Wizards of the Coast goes over their namesake class today showing us what’s new about the D&D 5.5E Wizard. Take a look!
They don’t call ’em Wizards of the Coast for nothing. Wizards were already in a good spot in D&D before the switch to 5.5E gave many classes a shot in the arm. And the new Wizard, while they may not have as many changes to their core class as others, is still pretty improved. But we won’t know the full extent until we get to see those spells.
Because Wizards derive pretty much all of their power from their magic spells. While some class features might give you a spell here or there, by and large, your class features, your subclass features, all of it goes into dictating what you can do when you cast your spells.
But, even though we don’t do a deep dive into every new spell in the game, there’s still a lot to be excited about! Let’s dive in.
The 5.5E Wizard – More Magic. Sort of.
Alright. Let’s go over the basics real quick. Fist a few quick tweaks to the Spellcasting feature in and of itself. Wizards now have a fixed numer of spells they can prepare, which limits them a little, but not practically. Wizards can also swap out a cantrip every Long Rest, and are the only class that can do so, so enjoy your arcane flexibility. And Wizards also get Expertise in a skill because it just wouldn’t do to have Bards and Rogues be smarter than the Wizard, I guess. I’m bitter about this one for petty reasons that entirely involve my own personal campaign, but, you know, I’m holding that grudge.
Oh, and at 5th level, you can swap out a spell you have memorized with one in your spellbook after a short rest. Which is nice. Outside of that, the base class is much the same. A few minor tweaks to the higher level abilities but we won’t got into those too much.
Because instead we have to talk about what Wizards lost: 4 subclasses. All PHB 2024 classes only have 4 subclasses. Which means, you can’t be a Necromancer anymore. I mean, you can still cast Necromancy spells. You just can’t be a Necromancer Wizard. Nor can you be a Transmuter, a Conjurer, or an Enchanter. And it’s saying something that Wizards lost half of their subclasses and still feel like they got a lot in the new rules.
There are four schools available to Wizards. And if you don’t have the D&D schools of magic memorized, hey, great, that’s a very good thing and a very normal thing. Congratulations on having ever been outside of your house. I hear it’s nice. In order, they are Abjuration, Divination, Evocation, and Illusion.
Wizard Schools – Hard Knocks not Included
Abjurers have been enjoying something of a renaissance thanks to Baldur’s Gate 3, which makes them one of the most powerful subclasses in the game, thanks to some magic items and game interactions. But even in regular ol’ D&D Abjurers have always been pretty solid. As an Abjurer, you’ll get an Arcane Ward, which you can now refill directly as a Bonus Action by spending a spell slot. On top of that, WotC has clarified that now damage resistances and immunities will apply before you or your target takes the incoming damage. Which is kinda how it should have always been. But hey, nice to have it official.
Also, their 10th level feature, Spell Breaker, is incredible. They gain Counterspell and Dispel Magic as always prepared spells, which is already cool. But you can cast Dispel Magic as a Bonus Action with this feature. And if you don’t counter a spell or dispel an effect, you don’t waste your spell slot. I can’t wait to be an Abjurer in the new edition.
Meanwhile, Diviners, my other favorite Wizard school, don’t really change. Which is fine because they don’t really need to. They have a few minor tweaks: Third Eye now increases your Darkvision and you can cast See Invisibility without spending a spell slot. No word on whether See Invisibility will actually negate the benefits of Invisibility in 5.5E, but one can hope.
Evokers are all about blowing stuff up with magic. And they look really fun in the new edition, bbecause they heap on the damage. Potent Cantrip and Sculpt Spells swap places, and Potent Cantrip means you’ll do half damage even if you miss or your targets save. So you’ll always be closing, in terms of dealing damage, and that means Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross won’t yell at you any more.
Illusionists get the biggest changes, not the least of which is an overhaul of how illusions work. But we don’t go into that just yet. However here’s a couple big changes right off the bat. Improved Illusion replaces Improved Minor Illusion, and you can ignore Verbal components for Illusion spells. And any Illusion spell with a range of 10 feet or more is boosted out to 60 feet instead. So you can cast subtly and slyly, which is good for a spell school reliant on your enemies not knowing that something isn’t real.
At level 6, Phantasmal Creatures is a new feature that grants Illusionists Summon Beast and Summon Fey as always prepared spells, and when you cast them you can summon an illusory version of one of those creatures once per day for free. Which is really nice. And Illusory Self can be powered by your spell slots.
All this to say, Wizards are looking good in 5.5E. Find out more, September 17th
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