Spellcasters are a popular class in role-playing games and they come in a variety of forms. Sometimes they're called Mages or simply Magic-Users, and there's often a variety of them that include Bards, Sorcerers, Paladins, Clerics, and others depending on the specific game being played or other options like homebrew rules. The Wizard is the intellectual spellcasting class, bringing with them a reputation for scholarly pursuits, a lengthy education, and a wide variety of spells in the form of books and scrolls along with the ones they can memorize after a rest.
RELATED: Beginner Tips For Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous You Need To Know
In Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous there's a Wizard class along with several other choices for spellcasting classes. Wizards can be any moral alignment or race, although they do require some micromanagement when it comes to choosing and memorizing spells. They are proficient with scrolls, more than other casting classes, and a lot of useful magical items only they can use will appear in the course of your adventure. The best spells for your own specific Wizard build will vary greatly, depending on your dice rolls, chosen Feats, and Archetype. However, there are still a few that every Wizard should have in their spellbook or their memory.
Blindness, Necromancy, Level 2
As the name implies, this spell calls upon the powers of the Undead to permanently blind the target. That right, the effect is permanent, and if you need crowd control it doesn't get any better than that. Blindness is normally associated with Witches, Clerics, and Oracles, given it's from the School of Necromancy, but Wizards have access to this spell, too.
Burning Hands, Evocation, Level 1
Use this spell, and a cone-shaped funnel of flame opens directly in front of you. A must for any spellcaster, this is an efficient and clear way of telling a melee fighter they're too close to you.
RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Spells Every 3rd Level Wizard Should Know (& 5 That Waste A Spell Slot)Burning Hands has other uses that a solo player, as well as the whole party, will appreciate. Fire can be a handy tool when it comes to more practical concerns like fighting undead or adding some area-of-effect (AoE) damage to regain control of a messy combat situation.
False Life, Necromancy, Level 2
This is a favorite panic-button type spell for healing classes like Clerics or Shamans, but there's no reason that Wizards can't use it too. It gives the target extra temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + 1 for each level. The catch is the needed component is rather gruesome; it requires a drop of your blood to cast this life-saving spell.
Haste, Transmutation, Level 3
Haste is an indispensable spell that gives you an advantage in any combat situation. The spell doesn't just give an extra boost to the target;'s movement but also gives them an armor class, attacks, and reflex saves.
RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Wizard Schools (& The Worst)
If you're creative, there are other uses for this spell that have nothing to do with combat. Assassins, hunters, and thieves can use it for quick, covert movements that surprise their prey, and any character can use it to make a quick getaway when things go sour.
Remove Curse, Abjuration, Level 4
Here's another spell that you would expect a Cleric or Paladin to have, but not every party is so perfectly balanced. Given that Wizards have a bonus to their Arcane knowledge, it could make even more sense to make removing curses the responsibility of the Wizard as opposed to distracting the healer with it. This spell can also remove the curses from objects along with people, so don't give up on that mysterious cursed item from the loot pile until you can show it to the Wizard.
Blur, Illusion, Level 2
Blur is great for any spellcaster because it gives them an edge in almost any tense situation. One critical or direct hit with that low AC and meager Constitution can mean a tragic end to your adventure.
RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Homebrewed Spells You Should Try
The Wizard can cast it on themselves or someone else, distorting their outline and making it seem unstable. It causes any attacks made on the target to miss 20% of the time.
Phantasmal Killer, Illusion, Level 4
This is just as nasty as it sounds, so you know your Wizard has to have it. Many of the best spells you can put in your spellbook might have defense, escape, or the benefit of the party in mind. This spell is an agent of terrifying death and little else.
You actually reach into the subconscious mind of the target and create a phantasmal image of their worst fears. This manifests into an entity that only they can see. If they fail a Fortitude save, they die from fear. If they succeed at their saving throw, they still take 3d6 worth of damage.
Daze, Enchantment, Cantrip
A simple cantrip that most Wizards know before the game even starts, Daze is an early method of crowd control, a skill that's even more important at early levels. It causes the target to get temporarily confused and miss their turn, which can give your party an edge.
There are some caveats to its use, however. It only works on humanoid creatures of 4 HD or less, and after their turn is over, they're immune to the same spell for a minute.
READ MORE: Stardew Valley: Things You May Not Know About The Wizard
