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Whether you’re playing D&D,Baldur’s Gate 3, or some other RPG, you always want your skill checks to go your way. Anything that you can do to turn randomness into a sure thing is worth building into, and no wizard subclass tries to tilt the scales of fate in their favor like students of the School of Enchantment.
Enchantments are all about turning enemies into friends, slathering beasts into immobile puppies, and deadly demons into dancing fools. You can also use your mental powers to ensure your success in convincing someone to do exactly what you want. If you’re ready to blow some minds, then it’s time to enroll in the School of Enchantment.
4 plus Constitution modifier
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence
A School of Enchantment wizard isall about the save-or-suck spells. These spells can completely remove an enemy from combat, or they can ensure your success on certain speech checks. Being an enchanter means never needing to worry about a Charisma-based roll so long as you’ve got spell slots to burn.
Upon enrolling in the School of Enchantment at level two, you’ll learn theHypnotic Gazeability. This ability can completely incapacitate a target in combat provided they fail their Wisdom saving throw. Out of combat, you’ll be given advantage on dialog ability checks.
Hypnotic Gaze is more powerful in combat, so try to use it as a combat ability more than a conversation ability.
At level six,Instinctive Charmgives you a reaction ability that forces an enemy to target someone else if they fail their Wisdom saving roll. It’s not a bad way to force an opponent to target your tank, but it’s not nearly as potent as Level 10’sSplit Enchantment, whichlets you target two creatures with an enchantment spelleven if it normally could only target one.
Split Enchantment really defines the class. Being able to cast Hold Monster on two enemies at once can totally change the balance of certain combat encounters. You won’t be doing a lot of damage, however, so make sure your companions can pick up the slack.
8(-1)
14(+2)
16(+3)
10(0)
You can’t get into someone else’s head without being smarter than they are.Intelligenceis at 16 to ensure a+3 to your spell save DC. We’ll be maxing this out at 20 as soon as possible to verify your enchantment spells land.
Constitution is also at 16to provide a decent hit point buffer and to ensure your concentration spells don’t immediately fail as soon as you take damage.Dexterity is at 14to provide some additional armor class alongside Mage Armor. You’ll be decent with a bow, but you should use cantrips like Fire Bolt for ranged damage.
Strength,Wisdom, andCharisma can all be largely ignored. Strength is at 8 to provide a minimum jumping distance required for certain parts of the game, but you can augment that with Enhance Leap as necessary. Charisma and Wisdom are at 10 just to avoid negative modifiers on saving throws.
Enchantment wizards are able to transcribe enchantment spells for half the price, so focus on taking the highest-level non-enchantment spells with each level up. This will save you gold in the long run, and enchantment spell scrolls are fairly easy to find.
Thebuild focuses on making your spell save DC as high as possible, and as such, will focus on spells that require opponents to make saving throws.Tasha’s Hideous Laughteris one of the better ones at level one, andCharm Personis useful throughout your playthrough to charm unsuspecting NPCs (and should be used over Hypnotic Gaze wherever possible).Magic Missiledoesn’t require an attack roll, making it an excellent source of guaranteed damage, andShieldandMage Armorprovide useful defenses.
Fire Boltmight seem an odd choice given the focus on saving throw spells, but there’s just no denying the usefulness of being able to light fires at will.Friendsis a great way to save yourself from spending a spell slot onCharm Personin the early game, and Mage Hand is helpful for several side quests.
To help with damage, level two bringsThunderwaveandIce Knife, both spells requiring a save and dealing out excellent damage that scales. At level three,Hold Personprovides yet another excellent save-or-suck spell, andScorching Rayis just an excellent damage spell that every wizard should take.
Level four bringsPoison Sprayas a cantrip to use at close range, whileMisty Stepand Invisibility are two utility spells that no wizard should be without.FireballandCounterspellare likewise two must-have spells at level five, whileHasteandGlyph of Wardingarrive at level six.
Level seven bringsConjure Minor Elementalto increase your damage output andConfusionfor AoE crowd control.Banishmentmight not be an enchantment spell, but it’s an excellent spell with a saving throw that can turn the tide of battle.Dimension Dooris more for convenience than anything else.
At level nine, grabHold MonsterandDominate Person. These two spells will form the core of your high-level enchantments and should be used against bosses and high-level threats. Level 10 bringsConjure Elemental, another great way to boost your damage in longer fights, andCone of Coldfor cases where your enemies fill a cone.Minor Illusionis a fun cantrip to have, but you may replace it with whatever you prefer.
Level 11 bringsOtto’s Irresistible DanceandDisintegrate, whileChain LightningandFlesh to Stoneround out your spells at level 12. Level 12 also brings theWarcasterfeat, which helps you maintain your concentration on spells likeOtto’s Irresistible DanceandDominate Person.
Best Races For A School Of Enchantment Wizard
Several races provide beneficial bonuses to a School of Enchantment wizard. Below we have thepotential races ranked best to worst.
Half-Elf
All the benefits of human and elf in one place. You get thelight armorandshield proficiencyof being part human, and either theskills or magic or being an elfdepending on your particular flavor.High elf ordrow provide the mostbenefits here with additional spells.
Human
Humans are next best to half-elves.Light armorandshield proficiency,25 percent more carrying capacity(handy when you’re a frail wizard), and askill proficiencyof your choice.
Elf
Go high elfand you get afree cantrip. Gowood elfand you getfaster movementandStealth proficiency. Both haveDarkvision,Perceptionproficiency,advantage against being charmed,andimmunity to sleep. You also getshortbow proficiency, which can provide some useful buffs even if you never fire a shot with them.
Drow
Drow provides several spells, includingFaerie Fire,Dancing Lights, andDarkness. You also have the samecharm and sleep advantagesas regular elves,Perception proficiency, andsuper Darkvision. The weapon proficiencies aren’t particularly helpful.
Dwarf
You’ve got a few options here.Shield dwarfofferslight and medium armor,gold dwarfoffersmore hit points, but thebest is probably Duergarforadvantage against illusions, charm, and paralysis effects,Superior Darkvision, and both theEnlargeandInvisibilityspells.
Githyanki
Githyanki offers bothlightandmedium armor,Astral Knowledgefor whatever skill you need at the time, and all ofMage Hand,Enhance Leap, andMisty Step. Not bad overall.
Gnome
Forest gnomeoffersSpeak with Animals, although you can get that from alchemy.Rock GnomeoffersHistory Expertise, andDeep GnomeoffersSuperior Darkvisionandadvantage on Stealth rolls. All three haveadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws, which can be very helpful.
Halfling
Halfling Luckhelps avoid critical failures, but it’s not a guarantee of success. Bravery providesadvantage against being Frightened, and then you have your choice ofadvantage on Stealth rollsor against being poisoned. Both are fine.
Tiefling
Tiefling offersfire resistance,Darkvision, anda few spells, althoughthose spells aren’t the best for a wizard. Asmodeus offers Produce Flame, Hellish Rebuke, and Darkness, but you’ve already got a better cantrip in Fire Bolt and Hellish Rebuke is competing with Shield.
Half-Orc
Savage Attacksonly works with melee weapons, which you won’t be using.Relentless Enduranceis nice, but ideally, you’re staying out of direct combat.Darkvisionis fine, butIntimidation proficiencyisn’t all that useful given your lack of Charisma.
Dragonborn
You getone elemental damage resistanceanda breath weapon, which is generally worse than your spells.Don’t pick Dragonbornunless you’re looking for a challenge.
Cloak
The Shadespell Circlet
+1 to spell save DC when casting spells from within shadow or while obscured.
Amulet
The Protecty Sparkswall
+1 to spell save DC. Gain +1 to AC and all saving throws so long as you have Lightning Charges.
Pearl of Power Amulet
Restores a spell slot of third level or lower once per long rest.
Ring #1
Daredevil Gloves
+1 to spell attack rolls. Ranged spell attacks are made as melee attacks to adjacent creatures.
Ring #2
The Watersparkers
Standing in water electrifies it. If you start your turn on an electrified surface, gain three Lightning Charges.
+1 to AC and all saving throws.
Off-Hand Melee Weapon
Melf’s First Staff
1d6 + 1 bludgeoning damage. +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. Cast Melf’s Acid Arrow at second level once per long rest.
Bow of Awareness(if proficient)
None
N/A
It’s hard to raise your spell save DC at early levels, but this build manages to increase it by three so long as you’re in shade thanks to theShadespell Circlet.Melf’s First Staffadds to both spell save DC and spell attack rolls, and TheProtecty Sparkswallis there mostly for the additional spell save DC. That said, the build suggestsThe WatersparkersandThe Sparkswallto gain a little more armor class whenever you stand in water.
Daredevil Glovesadd to spell attack rolls, but that at least makes your Fire Bolt a little more accurate.Pearl of Powerprovides you with a spell slot, andRing of Protectionadds to saving throws and armor class. If you have shield proficiency (which you should if you chose half-elf as your race), then theSafeguard Shieldadds more armor and +1 to all saving throws.
Bow of Awarenessis there strictly to provide an additional +1 to initiative rolls. If you’re not proficient due to not picking elf or half-elf as your race, you can just leave this slot empty to save weight.
Early bossesshould be hit with Tasha’s Hideous Laughter or Hold Person, while therest of your party deals damage.
Hood of the Weave
+2 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls.
Cloak of the Weave
+1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls, cast Absorb Elements once per short rest.
Robe of the Weave
+2 to AC. +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. Whenever you succeed in a saving throw against a spell, regain 1d6 hit points.
Spellcrux Amulet
Replenish an expended spell slot as a bonus action once per long rest.
Helldusk Gloves
+1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. +1 Strength saving throws. Weapon attacks deal an additional 1d6 fire damage, unarmed attacks deal an additional 1d6 necrotic damage and can inflict bleeding. Cast Rays of Fire as a cantrip once per short rest.
Helldusk Boots
You cannot be forcibly moved. When you fail a saving throw, use your reaction to succeed once per long rest. As a bonus action, teleport up to 60 feet once per short rest and deal 2d8 fire damage in a 10ft radius.
Markoheshkir
1d6 +2 bludgeoning damage. +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. Cast one spell without using a spell slot once per long rest. Cast Kereska’s Favour once per short rest.
Ketheric’s Shield(if proficient)
+2 AC, +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. you’re able to use your reaction to knock a melee attacker prone unless they succeed on a Dexterity saving throw. Advantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Off-Hand Ranged Weapon
Darkfire Shortbow(if proficient)
1d6 + 2 piercing, gain resistance to fire and cold damage. Cast Haste at level three once per long rest.
Once we reach the late game, theCloak,Hood, andRobe of the Weaveprovide a massive bonus to spell save DC, which theHelldusk GlovesandMarkoheshkirfurther enhance. They do other things too; Cloak of the Weave lets you cast Absorb Elements, and Helldusk Gloves comes with a free Scorching Ray, but we only really care about boosting that sweet spell save DC.
For jewelry, theOrphic Ringgives us a free Confusion, andRing of Protectionremains from the early build to add a bit more protection.Spellcrux Amuletis way better than the Pearl of Power and is a strict upgrade.Helldusk Bootsdon’t add to your AC or spell save DC, but they do give you a bonus-action teleport and can help you succeed on any saving throw you fail.
Shield-proficient players will benefit fromKetheric’s Shieldfor yet more spell save DC, and bow-proficient players will gain both fire and cold resistance as well as a free Haste from theDarkfire Shortbow. Of the two, Ketheric’s Shield will probably help the most, so it’s best to go with human or half-elf as your race.
Late-game combat encounterswill likelystart with either Hold Monster or Dominate Personand then follow that up with either Conjure Elemental (for longer encounters) or Disintegrate (for shorter ones).
