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If you’ve ever played an illusionist inD&D, you know that this is the subclass that lets your imagination run wild. Anything you can imagine can be made real–or at least, made to seem real, which opens up entire avenues of gameplay. InBaldur’s Gate 3, wizards of the School of Illusion don’t have quite as many options, but you’re still able to trick your way past a few guards to get to places you shouldn’t.
Sadly, the School of Illusion doesn’t provide much else for a game as combat-focused as Baldur’s Gate 3. If you’re looking to challenge yourself and your knowledge of this game’s mechanics, then get ready to twiddle your fingers to trick your way to success.
4 plus Constitution modifier
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence
Students of the School of Illusion arethe subtlest of all wizards. You don’t have the explosive power of evocationists, you’re able to’t summon an undead army like a necromancer, and you don’t get visions of the future like a Divination wizard. All you have areslightly better illusionsand the ability tosee illusions once per short rest.
School of Illusion wizards are probably the hardest wizard subclass to play. Your abilities are generally less impactful and more difficult to use than other wizard subclasses.Don’t play this subclass unless you’re looking for a challenge.
If you’re playing an illusionist,it’s recommended to have a very strong team to support you. A good rogue is especially helpful as your Minor Illusion cantrip can distract enemies to allow your rogue to Sneak Attack more often. Even without a rogue, a good illusion can sometimes pull aggro off your tank or let you sneak past a guard.
And if those illusions fail,you’re still a wizard. You canstill cast Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and Disintegrateto turn your enemies into dust. Illusionists would probably prefer to avoid such explosive displays of power, however, so maybe keep those spells as a last resort. Subtlety is this subclass’s watchword.
One excellent tactic isusing your Minor Illusion to gather enemies togetherto prepare for a area-of-effect spell like Fireball. Enemies will typically investigate the illusion, getting them all to group up.
8(-1)
14(+2)
16(+3)
10(0)
You’re a wizard. Magic is what you do, andIntelligenceis what makes all your spells better. The more you have, the more spells you can have prepared and the stronger they’ll be. Expect topush your Intelligence to 20 as soon as possible.
Constitution is at 16to help give you a decent buffer of hit points and to ensure your ability to maintain concentration on your spells.Dexterity is at 14to provide some armor class alongside your Mage Armor spell.
Strength, Wisdom, and Charismaaren’t really necessary for the build. Wisdom and Charisma are at 10 just to avoid negative modifiers, while Strength is at 8 as the bare minimum required to make certain jumps.
Illusion wizards are able to transcribe illusion spells for half the price, so focus on taking the highest-level non-illusion spells with each level up. This will save you gold in the long run, and illusion spell scrolls are fairly easy to find.
If you’re playing an Illusion wizard, you’re going to want options. Your spells at level one provide defensive options inShieldand MageArmor, control options likeTasha’s Hideous LaughterandFog Cloud, andMagic Missilefor some guaranteed damage.Disguise Selfis there to give you some unique conversation and social options, and because you really can’t call yourself an illusionist without it.
Cantrips include standbysFire Boltfor ranged damage,Mage Handfor grabbing things that are far away, andFriendsto get past conversation checks. You might be wondering whereMinor Illusionwent—don’t worry, an improved version of this staple cantrip comes at level two.
Also at level two,Ice Knifeprovides another ranged damage option with some crowd control baked in, andLongstriderimproves the movement speed of your entire team. Invisibility makes you tricky to spot at level three, andScorching Rayis just an incredible damage spell that every wizard should have.
Moving to level four bringsBlade Wardas a defensive cantrip,Misty Stepto get you out of sticky situations, andMirror Imageto make it even harder for enemies to target you.FireballandCounterspellat level five are two must-have wizard spells, and level six bringsHasteandHypnotic Pattern.
Simply put, you’re going to need some help at higher levels.Conjure Minor Elementalat level seven andConjure Regular Elementalat level nine let you spend spell slots to get that help.Greater Invisibilitylets you hide your entire team, andDimension Doorlets them escape.Phantasmal Killeris a great single-target save-or-suck spell that you’ll want placed on whatever big bad needs killin'.
Back at level nine,Dominate Persontheoretically adds another party member to your group. Another cantrip at level 10 can bePoison Sprayor whatever other cantrip you prefer.Hold MonsterandCone of Coldare great debuff and damage spells, respectively, but not as good asDisintegrateandOtto’s Irresistible Danceat level 11.
Level 12 bringsChain LightningandGlobe of Invulnerability. The first is just for more damage and the second keeps with the somewhat more defensive nature of an Illusion wizard.
Your feats shouldget Intelligence to 20 as soon as possibleand then selectWarcasterat level 12 to ensure your concentration spells continue after taking damage.
Best Races For A School Of Illusion Wizard
If you want to be a stealthy illusionist, you really can’t go wrong with wood elf. That said, most races provide something to this build, sowe’ve ranked the best races in the table belowbased on what they bring.
Elf
Wood elf is probably the best option for an illusionist. You’ve gotsword and bow proficiencies,stealthandperceptionproficiencies,extra movement speed,resistance to charm and sleep effects, anddarkvision. High elf is good for the extra cantrip, but you may prefer stealth proficiency for being a sneaky wizard.
Half-Elf
If you may’t be an elf, be a half-elf. You getmost of the benefits of being an elf, but instead of bow and sword proficiencies, you havelight armor,shield, andspear proficiencies. Half woof elf or drow are your best choices here.
Human
You still havelight armor,shield, andspear proficiencies, but instead of the elf stuff, you geta skill proficiencyof your choice and25 percent more carrying capacity(which can come in handy given your low Strength score).
Drow
Rapierandhand crossbow proficiencies are less helpful than shortbow from elf or shield from half-elf, but you do get a number of good spells (Fairie Fire,Dancing Lights, andDarkness) as well asSuperior Darkvision.
Halfling
Lightfoot halflingprovidesadvantage on stealth rollsmaking it the sneakiest way to be the sneakiest wizard.Halfling Luckis just always good, andadvantage against being frightenedis also pretty great.
Gnome
Gnome Cunning(which provides advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws) makes you surprisingly difficult to hit with magic, andDeep Gnomegets bothSuperior Darkvisionandadvantage on stealth checks. Almost as good as halfling.
Githyanki
Lightandmedium armour proficienciescan be helpful if you want to play dangerously close to the front lines, but you won’t get the magic boosts you would from wearing robes.Astral Knowledgeis a great way to shore up missing skill proficiencies, and gainingMage Hand,Enhance Leap, andMisty Stepfrees up your spell book to prepare other spells.
Dwarf
Theaxe and hammer proficienciesare worthless for a wizard.Shield dwarfgetslightandmediumarmour proficiency, whilegold dwarfgetsmore hit points. Yourbest option here is duergar, which providescharm, paralysis, and illusion resistance,Superior Darkvision, and both theEnlargeandInvisibilityspells. All dwarfs getpoison resistance.
Tiefling
Fire resistanceandDarkvisionare nice to have, but the spells you get aren’t too useful.The best is Asmodeus Tiefling, but Fire Bolt is better thanProduce Flame,Hellish Rebukeconflicts with Shield, andDarknessand Fog Cloud perform similarly.
Half-Orc
You won’t be attacking with a melee weapon, soSavage Attacksdoes nothing.DarkvisionandRelentless Enduranceare nice, but your low Charisma score makes intimidation proficiency less useful.
Dragonborn
Yourbreath weaponis typically worse than your magic, andone damage resistanceisn’t enough to catch up with every other race above it.
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
Disintegrating Night Walkers
You cannot be enwebbed, entangled, or ensnared, and you’re able to’t slip on ice or grease. Cast Misty Step at second level once per short rest.
+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
In the early game, attempt to boost your spell save DC to be as high as possible so your illusions are harder to see past.The Protecty Sparkswall,The Shadespell Circlet, andMelf’s First Staffall boost spell save DC and can be grabbed well before the end of Act 1.
Daredevil Glovesimprove your spell attack rolls and make it so you don’t need to worry about using a ranged spell (like Fire Bolt) while in melee combat. Sadly, you won’t get anyLightning Chargesto get more armor class out of The Protecty Sparkswall, butDisintegrating Nightwalkersprotect you from most movement debuffs and also provide a free Misty Step.
If you don’t have armor or shield proficiencies,Bracers of Defencecan help boost your armor class and might be more useful than Daredevil Gloves.
Pearl of Power Amuletprovides an extra spell slot of third level or lower, andRing of Protectionprovides some AC and improved saving throws. TheFetish of Callarduran Smoothhandsis a free Invisibility, which saves you a second-level spell slot.
If you’re an elf with bow proficiency,Bow of Awarenessgives you a +1 initiative modifier that will often have you going first in combat. If you went human or half-elf, theSafeguard Shieldwill provide extra armor class and +1 to all saving throws.
What really sets this wizard subclass apart is how you play it.Try to use Minor Illusion wherever possible, whether in combat or to distract enemies just before combat to group enemies together for a Fireball.
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.
Shifting Corpus Ring
Cast Invisibility or Blur at level two once per long 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 can 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.
The late-game setup is probably no surprise to magic users. You’ve got theHood,Cloak, andRobe of the Weaveproviding an enormous bonus to spell attack and spell save DC, which is further augmented byHelldusk Gloves,Markoheshkir, andKetheric’s Shield(if you’re proficient).
BothSpellcrux AmuletandMarkoheshkirprovide you with two free spell slots of any level you choose, andShifting Corpus Ringprovides a free Invisibility and Blur.Ring of Protectionremains useful throughout the game and is hard to replace.
Helldusk Bootswill help you succeed in saving throws using your reaction, prevent you from being forcibly moved, and provide a lovely teleport ability when you need it. However, don’t expect much from that fire explosion as you should typically be teleporting away from melee combat rather than toward.
For those who chose wood elf as their race (and you really should), theDarkfire Shortbowprovides both fire and cold resistance alongside a free Haste. It’s incredible even if you never fire it in anger.
Until you find the Hood of the Weave, theFistbreaker Helmis a decent alternative available in Act 2.
