Quick Links
Most Wizards inDungeons & Dragonsare intellectuals, but none get as far into their own heads as students of the School of Enchantment. In fact, these wizards are so cerebral that they easily get into the minds of others, hypnotizing them into immobility, making them forget recent events, or even tricking them into attacking their friends.
Studying at the School of Enchantment doesn’t mean you can’t take the direct approach and cast Fireball every now and again, but why bother defeating your enemies when you can trick them into beating themselves? If you’re a wizard who adheres to the adage of mind over matter, you’ve come to the right place.
School Of Enchantment Wizard Features
Enrolling in the School of Enchantment at level two begins with a number of perks. First,Enchantment Savantmakes it easier and cheaper to copy enchantment spells into your spellbook, andHypnotic Gazelets you hypnotize one creature you may see within five feet. If they fail their Wisdom saving throw, they become charmed, have their speed drop to zero, and are incapacitated.
you may use Hypnotic Gaze in combat to effectively remove an enemy from the fight, but it requires your action to maintain the charm effect, so it takes you mostly out of the fight too.
Instinctive Charmat level six provides a defensive reaction. Whenever a creature makes an attack against you within 30 feet, you can divert that attack to another creature you can see. The attacker makes a Wisdom saving throw, and if they fail, the attacker must instead target the creature closest to itself.
This ability can still cause an enemy to hit an ally if they’re the closest available target, so it’s still a good idea to place yourself far away from combat to avoid being hit in the first place.
Split Enchantmentat level 10 allows you to target two creatures with an enchantment spell that would normally only have a single target. Finally,Alter Memoriesat level 14 allows you to make a creature unaware that it’s being charmed whenever you cast an enchantment spell, and you can cause it to forget a number of hours equal to one plus your Charisma modifier if you so desire.
Best Species For A School Of Enchantment Wizard
Anyone can be a wizard, so feel free to play as any species and expect to be reasonably effective. There are a few species that offer benefits to wizards, however.Here are a few suggested speciesto get you started.
Autognome
Wizards have trouble getting armor class, so having abase 13 ACis a big deal.Built For Successgives you a d4 for a few rolls, andresistance to poisonandadvantage against being paralyzed and poisonedare good defensive buffs.
Dwarf
Hill dwarfwill give you someextra hit pointsper level, which can really help a wizard’s fragility.Mountain dwarfoffersmedium armor proficiency.
Fairy
Faerie Fireisn’t on the wizard spell list and can help your team find invisible creatures. Being able tofly without using a spell slotis great, but not crucial to your success as a wizard.Enlarge/Reduceis a nice spell to have too, but again, not crucial.
Githzerai
you’re able to generally learn all the spells taught throughGithzerai Psionics, but they’re still nice to have, and they free up your studies to focus on other enchantments.Mental DisciplineandPsychic Resiliencehelp keep your wizard safe from charms, fright, and psychic damage.
Goblin
Darkvision is always great, as isCharm resistanceand being able todisengage and hide as a bonus action.Fury of the Smallis a good way to shore up your damage.
Hadozee
Hadozee Dodgeis effectively like having more hit points, which is very helpful for a frail wizard.GlideandDextrous Feetare neat, but nothing you can’t get with spells.
Half-Elf
Half-elf offersthree stat boosts, which can be useful for a class that wants a slightly larger ability score than most wizards.Charm resistanceis nice to add to your wisdom saving throw, andDarkvisionandtwo more skill proficienciesare nice too.
Human
You could go standard human to havea lot of stats(could be helpful to keep your Constitution and Dexterity up), but you could also govariant human for a free starting feat. Medium Armor Mastery of Toughness could help here.
Kenku
Curiously, School of Enchantment wizards have to make more skill checks than other wizards to hit those charms. Kenku not only offers two skill proficiencies, butKenku Recallalso provides advantage on a check you are proficient in.MimicryandExpert Duplicationare less useful but still fun.
Owlin
Flying,Darkvision, andstealth proficiencyare always good things, although you could just turn into a mouse if you need to be stealthy.
Shifter
Another class that helps with hit points, going beast mode providestemporary hit points, potentialbonuses to your AC,movement speed, oradvantage on Wisdom saving throws.Darkvisionis always a plus.
Tortle
Having17 armor classis probably better than most wizards will ever get, even with Mage Armor. Being able tohold your breathis also useful for underwater campaigns, but hardly crucial.
Best Ability Scores For A School Of Enchantment Wizard
Your spells are your life, and those areempowered by your Intelligence. Focus on bringing this ability score to 20 as soon as possible.
Constitution and Dexterity are nextin line. Constitution helps with your concentration saving throws (a common problem with enchantment spells) and hit point total, while Dexterity provides you with some armor class.
StrengthandWisdomcan be safely ignored, but Alter Memories actually requires a Charisma check to work. If you find yourself the face of the party,consider throwing a few points into Charisma.
If you’re using D&D’s point buy system,a good starting ability score spreadmight look something like this:
8(-1)
14(+2)
16(+3)
12(+1)
Best Starting Equipment For A School Of Enchantment Wizard
With a focus on magic, wizards don’t start with much in terms of equipment. A quarterstaff will deal more damage than a dagger, but you’re not likely to have much strength to wield it effectively.Pick the dagger, but use it as a last resort.
Focus on your spellsinstead of weapons. We’ll talk spells in the next section below.
An arcane focus is way more convenientthan a component pouch, so pick that.A scholar’s packand an explorer’s pack offer some provisions, but neither will give you everything you need to immediately start adventuring.Pick the scholar’s pack for the ink and parchment, but prepare to spend some money on a bedroll.
Your spellbook is your most important possession. Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
Best Spells For A School Of Enchantment Wizard
Your spells are your most important resource as a School of Enchantment wizard. You’re likely to pick up a lot of them over the course of your campaign.Here are a few spells to keep an eye out for, or spells that you should choose whenever you level up.
Try to get the most out of yourEnchantment Savantfeature bypaying to learn those spellsand learn other spells through leveling up.
