Wizards are the best class to choose in Dungeons & Dragons if you want to control the powers of magic and shape the universe around you. Not all Wizards are created equally, however. There are plenty of subclasses of Wizards, both official and unofficial. Depending on the adventuring module your Dungeon Master is using, your choices for a school of magic can vary widely.
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Updated November 14, 2023, by Sean Murray: We've taken a second look at this list and re-ordered things to better reflect the wizard subclasses of D&D 5e. We've also given it more links to other helpful D&D topics.
13 School Of Transmutation
Source |
D&D Player's Handbook |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Transmutation Stone, which gives the Wizard different buffs and can replace some Feats |
Compatible Feats |
Durable, Resilient |
Primary Feature |
Master Transmuter |
Most of this subclass’s abilities are just done better by other classes and at lower levels. The Shapechanger ability doesn't have the same flexibility as a druid's Wild Shape. The Major Transformation ability has several effects that Clerics can do at lower levels, and Transmuter's Stone, though fun, still doesn't offer anything you couldn't easily get from other spells or equipment.
If you're going to play a School of Transmutation wizard, you're doing it to roleplay as a mad scientist. If you want to be a more effective wizard, there are better subclasses later in this list.
12 Bladesinging
Source |
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Bladesong, which allows you to get into melee combat while still using the full Wizard spell list |
Compatible Feats |
Magic Initiate, Resilient |
Primary Feature |
Bladesong |
There are plenty of subclasses that let you swing a sword and cast spells. Arcane Trickster, Eldritch Knight, any sort of paladin. And if that's what you want, then you should probably play one of those subclasses instead of being a Bladesinger.
The problem with being a Bladesinger is you're just being pulled in too many different directions. You'll need either Strength or Dexterity to wield your sword with any accuracy, and you'll also want Intelligence to cast spells with any efficacy. You also have dismal hit points compared with a real martial class, making you fragile and weak compared to something like a fighter or paladin.
11 Graviturgy Magic
Source |
Explorer's Guide to Wildemount |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Control the forces of attraction, bringing things together or pushing the apart while also making them heavier or lighter |
Compatible Feats |
Durable, Resilience |
Primary Feature |
Violent Attraction |
Being a wizard is all about understanding the fundamental forces that bind the universe together, and it doesn't get much more fundamental than gravity. Graviturgy mages know how to manipulate gravity, making objects seem lighter or heavier than they actually are. They can also use gravity to move creatures and objects to wherever they want.
Much of the Graviturgy mage's abilities are highly situational. Adjust Density is great if you want to steal a grand piano or drop it on someone's head, but otherwise, it's a mere parlor trick. You have to be very clever to get the most out of being a Graviturgy wizard.
10 School Of Enchantment
Source |
D&D Player's Handbook |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Split Enchantment, doubles your spell output with your best spells |
Compatible Feats |
Spell Sniper, Actor |
Primary Feature |
Instinctive Charm |
The wizard from the School of Enchantment can use enchantment magic to beguile your enemies. This is why it combines nicely with the Actor Feat. In practice, this usually means dazing them, casting multiple enchantments at once, and avoiding their hits in battle. Spell Sniper is helpful to organize your spells, which can be an issue with some Wizard subclasses.
One of the more interesting facets of the Enchantment wizard is how your charms give you some capacity for being the party's face. The only issue is you're charming your way through society, which might make you a few enemies along the way.
9 School Of Abjuration
Source |
D&D Player's Handbook |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Arcane Ward, grants you temporary hit points which greatly reduces your need for Constitution |
Compatible Feats |
Resilient, Durable |
Primary Feature |
Arcane Ward |
Abjuration wizards just say "no." You're better at countering your enemies than any other wizard, either by shutting down their spells or by using your Arcane Ward to protect your teammates from the big bad's huge ax.
Of all the wizard subclasses, the School of Abjuration wizard is the most capable in an intense combat situation. You still don't necessarily want to find yourself surrounded by kobolds, but you'll probably manage to get you and your party out alive.
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Source |
Xanathar's Guide to Everything |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Arcane Deflection, an early spell that improves your AC and gives a +4 to bonus saves |
Compatible Feats |
Durable, Resilient, War Caster |
Primary Feature |
Power Surge |
This subclass is very similar to the School of Abjuration, with less focus on protecting your teammates and more on dealing damage while not getting squished yourself. You get to take your turn early and deal damage before your enemies can react, then switch to a defensive position before they hit back.
The War Magic wizard is a kind of middle-ground between Evocation and Abjuration. You're highly effective in battle, but you shouldn't throw yourself into the thick of combat without a very good plan.
7 School Of Conjuration
Source |
D&D Player's Handbook, updated in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Conjuration, which includes teleportation and spells which summon or create objects |
Compatible Feats |
Ritual Caster, Resilient |
Primary Feature |
Focused Conjuration |
Do you want others to do your fighting for you? Well, you're already a squishy spellcaster, but if you want to take that to another level, Conjuration might be the school for you. Your low-level abilities are mundanely useful. They include the ability to conjure small useful objects and a short teleportation trick.
At higher levels, it is harder for your enemies to unsummon your creatures by breaking your concentration. Your summoned creatures also get tougher. It’s not a flashy subclass, but if you’re into that type of magic, and it fits with your backstory, it’s worth investing in.
6 School Of Necromancy
Source |
D&D Player's Handbook |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Animate Dead, in which your abilities either raise the dead or borrow hit points from living minions |
Compatible Feats |
Resilient, War Caster, Spell Sniper |
Primary Feature |
Undead Thralls |
The School of Necromancy is very similar to Conjuration. You raise undead minions that can fight for you--in this case, zombies and skeletons--and make them stronger.
What makes it a better minion-mancer than Conjuration is the fact that Animate Dead is not a concentration spell, leaving you free to summon an army of minions and deal powerful necrotic damage without missing a beat.
Your other abilities give you an advantage when fighting the undead, shielding you from their worst effects and even allowing you to turn them to your side. Just hope you don’t come across any clerics who have powers equal or greater than yours.
5 School Of Illusion
Source |
D&D Player's Handbook |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Improved Minor Illusion, an early spell that can be used in a wide variety of ways |
Compatible Feats |
Spell Sniper, Resilience |
Primary Feature |
Simulacrum |
School of Illusion is for the cleverest of wizards. You don't have the combat prowess of War Magic or Abjuration, and you don't have an army of minions like a Necromancer or Conjuration wizard. But you can fool your opponents into thinking you've got an army just as easily as you can trick your way past some guards.
The utility you offer a party is unparalleled, provided you can think of clever ways to trick people into seeing things that aren't really there. Or at least, are there for a very short period.
4 School Of Evocation
Source |
D&D Player's Handbook |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Sculpt Spells, which protects your companions from your ample airborne damage |
Compatible Feats |
Resilient, Durable |
Primary Feature |
Empowered Evocation |
Be honest, this is why everyone wants to become a Wizard. You want to throw fireballs at people. This is the subclass that lets you deal damage and then deal a lot more damage. This is the wizard class for a player who believes in the old adage, "Damage is king."
Wizards of the School of Evocation can even shape your area of effect spells so that they avoid damaging your allies – a useful ability for when they complain about how you keep setting off explosions in small rooms. After all, what’s the point of magical power if you can’t use it to vaporize your enemies?
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Source |
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Wizardly Quill, which reduces the usual requirement of a least two hours to copy a spell |
Compatible Feats |
Spell Sniper, Resilient |
Primary Feature |
Awakened Spellbook |
This is the spell school for those who have chosen a Wizard based on the sheer variety of spells that they can learn. Its main benefits include the ability to copy spells at a faster rate and cast more spells per day by using rituals.
The wide variety of spells you have at your disposal is useful with feats like Spell Sniper, which allow you to stack your spells and cast them in succession.
The fun part of being in the Order of Scribes is having an Awakened Spellbook, which sort of acts like a literary familiar. Your book can hear, has darkvision, and can act as a conduit for your spells to be cast from a different location. Just remember that your book is your best friend, so you'll want to avoid sending it into danger.
2 School Of Divination
Source |
D&D Player's Handbook |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Expert Divination, reduces the cost of casting Divination spells |
Compatible Feats |
Sentinel, War Caster |
Primary Feature |
Portent |
Students of the School of Divination are some of the most powerful wizards in D&D. The reason is simple: in a game where dice rolls determine everything, being able to load your dice can be the difference between victory and defeat.
Portent lets you take two d20s, roll them at the start of the day, and substitute those rolls for (almost) any roll made by yourself, a friend, or an enemy. Turn any hit into a miss, a miss into a hit, or ensure that desperately necessary skill check goes off without a hitch.
Later on, you even gain the ability to see into the Ethereal Plane or read any language. The utility offered by the School of Divination is without a doubt the most you'll find in D&D.
1 Chronurgy Magic
Source |
Explorer's Guide to Wildemount |
---|---|
Main Benefit |
Manipulate time by having friends or foes re-roll dice throws. |
Compatible Feats |
Spell Sniper, Resilience |
Primary Feature |
Convergent Future |
The only thing better than seeing into the future is being able to reshape the present. Chronurgy wizards can force a re-roll on any d20, once again changing the course of history to be in your favor whether that means turning a miss into a hit or a hit into a miss.
Later you can just place enemies into temporary stasis or lock one of your own spells into a mote of power, essentially giving you more spells than you'd otherwise have. Later still, you can just ensure success without even having to ask for a re-roll. That's on top of your usual assortment of potent spells that allow you to do virtually anything.