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Of all the wizard subclasses inDungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, students of the School of Abjuration are the most defensive. Ask them about their day and they’re likely to overreact with magical wards, shield spells, and maybe a counterspell or three.
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But being a little overprotective can be very helpful when you’re a wizard. With so few hit points, wizards have to be careful. Thankfully, School of Abjuration wizards can afford to be a little more adventurous thanks to their magical wards and protective abilities. Here’s how you can feel safe by playing a School of Abjuration wizard.
School Of Abjuration Wizard Features
You may enroll in the School of Abjuration starting at level two. Once you choose to study abjuration as your specific magical field, you become anAbjuration Savant, halving the time and gold cost required to copy an abjuration spell into your spell book.
You also learnArcane Wardat level two. This magical barrier provides you with temporary hit points equal to twice your wizard level plus your Intelligence modifier whenever you cast an abjuration spell of first level or higher.
These temporary hit points last until you finish a long rest. Once reduced to zero, yourArcane Ward can regain hit points by casting an abjuration spell. The number of hit points is twice the spell’s level.
At sixth level,Projective Wardallows you to use your reaction to have your Arcane Ward absorb damage taken by a creature you see within 30 feet of you.
Improved Abjurationat level 10 lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks related to casting an abjuration spell (such as counterspell or dispel magic).
Finally, at level 14,Spell Resistanceprovides you with advantage on saving throws against spells and resistance to spell damage.
Best Species For A School Of Abjuration Wizard
With a wide variety of spells at your disposal, a wizard can be any species and still be effective. But there are a few species that help mitigate the limitations of being a wizard better than others.Here are a few suggested speciesfor a School of Abjuration wizard.
Autognome
Wizards don’t get armor proficiency, so having aninnate armor class of 13is pretty great.Built for Successcan help ensure your spells go off without a hitch, andHealing Machineworks well for a class that can learn Mending quite easily.
Dwarf
Hill dwarvesgetextra hit pointsat every level, which can really help with how fragile wizards are.Mountain dwarfgives you some much-neededarmor proficiencies.
Eladrin
School of Abjuration wizards are tougher than most wizards, which helps make an offensiveFey Stepmore viable.Perception proficiency,Darkvision, andcharm resistanceare all nice perks.
Fairy
Flyingis always nice to have innately.Faerie Fireisn’t on the wizard spell list and is a very useful utility spell.DruidcraftandEnlarge/Reducearen’t quite as useful, but still nice to have.
Githzerai
Mage Hand,Shield, andDetect Thoughtsare all spells you could already learn, but they still free up some spell slots for other spells.Advantage against being charmed or frightenedandpsychic resistanceare also nice.
Goblin
Fury of the Smallboosts your spell attack damage, andNimble Escapelets you disengage or hide as a bonus action.Charm resistanceandDarkvisionare good too.
Hadozee
Hadozee Dodgereduces the damage you take, which is like having even more temporary hit points than Arcane Ward already provides. Agliding speedandDextrous Feetare neat, but not super useful for wizards.
Human
Variant human lets youstart the game with a free feat. ConsiderResilientorMedium Armor Masterto help shore up your defenses.
Owlin
Maybe not quite as good as being a fairy, but you canfly, you cansee really well in the dark, and you havestealth proficiency.
Tortle
Having anarmor class of 17without any armor can go a long way to making your School of Abjuration wizard feel like a tank.Shell Defenseis even better than taking the Dodge action, and being able tohold your breath for an houris a cool party trick.
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Best Ability Scores For A School Of Abjuration Wizard
Like all wizards, students of the School of Abjurationmostly want Intelligence and Constitution. Dexterity is nice to help with your armor class, but it’s a tertiary consideration at best.Strength,Wisdom, andCharisma can all be safely ignored.
If you’re using D&D’s point buy system,a decent starting ability score spreadfor a School of Abjuration wizard might look something like this.
8(0)
14(+2)
16(+3)
10(0)
Best Starting Equipment For A School Of Abjuration Wizard
Most of what you do will come from your spells, so a quarterstaff or dagger is strictly your backup weapon. Aquarterstaff deals more damage, so pick that.
Anarcane focusis way more convenient than a component pouch, so pick that for your spellcasting.
Ascholar’s packcan help you record spells for your spellbook right away, while anexplorer’s packwill give you torches, a bedroll, and rations. Either way, you’ll need to spend money to give you what the other doesn’t sopick whichever one you want.
Your spellbook is your most precious item. Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
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Best Spells For A School Of Abjuration Wizard
Your spells are your life as a wizard. While abjuration spells are going to be your most important ones, there are other spells that every wizard should know.Here are some suggested spellsto throw in your spellbook first.
Ninth Level
By far, your most important spells will beAbsorb Elements,Shield,Counterspell, andDispel Magic. These spells will keep your Arcane Ward feature full of hit points, and you’ll be the best counterspeller at level 10 thanks to Improved Abjuration.
Best Feats For A School Of Abjuration Wizard
Unless you play as a variant human, you’re not likely to even consider feats until much later in your campaign. But when you do, here area few that might be worth it for a School of Abjuration wizard.
Artificer Initiate
Most artificer spells are available to wizards, butCure Woundsisn’t. Be your party’s healer with this feat.
Lucky
Lucky islike having inspirationall the time. Always a great feat for any class.
Resilient
Gain an ability score increase and proficiency in that ability score’s saving throw. Great way toget proficient Constitution saving throws.
Telekinetic
Yes, you may already learn Mage Hand, but this frees up a cantrip and also providesa useful bonus actionin combat when you’re not throwing up Shields or Counterspells.
Medium Armor Master
Wear medium armor. Have some armor class. Your wizard will thank you.
Metamagic Adept
Learning some tricks from the Sorcerer can help in a number of different ways. ConsiderQuickenedorEmpowered Spellto get the most out of this feat.
