Gale -- Utility Wizard (Evocation 12)
Your Role: The party's arcane Swiss army knife. You have the biggest spell list in the game, the most spell slots, and Sculpt Spells so your Fireballs never hurt your own team. Crowd control, AoE damage, battlefield manipulation, and unique utility spells that no other class can provide.
At a Glance
Race: Human (Gale's default -- +1 to all stats, extra skill) Background: Sage (Arcana + History)
Stats (respec at Withers): STR 8 / DEX 14 / CON 16 / INT 17 / WIS 10 / CHA 8.
INT 17 is your primary stat. Use Hag Hair or ASIs to reach 20. Intelligence powers your spells. CON keeps Concentration spells up. DEX for AC with Mage Armor and Initiative.
Wizard superpower: You can copy spells from scrolls into your spellbook permanently. Buy every Wizard scroll you see from every vendor. By Act 3 you should know 50+ spells and can prepare the perfect loadout for any situation.
Level-by-Level
Level 1 -- Wizard 1
You gain:
- Arcane Recovery -- Restore spell slots once per day on short rest (up to combined 6th level). Essentially a free bonus spell slot per day.
- Proficiencies -- Light armor (if starting Wizard), daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaves, light crossbows. INT + WIS saving throws.
Cantrips (pick 3): Fire Bolt (1d10 ranged damage), Ray of Frost (1d8 cold + slow), Minor Illusion (stealth/bait utility)
Spellbook (start with 6): Shield (+5 AC reaction -- non-negotiable), Mage Armor (13+DEX AC = 15), Magic Missile (guaranteed damage, never misses), Find Familiar (summon an owl for the Help action = free Advantage for an ally), Thunderwave (knockback AoE), Sleep (early game powerhouse, falls off later)
Level 2 -- Wizard 2 (Evocation)
You gain:
- Sculpt Spells -- When you cast an Evocation spell (Fireball, Shatter, Ice Storm, Chain Lightning, etc.), choose allies in the AoE. They automatically succeed on their saving throw and take ZERO damage. You can drop Fireball directly on top of your Paladin and Karlach without hurting them. In an 8-person party where friendly fire is a constant risk, this is essential.
Learn 2 spells. Chromatic Orb (versatile elemental nuke), Grease (AoE prone zone, no Concentration)
Level 3 -- Wizard 3
2nd-Level Spells open up the toolkit.
Key spells to learn:
- Misty Step -- Bonus action teleport. Essential mobility.
- Web -- AoE restrain. Fantastic crowd control, Concentration.
- Scorching Ray -- 3 beams, 2d6 fire each. Good focused damage.
- Hold Person -- Paralyze humanoids. Melee hits auto-crit.
- Knock -- Open any locked door or chest. Saves Astarion's time.
- Detect Thoughts -- Unlock dialogue options. Great exploration utility.
Level 4 -- Wizard 4
You gain:
- Feat: +2 INT (17 -> 19). Or if you used Hag Hair to reach 18, take +2 INT to reach 20 now.
- Alternative: War Caster (Concentration Advantage), Resilient (CON)
- New cantrip
- Key spells: Mirror Image (3 decoy copies, no Concentration -- excellent defense), Phantasmal Force, Enlarge/Reduce
Level 5 -- Wizard 5
3rd-level spells change everything.
You gain:
- 3rd-Level Spell Slots
Key spells -- these are some of the most powerful in the game:
- Fireball -- 8d6 fire in a huge radius. With Sculpt Spells, allies in the blast take zero damage. Fire at will into melee without fear.
- Counterspell -- Reaction to negate an enemy spell. Essential from Act 2 onward. You and your Shadow Sorcerer should both have this.
- Haste -- Concentration. +2 AC, doubled movement, Advantage on DEX saves, extra Action for an ally. Your Sorcerer can Twin it, but having a backup Haste source in an 8-person party is invaluable.
- Hypnotic Pattern -- AoE WIS save or incapacitated. Ends entire encounters without dealing any damage.
- Slow -- AoE debuff: -2 AC, halved speed, targets can only use Action OR bonus action. Devastating against groups.
- Glyph of Warding -- Place trap glyphs. Sleep variant is top-tier CC.
Level 6 -- Wizard 6
You gain:
- Potent Cantrip -- When a creature succeeds on a saving throw against your cantrip, they still take half damage. Fire Bolt and Ray of Frost always do something now.
Key spells: Fly, Lightning Bolt (100-foot line, 8d6 lightning), Animate Dead (if nobody else has it)
Level 7 -- Wizard 7
4th-Level Spells open up even more powerful options.
Key spells:
- Wall of Fire -- Creates a fire wall dealing 5d8 per turn to enemies passing through or ending on one side. No save for initial damage. Incredible area denial.
- Greater Invisibility -- Concentration. Target is invisible and stays invisible even after attacking. Can't be targeted by single-target spells. Incredible offensive/defensive buff.
- Banishment -- Remove a creature from the fight (CHA save, Concentration). Emergency removal.
- Polymorph -- Turn an enemy into a sheep. Or turn a dying ally into a full-HP Giant Ape (157 HP). It's effectively 157 temp HP as an emergency heal.
- Ice Storm -- AoE damage + difficult terrain.
Level 8 -- Wizard 8
You gain:
- Feat: +2 INT to reach 20 (if not already there). 20 INT = +5 to spell save DC, spell attack rolls, and number of prepared spells.
- If already 20: Alert (+5 Initiative), War Caster, Lucky (3 rerolls/day)
- Key spells: Dimension Door (teleport yourself + one ally up to 152m), Stoneskin (physical damage resistance, Concentration)
Level 9 -- Wizard 9
5th-Level Spells. The game-changers.
Key spells:
- Wall of Force -- Creates an indestructible transparent wall or dome for 10 turns. Concentration. Nothing passes through it. Split enemy groups in half, trap ranged enemies inside a bubble while your melee handles the rest, or protect a chokepoint. Arguably the best crowd control spell in the game.
- Hold Monster -- Paralyze ANY creature type (not just humanoids). Paralyzed = auto-fail STR/DEX saves, Advantage for attackers, melee hits auto-crit.
- Conjure Elemental -- Summon a powerful elemental ally. Concentration.
- Telekinesis -- Move creatures and objects. Throw enemies off cliffs or into hazards.
- Cloudkill -- Repositionable poison AoE cloud.
Level 10 -- Wizard 10
You gain:
- Empowered Evocation -- Add your INT modifier (+5 at 20 INT) to the damage of Evocation spells. Fireball gets +5 flat damage. But the real power is Magic Missile: each dart does 1d4+1+5 = 8-10 damage. Three darts at 1st level = 24-30 guaranteed damage with no attack roll or save. Upcast for more darts.
- New cantrip
Level 11 -- Wizard 11
6th-Level Spells. The endgame power tier.
Key spells:
- Disintegrate -- 10d6 + 40 force damage (average 75). DEX save; on success, nothing happens (no half damage). If the target dies from this, completely destroyed (no Revivify). The delete button.
- Chain Lightning -- 10d8 lightning to a primary target, jumps to up to 3 additional targets for 10d8 each (DEX save for half). Massive multi-target nuke with Sculpt Spells protecting allies.
- Globe of Invulnerability -- Sphere where no spells of 5th level or lower can affect anything inside. Concentration. Makes your party immune to most enemy magic.
- Otto's Irresistible Dance -- No save. Force a creature to dance (incapacitated, Disadvantage on DEX saves, attackers have Advantage). Guaranteed one-round disable.
- Flesh to Stone -- Petrify a target over multiple failed saves.
Level 12 -- Wizard 12
You gain:
- Feat: Alert (+5 Initiative), Lucky, Tough (+24 HP), Spell Sniper (crit on 19-20 for spell attacks), or Resilient (WIS)
- Fill out your spellbook with anything you've missed from scroll copying.
Gear to Grab
Act 1
Bracers of Defence Where: Blighted Village, Apothecary cellar Why: +2 AC when not wearing armor. Stacks with Mage Armor = 17 AC. Best bracers until Act 3.
Warped Headband of Intellect Where: Dropped by Lump the Ogre in Blighted Village Why: Sets INT to 17. Useful early if you haven't respecced yet. Replaced once you naturally reach 20 INT.
Cloak of Protection Where: Goblin Camp, Shattered Sanctum (hidden room near Priestess Gut) Why: +1 AC, +1 all saves. Solid until Act 3.
Pearl of Power Amulet Where: Grymforge or vendors Why: Restore a spell slot per long rest. Free extra Fireball or Counterspell.
Ring of Protection Where: Various Act 1 vendors Why: +1 AC, +1 all saves. Stacks with Cloak of Protection.
Buy every Wizard scroll you see. Check every vendor. Copy them all into your spellbook. This is your unique advantage over Sorcerers.
Act 2
Spellcrux Amulet Where: Mind Flayer Colony (end of Act 2) Why: Restore one spell slot per long rest. Stacks with Arcane Recovery for extra slots every day.
Boots of Stormy Clamour Where: Gauntlet of Shar or Last Light Inn vendors Why: Applying conditions = Reverberation stacks on enemies (-1 attack/saves). Your AoE spells proc this constantly.
Act 3
Robe of the Weave Where: Sorcerous Sundries vault (portal puzzle behind Lorroakan's room) Why: +2 spell save DC, +2 spell attack rolls. This is YOUR robe. Your Shadow Sorcerer takes Potent Robe instead.
Staff of Spellpower Where: Dropped by Lorroakan if you fight him at Sorcerous Sundries Why: +1 spell save DC, +1 spell attacks, Arcane Battery (free spell 1/long rest). Your Sorcerer gets Markoheshkir; you get this. Still excellent.
Cloak of the Weave Where: Sorcerous Sundries vault Why: +1 spell save DC, +1 spell attacks, Absorb Elements reaction. With Robe of the Weave, that's +3 spell DC total from gear.
Quick Tips
Sculpt Spells is your party's safety net. Drop Fireball, Ice Storm, or Chain Lightning on clustered enemies even if allies are in the blast. Your allies auto-succeed and take zero damage.
Empowered Evocation + Magic Missile = guaranteed damage. Magic Missile never misses. At level 10, each dart does 1d4+6. Three darts = 24-30 guaranteed damage from a 1st-level slot. Upcast to 3rd level for 5 darts = 40-50 guaranteed.
Wall of Force wins fights. Split enemy groups in half, trap ranged enemies, protect chokepoints. Indestructible for 10 turns.
Counterspell everything. You and your Sorcerer should both have it. Two Counterspells = enemy casters can't function.
Polymorph is an emergency heal. Ally at 1 HP? Turn them into a Giant Ape (157 HP). When the form ends, they return to original HP.
Copy every scroll. By Act 3 you should know nearly every Wizard spell. Prepare the perfect loadout for each situation.
Party Gear Assignments
This build gets: Robe of the Weave, Cloak of the Weave, Staff of Spellpower, Bracers of Defence, Spellcrux Amulet
Passes to others:
- Markoheshkir -> Shadow Sorcerer. Staff of Spellpower is nearly as good.
- Potent Robe -> Shadow Sorcerer. Robe of the Weave is better for your role.
- Helm of Balduran -> Life Cleric. Backup: Hood of the Weave (+2 spell saves).
- Amulet of Greater Health -> Life Cleric. Backup: Spellcrux Amulet.
- Quickspell Gloves -> Death Domain Cleric. Backup: Daredevil Gloves.
- All martial gear -> Irrelevant to you.