D&D: Spells That Make Your Wizard Tough Without Taking Your Concentration
Stack these buffs on top of each other without worrying about Concentration. Some of these Wizard spells last all day!
One of the great things about playing a spellcaster is layering on one effect after another. Casting spell after spell as an act of intimidation as much as actually protecting you.
It’s something that harkens back to the days of casting spell after spell to prepare for a magic duel in 2nd Edition. To the point that there were at least three different spells for removing buffs from an enemy. Buffing and countering the buffs was just part of the game.
In modern D&D, you don’t get that as much, because of the Concentration mechanic, which limits your ability to have multiple spells going at once. In theory. There are, if you look carefully enough, plenty of spells that don’t require concentration. They’re scattered across different lists but they are out there. Today we’re looking at what a Wizard can do, all defense, no Concentration required.
False Life
Wizards are notorious for not having a lot of hit points. And while that’s not as true as it was in the days of Wizards having only 1d4 hit points, period, it’s still pretty true by and large. But what if you could effectively boost your level with a single spell?
False Life gets you an extra 2d4+4 temporary hit points for the cost of a 1st level spell slot. That increases your hit points from 6-14 or 9 on average, which is basically a whole other level or two’s worth of hit points if you’re the average Wizard. And they stick around until you lose them – which means you could cast this spell a day or more ahead of any adventure and you’d start your adventure with extra hp, since temporary hit points don’t disappear and the spell is Instantaneous.
Especially since you can cast this on your off days? Great way to increase your survivability.
Mirror Image
Alright, now we’re getting into it. Mirror Image is a classic D&D buff spell. It’s iconic all the way back to the earliest days. It also looks extremely cool—when you cast the spell, you create illusory duplicates of yourself that weave and interpose themselves with you.
While protected, these Mirror Images can absorb up to 3 hits for you, completely negating the incoming damage. And this spell will protect you for ten total rounds, no concentration required.
See Invisibility
This is more of a proactive defense. See Invisibility does exactly what it says on the tin, unlike Find Traps. It lets you see creatures that would otherwise have the Invisible condition—an important thing for spellcasters, whose spells often require line of sight in order to affect someone.
See Invisibility allows you to see enemies that would otherwise be hidden. Negating the benefits of Invisibility means that your enemies won’t have advantage when attacking you, and you won’t have disadvantage attacking them.
Plus the spell lasts a whole hour without taking up your Concentration. So you can keep it up without worrying about casting any other spells.
Mage Armor
An iconic spell—and one of the first “breakfast spells” in D&D. That is to say, a spell you cast at breakfast time and then it lasts all day long. It was true in earlier editions, and it’s still true for Mage Armor all the way in 5.5E.
One casting of Mage Armor gets you 8 hours of protection. You set your AC to 13 + Dexterity modifier. Super simple. But it’s a classic for a reason—especially for Wizards who don’t multiclass into something like Paladin or Ranger so they can cast spells in heavy armor while wielding shields.
Fire Shield
Now we’re talking. A magical shield of red or blue flames? That’s the kind of Wizard business or Wiz Biz, I want to be on. One casting of the spell lasts ten minutes—enough for several fights if you’re quick about it.
You can protect yourself from fore damage or cold damage, and anyone who hits you with a melee attack takes 2d8 fire or cold damage, depending on what you choose. Defend yourself, deal some damage; what more could you want?
Spells for days! Or at least minutes!
