help me build a fighter/mage

[Joe dirt]

starting a game soon and want some advice on a build concept. i will start at 5th level as i am coming into the group as a new player, and the group currently has 2 warlocks, and a druid. i am guessing they need a front line fighter type as one of them mentioned he is "squishy".

BASIC CONCEPT: so my idea is to make a fighter/mage, 3 levels of fighter (eldritch knight), mixed with 2 levels of abjuration specialist. variant human for extra feat and uses a polearm weapon

SPELLS: i will focus on spells that shield me in various ways to max the potential of temp HP that i get from abjurer. spells like absorb elements, shield, and feather fall. in addition i will take all spells that combine with attacks like green flame blade, and booming blade. i will get an owl familiar so that i can have it aid me in combat to get advantage on hits and be a good spy. and spells that change the dynamic of the battlefield, such as "fog" spell to counter any shenanigans of darkness spell.

FEATS: i will start with war caster from the human, and when i gain a level in fighter i will put it towards the polearm master feat.

question is what am i missing? advice?

[Klorox]

Variant human fighter/wizard, starting st level 5 with the intention of using a polearm.

I like your idea of eldritch knight and a juror. It’s a good combo.

As a rule of thumb, spellcasters like having proficiency in constitution saving throws. So start as a fighter. It’s also worth more HP and it’s the most cost effective way to get heavy armor.

Starting as a fighter will not allow you to start with the war caster feat because the prerequisite to this feat is being able to cast a spell, which you can not do at level 1. Don’t worry, you’re ok. Pick something you were intending on taking later, like heavy armor master, lucky, resilient wisdom, sentinel or pole arm master.

I’d suggest going to at least level 5 before multiclassing anyway. You can pick war caster at level 4, since you’ll be able to cast a spell. That’s where you’ll get extra attack, and extra attack is so darn good. It’ll be even more useful on a team of spellcasters.

Add abjuror levels after that at some point.

Good luck!

[opaopajr]

Hmm, you are skipping an extra Feat and Extra Attack to get more wizard spells, abjure school savant, and Abjure Ward ((2x wizard lvl) + INT mod) temp HP. Given that Temp HP is likely 7 ((2x 2 Wiz lvl) +3 INT [max 16 by point buy]) I am not really seeing the huge return at start. Is this for thematic reasons? Later game fun?

Personally I'd just explore Eldritch Knight. You have a lot of backup firepower in your allies. Polearm Master feat with Sentinel feat really locks space from people rushing your casters.

In fact, you could do real weirdness like a lion tamer: Whip Duelist fighting style with Sentinel (vuman) & War Caster (4th lvl). Then your OAs trigger if they attack your allies, your OAs dtop their movement, you have a reach of 10', can cast while holding your weapon & shield, and two 1d4+5 s dmg attacks base a turn. ... and it's also funny!

[Byke]

Unless your taking EK to 7th -11th. Then I wouldn't bother. I would go 2 fighter/18 spells sword.

[Specter]

I wouldn't bother with Polearm Master. Your reaction will be constantly busy with Shield and Absorb Elements, so your reaction attack won't have too much room to shine. Plus, a bonus action attack would compete with Eldritch Knight's War Magic later on. Other than that, you're good to go.

[Easy_Lee]

Some notes:

• You can't use GFB on foes that are more than 5' away unless you take Spell Sniper.
• If you're only making one attack per round, +2 AC from a shield is considerably better than a few extra points of damage.
• More levels of wizard means more spell slots.

With all of that in mind, I say go with your 3/2 build to start if you really want the EK ability, or 2 fighter 3 wizard, and go straight wizard from there. Take Sentinel first, then Warcaster, and use a sword and shield. That makes you more tanky and also lets you punish foes that try to ignore you. With action surge, fighter armor and starting HP, plus your spells, your character is bulky. GFB isn't great, but isn't bad either.

Don't neglect your intelligence or concentration. Wizards are the masters of turning encounters with a single spell. At level 5, freeze enemies in place with Web and destroy them from afar. At level 7, cast stinking cloud and wait just outside for enemies to break free and attack the party. At level 11, cast Bigby's Hand to be all over the battlefield with your bonus action. Wizards have many options.