How to Build a Wizard Character for Third Edition Dungeons and Dragons

Visualize a concept for your wizard character. Are you more interested in building a young, flashy and debonair wizard who flings fireballs and lightning bolts, or perhaps a scholarly old sage more suited to divining the future and identifying magic items?

Consult with your Dungeon Master to see if he or she has any special house rules or restrictions you should keep in mind while creating your character.

Roll your new wizard's six primary statistics. Your Dungeon Master may also have special rules on how to roll these stats, so be sure to ask beforehand. A wizard's spell-casting ability is tied to his intelligence score, so place your highest roll in this stat first, then consider the concept for the character when you are placing the remaining five scores. If you want to multi-class as a fighter, you may want to put a high score in strength. If your concept is for a party leader with a quick wit and a sly tongue, your higher rolls may be better placed in the charisma or wisdom stats.

Take into account any racial statistic adjustments that need to be made. A half-orc is usually a poor choice for a wizard, because all half-orcs subtract two points from their intelligence score -- although this can be offset with an unusually high roll or by taking into account the extra point that can be added to a statistic for every four levels a character gains.

Decide if your new wizard will be a general spell-caster or a specialist. A wizard can choose to specialize in one specific school of magic while forsaking the ability to cast spells from a different school. Consider this option very carefully. While it may seem like a good idea to gain extra evocation spells that deal large amounts of damage, the setback of being unable to cast conjuration spells may become a serious hindrance during the course of the campaign.

Consider gaining a familiar for your wizard. Obtaining an animal familiar lends many benefits, but the possible consequences can be disastrous. A familiar is good for scouting out locations where the wizard himself may be unable to go, or delivering touch attack spells on behalf of the wizard. But if the familiar should be killed, the wizard will permanently lose experience points and be unable to gain a new familiar for a full year. Different animals give different benefits to the wizard. A toad familiar gives the wizard an additional two points of constitution, while an owl improves the wizard's ability to skulk around in secrecy by raising the "move silently" skill.

Select skills and feats for the wizard that are appropriate for the campaign world and that fit with your character concept. Pick knowledge and spellcraft skills for a character who will be well read and able to recall important facts at just the right time. Skills such as moving silently or hiding would be more appropriate for a sneaky, roguish wizard. A wizard who has physical abilities as well as book smarts would pick strength based skills like climbing, swimming or riding.

Choose starting spells to scribe to the wizard's spell book. A wizard's greatest asset is his versatility in spell casting, so choose many different spells that could be used in a variety of situations. The spell "magic missile" is great for a hostile encounter with a group of ogres, but not helpful at all in assisting the party in crossing a wide chasm when the bridge across it has been destroyed.

Add the finishing touches to flesh out your wizard by choosing her alignment, patron deity and personality. Like any other character, a wizard is as likely to be selfish and evil as honorable and good. Add quirks or flaws to the character to distinguish her from others, such as a stutter, a problem with gambling or a driving need to help those in need, even if doing so could be dangerous.