Orc Labs Podcast 39 – Talking with Treantmonk! 5E Wizards

featuring Steve & Chris

Hello orcs! We’re back. Our recent hiatus was both unplanned and unavoidable, but the siren’s song of RPG blogging and podcasting can be resisted for only so long. And don’t worry, we do have something to show for our time away.

Our very own Steve had a face to face (well… Skype conversation) with living legend Treantmonk! The famed author of D&D class guides took exception to some of our criticism of the Wizard class in 5E (http://orclabs.com/2015/05/18/orc-labs-podcast-35-dd-5e-crowd-control/), and was kind enough to tell us exactly where our playstyle had gone wrong. We went into this expecting to get schooled by the master himself… and he did not disappoint.

The major points:

4:12 – Single target lockdown is a brute force solution but often a risky proposition, and taking chances isn’t what a properly played wizard is about.

10:10 – Just like in past editions, proper spell selection is crucial.

10:44 – Mind the concentration! (Note: Chris later mentions getting out of melee combat by going invisible, but that, too, is a concentration effect. It’s a great option, but disruptive to the potential benefits a Wizard can provide to a party.)

10:56 – Alway always always plan out different spell action types and creative ways to maximize your use of the action economy. An effective wizard is an efficient wizard.

12:55 – Relying on cantrips is essential to making it to the end of the day.

14:21 – With a proper party complement, Minor Illusion is the single most overpowered cantrip in the game. Why? Saving against it requires an action. It can be used to give advantage to an ally and disadvantage to an enemy. And most importantly, you can cast it every single round.

22:43 – When the going gets rough, disengage and GTFO of dodge.

31:00 – Polymorph is all sorts of broken, which means a Wizard who can polymorph his squishy allies is broken, too.

34:55 – Don’t underestimate the potential utility of Portent, regardless of what you roll.

39:10 – Prepared casting is the new Easy Mode.

49:40 – Illusory Reality is the 14th level Wizard’s ascension to godhood.

Treantmonk 3.5 Guides:

http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1146876

Treantmonk Pathfinder Guides:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/extras/community-creations/treatmonks-lab

Treantmonk 5E Guides:

http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4209951

Orc Labs Podcast 36 – Double Episode! D&D 5e Unearthed Arcana and More!

Double the fun with this double episode! The gang (minus Tom) discusses the new D&D 5e Unearthed Arcana and more in this double feature.

Orc Labs Podcast 35 – D&D 5E Crowd Control!

5e spellcasters, still the masters of crowd control? Monks a good early option? How the power curve has changed for Wizards.

The Measure of a Hero: Intelligence

Forgetting to Remember to Learn with Your Brain

by Meorty Matt

Hey orcs. It’s been a while. Official splat material is starting to come out for 5th Edition, which will (hopefully) provide a fresh stream of relevant content for fans and critics alike. There are still some areas of core content that this blog has not examined in detail, however, and some of it raises Big Questions that haven’t really been answered… until now.

5th Edition D&D Limit Breaks, Part 3

How Far Is Too Far?

And How Far Is Not Far Enough?

Building a Better D&D Experience

by Meorty Matt

Anytime you pick up a game that involves pen & paper, dice, cards with a lot of words on them, or even a video game that grants you the freedom to build a character to your liking, there will come a moment when you have a clear choice. That is, a choice between doing what makes sense thematically (or flavor-wise) and doing what makes sense for your own self-interest. At the best of times, these two options will not be diametrically opposed or might actually be the same option. At the worst of times, extreme suspension of disbelief is required to continue without wanting to shout obscenities or throw something. What does any of this have to do with 5E?

5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons is not perfect. There, I said it.

Orc Labs Podcast 18 – D&D 5e Wizard (Master of the Arcane)!

Finally we discuss the Wizard, staple of fantasy RPG’s, and icon of Dungeons & Dragons. Playing a Wizard feels like being home to all of us at Orc Labs. We may stray into the other classes but we always return to the Wizard. No party feels complete without one. The Wizard.

Max Damage: Surprise Evoker

a 5th Edition D&D Build

by Steve & Matt

One of the key goals of any high damage build is that the character be able to quickly eliminate opponents with insurmountable damage. But what if an opponent has more hit points than the average goon? Especially at late levels, it behooves any character who relies on violent resolution of conflicts to be able to dispatch even the mightiest of foes as quickly as possible (preferably to the chagrin of the DM). One extreme example of this sort of ‘glass cannon’ is an Evocation Wizard with dips into Rogue and Sorcerer. 

Max Damage: Tempest Evoker

a 5th Edition D&D Build

by Steve & Matt

If you found the limitations of a single-classed Tempest Cleric to be frustrating, consider instead taking levels of Wizard with a limited dip into Cleric. Your character will have a much greater degree of flexibility when choosing their spells each day and the types of damage dealt by those spells. If you are committed to keeping high damage as your build’s focus, the natural choice of Wizard specialization is the School of Evocation.