Introduction
The Wizard is the iconic arcane spellcaster. With a broad and diverse spell list, the Wizard can solve nearly any problem magically. The Wizard has been my favorite class since 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons. Powerful, versatile, and thematically interesting, the Wizard goes out into the world to test their wits and their knowledge against whatever challenge the multiverse has to offer.
In a party, your role is defined by the spells you employ. You can serve as a Blaster with area damage spells like fireball, a Defender by summoning creatures to stand between your party and your enemies, a Face by enchanting other creatures, a Scholar with your vast Intelligence and ample skills, a Scout with divination spells and stealth options like Invisibility, a Striker with single-target spells like Disintegrate and Power Word Kill, a Support caster with a wide range of buffs, debuffs, and area control spells, and a Utility caster with access to all manner of spells for solving the world’s mundane problems with magic.
In truth, there is very little that the Wizard can’t do, and while it’s not the uber-class that it was in previous editions, the Wizard is still a profoundly capable and versatile class. However, with great versatility comes great complexity. Playing a wizard involves a lot of planning, tracking, and management. You can keep the class simple by focusing on damage spells and solving your problems by blowing them up, but many wizards will have a large suite of specialized tools and will need to choose from a long list of options to employ in any given situation. If you’re afraid of “analysis paralysis”, consider other class options like the Sorcerer.
Also see our supporting articles:
- Wizard Ancestries and Heritages Breakdown
- Wizard Arcane Schools Breakdown
- Wizard Arcane Thesis Breakdown
- Wizard Feats Breakdown
- Arcane Spell List Breakdown
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Disclaimer
- Remaster Changes
- Wizard Class Features
- Wizard Attributes
- Standard Wizard
- Polymorph Enthusiast
- Wizard Ancestries and Heritages
- Wizard Backgrounds
- Wizard Skills and Skill Feats
- Varying Skill Feats
- Wizard Feats
- General Feats
- Wizard Weapons
- Wizard Armor
- Archetypes
- Wizard Multiclass Archetype
Disclaimer
RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks.
- Red: Bad, useless options, or options whichare extremely situational. Nearly never useful.
- Orange: OK options, or useful optionsthat only apply in rare circ*mstances. Useful sometimes.
- Green: Good options. Useful often.
- Blue: Fantastic options, often essentialto the function of your character. Useful very frequently.
Remaster Changes
Arcane Schools have changed significantly. The remastered rules removed the concept of schools of magic, so schools are now organized around concepts rather than the 7 schools of magic that have existed in DnD for decades. Wizards choosing a school still get an extra spell slot, but rather than choosing from your school of magic, you prepare spells from a pre-determined list of school spells.
Wizard Class Features
Key Ability: Intelligence. Like any spellcaster it’s used for your Spell Attacks and for your Spell DCs. Those are two of your most important stats, so keep your Intelligence as high as you can get it. Intelligence also grants you additional Trained skills at 1st level, allowing you to easily invest in numerous skills, including Lore options which other classes often need to ignore in favor of more important skills.
Hit Points: 6+ hp is not a lot, and withhorrible AC you’re extremely vulnerable.
Proficiencies: The Wizard’sproficiencies are terrible. Your high Intelligence will give you an abundanceof Trained skills, but that’s the height of the Wizard’s proficiencies inanything except spellcasting.
Hit Points: 6+Con hit points. Fortunately, youhave plenty of room to boost your ability scores so your Constitution bonuscan compensate.
Initial Proficiencies: The Wizard’sproficiencies are terrible. Your high Intelligence will give you an abundanceof Trained skills, but that’s the height of the Wizard’s proficiencies inanything except spellcasting.
- Perception: Trained at 1st level, and itmaxes out at Expert at 11th level. Expect to rely on allies for Perceptionchecks, and strongly consider Incredible Initiative if you don’t want to golate in the turn order in every fight.
- Saving Throws: Only one good saving throw.Will is a great option, but only one good saving throw is still a serioushandicap, and it never improves past Master. Your other saving throws willalso increase to expert, but no further. You can take the Canny Acumen feat,but that won’t get you past Expert until 17th level, so you’ll spend most ofyour career with absolutely dismal saving throws compared to yourallies.
- Skills: Arcana, plus 2+int Trained skillsat 1st level, for a total of 3+. That’s standard, and with 18 Intelligenceat 1st level you’ll have plenty of trained skills. You should get more thananyone except the Alchemist and the Rogue.
- Attacks: Simple weapons and unarmed strikes. Adagger is your best weapon option. Don’t expect to use any weapon except inthe most unusual circ*mstances.
- Defenses: No armor proficiencies, and yourproficiency in Unarmored Defense never increases past Expert. Expect to relyon spells like Mystic Armor, and be sure that you have nice sturdy friends tohide behind. The Wizard’s saves are also terrible.
- Spells: Standard progression for full spellcasters.
1: Wizard Spellcasting: The Wizard is aprepared Arcana spellcaster, preparing spells from their spellbook each dayduring Daily Preparations. You add two spells to your spellbook for free everylevel, but you can also collect more from other sources.
1: Arcane Thesis: See ourWizard Arcane Theses Breakdown.
1: Arcane School: See our Wizard Arcane Schools Breakdown.
1: Arcane Bond: Allows you to re-cast one prepared spell each day, potentially giving you an additional spell at your highest spell rank.
Wizards who select the School of Universal Magical Theory modify the benefits of the Drain Bonded Item action, allowing them to use it once per Spell Rank instead of just once per day. This is obviously great, but does come at the cost of a free Spell Slot per Spell Rank to prepare school spells.
Wizard Attributes
Standard Wizard
Intelligence and defenses.
Str: Dump.
Dex: AC and Reflex saves.
Con: Essential.
Int: Your Key Ability Score.
Wis: Will saves, Perception, someskills.
Cha: Probably a second dump stat.
Polymorph Enthusiast
The additional need for Strength causes some trouble, so you’ll need to balance your needs for 5 attributes.
Str: With decent Strength and Handwraps ofMighty Blows you can exceed the attack bonus provided by your polymorph forms,especially if you’re not using your highest-level spell slots to cast them.
Dex: Helpful, but you’ll rely on the ACprovided by your spells much of the time so you may not need to investheavily.
Con: Essential.
Int: Your Key Ability Score.
Wis: Will saves, Perception, someskills.
Cha: Dump.
Wizard Ancestries and Heritages
Your highest priority is an Intelligence Boost. Beyond that, Dexterity andConstitution Boosts are helpful, but not essential. Anything related toweapons won’t help you, but innate spellcasting is a great way to expand yourspellcasting options, especially if you can get utility spells or buffs fromother spellcasting traditions.
For more help selecting an Ancestry and Heritage, see ourWizard Ancestries and Heritages Breakdown.
Wizard Backgrounds
An Intelligence Boost is essential, then look for a Boost to one of yoursecondary ability scores to boost your defenses. Skill feats which complementIntelligence-based skills are an easy choice.
If you’re having trouble deciding, here are some suggestions:
Wizard Skills and Skill Feats
You get Skill Increases at 3rd and 5th level to raise skills to Expert, increases at 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th level to raise skills to Master, and increases at 15th, 17th, and 19th level to raise skills to Legendary. That means that you can maximize at most three skills, and the rest of your skills might not advance beyond Trained.
You get Skill Feats at even-numbered levels, giving you a total of 10 Skill Feats (and maybe another from your Background) by 20th level. Generally, you want to invest these feats in the same skills which you are choosing to maximize, though in some cases you may want to grab feats from skills which don’t require that you be more than Trained.
- Acrobatics (Dex): Surprisingly importantbecause it’s used for maneuvering while flying.
- Cat Fall (PC1): Being knocked prone whileflying is an easy way to counter flying creatures, and enemies can do itjust as easily to you as you can do it to them. Cat Fall will reduce theeffective distance you’ve fallen, allowing you to take less damage froma fall. However, the effects of Cat Fall scale based on your Proficiencylevel, so it may not be worth the skill feat unless you plan to increaseyour proficiency in Acrobatics.
- Arcana (Int): Essential, and you get itfor free.
- Arcane Sense (PC1): If you can make DetectMagic free, you should cast it frequently any time that there’s even aremote chance that you’ll encounter magic. You’re going to maximizeArcana anyway, so this will get better as you gain levels. Of course,Detect Magic is a Cantrip which you could get by several means, andnormal Cantrip scaling will be faster than waiting to become Legendaryin Arcana.
- Magical Shorthand (PC1): Wizards can, intheory, buy access to every spell on their spell list. Using downtime toreduce or even eliminate the cost to learn new spells can eventuallysave you a significant amount of gold, though you’ll give up time thatyou could spend crafting things.
- Unified Theory (PC1): Your Intelligence willalways exceed your Wisdom, so your Arcana will always exceed your Natureand Religion, so at the very least this is a numeric boost to thoseskills. More importantly, you don’t need to spend Skill Increases onNature, Occultism, or Religion.
- Athletics (Str): Strength is your dumpstat.
- Crafting (Int): You’re probably thesmartest person in the party, and someone in the party needs it tohandle magic runes, repairing items, etc. Also, Scroll Savant is reallygood.
- Deception (Cha): Wizards are not a greatFace since they have no dependence on Charisma.
- Diplomacy (Cha): Wizards are not a greatFace since they have no dependence on Charisma.
- Intimidation (Cha): Casting a spell istypically a 2-Action Activity, which means that in many rounds you’ll have aspare Action and not much to do with it. In those situations, Demoralize isa great use of an Action. However, that spare action may also be importantfor the Sustain a Spell action.
- Lore (Int): Too numerous and too vaguely-defined.
- Medicine (Wis): You’ll have enoughWisdom to make Medicine viable, but hopefully you’ll be in a party withsomeone else who can cover it so that you can focus on Intelligence-basedskills.
- Nature (Wis): Despite being Wisdom-based,Nature may be an important skill for the Wizard so that you can identifyspells being cast by other spellcasters.
- Occultism (Int): On par with Arcana, andyou have plenty of Intelligence to make it work.
- Bizarre Magic (PC1): Most enemies won’t beable to identify your magic, and the few that can will rarely care.
- Performance (Cha): There is no way for theWizard to make use of this short of things like the Goblin Song feat.
- Religion (Wis): Despite beingWisdom-based, Religion may be an important skill for the Wizard so that youcan identify spells being cast by other spellcasters.
- Society (Int): The closest thing you’llget to a Face skill, and it also serves as the knowledge skill for humanoidsocieties.
- Stealth (Dex): Never a bad choice, butdon’t expect to be good at it.
- Survival (Wis): Too situational.
- Thievery (Dex): Solve these problems withmagic, or leave it to someone who focuses on Dexterity.
Varying Skill Feats
- Automatic Knowledge(PC1): While itfeels very thematic for the Wizard, Automatic Knowledge forces you to useAssurance, which negates the Wizard’s high Intelligence.
- Magical Crafting: Depending on yourcampaign, crafting during downtime can be a huge asset. But if your campaignrarely includes downtime in somewhere suitable to crafting, you’ll be finewithout this.
- Recognize Spell (PC1): With high Intelligence,passable Wisdom, and easy access to spellcasting-related skills, the Wizardis perhaps the best-suited character to identify enemy spells. You alsohave access to Counterspell and other means to counteract magic, so beingable to identify spells as a Reaction can be a powerful tool against enemyspellcasters.
- Quick Recognition (PC1): Using a FreeAction means that you can identify spells multiple time between turns,which is crucial against multiple enemy spellcasters or if you need yourReaction for something else.
Wizard Feats
The Wizard’s Class Feats include spellshape options, additional familiar powers, improvements to Channel Bonded Item, and other options to enhance your spellcasting capabilities.
For more help selecting Class Feats, see ourWizard Class Feats Breakdown.
General Feats
- Armor proficiency(PC1): Each tier ofarmor can increase your AC by 2 while reducing your Dex Cap, allowing youto put your Ability Boosts somewhere other than Dexterity. Your proficiencyfrom this feat increases at level 13, which matches when the Wizard’sUnarmored Defense improves, so you’ll never need to think “I would be betteroff in Explorer’s Clothing.”
- Canny AcumenPC1: Wizards have poor saves and poor Perception. The only problem with thisfeat is that you can’t take it more than once.
- Incredible InitiativePC1: Casting an area control spell before anyone else acts can win a fightbefore it begins, so rolling well on initiative is often crucial forspellcasters.
- Prescient Planner(PC1): Welcome in anyparty, but not always useful.
- Prescient Consumable(PC1): Oh look, Iconveniently have a scroll of the exact spell that we need to solve thisproblem!
- Toughness(PC1): Wizards have few hit points, so more never hurt, but you should also beworking really hard to avoid being targeted by things that deal damage.
Wizard Weapons
- Crossbow (Any)(PC1): At low levelsthe option make a 1-Action Strike with a crossbow can be a major damageboost once per encounter. I don’t recommend reloading during combat If youhave 2 Actions to reload, spend them casting a cantrip.
- Dagger(PC1): The onlymelee weapon that you have any reasonable chance to hit with, but you shoulduse it only when you have absolutely no other choice.
Wizard Armor
- Explorer’s Clothing(PC1): Basically just afancy outfit that you can apply magic runes to. Mystic Armor is probablyenough, but if you want property runes you’ll need a permanent suit of“armor”. Don’t worry about the Dexterity Cap, either; if you’re exceeding 20Dexterity you’re probably doing something unusual.
Archetypes
This is not a comprehensive list of archetypes which might be useful for this class. For more on archetypes, see our archetype handbooks.
- Alchemist: Advanced Alchemy has a lot tooffer. Alchemical Bombs are a tempting offensive option, butyou’re not proficient.
- Witch: A familiar, plus moreIntelligence-based spellcasting which can be from any Tradition depending onyour choice of Patron.
Wizard Multiclass Archetype
- Wizard Dedication: Two cantrips and Trained in Arcana.
- Arcane School Spell: The Wizard’s Focus Spell options are neat, but they’re not amazing.
- Basic Arcana: The Wizard’s 1st-level and 2nd-level Class Feats are mostly Spellshape options, and the majority of the feat options are available to many spellcasting classes.
- Basic Wizard Spellcasting: Intelligence-based Arcane spellcasting.
- Advanced Arcana: The Wizard has some interesting feat options which could be useful for other spellcasting classes, but there are also many feats which require specific class/subclass features only available to wizards.
- Arcane Breadth: I would wait to takethis until you have Expert Wizard Spellcasting (or at least until you’reclose to taking it), but the extra spell slots are excellent.
- Expert Wizard Spellcasting: Morespells.
- Master Wizard Spellcasting: Morespells.
