Best blaster caster

I want to play a blaster caster for my next character and would like to hear some suggestions from you guys. The games this character would be in are typically high in combat and I anticipate that I'll often be doing adventuring days with around 5 combats all of them somewhere between hard and deadly with 1-2 short rests and a wide array of enemy and terrain types. The team is a rotating cast of characters so I won't necessarily know who is coming or what they can do.

So right now I'm thinking I'll make a hexvoker (aka nuclear wizard) since as a wizard I'll be able to take lots of different spells to fit the wide array of situations that I'll be encountering, I can fill out a utilitiy role that might not otherwise be covered, and I can use sculpt spells to do things like wall of fire or sickening radiance on the front lines without needing to worry about teammates. Plus the better AC and the damage that I could put out at least a couple times a day makes up for a wizards usual weaknesses.

But if there are better options that you guys would recommend or just interesting things to consider instead I'd like to hear it. Especially if they come from newer books since the Hexvoker build is a few years old and now there may be other options that do the same or similar but better.

It depends on what your definition of "best" is. However, you certainly can't go wrong with Evoker.

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Originally Posted by Rukelnikov

It depends on what your definition of "best" is. However, you certainly can't go wrong with Evoker.

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Well I was going more for what specific build fitting the mold of blaster caster would you find most fun in a mostly combat game with roughly 5 hard to deadly encounters per adventuring day, 1-2 short rests, and a rotating party where you can't be sure of who is coming.

However I can certainly note things that I would prioritize.
1. Good AoE and at least decent single target damage, with either very uncommonly resisted or a good spread of damage types.
2. Able to maintain effectiveness over the course of multiple difficult combat encounters.This would cover both offense and defense.
3. Has things to do outside of combat
4. At least some good control and concentration options.

As I noted before I think the Hexvoker hits each of these well but I'd like to hear if there are any other options that I haven't considered which might be more fun.

Sounds like a wizard to me.

Playing a warlock under those conditions will cause you to ration your spells to something like one per encounter. Since the best way to use one spell per encounter is to use a Concentration spell, that means that you won't be spending any spell slots on blasting, which seems counter to your purpose. The character level matters a lot here. If we're talking about level 11+, then the third spell slot warlocks get makes a huge difference to such economy of magic.

I would suggest sorcerer for the ability to quicken spells or impose disadvantage on saves from metamagic, but for the fact that you also want to have a bunch to do out of combat, which sounds like a wizard.

I second the suggestion of an Evoker. Possibly an Order of Scribes wizard as an alternative?

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Originally Posted by kingcheesepants

I want to play a blaster caster for my next character and would like to hear some suggestions from you guys. The games this character would be in are typically high in combat and I anticipate that I'll often be doing adventuring days with around 5 combats all of them somewhere between hard and deadly with 1-2 short rests and a wide array of enemy and terrain types. The team is a rotating cast of characters so I won't necessarily know who is coming or what they can do.

So right now I'm thinking I'll make a hexvoker (aka nuclear wizard) since as a wizard I'll be able to take lots of different spells to fit the wide array of situations that I'll be encountering, I can fill out a utilitiy role that might not otherwise be covered, and I can use sculpt spells to do things like wall of fire or sickening radiance on the front lines without needing to worry about teammates. Plus the better AC and the damage that I could put out at least a couple times a day makes up for a wizards usual weaknesses.

But if there are better options that you guys would recommend or just interesting things to consider instead I'd like to hear it. Especially if they come from newer books since the Hexvoker build is a few years old and now there may be other options that do the same or similar but better.

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It depends on range levels and on what you mean for blaster, fighter 2/evocator sure is a strong contender at tier 2 for nuke damage.
There is even a weird build with tempest cleric 2 /wizard x to max lightning bolt dmg once per short rest, but i dont feel it would be a top tier for nuking (i will try this build at some point, though)

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Originally Posted by Selion

There is even a weird build with tempest cleric 2 /wizard x to max lightning bolt dmg once per short rest, but i dont feel it would be a top tier for nuking (i will try this build at some point, though)

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Why limit yourself to just Lightning Bolt?

Tempest 2/Scribes Wizard X can change many elemental spells to Lightning or Thunder damage, and Maximize them. So you're not limited to just Thunderwave/Shatter/Lightning Bolt/Chain Lightning/etc. You can have a Maximized Thunderball, or similar. (IIRC, 5th level is the only level where there are no Lightning/Thunder Wizard spells to swap.)

Similarly, Tempest Cleric 2/Blue Draconic Sorcerer X with Transmute Spell metamagic can turn any elemental damage spell into Lightning for 1 SP and Maximize it, with additional bonus damage from your Draconic bloodline starting at Sorcerer 6. You can also do the same with Thunder, just without the bonus Draconic damage, for times when you're dealing with Lightning resistant enemies. And unlike the Scribes Wizard, you're not limited at certain spell levels.

Those are up there as some of the top tier blasters, with the main thing dragging them down a bit being the two level delay to accessing higher level blasting spells (though you'll still have full higher level spell slot progression for upcasting your Maximized Lightning/Thunder spells). It works best if starting at Level 7+, as being a Cleric 2/Wizard or Sorcerer 3 or 4 is kind of a rough patch for a blaster, although something like a 3rd level upcast and maximized Rime's Binding Ice Thunder is still fairly solid as a Level 5 AoE spell.

Hexvoker doesn't suffer as much from that delay, and is definitely stronger in single target damage if your DM allows you to cheese Hexblade's Curse+Magic Missile, though you'll be lacking that AoE nova damage output of one Maximized thunder/lightning blast per short rest, and also doesn't have access to the useful low level Cleric spells like Guidance/Bless/Healing Word. (Or heavy armor, if that interests you.)


Or, if you're willing to give up some of your blasting capability in exchange for greater out of combat usefulness, don't sleep on Tempest Cleric 2/Lore Bard X. You won't have access to as wide of a repertoire of blasting spells, and your access to your first solid blasting spell is delayed even a level more to Bard 6, but you can still get a few blast spells like Thunderwave, Shatter, and Synaptic Static as Bard spells, and can grab others like Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning as Magical Secrets. Plus you have access to all the Bard utility spells (and additional Magical Secrets picks), and can be a Skill Monkey to boot. But that's more of an "all-arounder" with a lean towards blasting and support, rather than a narrowly-focused blaster caster though.

Something like a Light Cleric with the Ritual Caster Wizard feat would also a good option for an all-arounder with a lean towards blasting, able to leverage the Cleric's support and utility spells, the Wizard's utility rituals, and some additional Light Domain blasting spells and abilities. (Radiance of the Dawn is more potent that it might appear at first glance, is party friendly, and can be used 4x-6x times per day without costing any spell slots... That's a lot of "free" AoE blasts.)

What level do you expect the campaign to reach? If you're going to 20, I would not multiclass.

Overchanneling a 5th level fireball for maximum damage (60), and Elemental Adept (fire) to ignore fire resistance, is a pretty solid damage combo. Sculpt Spell also works well with Meteor Swarm. At 18th and 20th level, you get some free spells per day that help you blast even more.

Draconic Sorc + Empowered Spell = Fireballs that approach 40hp per casting. At a cost of 1 SP per spell, you can do this every time and have lots of SP left over for Transmuted when you need it. Over a long adventuring day, which the OP has, this is sustainable and doesn't require multi-classing.

Just curious, but is there really a lot of difference between a one-trick pony using FB every chance they get, or Tempest shenanigans to maximize lightning/thunder damage, or Hexvoker's MM exploits, vs EB spam? Outside of AoE of course - but those are finite spell slots (even if the Hexvoker can get more bang for their buck with a 1st level spell, upcast).

It just seems to me that using the same trick, regardless of source, is just as boring. And at least EB spam is truly unlimited...

I guess in that respect, depending on how stats are generated, and whether maximizing Int and Cha is in the cards, the Hexvoker might be the best option, though it would require two levels (or a feat) to get Invocations to boost your At-Will damage before level 10 Wizard. Spammers gonna spam, right?

Honestly, I think Stars Druid is the way to go here. That number of hard-deadly combats is tough on resources, but the short rests are something you want to exploit.

Blasting - Guiding Bolt is a good blast spell, you get a few free casts on top of knowing the spell. Archer form is a great bonus action attack and you should be able to expect to use it every combat.

Flexibility - You're still a Druid, Wildshape into a creature for scouting or utility if you need to. Keep some support-type spells on hand too.

Healing - That number of difficult combats can be rough on HP totals and you don't know if you'll have a healer in the group by the sounds of it. Whilst Stars is a great blaster, it can also pivot to potent healing at the drop of a hat.

You might want to use your race to pick up a little extra blasting or a damage boost, like Goblin or Aasimar for the latter or V. Human and a spell feat for the former. You may want to consider a dip for some blasting cantrips outside of Magic Stone and Thornwhip, but that's not super necessary tbh.

For sheer amount and reliability of blasting, it's really hard to beat Stars.

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Originally Posted by Theodoxus

Just curious, but is there really a lot of difference between a one-trick pony using FB every chance they get, or Tempest shenanigans to maximize lightning/thunder damage, or Hexvoker's MM exploits, vs EB spam? Outside of AoE of course - but those are finite spell slots (even if the Hexvoker can get more bang for their buck with a 1st level spell, upcast).

It just seems to me that using the same trick, regardless of source, is just as boring. And at least EB spam is truly unlimited...

I guess in that respect, depending on how stats are generated, and whether maximizing Int and Cha is in the cards, the Hexvoker might be the best option, though it would require two levels (or a feat) to get Invocations to boost your At-Will damage before level 10 Wizard. Spammers gonna spam, right?

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There is a very big difference. The Hexvoker is a wizard. Wizards aren't OTPs. Here's a nice writeup, to save me time.

Incidentally (and to cover a couple things not in that post, since it's a bit old by now), that warlock level gets you better use of the Eldritch Adept feat (if you're that keen on getting Agonizing Blast, for example), while Metamagic Adept can get you a couple Subtle spells in case you're facing multiple counterspellers, or a couple Empowers if you want some extra bang, or maybe a Quicken. Telekinetic is also a possibility, if you wanna go for more hazard triggering shenanigans.

But the bottom line is, if you view the Hexvoker as a magic missile bot that comes online at lv11, you're doing it wrong.

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Originally Posted by Theodoxus

Just curious, but is there really a lot of difference between a one-trick pony using FB every chance they get, or Tempest shenanigans to maximize lightning/thunder damage, or Hexvoker's MM exploits, vs EB spam? Outside of AoE of course - but those are finite spell slots (even if the Hexvoker can get more bang for their buck with a 1st level spell, upcast).

It just seems to me that using the same trick, regardless of source, is just as boring. And at least EB spam is truly unlimited...

I guess in that respect, depending on how stats are generated, and whether maximizing Int and Cha is in the cards, the Hexvoker might be the best option, though it would require two levels (or a feat) to get Invocations to boost your At-Will damage before level 10 Wizard. Spammers gonna spam, right?

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There is a difference actually, at lest in the Tempest/Scribe Wizard shenanigans case. Reason why is because the Scribe Wizard's "one trick" is to add versatility to their spells and make them even more flexible then a wizard normally is. In fact, I have a level 19 Tempest Cleric/Scribe Wizard in Adventures League, its probably the most versatile character I have. And its all thanks to the ability to change damage types to anything I want. In fact, I don't even make heavy use of the maximized lightning damage, I save that for major battles. I usually make use of the Crusher Feat, and being able to target specific vulnerabilities that an enemy might have.


EDIT: As for the OP, if you do choose to go Tempest/Scribe Wizard, I can tell you from experience its a lot of fun. I highly suggest taking the Crusher Feat, because there are a lot of spells that deal Bludgeoning Damage. So you can make heavy use of the feat, and add some control into your damage. Additionally, if you have a way to guarantee or save a Crit, take Witch Bolt. It'll deal the most lightning damage on a crit. Let me put it this way, I managed to deal 192 damage with an 8th level Witch Bolt via a Crit. Later on, the Grave Cleric gave an enemy vulnerability to the next attack, and the Epic I was in gave the party one free Auto-Crit. I did 432 Lightning damage with my 9th level Witch bolt.

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Originally Posted by Chaos Jackal

There is a very big difference. The Hexvoker is a wizard. Wizards aren't OTPs. Here's a nice writeup, to save me time.

Incidentally (and to cover a couple things not in that post, since it's a bit old by now), that warlock level gets you better use of the Eldritch Adept feat (if you're that keen on getting Agonizing Blast, for example), while Metamagic Adept can get you a couple Subtle spells in case you're facing multiple counterspellers, or a couple Empowers if you want some extra bang, or maybe a Quicken. Telekinetic is also a possibility, if you wanna go for more hazard triggering shenanigans.

But the bottom line is, if you view the Hexvoker as a magic missile bot that comes online at lv11, you're doing it wrong.

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To be fair, Warlocks who spam EB aren't really OTP's by that definition either, given they get other spells, cantrips, and invocations. Though, fundamentally, wanting to niche down to a blaster like OP wants is choosing to act as a limited trick pony, in exchange for being really good at that trick.

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Originally Posted by Chaos Jackal

But the bottom line is, if you view the Hexvoker as a magic missile bot that comes online at lv11, you're doing it wrong.

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This is exactly right.

Hexvoker's greatest strength is the sheer variety of strong combos in their giant Batman toolbelt. And they come out the gate sprinting right from level 1 (e.g. Hexblade is a strong L1 setup, and Hex1/Wiz1 is an unusually strong level 2 setup)

Also, they shouldn't be using Eldritch Blast.

Straight Evoker is prob the best bet. Supplement with metamagic via feats instead of being a sorcerer and you're golden.
Sculpt Spells is just too important to consider other classes or subclasses, imo. (Taking no damage on the save can't be found elsewhere.)

I'm a big fan of the Artillerist Artificer. Eldritch Firearm (extra d8 to your artificer spells' damage) and Cannon (2d8 then 3d8 then 3d8x2 damage, as you progress in the class) as a bonus action makes for a fun bit of blasting... and with the built in magic items, you can be incredibly accurate.

There is no best, only whats good for your game. Blastlocks, Evokers and Empower Sorcs are popular and straightforward but you also have star Druids, light or thunder Clerics and artillery Artificers that blast well while also being able to do other things on the side.

Nice suggestions everyone, I have some new things to consider for sure. As for those asking for more specifics about the game, it's a Westmarches style game (thus the rotating party) and my new guy will start at level 5 and I'll be using him to 20 or I get bored and want to switch it up. Right now I have a Divination Wizard and I'm planning to take him to 20 but that'll happen pretty soon so that's why I'm thinking about my next character.

I'm thinking of being a blaster because I enjoy playing casters but I'd like to change it up and get a bit of fresh air (not too fresh though) and so instead of being the classic god wizard I'll be a damage guy. Plus it'll save me headaches cause there are some DMs on the server who have some pretty sharp nerfs to control and summon spells. For example Banishment and Hypnotic Pattern getting a save every turn, monsters getting out of Forcecage and similar by using a legendary resistance, summons being unable to do anything that isn't in their stat block. And so on. It's just kinda annoying to play a controller at a table like that, but just doing damage should be fine.

A few thoughts -

Evoker Wizard - the key ability here is being able to safely blast on top of allies. Your a Wizard which offers a big toolbox. There's lots of good spell and multiclass (one of my fav has been 1 level of Order Cleric to grant allies in my fireballs - or other blasts a reaction attack).

Light Cleric - The channel divinity is amazing for blasters. The option of fireball or spirit guardians depending on situation is really good too. One of the more ally friendly blasters.

Circle of Stars Druid - Moonbeam/Call Lightning + Starry Forms Archer for a bonus action ranged attack is good. Guiding Bolt with first level slots is nice too.

Evoker Wizard probably feels the best in tier 3 and 4, but in tiers 1 and 2, the Druid or Cleric can really shine and for blasting alone may even outshine the wizard until mid to late tier 2.

One thing I have been thinking about is a blaster sniper:
Warlock3 (agonozing+EldritchB), Assassin3(crit), BugBear(+2d6), Fighter2(ActionSurge), Sorc2(metaMagic)
Gives 3 casting of EB with action surge and bonus action. Max chr.
(d10+2d6)*2(crit)+5 = 12.5*2+5=30 per Eldritch blast
4 beams, and 3 blasts -> 30*12 = 360 (120 per EB)

With twin spell you get another person to hit.
The levels above add up to 10, so put the rest where you want. (add a fighter, max out sorc for extra points)

I tried it with Scorching rays, and you get more damage when casting out of 5+ level slots. But the above routine can do the sniping all day at 1/short rest.

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Originally Posted by monkey3

One thing I have been thinking about is a blaster sniper:
Warlock3 (agonozing+EldritchB), Assassin3(crit), BugBear(+2d6), Fighter2(ActionSurge), Sorc2(metaMagic)
Gives 3 casting of EB with action surge and bonus action. Max chr.
(d10+2d6)*2(crit)+5 = 12.5*2+5=30 per Eldritch blast
4 beams, and 3 blasts -> 30*12 = 360 (120 per EB)

With twin spell you get another person to hit.
The levels above add up to 10, so put the rest where you want. (add a fighter, max out sorc for extra points)

I tried it with Scorching rays, and you get more damage when casting out of 5+ level slots. But the above routine can do the sniping all day at 1/short rest.

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You need Sorc 3 to get MM, and Twin Spell doesn't work on EB post lvl 4, since it can target more than one creature. But still, the build works, just move your 3rd warlock level to Sorc, since you are not making use of pact anyway.