Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is looking to be an exciting new chapter for adaptations of the tabletop franchise. The main villains of the movie seem to be the notorious Red Wizards of Thay, and their sinister magics could prove to be fatal for the bumbling party.
Of course, their displays of magical superiority might convince a few newbies to pick up Wizard. Though an intimidating class, they have access to the most spells out of any other. With that many options, it’s hard to know what’s essential. Thankfully, some reliable spells always pop up in these kinds of discussions.
Shield
This is the first and arguably most important spell that a “squishy” magic caster will have to take. Shield envelops the player in an invisible barrier of magical force. This barrier, used as a reaction after a hit, adds a +5 bonus to the Wizard’s AC. It also cancels out any damage from the magic missile spell.
The “reaction” part is crucial because it gives Wizards the ability to decide if they’ll risk the damage or just cancel it altogether. Shield is a spell that will never lose functionality even in the latest tier of the game. +5 AC could mean the difference between death and life when attacks are so deadly.
Detect Magic (Ritual)
Detect Magic allows the Wizard to sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of the source. Once magic is sensed, an Action can be used to see the faint aura of wherever whoever or whatever the magic is emanating from, and its school of magic can also be revealed. Handy for those that like Supernatural style detective work for their characters.
The magic cannot be sensed if it is behind 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood and dirt. Detect Magic is particularly useful for spotting traps, magic items, and other remnants of magic effects. A good DM will always reward the proper use of Detect Magic, and it doesn’t even cost a spell slot since it’s a ritual cast.
Find Familiar
Find Familiar gains the service of a spirit that takes an animal form of their choosing. The familiar will appear in an unoccupied space near the Wizard, and gain the statistics of the animal chosen, although it’s treated as either a Celestial, Fey or Fiend, depending on the player’s preference.
They are independent of the player, but will always obey their commands. It rolls its own initiative and turn, but cannot attack. Familiars are not only super cool companions to have, but they are also very good scouts. They can be used to sneak into small spaces, or even give a friendly Rogue advantage with the Help action.
Hypnotic Pattern
The classic spell that most casters will want is Fireball. It’s tempting, after all. It’s flashy, deals an incredible amount of damage, and best of all, that damage is towards entire hordes of enemies. However, the spell’s damage isn’t as significant once Tier 2 has been passed. In such cases, a more subtle area-of-effect spell is in order.
Hypnotic Pattern creates a twisting cube of colors in the air around an area. Creatures who look directly at the pattern while in the area must succeed a Wisdom saving throw or be incapacitated. This effect scales really well even in the later tiers. If the player’s party has tons of martials, this is a very good setup spell.
Polymorph
As seen with Hypnotic Pattern, disabling spells are incredibly powerful. Polymorph can transform a creature into a beast with an equal or lower Challenge rating than the target’s level. Unwilling creatures must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw. Shapechangers automatically succeed this.
Few things are more satisfying than, say, polymorphing the big scary ogre into a loveable sheep. The spells lasts for an hour (if concentration is unbroken) or the target dies. For the more creative wizards, they can even polymorph willing allies to become powerful creatures. Nobody ever expects the T-Rex strategy out of the nearly dying Rune Knight Fighter.
Web
Although not as flashy as Polymorph or Hypnotic Pattern, Web is one of the most reliable spells in the whole game. The Wizard conjures a 20-foot cube of thick and sticky webbing on top of an area., lasting up to an hour (or until the caster’s concentration is broken). Creatures in the cube at the start of each turn must succeed in a Dexterity saving throw or be restrained.
Restrained creatures can make a Strength check to escape, but must succeed Dex saving throws as long as they are in the webbed area. Best of all, it’s considered difficult terrain. It’s one of the most annoying spells to cast against enemies, and it can be combo-ed with a whole variety of spells. Grease for even more debuffs, or as a setup for Fireball in the next turn. There’s a reason why a certain Marvel superhero loves this ability.
Tiny Hut
Every party needs a rest, and they can’t well do it out in the open. Tiny Hut solves this issue by casting a 10-foot radius immobile dome of force around the caster. It lasts for 8 hours or until the caster leaves the area. Nine creatures of medium size or smaller can fit comfortably inside the dome.
All creatures not within the dome upon casting are barred from entering it. Spells and other magic cannot be cast through or at the dome either. It’s basically pure safety. Best of all, it can be ritual cast, leaving the Wizard plenty of spells slots left for other things they might need to prepare around the area before taking a long rest.
Misty Step
Misty Step is a simple but very powerful mobility spell. With a bonus action, the caster can teleport 30 feet to any unoccupied space that they can see. There’s a plethora of reasons for the scrawny Wizard caster to do this. For example, they find themselves surrounded by a bunch of tough enemies.
Perhaps a giant spider has successfully webbed them up. Maybe there’s a magical item on a balcony that seemingly has no other means of access. The power of Misty Step comes from the fact that it’s a bonus action. That gives Wizards some incredible versatility with their offense and defense.
Dimension Door
Of course, maybe the player needs to get more than just themselves out of a jam. Dimension Door, while costing an Action, is a much more potent means of teleportation. Dimension Door allows the caster to teleport 500 feet in any direction they can visualize or describe with a specific distance. They can carry objects up to their carry limit or another willing creature the same size as they are.
If the martial has taken a critical hit and is on the brink of unconsciousness, for example, Dimension Door can get both the caster and martial out of a jam. Perhaps the room has no windows to escape with Misty Step. Dimension Door could just teleport the player to the room prior. It’s a very good escape tool when things get too hectic.
Counterspell
This is one of the most powerful spells in the game, and Wizards get it relatively early. As a reaction, the caster can attempt to cancel the spell of another creature. If it was cast at a 3rd level or lower, then the spell’s effect immediately ends. If the spell is cast at a higher level, then the caster makes a spellcasting ability check against a DC of 10 + the spell’s level.
The spell can also be cast at a higher level spell slot to ensure a counter, even up to something like Wish. It’s self-explanatory why Counterspell is a must-have. A single spell could change the tide of battle. An errant Fireball, an attempt to Dominate, all of these could utterly destroy the Wizard’s party. With Counterspell, the dynamic isn’t shaken, especially useful when already winning.
