Who's the best melee caster?

[Trandir]

Just as the title ask what is the best build to cast spells in the middle of the enemies.
This means that you can't use weapons attacks in favor of only spells, shields and spell focus are still ok. This kind of kills paladin as a "melee caster"

Some possible candidates:
Warlock (Hexblades)
Wizard (War mages)
Clerics

[HappyDaze]

Just as the title ask what is the best build to cast spells in the middle of the enemies.

Some possible candidates:
Fightet (EK)
Warlock (Hexblades)
Wizard (War mages)
Clerics

Just to clarify, you want to focus on spells, not on magic-boosted melee weapon attacks, right?

[Arkhios]

Don't forget that paladins can also cast spells (even though they do have strong incentive to just spare their spell slots for Divine Smites).

[Trandir]

Just to clarify, you want to focus on spells, not on magic-boosted melee weapon attacks, right?

Exactly

Don't forget that paladins can also cast spells (even though they do have strong incentive to just spare their spell slots for Divine Smites).

While that is true I feel like that the paladin magic is just a way to swing your weapon for more damage.

[vexedart]

I prefer bladesingers. Worst part about them is that they’ve got to be elves. 2nd worst part is they’re ASI hungry.

The absolute best would depend on many things. Tiers of play, availability of magic items, multiclassing.

Tier 1 Druids
Tier 2 paladins, clerics who use dodge action
Tier 3 Eldritch knights, bladesingers, hexblade12/x, clever bards
Tier 4 anyone with wish

[Randomthom]

IMO Bladesinger with War Caster feat is probably the best for this.

What you need to survive is a high AC and good con.

Int>Dex>Con focused Bladesinger. While using bladesong you get your Int mod to AC and Con saves to maintain concentration on spells. Warcaster will also give you advantage on them. For overkill (and likely never failing a concentration check) you can take the Resilient (Constitution) feat. Your main weakness is low HP so consider the toughness feat.

Assuming point-buy (10,14,14,15,10,8) and High-Elf (10,16,14,16,10,8), at level 2 when you gain the school, with mage armour and using bladesong you will have an AC of 19, shield as a reaction for 24, 40 ft. of movement, and your Con save to maintain concentration spells is +5. You can also use the Booming Blade/Greenflame Blade cantrips (usually best to swap out by 6th level when you get extra attack). Warcaster at 4th level means advantage on those con saves.

By max level you could be 20 dex & int. Assuming no magical items your AC with mage armour is now 23, 28 with shield. Likely over 30 with magic items.

Nice addendum to this build, if you find that you being in melee isn't working for your party setup, you can easily switch to being a back-line spellcaster, using a longbow and not have to worry about being overly squishy if you get closed down. You're a Wizard so you have that excellent versatility of spell lists.

If you're in FR then they're also very lore-rich.

[diplomancer]

Feels to me that the one who really wants to be in melee casting spells, and not just being in melee to have alternative actions to casting spells, is the Cleric. Because of Spirit Guardians, especially, but also to be close to the other martials so he can buff them as needed. If you need to up your defenses, get one level in wizard for shield.

Apart from drawing fire away from the other characters in melee, what exactly does a bladesinger gain being in the thick of it? As far as I remember, he doesn't get any bonus to casting spells if he's in melee, and the wizard spell list is mostly designed to have you out of melee casting spells.

[HiveStriker]

Just as the title ask what is the best build to cast spells in the middle of the enemies.
That is a spellcaster in the middle of the battlefield not a magical warrior

Some possible candidates:
Warlock (Hexblades)
Wizard (War mages)
Clerics

Hi.

Divine Soul Sorcerer is one I'd put my vote on for level 10 and less. Pick Quicken and Extend.
-> Native CON prof -> good at keeping concentration.
-> Shield / Mirror Image / Blur as needed.
-> Can Disengage as an action and still get to cast a spell thanks to Quicken.
-> Can, provided a day of preparation, "buff for free" by Extending spells like Mage Armor, Aid and Death Ward.

Otherwise, Wizards, namely Bladesinger from start, Transmuter from level 6 and Abjurer from level 10 make excellent midliner casters.
- Bladesinger: bonus to concentration and defense, INT based, + speed, what not to like?
- Transmuter: Constitution proficiency, ability to Polymorph at level 10.
- Abjurer really flies away at level 10 (shield starts getting decent amount) and 14 (advantage on saves against magic).
Plus, for all Wizards, ability to learn spells that prevent risks or provide quick ways of fleeing from danger.

[Spiritchaser]

I’d go with a warlock abjurer, and exploit the heck out of armor of agathys and arcane ward. Either take warlock to 2 for armor of shadows or just to one, be a deep gnome and take their racial feat for nondetection at will. Use these to recharge your ward out of combat. You could pick up the alarm ritual, but in most cases that’ll just be too slow.

You’ll always enter combat with a full ward, and anything that hits you gets hurt. Finally, ward takes damage before AoA, so your retributive damage works for longer.

After that pick up whatever wizard-god spells you feel like inflicting on the poor saps trying to harm you.

Edit: there’s nothing totally stopping you from MCing something else as well, but you do want to maximize your ward, so you do have a strong incentive to stay wizard.

[Waazraath]

Tempest Cleric. Wade into melee, wearing fullplate and a shield, having spiritual guardians on, and casting maximized thunder waves and destructive waves.

[diplomancer]

I’d go with a warlock abjurer, and exploit the heck out of armor of agathys and arcane ward. Either take warlock to 2 for armor of shadows or just to one, be a deep gnome and take their racial feat for nondetection at will. Use these to recharge your ward out of combat. You could pick up the alarm ritual, but in most cases that’ll just be too slow.

You’ll always enter combat with a full ward, and anything that hits you gets hurt. Finally, ward takes damage before AoA, so your retributive damage works for longer.

After that pick up whatever wizard-god spells you feel like inflicting on the poor saps trying to harm you.

Edit: there’s nothing totally stopping you from MCing something else as well, but you do want to maximize your ward, so you do have a strong incentive to stay wizard.

Treantmonk made a video on such a build last week, if anyone's interested. What I find odd about the build is that, though it works very well if the opponents attack you, I don't think any opponent, intelligent or not, would keep attacking you after the first attack (from any of your opponents for most cases)

You may think "well, great, then I won't be attacked" but it means that, if "not being attacked" was your goal, you could have achieved it usually well enough by being out of melee, using cover, etc.

[Spiritchaser]

It’s a good video but it actually avoids the specific exploit I’m referring to, that being the use of an at will abjuration spell to recharge things... well at will ( at least out of combat).

I presume he’s done that very deliberately to avoid offending the pitchfork and torch bearers.

All that said: as a wizard, who with this build is free to be anywhere on the battlefield and won’t be attacked repeatedly by foes unless they are suicidally aggressive, you are in an excellent position to use your awesome arcane powers to Lock things down hard.

[Laserlight]

You can Wizard at them from the far end of the room, but if you're going to use Spirit Guardians, you have to be in the thick of things. I'll go with Cleric.

[Willie the Duck]

Just to clarify, you want to focus on spells, not on magic-boosted melee weapon attacks, right?

Exactly
While that is true I feel like that the paladin magic is just a way to swing your weapon for more damage.

On some level, you end up in definitional situations, where the distinction becomes relatively academic. I mean, if a cleric uses most all their spells for Spiritual Weapon and Spirit Guardians to be a great up-close damage-dealer by expending long-rest recharging slots, how much of a difference is that from a Paladin?

With that said, I would say clerics (particularly those that get these two spells up and use their primary action to dodge) are the best melee caster -- as in most of their actions will be casting spells, using the spells they have up-and-active, and they really want to be up close and personal with their opponents.

[diplomancer]

Also, for the purpose of what "casting a spell in melee" means, do you include in that definition greenflame blade and booming blade?

[Trandir]

Also, for the purpose of what "casting a spell in melee" means, do you include in that definition greenflame blade and booming blade?

Ok I have to explain it better you are right

[Arkhios]

While that is true I feel like that the paladin magic is just a way to swing your weapon for more damage.

I'd like to respectfully disagree on that. There are only 11 spells out of 48 on Paladin's spell list available to all paladins, and only 2 spells out of 56 Oath Spells (from official oaths), that add damage to your weapon swings.

That's a total of 13 spells out of a total of 94 spells (some oath spells overlap with the base list, obviously) officially available to paladins (approximately 14% of them all) that add damage directly to your weapon swings.

It's largely debatable whether paladins should just forget to actually cast spells in favor of Divine Smite. I'm honestly of the opinion that ignoring the full potential (and approximately 86% of your other spells), and instead burning through your spell slots with Divine Smites, only, is foolish at best.

[Zerubbabel]

I suspect Cleric, but interested to see how a Druid could surpass one.

In a showdown 1 vs 1 (for example) between a level 10 Cleric, and level 10 Druid, allowing time to buff as required. I just can't picture the Druid getting the upper hand as things move into Melee distance.

Eldritch Knight and Paladin for sure are contenders, especially at lower levels.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

EB machinegun with CBE and Divine soul for stuff like spirit guardians and cerful spells with no effect on saves(like sickening radiant). Stand in the middle and throw the enemies into AOEs as you circle them.

Preferably with Hexblade for medium armour and shield prof.

[NaughtyTiger]

Just as the title ask what is the best build to cast spells in the middle of the enemies.

evocation wizard with sickening radiance?