Do you want a character that has both physical bulkiness and the intelligence to boot? If so, you’ll never go wrong with Half-Orc Wizard!

Half-Orcs are popular for their exceptional durability and savagery. Plus, they hold limitless potential when it comes to making rich background stories. Marry this interesting race with the intellectual and magical might of the Wizard. In sum, you get a fun and exciting combination of brain and brawn rolled into one character.

The Half-Orc race AND the Wizard class can be found in the Player’s Handbook. Click here to pick up your own copy of The Player’s Handbook!

How to Make a Half-Orc Wizard

Wizards perform best when you prioritize your Intelligence ability score the most. Follow this stat with Constitution. However, if you want to subclass as a School of Enchantment Wizard, make Charisma the next-highest score. 

Wizards are powerful spellcasters and can do anything with their spells. As a Wizard, you can charm, foresee, protect, deceive, create, transform, and even revive people or things. Your forte among those actions will depend on the Arcane Tradition or School that you choose.

All the schools give you equal opportunities. It’s up to you to decide which school to focus on. For example, you want to be a support caster and the protector of the party. Consider joining the School of Abjuration. Note that you can use and cast spells that aren’t abjuration spells. As an abjuration-focused Wizard, you’re just more skilled in casting them.

Wizards are weaker than other party members when it comes to physical build. You also don’t get proficiencies in armor, which makes you quite vulnerable. The good news is that your orc bloodline gives you extra points in Strength and Constitution. The Sage background is the optimal one for Wizards, but feel free to choose something else if you prefer it instead.

How to Play a Half-Orc Wizard

Use your spells to empower your allies or weaken your foes. The best Wizard spells include:

• Mage Armor
• Shield
• Find Familiar
• Invisibility
• Misty Step
• Counterspell
• Haste
• Fireball
• Polymorph
• Wall of Force

Despite your orc blood, as a Wizard, you should always remain in a safe spot whenever you’re up against enemies. Your job in combat is to provide magical assistance or damage. Never go to the front line.

How to Roleplay as a Half-Orc Wizard

Because of their lineage, your Half-Orc should be immensely cautious of others. You can create a character who is so intimidating at one glance that most people avoid them. You can even go against the stereotype and make a jovial and bright Half-Orc Wizard.

You can add a life of living with a tribe or surviving in the slums with other humans and orcs. Half-Orcs often have a difficult time blending with society, which is a good motivator.

Raketh is pretty smart for a half-orc. Despite what everybody says, he dreams of entering a wizard school. So, when he met others who wanted to do the same thing, he went away with them right away. The catch is that the group only ever planned to enter the school to rob it.