take a compact rest, you can regain some of your spell slots. This ability grows stronger with your level, allowing you to regain many low-level spells or one mid-level spell.
How to Build an Effective Wizard
When you first create your character, you need to assign attribute points. In the case of Wizards, you want to create a highly wise wizard who won’t fall after a single blow, so here’s a list of priorities:
- Intelligence
- Constitution
- Skill
- Wisdom
- Charisma
- Resilience
The best wizard backgrounds and their exploits
Backgrounds in One D&D are a way to codify your character’s personal history into their stats. Backgrounds give you stat boosts, a few skills, tool proficiencies, and an Origin Feat.
For Wizards, let’s start with something that allows for an boost in Intelligence – Acolyte, Artisan, Criminal, Ranger, Merchant, Nobleman, Sage, or Writer.
Here, Sage is the best option if you are just starting out. Initiator of Magic (Wizard) Origin Feat gives you two extra cantrips and one 1st level spell. What’s better is that this spell is always prepared and has one free cast per day. So if you’re not used to using a magic user, it gives you more options with a shorter preparation time.
You don’t choose your Wizard subclass until you reach 3rd level, but it’s worth considering what direction you’re headed in early on—especially in lithe of the Background and Origin Feat (above).
As an Abjurer Wizard, you are a master of Abjuration magic—well, think about it. This makes you very good at protecting yourself and your allies with shields.
At 3rd level you will be able to create an Arcane Ward around you that can take a fair amount of damage before it runs out. You can even restore the barrier by casting Abjuration spells, otherwise it fully returns with each Long Rest.
At 14th level, you gain advantage on saving throws against spells and resistance to spell damage, which is very vital for keeping you alive.
Diviner Wizards are one of the coolest subclasses in the game, because of their main feature: signs. At 3rd level, you roll two d20s at the end of every long rest. You can then utilize those two rolls to replace any roll you or a creature you can see. While you have to plot your shot before making the roll, that means you can guarantee yourself a critical hit or fail if you get lucky with your signs. Think of the foresight of Paul Atreides from Dune.
At 14th level, you can roll a third sign, making this even more powerful. If you ever want to really annoy your DM, try casting Befuddlement on their huge bad, then forcing them to fail a save with the sign you rolled earlier that day.
Evoker Wizards are masters of using summoning spells that create huge explosions and elemental effects. If you just want to hit your enemies strenuous with spells, this is the subclass for you.
At 6th level, Evoker wizards gain the Sculpt Spells ability, which lets you save allies in your spell radius, protecting them from harm—much like Doctor Strange could throw his friends out of harm’s way. Normally, when you cast Fireball, it blows up everything, which isn’t super fun for your local Barbarian, who’s probably face-to-face with the huge bad you just burned to a crisp. But Evoker can deal damage without forcing his friend across the table to cast a novel character.
At 14th level, you can make some of your low level spells deal maximum damage while taking extra damage yourself.
The Illusionist is a character chosen by the Trickster Wizard, but he is more like Mysterio from Spider-Man and less like Loki.
At level 3, you can cast improved illusions that you can control from a much greater distance. If you’re fighting stupid monsters and have a clever DM, you can utilize tactics like these to win entire fights for your party before they even start.
These illusions become especially powerful at 14th level, when you can temporarily manifest them for a compact period of time.