Wizard is one of the classes that has seen the biggest change in the remastered version ofSecond Edition Pathfinder. The starting subclasses based around the schools of magic have been completely removed, along with the division of magic into those eight categories.
The new wizard subclasses are based around a different set of themes, focusing on different disciplines of using arcane power such as written magic, battle magic, or civil engineering. The shake-up to the subclasses, along with changes to mechanics such as spell proficiency and focus points open the door to some new ways of building the wizard.
Best Attribute Modifiers For A Wizard
Intelligence is the lynchpin of wizardryand gives you a lot of starting utility by giving you a broad selection of skills and languages. Your other attributes will vary depending on how you want your wizard to progress over time.
Ancestries And Backgrounds
Ancestries and backgrounds that offer an intelligence boost make for good wizards. Elf is the classical option, butthe flaw in constitution provides a risk. The Ancient Elf heritage lets youbegin with a multiclass dedication, getting a head start on archetype feats if you play with that variant ruleset.For a pure wizard, the Sprite heritage offers the exact spread you’re looking for, with boosts in dexterity and intelligence but a flaw in strength.
If the ancestry you want to play has an intelligence flaw, you caninstead take alternative boosts in intelligence and dexteritywith no flaw but no third boost.
Backgrounds have versatility, as most provide one free boost that ensures you gain the +4 intelligence expected of a first-level wizard. Backgrounds that offer intelligence and another free boost are also a good option and often give features a wizard would enjoy having:
Use your intelligence to gather information about magical factions
Barrister
An unusual option, but it gives you legal lore as a skill. While you should never represent yourself in court, this canhelp if a party member ends up on the wrong side of the law.
Academy Dropout
This sets up the narrative perfectly for a first-level wizard taking up the adventuring life.The dubious knowledge feat becomes more useful as your system masteryincreases, and you can better discern what information is liable to be true and what your character is probably misremembering.
Amnesiac
A fun but rare background (requiring special permission from your GM), this special background gives you three attribute boosts of your choice, but the GM chooses where to place the third.
Best Spell Schools In Pathfinder 2E Remastered
The wizard subclasses have been reworked due to the shift away from magic having firm schools and each spell falling into exactly one category. The new subclasses, still called schools, are instead disciplines of practice thatrepresent how a wizard might apply themselves. Each school gives acurriculum, a list of spells that their wizards can learn more frequently. You gain one extra curriculum spell per rank, along with two first-rank spells and a cantrip. Each subclass gains two focus spells, with the second being gated behind a class feat.
Focus Spells
Ars Grammatica
The school of Ars Grammatica is the Latin club of Pathfinder’s wizarding world. Themed around magic as a means of communication their curriculum offers a blend of language utility, runic enchantments, and a touch of mind control.
Their focus spells are the classicaura of +1 ACand a bootleg version of clairvoyance.
Battle Magic
The school of battle magic combines the best items of what was formerlyabjuration and evocation. Their spells are focused on defending themselves and blasting other people into oblivion.
Their first focus spell deals unavoidable damage,and their second is a defensive reaction against elemental attacks.
Civic Wizardry
Members of the school of Civic Wizardry are the first wizards not to go into either academia or adventuring for a career choice. Instead, they work a day jobbuilding things out of magic as they conjure walls, houses, and constructs.
Their focus spells can manipulate the battlefield terrain and fortify their team with temporary hitpoints.
Mentalism
The school of Mentalism is a fun blend ofillusion and charm magic that does what it says on the tin. Their curriculum spells are the usual assortment of mind magics with both combat and roleplaying utility.
Mentalism’s focus spells cancharm people into not hitting you(and instead hitting your allies) or casting a shortened invisibility spell.
Protean Form
The school of Protean Form looks at the potential for polymorph spells to create either body horror or fantasy transhumanism depending on how they’re roleplayed. Their curriculum gives a selection ofspells with the polymorph trait, spread between buffs, debuffs, and utility.
Their focus spellswarp the biology of enemies to weaken themor augment themselves with adaptations.
Boundary
The school of the boundary is about planar magic with a garnish of eldritch horror from glimpsing beyond the veil. They get spells intended tosummon and bind spirits, as well as a few choice teleportation options.
The boundary focus spells can augment their summons with improved stats orcreate an aura of fear that has no will save.
Unified Magical Theory
The subclass most familiar to returning players is the School of Unified Magical Theory. They deliberately choose not to specialize andtrade away the raw power of a specialty for some extra flexibility. The old universalist’s niche build of chaining Bond Conservation charges for near-infinite spells still exists but continues to be functionally unusable outside theorycrafting.
Their focus spells are the ability to throw your staff really, really hard and areactionto copy another arcane caster and mirror their spell as your own.
The alterations the remaster makes to focus points and refocusing mean thatfocus spells are a lot more viable to build around. You canrefocus multiple times to fully restore your pool, which means the focus spells become more reliable.
Starting Spells And Equipment For A Wizard
As a prepared caster, wizards need to carefully choosehow many of each spell they expect to cast at the start of the day. Fireball and Haste are both third-rank spells, for example, and will compete for the same slots. A good approach as a wizard is to divvy up your slots to cover the widest possible range of scenarios without trading away too much raw power.
As Battlemagic Wizard, for example, you mightprepare three attacking spells at the same rank that have different elemental damage types or target different saves. If you encounter something that one of the three spells deals with the best, you can use that tool more effectively and save your other resources. If you don’t encounter something weak to those specific elements, all three are still useful spells as raw damage.
Ranged Spell Attack Roll
Bludgeoning
This spell also knocks the target back. It effectively forces melee enemies to waste an action stepping back into range.
Basic Reflex Save in an area
Fire
Basic save spells are also useful for near-guaranteed damage: Enemies that don’t critically succeed will still take half damage, which can be a lot if weaknesses come into play.
Automatically Hits!
Force
Deals more damage the longer you spend casting it: If you’re in a position to spend your entire turn on this, it is a great way of inflicting consistent harm.It is a fun choice for heightening at higher levels as it multiplies the number of missiles.
Basic Reflex Save on one target
Lightning and sonic
Two damage types andextra effective against enemies with metal armor, weakening their dexterity for a round.
Wizards also have flexibility in how they spend their starting money.A blank spellbook and materials pouch cost less than two gold from your starting 15, and you do not need armor or weaponry unless you’re planning a specific build that utilizes them. This means a wizard can start the game with 14gp worth of consumables or utility items. Consider any of the following:
4GP
Heals 1d8hp. Takes two actions to retrieve and then drink.
Ifyou don’t have the Battle Medicine feat,you’ll always want to carry at least one of these.
First rank spell scroll
Stores a spell
It’s expensive to start with, but purchasing scrolls lets yourapidly expand your spellbookusing your arcana skill. Otherwise, you can use this to pad out your spell list with anesoteric spell you’d likely not prepare normally.
2GP
Uses the crafting skill to mend damaged items and equipment
A wizards' high intelligence makes themwell suited to the crafting skill. Even without taking a feat to learn alchemical or magical crafting, you’ll still be able to help your team by mending damaged shields and armor.
1GP
Avoids the -2 penalty for navigating without one
Every group needs one, andyou can’t always trust your party to remember. Since your starting gear is cheap, you’re one of the better people to pick this up.
Camping essentials (bedroll, tent, rope, pitons, soap)
Varies
Keep the rain off your head
Wizards don’t have the survival skills of a ranger or fighter,and they shouldn’t need to. Spend your remaining money picking up some odd luxuries that both serve utility and flesh out your character.
Best Archetype Feats For A Wizard
The remastered wizard has a lot of options for feats, especially at tables using the free archetype optional rule.The merging of all spellcasting proficiencies into a single categorymeans a wizard who gains spells outside their class can cast them much more effectively. At the same time,wizards now gain the full collection of simple weaponsinstead of just staves, daggers, and crossbows.
Witch
Most spellcasting dedications will still need the wizard tobuild an attribute outside of intelligence, such as wisdom or charisma.The witch is a valuable exception and can provide access to primal, occult, and divine spellcasting,depending on their patron.Your familiar won’t be as strong as a witch’s, but wizards would normally have to spend a class feat to get one anyway.
Rogue
A wizard’s intelligence gives plenty of starting skills, whicha rogue can advance rapidly with their Skill Mastery archetype feat.A mentalist wizard can use theirinvisibility cloak focus spellwith a rogue multiclass that allows them to leverage stealth bonuses.
Investigator
Thisdoes not provide the class’s ability to use intelligence for attacks and class features, making it less suitable for a wizard who doesn’t have strength and dexterity.
Occult
You can usecrystal healing paired with a medic dedication to become an effective healer.This can compensate for the unavailability of healing spells on the arcane spell list.
Lich
Only available beyond level 12, this augments the wizards lacking survivability with thepower to regenerate from their soul cage.This rare archetype requires the approval of the GMand may require some negotiation about how your immortality will impact the world and narrative.
