The Enchanter Wizard subclass from the Arcane Subclasses Unearthed Arcana is surprisingly charming and I don’t mean the Condition.
In D&D, adventuring parties tend to be, in the words of Dimension 20 DM, Brenann Lee Mulligan, “hot, strong, and dumb.” This is because most classes use some combination of Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma. Of the various classes, the only one that has Intelligence as a primary stat is the Wizard, who typically doesn’t do a lot of the talking. Well, until now. Enter the Enchanter Wizard, who is a very charming spellcaster, in every sense of the word.
Enchanter Wizard – A Wizard With Social Skills
The Enchanter Wizard subclass, as introduced in the Arcane Subclasses Unearthed Arcana is a subclass all about clouding or captivating minds. They are the quintessential Jedi mind trick caster. And they are often the source of arguments on the internet that begin with, “Well actually, if you think about it, the real ‘most evil school of magic isn’t Necromancy, it’s Enchantment.”
It all boils down to mind control. Because what’s more evil, reanimating bones with magic and making them do stuff, or taking over the mind of a living creature? Morally you can go a lot of different ways. But WotC seems to at least acknowledge the perception in its flavortext for Enchanters: “some Enchanters use their abilities to encourage peace and soften cruelty, while others use their mind-altering magic for selfish ends.”
Ultimately, I think any school of magic can be the most evil if you try hard enough. And the new Enchanter is actually a little more about having social skills. Starting at level 3 with two brand new features that replaces the old “hypnotic gaze” with more broadly applicable abilities.
First there’s Enchanting Talker, which lets you add your Intelligence modifier to any Charisma check you make and grants you proficiency in Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion. Combo this with something like Expertise in Persuasion and you can start getting your numbers way up.
The other new level 3 feature, Vexing Movement, is a neat little combat trick. Any time you cast an Enchantment spell that takes an Action, you can Disengage and Dash as a Boonus Action, which means you can run away from whatever situation you happen to be in without provoking Attacks of Opportunity. You can do that up to your Intelligence Modifier times per day. And of course, Enchantment Savant gives you a free Enchantment spell at every level up.
Enchantment At Higher Levels – More Charm Less Harm
At higher levels, the Enchanter Wizard gains even more defensive capabilities. Though I’m not sure that every new feature is a straight upgrade. There was an ability that let you redirect an enemy’s attack at a new target, and that’s gone. In its place is Reflecting Charm, which you gain at level 6. Reflecting Charm lets you reduce incoming damage instead.
As a Reaction, you take only half damage from an incoming attack. Also, your target makes a save and if they fail, they take psychic damage equal to half your Wizard level plus your Intelligence modifier. You get one use of this per Long Rest, but can recharge it with a 2nd level spell slot. Though I’m not sure that I would – it’s not a ton of damage, and you might be better off using your Reaction for other spells.
The level 10 Split Enchantment is still very good. Whenever you cast an Enchantment spell that lets you target an extra creature if you cast it with a higher level spell slot, you get to increase the spell’s effective level by 1. So a Charm Person cast at 1st level is effectively 2nd level. And a Charm person cast at 4th level is actually 5th level, for instance.
Finally, the level 14 feature, Bolstering Belief is a new capstone ability. It turns you into a bastion of strength and friendship for your party. Because friendship is the real magic. And with this feature you can empower your friends by always having the Power Word Fortify spell prepared. Power Word Fortify gives 120 temporary hit points total to up to six targets (divided equally among all). But when you cast it using this feature, you can cast it for free, and your targets get Advantage on saves vs. being Charmed and Frightened.
All in all, not a bad upgrade for the Enchanter. The only real questionable feature is the level 6 one, but there’s a lot of combat and out of combat utility. This subclass feels very versatile, especially for parties who don’t want a Charisma spellcaster to be the face of the party.
Enchanter Wizards are enchanting, who would’ve thunk it!
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