The Enchanter Wizard got a pretty hefty update in the latest Unearthed Arcana. Now the subclass is more beguiling and hypnotic than ever.
In the latest Unearthed Arcana, Enchanters got a pretty hefty update. While there’s a minor nerf here or there, by and large, the subclass feels a lot more like “the Wizard that enchants you” than the previous version, which was mostly about being kind of in the middle of a fight and then being able to get out of it.
One of the most striking things about this update is a return of the many “soft” crowd control abilities that go hand in hand with the idea of enchanting someone. Enchantment is a school of magic all about clouding and captivating the minds of others. And the updated Enchanter is quite good at helping to shut down targets in combat. Better than ever, in fact. Though you’ll really want to be aware of the enemy’s possible Legendary Resistances.
The biggest change can be seen right away at level 3, with the return of Hypnotic Presence. It replaces the previous iteration’s Vexing Movement, which let you disengage and dash as a Bonus Action. Instead, Hypnotic Presence lets you shut down a creature in combat, as long as nobody messes with it. A powerful ability when applied to the right target.
You pick a creature within 10 feet of yourself and as a Magic Action you can attempt to Charm it. If it fails its Wisdom save, then you give that creature the Charmed condition for 1 minute. This magical charm takes your Concentration, but unlike the 5E version, the updated Enchanter doesn’t have to spend an Action to maintain this magical charm. Nor do you have to stay adjacent to your target—you can be within 10 feet of them. While charmed, your target is Incapacitated and has a Speed of 0, effectively taking them out of the fight.
This is also an extremely useful feature outside of combat. There are many ways that a clever Enchanter and their party can get away with all sorts of shenanigans with this ability.
The other two Enchanter features at level 3 are also really nice. Enchantment Savant is still exactly the same, it makes it easier for you to add Enchantment spells to your spellbook at every level. And Enchanting Conversationalist replaces Enchanting Talker, and is almost the same – the only difference is the new feature only lets you add your Intelligence bonus to one specific Charisma skill (Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation) instead of all of them. A minor nerf, but a nerf all the same.
Higher Level Enchantments
At higher levels, the updated Enchanter has even more tools to play around with. At level 6, you now gain Split Enchantment instead of having to wait until level 10. This feature lets you automatically increase the spell level of certain Enchantment spells. They have to be able to be upcast to target an additional creature, which is not many—there’s only a handful, but they’re all good. Hold Person, Charm Person, Dominate Person, etc. And you can do that up to your Intelligence modifiers times per day.
At 10th level, you get your defensive feature, which in this iteration is Instinctive Charm. It replaces Reflecting Charm, and is, I think, a much stronger feature. Instead of halving incoming damage, this feature lets you redirect an attack. It can even be a ranged attack, if the attacker is within 30 feet of you. All you have to do is spend your Reaction—if the creature fails its save, the attack misses, and you can retarget it if there are multiple creatures within range. Even better, you regain use of this feature any time you cast an Enchantment spell with a spell slot.
At level 14, you gain the Alter Memories capstone. This one has always been a little bit strange. I understand what it’s supposed to do—you’re so enchanting that you can rework someone’s memories reliably—but in practice, this just means you always have the Modify Memory spell prepared. And when you cast it you can target a second creature with it. But it doesn’t actually make you any better at it. Just that you can try it.
Meaning that you still have to maintain Concentration for 1minute to make the spell work. And sure, you can target an additional creature, but if you’re in a fight, they’re still going to have Advantage. Always having it ready just doesn’t feel like much of a powerful end to being a Master Enchanter. I’d much rather they get something more active and useful. For comparison a level 14 Evoker can just decide to do maximum damage. An Illusionist can make their illusions real. The Enchanter’s capstone just doesn’t feel good.
But that’s just what I think. WotC wants to know what you think—and you can tell them by filling out the survey and checking out the playtest at the link below!
Some Enchanter’s evening!
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