Combining the Arcane Ward from the School of Abjuration Wizard with the Armor of Shadows makes your ward so much more powerful.
Other videos mentioned in this video:
Colby’s video
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Transcript:
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:24:00
Bennett Tomlin
I need to reveal something shocking. I am a bit of a power gamer, a min maxer even. I know, I know all of you who are here in a D&D YouTube channel where I publish character builds are surprised to hear this, but there are certain exploits even I have not been willing to use at an actual table with my actual friends.
00:00:24:02 - 00:00:57:02
Bennett Tomlin
The School of Abjuration Wizard has a way to exploit it that I've never been willing to use, but as far as I can tell, it works perfectly. Rules as written. And it hinges on the arcane ward feature that the School of Abjuration Wizard gets at level two. The arcane ward reads, when you cast an abjuration spell of first level or higher, you can simultaneously use a strand of the spells magic to create a magical ward on yourself that lasts until you finish a long rest.
00:00:57:04 - 00:01:28:13
Bennett Tomlin
The ward has a hit point maximum equal to twice your wizard level, plus your intelligence modifier. Whenever you take damage, the ward takes the damage instead. If this damage reduces the ward to zero hit points, you take any remaining damage. Well, the ward has zero hit points. It can't absorb damage, but its magic remains. Whenever you cast in add duration spell of first level or higher, the ward regains a number of hit points equal to twice the level of the spell.
00:01:28:15 - 00:01:51:08
Bennett Tomlin
Once you create the ward, you can't create it again until you finish a long rest. This is a great little feature that you can use in a few different ways to build wizard tanks. Plus, since it gets hit before your temporary hit points, it can stack in interesting ways with spells that give you temporary hit points. I think Colby did a build that works with Armor of Agathys with a warlock multiclass.
00:01:51:10 - 00:02:29:14
Bennett Tomlin
I'll try to link to it in the description if I can find it. The arcane ward also interacts really well with a certain Warlock invocation, specifically Armor of Shadows. Armor of shadows reads. You can cast Mage Armor on yourself at will without expending a spell, site or material components. Mage armor, of course, is an abjuration spell. Being able to cast it it will means that whenever we are out of combat, we get to build arcane Ward up to its maximum number of hit points by just casting mage armor on ourselves over and over.
00:02:29:16 - 00:02:58:12
Bennett Tomlin
Even better, you can get this invocation without even needing to multiclass if you take the Eldritch Adept feat either at the beginning by using variant human or custom origin, or when you level up, you're able to take this invocation and still take only wizard levels, not slowing your spell slot progression not slowing like the highest level spell you know, and increasing the maximum hit points of your arcane ward rules as written.
00:02:58:14 - 00:03:25:03
Bennett Tomlin
Every single step of this works, as far as I can tell. You can cast the spell it will so every six seconds if you want, every time you cast it, it helps get your ward back up to full and it doesn't touch your spell slots. Now, I've never been willing to use this because it feels against the intent of the arcane ward to be able to go into every combat with it full, without even needing to expend resources.
00:03:25:05 - 00:03:46:04
Bennett Tomlin
However, maybe you're different. Maybe your table is different. Maybe you're listening to this and think a little bit of extra hit points. Isn't actually that game breaking for a wizard, though? Do be aware at level 20. It's like 45 extra hit points, and it does absolutely take a feat or a multi-class, which is some amount of expenditure, right?
00:03:46:06 - 00:03:56:04
Bennett Tomlin
What do you think? Is this broken? Would you allow it at your table? Would you ever play something like this or did I completely misunderstand the rules? Again, let me know in the comments.
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