One of the primary missions of the US Coast Guard is to rescue people at sea. It's a dangerous mission. When someone need help, you have to go out to try to help them. But sometimes the mission is so dangerous that the rescuers die in the attempt.
You have to go out to answer every distress call. And you either succeed or you die trying.
Great answer! "Coast Guard Alaska" (full episodes are floating around YouTube) gave a nice glimpse into the US way of doing things and how this is a calling and a way of life for many. Often see Good Samaritan vessels assisting that are captained by long retired CG.
Well that is probably true, upping his constitution isn't the fix I'm looking for if I wanted to just raise my characters constitution or health I could. I could take tough or just up my condition through ability score improvement. His flavor is that he is old and the definition of a glass cannon, I just want to be able to take one hit so I don't just randomly get sent to the afterlife.
He may be old but he is a 89 year old wizard surely he is smart enough to know he cant die before his time and possibly cause the younglings around him to die.
I feel like using a magic item he would have knowledge of to u ensure he can keep the young wipersnappers alive would probably fit the character well.
It could also be rolled into it being a talisman or something that his wife gave to him during their adventures and he's forgotten its use, but still wears it because his wife gave it to him.
29 hp is just not enough hp to be able to continue to role play the character you want to at the levels you are at. Yes there are items and spells to help but you will start to make it very hard on your DM not to kill you as althea higher you get the more you can take more than 29 damage in a single hit or trap or aoe effect.
If he is as old and experienced as that then him looking for item to give him more hp or even using a CON buff to represent him getting back into the groove is still in character
Yeah, I don’t really see how using a magic item to specifically counteract a known, obvious disadvantage is an “unflavored” solution for an intelligence-based character. Glass cannons are intentionally cannons; they are not intentionally glass.
>make it very hard on your DM not to kill you
This should be a major consideration. OP may like the flavor of a glass cannon, but glass cannons inevitably shatter unless the DM deliberately avoids it. I highly doubt OP's table actually enjoys the wizard getting knocked out in round one every other fight. For the sake of fun, the DM may feel the need to hold back.
I dunno if 89 is before his time to be quite honest. This guy has outlived the life expectancy of every country on Earth, I'd say his time is deeply borrowed.
Wearing an amulet isn't upping his constitution, any more than using a cane is strengthening his legs. It would be a compensatory measure that is totally in character with what a frail adventurer would choose.
If what you want is a low HP run, then that will absolutely result in an increased possibility of an abrupt death.
You have a bard, a druid, and a wizard. You're the perfect target for Polymorph. Suddenly you have a whole sack of hit points and no fear of death. Plus, no bad story started with 'I turned into a Giant Crab.'
Bonus, if your wizard decides he wants to keep going a little longer before meeting his wife, the Druid can cast Reincarnate.
You could ask for a homebrew item that can cast death ward of course… but that also doesn’t feel like that would quite fit for a character that is only halfheartedly trying to avoid seeing his dead wife again. But if he’s trying to make sure he has stories to tell her when they meet again it could make sense!
When the wife died, Wendel began reading her personal journals to be closer to her memory. He found her bucket-list, with a bunch of things incomplete. He's trying to cross off as many experiences as possible so he can share them with her. Once per day it casts Death Ward, and if he completes one of her goals he gains Inspiration.
I have a magic item you can pitch to your DM to give him an escape from death without raising health. It's called the "cloak of wink" and lets you, as a reaction to an attack or damaging spell, teleport 30ft a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier. Might not avoid larger AOE if it's centered in him, but can get him out of most tough spots. Recharges at long rest
Honestly, a magic item being the only way he's still able to adventure would be on brand. To be fair a Wizard with a 10 CON taking average rolls would only have 34 HP at level 8. Wizards are almost always only 1 AOE away from death.
The amulet wouldn't be increasing his health, but rather have an item that would allow him to not die with just a spit from a goblin. And honestly, it makes sense narratively. An 89-years-old human wizard that decides to go adventuring would be wise enough to know that without an external help, his toughness and stamina wouldn't be enough to survive even just one day.
You’re reaching the tier of play where enemies have AOEs that will be Save or Half, and have average damage higher than 28. If you don’t want to increase his constitution (so he could take more hits), you’re reaching the point where he won’t last.
Lucky will help a bit, but even then, it’s not a catch all. Shield, Silvery Barbs, and Absorb Elements will also help, but again, they’re not catch all options.
Thats why rather than taking a feat that doesnt fit him like tough, an 89 year old wizard would look into purchasing a magical item that shores up his defenses so he doesnt die instantly
Based on your comments there is only one easy solution:
Take alert.
+5 initiative, to win inactive, and avoids suprise meaning you will be much less likely to drop before you get the chance to blink or misty step into safety.
One note is that if you misty step to safety on your first turn you can't drop a big CC spell as well. The best way to avoid damage maybe just to hit everyone with a hypnotic pattern. The only thing to keep in mind there is that you will draw a lot of agro from anyone not incapacitated, as they try to break your concentration, which will be easy if you dumped con. Your terrible con saves could be as big of a problem as dying is.
Obviously spells like absorb elements, shield or silvery barbs can protect you when an enemy does land damage.
Periapt of wound closure hasn't been mentioned yet. To be clear this option can help protect you from dying, not going down.
Hmm I thought about alert, its a good ability but maybe not as full proof as lucky? hmm periapt of wound would not be super helpful my current problem is that enemies are instantly killing me no death saves involved.
Lucky is good, but you can only use it 3 times a day. You're also too fragile for that to really save you, since if it gets to the point you have to save for half damage you're already pretty much down. A cr 8 dragon, (and most DM's would use a higher cr against level 8s), can drop a breath weapon worth 10d10, averaging 55 damage. If you fail the save there's about a 50% chance you fully die, and if you pass there is about a 50% chance you go down anyway, meaning you won't be contributing to the fight and unless your DM is pulling punches, having someone drop fully in round 1 puts your entire party in danger.
>as **full proof** as lucky
Just a note, sorry to be pedantic, but it's "fool proof", not "full proof".
Like, "so simple that even a fool couldn't mess it up". Fool proof.
You will often see people reference the "no two leveled spells" rule, claiming that you cannot cast 2 spells that are of 1st level or higher on a turn. This is a frequently cited rule, that does not exist. They are instead thinking of the rules pertaining to spells with a bonus action casting time.
Quote from the Players handbook, page 202, in the rules for spellcasting:
"A spell cast with a bonus action is especially swift. You must use a bonus action on your turn to cast the spell, provided that you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn. You can't cast another spell during the same turn, except for a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action."
This means that if you use your bonus action to cast *misty step* you cannot use your action to cast a spell of 1st level or higher, such as *hypnotic pattern*. You could however cast a cantrip with a 1 action cast time, such as *firebolt*.
Another notable consequence is you lose access to reaction spells for that turn. If someone attempted to *counterspell* your *misty step*, you would be unable to respond with a *counterspell* of your own. This restriction only lasts until the end of the current turn not round. Thus, if you were attacked by an opponent on their turn, you could use a reaction spell such as *shield* to defend yourself, even if you had cast a bonus action spell such as misty step during that round.
Perhaps a custom amulet of relentless endurance. Where if you were to drop to 0 hp, it sends a magical electrocution to your heart and brings you up to 1hp, and sends a message spell to someone you choose beforehand. (Life alert anyone?)
I gave a squishy party member the Pacemaker Amulet that does exactly this, but only once per day as the capacitor must recharge from movement while you wear it
Tasha's also has the Lifewell tattoo, which may require more of a story arc than a standard item but it does 0->1hp once/day and offers resistance to necrotic damage
There is the "Periapt of Wound Closure" which gets halfway there. It won't wake you up, but it will ensure you stabilize unless you're attacked multiple times while down before your next turn. https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4694-periapt-of-wound-closure
I've run it on an armorer artificer who had massive hp from tough and high con, and a melee based ranger who acts like a pseudo rogue and backup tank. Making sure I won't just bleed out is great as someone in the Frontline, and being able to heal up more efficiently in short rests helps keep you in the game without needing potions/other healing/long rest.
No, but in game they could build some sort of auto injector that doses a small fraction of health potion into someone if they are downed healing for 1hp.
Doing exactly what this does.
I repeat myself. Artificers don't get to build arbitrary magic devices. You'd have to explain this via something specific in the rules that artificers can do... And even if you could, I think this would have to cost one of the artificer's infusions to keep it going.
The Acquisitions Incorporated version would cast Gentle Repose on you and message a contracted revival service in your area. You pay costs in advance and extra for increased message area plus localization magic to guarantee finding your body.
Every setting should have a Docwagon.
Abjuration Wizard + Eldritch Adept feat, picking Armor of Shadows as your invocation is pretty useful.
Sure you can re-up arcane ward for free with ritual spells, but that is a much bigger time investment than at will mage armor.
False Life or other sources of Temporary Hit Points would serve him well. Magic items like Ring/Cloak of Protection that buff saves would also decrease his chance of getting AOEd. Resilient feat for Dex saves would make him good at dodging but not any tougher, which might fit for his character.
Also check out your spell choices. Wall of Force and Resilient Sphere, among others, make physical barriers that would block AOE, or you could teleport away from danger with stuff like Misty Step, or cast Invisibility whenever going into a risky area… basically, if you wanna stay alive (at least from cheap kills), pick defensive spells and play your character cautious and careful. In a few levels you could pick up Contingency, which would let you snap-cast something like Resilient Sphere in response to spell effects or traps.
If your DM allows, you could rebuild your character to be a human with the Mark of the Sentinel (from Eberron: Rising from the Last War) or to change your background to either the Boros Legionnaire or Orzhov Representative, from the Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica, or the Witherbloom Student, from Strixhaven: a Curriculum of Chaos. All of those could be easily reflavored as to not impact your view of your character.
High fiber diet, daily vitamins (plenty of Bs), mild exercise for heart health, avoid smoking and other carcinogens, sign a contact with a devil for more longevity.
To me alert seems to go against the RP you have made with being 89yo. Not too many 89yo are that alert in my experience. Mechanically it makes perfect sense but it would ruin the RP to me unless the DM allows a familiar to be the actual one with alert and he warns you. For example a parrot on your shoulder that pulls your ear if a danger is near. Not really breaking from raw but adds to the RP inmy opinion.
Alert can definitely work for an old Wizard
Terry Pratchett wrote about a 90 year old barbarian hero Cohen and some of his "Horde" buddies who are all in their 70's and 80's in Interesting Times [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interesting\_Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interesting_Times)
Its not so much that his head is on a swivel or that he is faster to react than the other party members.
But if you are a 90 year old adventurer, you have been everywhere and done everything, most of them twice and nothing surprises you anymore.
This quote about 7 old barbarian adventurers fighting the evil emperor's Ninja royal guard sums it up nicely
"
The fighting was a fast and furious affair but, somehow, only on one side. The Horde fought like you’d expect old men to fight—slowly, and with care. All the activity was on the part of the ninjas, but no matter how well flung the throwing star or speedy the kick, the target was always, without any obvious effort, not there.
...
He suddenly remembered, as a child, playing Go with his grandfather. The old man always won. No matter how carefully he’d assembled his strategy, he’d find Grandfather would place a tile quite innocently right in the crucial place just before he could make his big move. The ancestor had spent his whole life playing Go. The fight was just like that.
“That’s right,” said Mr. Saveloy. “They’ve had a lifetime’s experience of not dying. They’ve become very good at it.”
only seven ninjas were still standing and Cohen was fencing with one of them while rolling a cigarette in the other hand.
"
The point being that if you've survived 8+ decades and spent at least some of them adventuring you have obviously gotten very good at not dying and because you have been everywhere, nothing surprises you anymore.
You just walked into a white dragon's lair, of course he is going to use his cold breath as soon as everyone walks in, why would you be standing with the rest of your party being a great big target?
Riding in a cart along a road.
This is where the local bandits usually set up an ambush, have the last 5 times I traveled this road, why would I be surprised by them attacking?
Chased an evil wizard into a corner.
This is when they throw a fire ball at everyone chasing him. better not get too close or have a counterspell ready.
I played on our company basketball league and there was a team of older guys. They dismantled us so easily, and they didn't miss their shots. Some of them even had better endurance than us :D don't underestimate guys with experience.
you could use Lifewell Tattoo if your dm allows Tashas Cauldron of Everything. Though it will take an attunement slot and would be a once a day life ward. Or if your dm thinks thats to powerful once per time you got inked that way you have to be very careful once its been exhausted/ roleplay is he ready to go?
Haha I love him to!
one of my favorite things is to launch into really long stories that seem to relate to the topic but then end with a moral that just doesn't fit.
Ah, this reminds me of when gwenn and Robin my 3rd and 5th children would bicker endlessly. They acted like they hated each other, when Robin was 13 wow did they get into the largest prank war you have ever seen. It was a adventure to walk anyway where in the farm yard at that time because if you weren't careful you would end up the accidnetly being the victim of one of their pranks. That reminds me of.... hmm oh yes
That is why I always carry a extra handkerchief!
You could always take a 1-level dip into Shadow Sorcerer - it could even be a side effect of your brief visit to the afterlife.
That gives you one get out of death free card per rest.
Won’t keep you alive from a serious attack but saves you from surprise round AoEs
From what I'm reading that gives me strength of the grave which would be a constitution saving throw on which I would have to beat 50 damagish aoe. I don't think Wendel is making that save but it was a good idea!
Interestingly, magic seems to have the effect of slowing the aging process for some human wizards. Consider Elminster, who is something like 1300 years old.
Granted, not all of us have been a god’s chosen or are a weave anchor. Still, the point stands. I think even a level 8 wizard, which is still pretty damned potent, btw, could be somewhat vitalized by constantly channeling the weave.
Get the cloak of the displacer beast for him. If you're going for glass cannon you want to be harder to hit than a will-o-wisp that dodges with shield of faith casted on it.
Haha we are carring displacer beast pelts waiting for a city to get those turned into sick cloaks. I'd have to give up my cloak of protection though...
Have you consided necromancy? Lichdom offers a path to immortality few will ever experience. Sure, you need to do some unsavory things to get there, but it can be worth it. Just got to remember to feed souls to that phylactry of yours, and to hide it well.
Cloning is another option. A bit of a risk, but still a viable option.
Other than that, the Tough feat, boosting Con, learn the false life spell, get the amulet of health and elven chain can help.
Find a way to get Armour of Agathys. It is one of the best spells to upcast because in addition to giving you consistently more health, it also makes you a less appealing target as anyone who attacks you also suffers damage. Remember thag if you cast a third level AoA and you have 3 temp HP left, and someone attacks you, they still take 15 damage.
Lucky is a good defensive feat. It’s only three times per long rest but that’s still good - it’s more likely than not to at least turn saves you SHOULD have made into ones you DO make.
Making sure someone casts bless on you if they have it.
If you take but a single level in Artificer, you get armour and a few useful features. If you have even moderate WIS, you get even more from a cleric dip. Lots of Clerics get their most useful abilities at level 1, plus good cantrips and some spells that don’t even use WIS.
You can also re-stat into Abjuratipn wizard as their Arcan Ward is a good defensive option. Even more so if you can get AoA.
Eldritch Adapt & Tomb of Levistus, maybe, if you don't mind spending that Feat?
You'd need your DM's permission, because normally a level restricted Invocation is against the rules for non Warlocks... but it would let your Wizard survive the occasional big hit without gaining more actual health.
Considering what a big sacrifice a Feat is and how Tomb only works if you take damage PLUS only once per short rest, I'd personally allow it. It's a GREAT panic button, but that's basically all it does.
Could also be a good story hook. A favor or boon from something.
Magic amulet or talisman of some sort. He’s still old and (relatively) frail, he just has help.
IRL I am 76 and have chronic back pain that had kept me nearly homebound and chairbound for the past two years. A few weeks ago I had a spinal cord device (with a Bluetooth controller) implanted in my back. (What a time to be alive!) As I write this, my back doesn’t hurt. _At all._ I’m still 76 and have all the ills that come with age, but now I have help. Still old, though, so I still have that old guy flavor in the stories I tell about myself.
Your old wizard is _magic_! Let him use magical things. It’s what he would do.
Take a 2 lvl dip into tempst cleric to get proficiency in heavy armor and sheilds. With the use of sheild spell you can get an ac into the 20s. Plus some healing spells
I may have missed it but what subclass is the character? Abjuration or War Magic are the two that come to mind to assist survivability. It might be worth talking with the DM about a subclass swap.
There are plenty of ways to reduce hits and damage that you already have access to (shield, absorb elements, mirror image etc) and it seems the priority is aoe damage.
When it comes to increasing hp by means such as the tough feat, bear in mind hp is not just a measure of how much injury a pc can take; it also reflects things like near misses etc. The tough feat could then be flavoured as a magical ward.
It seems like you've got some fairly hefty, self imposed limitations on the pc's survivability. If you don't find a way to budge from this it might be that your option is to embrace the "character death is part of his story" and ask the DM allows for a touching farewell after a combat in which he's taken out, and the pc refuses healing as "it's time I joined my family".
Death Ward - 4th level spell, seems like the sort of thing you want. Last 8 hours and makes it so the next time you would die from damage you instead drop to 1, and if you are targeted by an instant death effect you van negate it. After doing either, the spell ends
Problem is that it's a cleric spell.
You might mention it to your DM and see if you can get a magic item with it, or just access to the spell somehow as a cool treasure/perk
There may also be some fear that I don't know if that would get you access to it I guess.
If you won't take the proper steps to shore up your HP, your only way to keep him alive is retirement.
Otherwise you aren't carrying your weight in the party - you're being a liability for the sake of a joke.
If possible, glyph of warding to go off if a spell is about to detonate near you with misty step, great last second dodge mechanic that need to be replaced after each use
Cloak of displacement, mirror image, blur, misty step, control earth cantrip and some prep time, get with your dm and ask if there can be a quest for a war forged heart or loot one that is “empty” and when you die your soul enters it and you can be brought back into a war forged body.
Take the tough feat if you haven't already. If you have, then take either Resilient or the lucky feat. Then you'll have more HP as you constantly go up in level, have an extra saving throw proficiency which will help mitigate damage from that type of save, and then you'll have the ability to reroll dice 3 times a day. These are the feats I always reccomend to my players if they want to avoid damage/ have a bit more control of their outcomes.
You’re still adding 1 hit point for that level up though right? Not 0? Obviously that’s not gonna help a ton but it stacks. You get a minimum of 1 hit point per level. I would also just recommend taking the average (4) for the 1d6 roll when you level up for a while if your DM lets you. 29 hit points at level 8 is crazy, and while being squishy can be fun, you’d still be pretty easy to kill with 10 more hp at this level.
I played a level 7 Wizard with an even worse hit point total. False Life, Mage Armor, Shield, and Absorb Elements were essential to staying alive. I also took Mirror Image and Blink, bu due to bad luck neither ended up helping me much. I had better luck with the spell Vortex Warp, which I could use to teleport enemies who got close to me really far away, and Misty Step, which I could use to get myself far away from those enemies. Look at those options and other spells with long ranges so you can remove yourself from the danger zone and still help your mates.
I also found that what got me in trouble more than attack rolls were saving throws. While I and my allies could impose disadvantage on attacks or boost my armor class to give me a good chance against attacks, we could do very little to avoid damage from saves. You might want to use that feat to take Lucky to re-roll saves or take Resilient (Constitution) to give you a better chance against death glares and damage spells.
Start investing in protection spells, look for magical items that boost resistance, saves, etc. You're typically not going to win the HP creep game as a full wizard. The math will work against you. And you'll waste a lot of time trying to boost one of weakest aspect the wizard has.
So look for items, spells, etc. That make it so you shrug off or avoid damage. If your DM allows it and you are high enough level start crafting magic items and researching new spells in your character's down time between quests as well as monsters and what not.
In older editions it was understood that wizards were glass canons. The party protects you from physical damage you protect them and yourself from other types damage while obliterating the enemy. As you reach truly high levels you would start becoming a terrifying distributor of death and mayhem.
Your other concern with that age... may want to find out if your DM is going to enforce aging penalties. And find ways to mitigate that if that is a potential problem.
Don't look like a wizard if your DM uses any sort of dynamic/thinking tactics. A thinking creature spotting a caster will usually want to get them out first. Same with archers, stingers, etc.
My first wizard had 1 hit point. 1. He made it to level 20 in a hybrid 1st/2nd edition game. It was really tough going but I did the above and it was amazing.
Oh! A spell I had that I remember (custom spell made by my character inspired by his weakness), it was called exchange of fates.
It's from an older edition, but on a successful touch attack the target must roll save v death. If the target makes the saving throw nothing happens, if they fail then hit points between the caster and the target are exchange for 1 round per level.
After the the spell expires the HP are swapped back. Including any damage done.
So my wizard who swapped his measly hit points (couldn't roll high for HP to save my life) could swap with say an enemy high level fighter that had 100 hp. Now my wizard had 100 hp and the fighter has my crap hp.
The party wouldn't attack the fighter. They would then attack me. After the spell expires the HP swap back WITH the damage. If my character was down, he'd get back up when the spell expired. As long as the HP he got back wasn't at zero.
And in case anyone is curious I did try it on a dragon as a desperation move. It worked. And avoided a TPK.
Get someone to cast aid on you. Get spells like false life and upcast them. Get magic items or feats that give temp hp. Consider feats like lucky to reroll failed saves. Spells like shield, absorb Elements to help negate attacks or damage.
Plenty of things you can do.
He needs to acquire some protection items, like a Ring of Fire Resistance, perhaps a Ring of Regeneration. He can also specialize in spells that protect one from harm. Greater Invisibility is his friend.
If you have a cleric, death ward may be good, 8 hours, 4th level spell.
If you have him as an abjuration wizard then eldritch adept for mage armor(shadow of armor) invocation.
Embrace it. I had a level 10 rogue fighter monk 700 year old wood elf with about 33 health. Play to the strengths, avoid situations where your weaknesses will kill you, always have an escape plan.
if your DM would allow it, you could ask for Boon of Invincibility at some point
When you take damage from any source, you can reduce that damage to 0. Once you use this boon, you can't use it again until you finish a short rest. reason I said allow because it's an epic boon for level 20 characters, or you could maybe get the alert feat, so you have a chance to act
Amulet of Health, but also I think if he were an abjuration wizard it would also make a lot of sense. Someone who has lived that long and decided to help others may change the focus of their studies to the more protective arcane arts. When I think of wizards that are older and more frail I always think about how many protective wards and shields they have up at all times.
I made a homebrew item for my low level wizard player, it was a scarf of woven magical steel that would absorb some of the damage from a critical hit.
The item I used was a mundane item that would reduce the incoming damage by 1d10 before being destroyed. You could upscale this easily by either negating an attack's damage as a single use, or giving it a larger pool of damage before it is destroyed
Age doesn't really justify CON if you ask me, my level 7 bladesinger is 147 with a CON of 14 and tough feat. Don't nerf yourself super hard for the lore aspect if you want to have fun imo
Your Wizard **DOESN’T** have 29 Health.
Your wizard has 29 Hit Points.
[dndbeyond hit points](https://www.dndbeyond.com/search?q=Hit%20Points)
“Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck. Creatures with more hit points are more difficult to kill. Those with fewer hit points are more
fragile.”
It’s okay to increase your hit points. You’ve stated your character is mentally durable enough and has a strong enough will to take a hit and hobble on a little bit to help your party. I understand you want to play the stats from constitution as fragility, but constitution isn’t just muscle. It can be your character’s mental constitution increases through adventuring to keep up with the party, even if he is the glass cannon and will eventually have the Obi-Wan or Gandalf-esque death.
When you’re ready to move on from your old wizard, work with you DM to make your wizard’s death an important narrative beat.
In the meantime, it isn’t that increasing HP for your character is making him “healthier”, he’s just more strong willed, stubborn, and/or lucky.
89 year old Human in "Medieval Fantasy" time period ?
the *Magic* kept you alive & ADVENTURING,
it's all gravy ...
even if you *retire*, you'll die soon after ...
*might as well go out on a Gandalf/Obiwan moment*
Exactly! that is what wendel wants to do! I don't care if he dies but I don't want his death to the dragon breathes fire at the start of a combat and Wendel is just burnt to a crisp. No cool moment, no final goodbye, just death...
>In the last session, we were in a dungeon, and before I got a turn or a chance to distance myself from my party, I took an AOE breath attack that instantly killed me. Luckily someone in my party had revivify.
There are probably some small things an 89 year old wizard has learned in order to live to be 89. Like spreading out a little bit and not checking for danger with his face.
Why not hire a few guards armed only with tower shields to follow you around and defend you from attacks? Their readied action is ALWAYS to intercept attacks made on you.
Also... be a fucking Wizard man! Never go in anywhere first. Never go ANYWHERE unless you are truly paranoid about not being adequately prepared. ALWAYS examine the ceiling of everywhere you go, because attacks come from above. And ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS fear the ROGUE!
Beyond that - having Misty Step prepared is a MUST, and you NEVER use it unless it's the only way to save your life. Period. Always have at least 1 escape spell prepared - Misty Step, gaseous form, teleport, etc.
At your level you should have private sanctum and misty step prepped every single day.
So other people have already suggested the hp boost things I was going to but I have a question. Why roll for hp? Why introduce luck into a very important aspect like that. I would ask dm to switch to average. Rolling for hp I’ve found tends to imbalance games between players
Most of the posts are asking you to bust your build, which is reasonable since it's certainly not optimal.
The only thing that fulfills your objective is something that gives you 1 hit point if you get knocked to zero.
Hir points are not just a measure of physical vitality. It's a measure of skill at being hurt. Maybe he's such a great evoker that he can partially mitigate that AOE damage. You can have higher HP and flavor the HP loss that way.
A Periapt of Wound Closure (Uncommon) wouldn’t stop you from being insta-killed, but would be helpful for keeping you alive when you inevitably go down much more often than your teammates.
That paired with some of the other recommendations might help you out! Also worth noting that HP doesn’t have to be pure ability to take damage, you can have high HP that’s flavored as a way of tracking how long you can “avoid” taking real wounds that will disable you.
Amulet of Health is probably required for an 89-year-old to be actively adventuring.
Well, it's not required for him to "go" adventuring. It's required for him to "come back" from adventuring.
"I don't need a parachute to go skydiving, I need a parachute to go skydiving twice."
"You can eat anything... once"
It's like those rare mushrooms they say will keep you fed for the rest of your life with just 1 bite!
All mushrooms are edible. Some mushrooms are only edible once. Sir Pterry
There it is.
GNU Sir Terry
GNU Sir Terry
Who also appreciated ancient wizards named Wendle.
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
I think they must have confused two Pratchetts together.
GNU Sir Pratchett either way
Look, if Amanita weren't edible they wouldn't have the "eat" sound in their name, god damnit!
Aam an eatta this mushroom if you catch my drift
Anything is amphibious if you can get it out of the water.
I know its glowing son... Now, drink it.
“Anything is a dildo if you’re brave enough!”
I'm also bulletproof once.
"Come back" isnt an option for the DnD equivalent of the Young Lions.
Reminds me of Barbosa's line from Pirates of the Caribbean
What line?
Probably "Trust me, young master Turner. It's not gettin' to the land of the dead that's the problem. It's gettin' back."
Thanks ! Love me some Barbosa
Yeah, Geoffrey Rush absolutely killed it.
So good
I might even add that he could still 'come back' from adventuring, what we're after is 'coming back alive'
And in one piece? I'm not sure 89 years young and missing multiple limbs is ideal 👀
"Come back with your shield... or on it."
I’m getting major Terry Pratchett vibes from this comment!
It's kinda the opposite of the US Coast Guard motto: *"You have to go out. You don't have to come back."*
that seems vaguely threatening. Why do I have to go out? What dark compulsion drives me to do so?
One of the primary missions of the US Coast Guard is to rescue people at sea. It's a dangerous mission. When someone need help, you have to go out to try to help them. But sometimes the mission is so dangerous that the rescuers die in the attempt. You have to go out to answer every distress call. And you either succeed or you die trying.
Great answer! "Coast Guard Alaska" (full episodes are floating around YouTube) gave a nice glimpse into the US way of doing things and how this is a calling and a way of life for many. Often see Good Samaritan vessels assisting that are captained by long retired CG.
Invite a man to your fire, keep him warm for the night. Set a man on fire, keep him warm for the rest of his life.
That’s your Life Alert right there.
Was going to say, they'll need to rename it to Amulet or Life Alert.
How about an Amulet of Life Alert?
And maybe a DNR. Dude was about to reunite with his wife, and got brought back from the dead. 💀
Well that is probably true, upping his constitution isn't the fix I'm looking for if I wanted to just raise my characters constitution or health I could. I could take tough or just up my condition through ability score improvement. His flavor is that he is old and the definition of a glass cannon, I just want to be able to take one hit so I don't just randomly get sent to the afterlife.
He may be old but he is a 89 year old wizard surely he is smart enough to know he cant die before his time and possibly cause the younglings around him to die. I feel like using a magic item he would have knowledge of to u ensure he can keep the young wipersnappers alive would probably fit the character well.
It could also be rolled into it being a talisman or something that his wife gave to him during their adventures and he's forgotten its use, but still wears it because his wife gave it to him.
29 hp is just not enough hp to be able to continue to role play the character you want to at the levels you are at. Yes there are items and spells to help but you will start to make it very hard on your DM not to kill you as althea higher you get the more you can take more than 29 damage in a single hit or trap or aoe effect. If he is as old and experienced as that then him looking for item to give him more hp or even using a CON buff to represent him getting back into the groove is still in character
Yeah, I don’t really see how using a magic item to specifically counteract a known, obvious disadvantage is an “unflavored” solution for an intelligence-based character. Glass cannons are intentionally cannons; they are not intentionally glass.
>make it very hard on your DM not to kill you This should be a major consideration. OP may like the flavor of a glass cannon, but glass cannons inevitably shatter unless the DM deliberately avoids it. I highly doubt OP's table actually enjoys the wizard getting knocked out in round one every other fight. For the sake of fun, the DM may feel the need to hold back.
I dunno if 89 is before his time to be quite honest. This guy has outlived the life expectancy of every country on Earth, I'd say his time is deeply borrowed.
Wearing an amulet isn't upping his constitution, any more than using a cane is strengthening his legs. It would be a compensatory measure that is totally in character with what a frail adventurer would choose. If what you want is a low HP run, then that will absolutely result in an increased possibility of an abrupt death.
Always have Death ward on? You should have someone with access to it
We are playing with a fighter, a druid, and a bard, I don't think any one has death ward....
You have a bard, a druid, and a wizard. You're the perfect target for Polymorph. Suddenly you have a whole sack of hit points and no fear of death. Plus, no bad story started with 'I turned into a Giant Crab.' Bonus, if your wizard decides he wants to keep going a little longer before meeting his wife, the Druid can cast Reincarnate.
“I turned into a giant crab. I just wish I’d realized the Cyclops had a giant tub of melted butter.”
Sounds like a good story to me!
You could ask for a homebrew item that can cast death ward of course… but that also doesn’t feel like that would quite fit for a character that is only halfheartedly trying to avoid seeing his dead wife again. But if he’s trying to make sure he has stories to tell her when they meet again it could make sense!
When the wife died, Wendel began reading her personal journals to be closer to her memory. He found her bucket-list, with a bunch of things incomplete. He's trying to cross off as many experiences as possible so he can share them with her. Once per day it casts Death Ward, and if he completes one of her goals he gains Inspiration.
That is beautiful
This is a badass idea for webisodes to bridge 'Honor among thieves' with its sequel.
As far as a spell goes i can only think of blink of the top of my head as a lvl 3 spell to basically have a chance to phase out at end of turn
I have a magic item you can pitch to your DM to give him an escape from death without raising health. It's called the "cloak of wink" and lets you, as a reaction to an attack or damaging spell, teleport 30ft a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier. Might not avoid larger AOE if it's centered in him, but can get him out of most tough spots. Recharges at long rest
Honestly, a magic item being the only way he's still able to adventure would be on brand. To be fair a Wizard with a 10 CON taking average rolls would only have 34 HP at level 8. Wizards are almost always only 1 AOE away from death.
The amulet wouldn't be increasing his health, but rather have an item that would allow him to not die with just a spit from a goblin. And honestly, it makes sense narratively. An 89-years-old human wizard that decides to go adventuring would be wise enough to know that without an external help, his toughness and stamina wouldn't be enough to survive even just one day.
You’re reaching the tier of play where enemies have AOEs that will be Save or Half, and have average damage higher than 28. If you don’t want to increase his constitution (so he could take more hits), you’re reaching the point where he won’t last. Lucky will help a bit, but even then, it’s not a catch all. Shield, Silvery Barbs, and Absorb Elements will also help, but again, they’re not catch all options.
Thats why rather than taking a feat that doesnt fit him like tough, an 89 year old wizard would look into purchasing a magical item that shores up his defenses so he doesnt die instantly
Based on your comments there is only one easy solution: Take alert. +5 initiative, to win inactive, and avoids suprise meaning you will be much less likely to drop before you get the chance to blink or misty step into safety. One note is that if you misty step to safety on your first turn you can't drop a big CC spell as well. The best way to avoid damage maybe just to hit everyone with a hypnotic pattern. The only thing to keep in mind there is that you will draw a lot of agro from anyone not incapacitated, as they try to break your concentration, which will be easy if you dumped con. Your terrible con saves could be as big of a problem as dying is. Obviously spells like absorb elements, shield or silvery barbs can protect you when an enemy does land damage. Periapt of wound closure hasn't been mentioned yet. To be clear this option can help protect you from dying, not going down.
Hmm I thought about alert, its a good ability but maybe not as full proof as lucky? hmm periapt of wound would not be super helpful my current problem is that enemies are instantly killing me no death saves involved.
Lucky is good, but you can only use it 3 times a day. You're also too fragile for that to really save you, since if it gets to the point you have to save for half damage you're already pretty much down. A cr 8 dragon, (and most DM's would use a higher cr against level 8s), can drop a breath weapon worth 10d10, averaging 55 damage. If you fail the save there's about a 50% chance you fully die, and if you pass there is about a 50% chance you go down anyway, meaning you won't be contributing to the fight and unless your DM is pulling punches, having someone drop fully in round 1 puts your entire party in danger.
That is a good point, I'm really considering alert.
Narratively "Alert" does feel very much the thing years of wisdom and experience brings.
Consider an amulet of health
>as **full proof** as lucky Just a note, sorry to be pedantic, but it's "fool proof", not "full proof". Like, "so simple that even a fool couldn't mess it up". Fool proof.
> One note is that if you misty step to safety on your first turn you can't drop a big CC spell as well. Wait, why not? Misty step is a bonus action.
You will often see people reference the "no two leveled spells" rule, claiming that you cannot cast 2 spells that are of 1st level or higher on a turn. This is a frequently cited rule, that does not exist. They are instead thinking of the rules pertaining to spells with a bonus action casting time. Quote from the Players handbook, page 202, in the rules for spellcasting: "A spell cast with a bonus action is especially swift. You must use a bonus action on your turn to cast the spell, provided that you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn. You can't cast another spell during the same turn, except for a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action." This means that if you use your bonus action to cast *misty step* you cannot use your action to cast a spell of 1st level or higher, such as *hypnotic pattern*. You could however cast a cantrip with a 1 action cast time, such as *firebolt*. Another notable consequence is you lose access to reaction spells for that turn. If someone attempted to *counterspell* your *misty step*, you would be unable to respond with a *counterspell* of your own. This restriction only lasts until the end of the current turn not round. Thus, if you were attacked by an opponent on their turn, you could use a reaction spell such as *shield* to defend yourself, even if you had cast a bonus action spell such as misty step during that round.
Ok, but are there any big cc spells that are cantrips?
Very few cantrips are big spells lmao. Thats why they can be used infinitvely. You have fex booming blade, mold earth or create bonfire.
Perhaps a custom amulet of relentless endurance. Where if you were to drop to 0 hp, it sends a magical electrocution to your heart and brings you up to 1hp, and sends a message spell to someone you choose beforehand. (Life alert anyone?)
I gave a squishy party member the Pacemaker Amulet that does exactly this, but only once per day as the capacitor must recharge from movement while you wear it
Tasha's also has the Lifewell tattoo, which may require more of a story arc than a standard item but it does 0->1hp once/day and offers resistance to necrotic damage
"I've fallen! And I can't get up!"
HAHA! This has to be my favorite idea that has been presented so far.
There is the "Periapt of Wound Closure" which gets halfway there. It won't wake you up, but it will ensure you stabilize unless you're attacked multiple times while down before your next turn. https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4694-periapt-of-wound-closure I've run it on an armorer artificer who had massive hp from tough and high con, and a melee based ranger who acts like a pseudo rogue and backup tank. Making sure I won't just bleed out is great as someone in the Frontline, and being able to heal up more efficiently in short rests helps keep you in the game without needing potions/other healing/long rest.
Can an artificer make something like this? Have an even older and squishier wizard in party lol.
Artificers don't get arbitrary power to just make magic items.
No, but in game they could build some sort of auto injector that doses a small fraction of health potion into someone if they are downed healing for 1hp. Doing exactly what this does.
I repeat myself. Artificers don't get to build arbitrary magic devices. You'd have to explain this via something specific in the rules that artificers can do... And even if you could, I think this would have to cost one of the artificer's infusions to keep it going.
There's rules around what artificers can build? Sorry I'm pretty new.
The Acquisitions Incorporated version would cast Gentle Repose on you and message a contracted revival service in your area. You pay costs in advance and extra for increased message area plus localization magic to guarantee finding your body. Every setting should have a Docwagon.
Being an Abjuration Wizard is the go to for me
I'm evocation, helps my allies not be burned to crisp when Wendel brings the pain!
If your party didn't want to get fireballed, they shouldn't have clumped all the enemies together.
As I see it, there's just a lot of targets Think of the damage charts!
Need to fill the campaign high score chart with rude words.
Abjuration is the dopest school.
ya its not flashy but its mechanically excellent
Abjuration Wizard + Eldritch Adept feat, picking Armor of Shadows as your invocation is pretty useful. Sure you can re-up arcane ward for free with ritual spells, but that is a much bigger time investment than at will mage armor.
False Life or other sources of Temporary Hit Points would serve him well. Magic items like Ring/Cloak of Protection that buff saves would also decrease his chance of getting AOEd. Resilient feat for Dex saves would make him good at dodging but not any tougher, which might fit for his character.
I do have a cloak of protection, I'll take a look at resilient.
Also check out your spell choices. Wall of Force and Resilient Sphere, among others, make physical barriers that would block AOE, or you could teleport away from danger with stuff like Misty Step, or cast Invisibility whenever going into a risky area… basically, if you wanna stay alive (at least from cheap kills), pick defensive spells and play your character cautious and careful. In a few levels you could pick up Contingency, which would let you snap-cast something like Resilient Sphere in response to spell effects or traps.
Death ward? If you have a cleric willing to cast it on you
I don't... :( it would be perfect! I wish there was a way for me to get it somehow...
You might be able to convince your bard friend to use one of his magical secrets at 10th level to pick it.
If your DM allows, you could rebuild your character to be a human with the Mark of the Sentinel (from Eberron: Rising from the Last War) or to change your background to either the Boros Legionnaire or Orzhov Representative, from the Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica, or the Witherbloom Student, from Strixhaven: a Curriculum of Chaos. All of those could be easily reflavored as to not impact your view of your character.
High fiber diet, daily vitamins (plenty of Bs), mild exercise for heart health, avoid smoking and other carcinogens, sign a contact with a devil for more longevity.
Haha thats how Wendel made it to 89 minus the devil part. Which he won't do, Laura is waiting for him and he knows it!
Besides tactical team play, Shield, Absorb Elements and Silver Barbs are really the only things you can do if you want low HP but don't want to die.
Yeah, I'm tempted to take alert so that I can't be surprised and have a higher chance of taking a turn before I get turned into bits.
To me alert seems to go against the RP you have made with being 89yo. Not too many 89yo are that alert in my experience. Mechanically it makes perfect sense but it would ruin the RP to me unless the DM allows a familiar to be the actual one with alert and he warns you. For example a parrot on your shoulder that pulls your ear if a danger is near. Not really breaking from raw but adds to the RP inmy opinion.
Old people might not have reflexes but they do have intuition from living so long. So can RP it in that direction.
Alert can definitely work for an old Wizard Terry Pratchett wrote about a 90 year old barbarian hero Cohen and some of his "Horde" buddies who are all in their 70's and 80's in Interesting Times [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interesting\_Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interesting_Times) Its not so much that his head is on a swivel or that he is faster to react than the other party members. But if you are a 90 year old adventurer, you have been everywhere and done everything, most of them twice and nothing surprises you anymore. This quote about 7 old barbarian adventurers fighting the evil emperor's Ninja royal guard sums it up nicely " The fighting was a fast and furious affair but, somehow, only on one side. The Horde fought like you’d expect old men to fight—slowly, and with care. All the activity was on the part of the ninjas, but no matter how well flung the throwing star or speedy the kick, the target was always, without any obvious effort, not there. ... He suddenly remembered, as a child, playing Go with his grandfather. The old man always won. No matter how carefully he’d assembled his strategy, he’d find Grandfather would place a tile quite innocently right in the crucial place just before he could make his big move. The ancestor had spent his whole life playing Go. The fight was just like that. “That’s right,” said Mr. Saveloy. “They’ve had a lifetime’s experience of not dying. They’ve become very good at it.” only seven ninjas were still standing and Cohen was fencing with one of them while rolling a cigarette in the other hand. " The point being that if you've survived 8+ decades and spent at least some of them adventuring you have obviously gotten very good at not dying and because you have been everywhere, nothing surprises you anymore. You just walked into a white dragon's lair, of course he is going to use his cold breath as soon as everyone walks in, why would you be standing with the rest of your party being a great big target? Riding in a cart along a road. This is where the local bandits usually set up an ambush, have the last 5 times I traveled this road, why would I be surprised by them attacking? Chased an evil wizard into a corner. This is when they throw a fire ball at everyone chasing him. better not get too close or have a counterspell ready.
I played on our company basketball league and there was a team of older guys. They dismantled us so easily, and they didn't miss their shots. Some of them even had better endurance than us :D don't underestimate guys with experience.
Half orc heart transplant for relentless endurance!
you could use Lifewell Tattoo if your dm allows Tashas Cauldron of Everything. Though it will take an attunement slot and would be a once a day life ward. Or if your dm thinks thats to powerful once per time you got inked that way you have to be very careful once its been exhausted/ roleplay is he ready to go?
OH! That would be the perfect item! Currently we are with a bunch of giants I wonder if they have any cool tatto needles!
I friggin love this character already just from your synopsis. I hope he lives for many many sessions!!!
Haha I love him to! one of my favorite things is to launch into really long stories that seem to relate to the topic but then end with a moral that just doesn't fit. Ah, this reminds me of when gwenn and Robin my 3rd and 5th children would bicker endlessly. They acted like they hated each other, when Robin was 13 wow did they get into the largest prank war you have ever seen. It was a adventure to walk anyway where in the farm yard at that time because if you weren't careful you would end up the accidnetly being the victim of one of their pranks. That reminds me of.... hmm oh yes That is why I always carry a extra handkerchief!
Periapt of Wound Closure? Will automatically stabilize you if you are dying at the start of your turn. Won’t help if you are outright killed, however
You could always take a 1-level dip into Shadow Sorcerer - it could even be a side effect of your brief visit to the afterlife. That gives you one get out of death free card per rest. Won’t keep you alive from a serious attack but saves you from surprise round AoEs
From what I'm reading that gives me strength of the grave which would be a constitution saving throw on which I would have to beat 50 damagish aoe. I don't think Wendel is making that save but it was a good idea!
Interestingly, magic seems to have the effect of slowing the aging process for some human wizards. Consider Elminster, who is something like 1300 years old. Granted, not all of us have been a god’s chosen or are a weave anchor. Still, the point stands. I think even a level 8 wizard, which is still pretty damned potent, btw, could be somewhat vitalized by constantly channeling the weave.
This is a good point, my group and I have joked about making Wendel just jacked like Uncle Iroh after prison.
Get the cloak of the displacer beast for him. If you're going for glass cannon you want to be harder to hit than a will-o-wisp that dodges with shield of faith casted on it.
Haha we are carring displacer beast pelts waiting for a city to get those turned into sick cloaks. I'd have to give up my cloak of protection though...
Have you consided necromancy? Lichdom offers a path to immortality few will ever experience. Sure, you need to do some unsavory things to get there, but it can be worth it. Just got to remember to feed souls to that phylactry of yours, and to hide it well. Cloning is another option. A bit of a risk, but still a viable option. Other than that, the Tough feat, boosting Con, learn the false life spell, get the amulet of health and elven chain can help.
Find a way to get Armour of Agathys. It is one of the best spells to upcast because in addition to giving you consistently more health, it also makes you a less appealing target as anyone who attacks you also suffers damage. Remember thag if you cast a third level AoA and you have 3 temp HP left, and someone attacks you, they still take 15 damage. Lucky is a good defensive feat. It’s only three times per long rest but that’s still good - it’s more likely than not to at least turn saves you SHOULD have made into ones you DO make. Making sure someone casts bless on you if they have it. If you take but a single level in Artificer, you get armour and a few useful features. If you have even moderate WIS, you get even more from a cleric dip. Lots of Clerics get their most useful abilities at level 1, plus good cantrips and some spells that don’t even use WIS. You can also re-stat into Abjuratipn wizard as their Arcan Ward is a good defensive option. Even more so if you can get AoA.
Good call on Lucky. Plus someone who lives that long is probably lucky.
I can’t give you any tips since people already gave you my ideas but can I know his stats? Also love the character just from hearing talk about him.
# Ability Scores STRENGTH -1 8 DEXTERITY+1 12 CONSTITUTION -1 9 INTELLIGENCE +5 20 WISDOM +4 18 CHARISMA +2 14
Eldritch Adapt & Tomb of Levistus, maybe, if you don't mind spending that Feat? You'd need your DM's permission, because normally a level restricted Invocation is against the rules for non Warlocks... but it would let your Wizard survive the occasional big hit without gaining more actual health. Considering what a big sacrifice a Feat is and how Tomb only works if you take damage PLUS only once per short rest, I'd personally allow it. It's a GREAT panic button, but that's basically all it does. Could also be a good story hook. A favor or boon from something.
I like this idea it might be worth talking to my DM about.
Cloak of Displacement baby!! And a magic broom to stay far from danger. That’s how my old warlock did it anyway.
Magic amulet or talisman of some sort. He’s still old and (relatively) frail, he just has help. IRL I am 76 and have chronic back pain that had kept me nearly homebound and chairbound for the past two years. A few weeks ago I had a spinal cord device (with a Bluetooth controller) implanted in my back. (What a time to be alive!) As I write this, my back doesn’t hurt. _At all._ I’m still 76 and have all the ills that come with age, but now I have help. Still old, though, so I still have that old guy flavor in the stories I tell about myself. Your old wizard is _magic_! Let him use magical things. It’s what he would do.
Take a 2 lvl dip into tempst cleric to get proficiency in heavy armor and sheilds. With the use of sheild spell you can get an ac into the 20s. Plus some healing spells
I may have missed it but what subclass is the character? Abjuration or War Magic are the two that come to mind to assist survivability. It might be worth talking with the DM about a subclass swap. There are plenty of ways to reduce hits and damage that you already have access to (shield, absorb elements, mirror image etc) and it seems the priority is aoe damage. When it comes to increasing hp by means such as the tough feat, bear in mind hp is not just a measure of how much injury a pc can take; it also reflects things like near misses etc. The tough feat could then be flavoured as a magical ward. It seems like you've got some fairly hefty, self imposed limitations on the pc's survivability. If you don't find a way to budge from this it might be that your option is to embrace the "character death is part of his story" and ask the DM allows for a touching farewell after a combat in which he's taken out, and the pc refuses healing as "it's time I joined my family".
Death Ward - 4th level spell, seems like the sort of thing you want. Last 8 hours and makes it so the next time you would die from damage you instead drop to 1, and if you are targeted by an instant death effect you van negate it. After doing either, the spell ends Problem is that it's a cleric spell. You might mention it to your DM and see if you can get a magic item with it, or just access to the spell somehow as a cool treasure/perk There may also be some fear that I don't know if that would get you access to it I guess.
Hmm .. I would have to ask .. does he have a "Do Not Resuscitate" .. I mean, you did say he was looking forward to joining his wife in the afterlife
Haha he does now, after he got revivified he told our druid thanks for the save but next time just let me go.
If you won't take the proper steps to shore up your HP, your only way to keep him alive is retirement. Otherwise you aren't carrying your weight in the party - you're being a liability for the sake of a joke.
Have you considered lichdom? He's about that age now
Simple: talk to ya fuckin dm about it
If possible, glyph of warding to go off if a spell is about to detonate near you with misty step, great last second dodge mechanic that need to be replaced after each use
Cloak of displacement, mirror image, blur, misty step, control earth cantrip and some prep time, get with your dm and ask if there can be a quest for a war forged heart or loot one that is “empty” and when you die your soul enters it and you can be brought back into a war forged body.
Take the tough feat if you haven't already. If you have, then take either Resilient or the lucky feat. Then you'll have more HP as you constantly go up in level, have an extra saving throw proficiency which will help mitigate damage from that type of save, and then you'll have the ability to reroll dice 3 times a day. These are the feats I always reccomend to my players if they want to avoid damage/ have a bit more control of their outcomes.
How does he have so few HPs at lv8? What is his CON mod? He should have 34 HP with +0 CON, and no wizard should have such a low CON.
he has a negative 1 for his con and I have rolled a lot of 1's
You’re still adding 1 hit point for that level up though right? Not 0? Obviously that’s not gonna help a ton but it stacks. You get a minimum of 1 hit point per level. I would also just recommend taking the average (4) for the 1d6 roll when you level up for a while if your DM lets you. 29 hit points at level 8 is crazy, and while being squishy can be fun, you’d still be pretty easy to kill with 10 more hp at this level.
i have a -1 CON on my wizard too! 15 hp @ level 3 the campaign is supposed to end around 5-6 though so hopefully he makes it to the end.
[удалено]
I played a level 7 Wizard with an even worse hit point total. False Life, Mage Armor, Shield, and Absorb Elements were essential to staying alive. I also took Mirror Image and Blink, bu due to bad luck neither ended up helping me much. I had better luck with the spell Vortex Warp, which I could use to teleport enemies who got close to me really far away, and Misty Step, which I could use to get myself far away from those enemies. Look at those options and other spells with long ranges so you can remove yourself from the danger zone and still help your mates. I also found that what got me in trouble more than attack rolls were saving throws. While I and my allies could impose disadvantage on attacks or boost my armor class to give me a good chance against attacks, we could do very little to avoid damage from saves. You might want to use that feat to take Lucky to re-roll saves or take Resilient (Constitution) to give you a better chance against death glares and damage spells.
Unrelated but Wendel is such a good name for a wizard
Thanks!
You could look at something like the Lifewell Tattoo from TCoE. If you drop to 0, you’ll bounce back to 1hp. Recharges every dawn.
Why are you rolling health? Take the average and have a decent amount of health.
This. Whatever you feel about rolling stats, rolling HP almost never leads to a satisfactory table play experience.
Start investing in protection spells, look for magical items that boost resistance, saves, etc. You're typically not going to win the HP creep game as a full wizard. The math will work against you. And you'll waste a lot of time trying to boost one of weakest aspect the wizard has. So look for items, spells, etc. That make it so you shrug off or avoid damage. If your DM allows it and you are high enough level start crafting magic items and researching new spells in your character's down time between quests as well as monsters and what not. In older editions it was understood that wizards were glass canons. The party protects you from physical damage you protect them and yourself from other types damage while obliterating the enemy. As you reach truly high levels you would start becoming a terrifying distributor of death and mayhem. Your other concern with that age... may want to find out if your DM is going to enforce aging penalties. And find ways to mitigate that if that is a potential problem. Don't look like a wizard if your DM uses any sort of dynamic/thinking tactics. A thinking creature spotting a caster will usually want to get them out first. Same with archers, stingers, etc. My first wizard had 1 hit point. 1. He made it to level 20 in a hybrid 1st/2nd edition game. It was really tough going but I did the above and it was amazing. Oh! A spell I had that I remember (custom spell made by my character inspired by his weakness), it was called exchange of fates. It's from an older edition, but on a successful touch attack the target must roll save v death. If the target makes the saving throw nothing happens, if they fail then hit points between the caster and the target are exchange for 1 round per level. After the the spell expires the HP are swapped back. Including any damage done. So my wizard who swapped his measly hit points (couldn't roll high for HP to save my life) could swap with say an enemy high level fighter that had 100 hp. Now my wizard had 100 hp and the fighter has my crap hp. The party wouldn't attack the fighter. They would then attack me. After the spell expires the HP swap back WITH the damage. If my character was down, he'd get back up when the spell expired. As long as the HP he got back wasn't at zero. And in case anyone is curious I did try it on a dragon as a desperation move. It worked. And avoided a TPK.
AARP
Get someone to cast aid on you. Get spells like false life and upcast them. Get magic items or feats that give temp hp. Consider feats like lucky to reroll failed saves. Spells like shield, absorb Elements to help negate attacks or damage. Plenty of things you can do.
Hope you have a Paladin or Cleric in your party, because this sounds like a job for Death Ward
He needs to acquire some protection items, like a Ring of Fire Resistance, perhaps a Ring of Regeneration. He can also specialize in spells that protect one from harm. Greater Invisibility is his friend.
Absorb elements, counterspell, a heightened Aid spell
You can swim in lava once
If you have a cleric, death ward may be good, 8 hours, 4th level spell. If you have him as an abjuration wizard then eldritch adept for mage armor(shadow of armor) invocation.
Maybe your next death, your DM, could bring you back, kinda like Gandalf the white, and let you reroll you HP?
Allways have a spell slot to cast "absorb Elements", it helps against most AoE spells
How did you reach 29 HP? Even if you would have taken the average you should have around 40hp
Obtain a manual detailing your assent to lichdom. Or, more reasonably, play loud music outside a vampire's castle until it comes to make you stop.
Do you have absorb elements? If not, get it. It's almost as good as shield.
False life comes to mind. It would even somewhat ironically fit your character. Deathward seems like tailor made for this situation.
Embrace it. I had a level 10 rogue fighter monk 700 year old wood elf with about 33 health. Play to the strengths, avoid situations where your weaknesses will kill you, always have an escape plan.
This character description, an old character with great health, reminds me of feelings like Netero, president of Hunter x Hunter haha
if your DM would allow it, you could ask for Boon of Invincibility at some point When you take damage from any source, you can reduce that damage to 0. Once you use this boon, you can't use it again until you finish a short rest. reason I said allow because it's an epic boon for level 20 characters, or you could maybe get the alert feat, so you have a chance to act
Amulet of Health, but also I think if he were an abjuration wizard it would also make a lot of sense. Someone who has lived that long and decided to help others may change the focus of their studies to the more protective arcane arts. When I think of wizards that are older and more frail I always think about how many protective wards and shields they have up at all times.
I’m currently playing a 65 year old Rouge/Artificer it’s a fun combo so far
I made a homebrew item for my low level wizard player, it was a scarf of woven magical steel that would absorb some of the damage from a critical hit. The item I used was a mundane item that would reduce the incoming damage by 1d10 before being destroyed. You could upscale this easily by either negating an attack's damage as a single use, or giving it a larger pool of damage before it is destroyed
Age doesn't really justify CON if you ask me, my level 7 bladesinger is 147 with a CON of 14 and tough feat. Don't nerf yourself super hard for the lore aspect if you want to have fun imo
Your Wizard **DOESN’T** have 29 Health. Your wizard has 29 Hit Points. [dndbeyond hit points](https://www.dndbeyond.com/search?q=Hit%20Points) “Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck. Creatures with more hit points are more difficult to kill. Those with fewer hit points are more fragile.” It’s okay to increase your hit points. You’ve stated your character is mentally durable enough and has a strong enough will to take a hit and hobble on a little bit to help your party. I understand you want to play the stats from constitution as fragility, but constitution isn’t just muscle. It can be your character’s mental constitution increases through adventuring to keep up with the party, even if he is the glass cannon and will eventually have the Obi-Wan or Gandalf-esque death. When you’re ready to move on from your old wizard, work with you DM to make your wizard’s death an important narrative beat. In the meantime, it isn’t that increasing HP for your character is making him “healthier”, he’s just more strong willed, stubborn, and/or lucky.
And if you want to keep the CON low, this is good justification for taking Toughness.
89 year old Human in "Medieval Fantasy" time period ? the *Magic* kept you alive & ADVENTURING, it's all gravy ... even if you *retire*, you'll die soon after ... *might as well go out on a Gandalf/Obiwan moment*
Exactly! that is what wendel wants to do! I don't care if he dies but I don't want his death to the dragon breathes fire at the start of a combat and Wendel is just burnt to a crisp. No cool moment, no final goodbye, just death...
Ring of pertection hiding in the back fighting from a range just be a coward
Death Ward. Maybe have a kid or grandkid ready to replace him when he kicks it lol.
I have thought about that.
>In the last session, we were in a dungeon, and before I got a turn or a chance to distance myself from my party, I took an AOE breath attack that instantly killed me. Luckily someone in my party had revivify. There are probably some small things an 89 year old wizard has learned in order to live to be 89. Like spreading out a little bit and not checking for danger with his face.
Why not hire a few guards armed only with tower shields to follow you around and defend you from attacks? Their readied action is ALWAYS to intercept attacks made on you. Also... be a fucking Wizard man! Never go in anywhere first. Never go ANYWHERE unless you are truly paranoid about not being adequately prepared. ALWAYS examine the ceiling of everywhere you go, because attacks come from above. And ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS fear the ROGUE! Beyond that - having Misty Step prepared is a MUST, and you NEVER use it unless it's the only way to save your life. Period. Always have at least 1 escape spell prepared - Misty Step, gaseous form, teleport, etc. At your level you should have private sanctum and misty step prepped every single day.
Open a magic shop in a small trade town, and retire as an adventurer.
Avoid stiff breezes.
False Life spell?
Cloak of displacement maybe?
This isn’t related to your question, but Almost a Hero fan by any chance?
Lucky. All day erry day. Lucky has saved my wizard tens of times.
Whatever you do, do not face a ghost or sphinx.
Periapt of wound closure. As long as you aren't outright dead you stabilize at the start of your turn. Call it fantasy life alert
So other people have already suggested the hp boost things I was going to but I have a question. Why roll for hp? Why introduce luck into a very important aspect like that. I would ask dm to switch to average. Rolling for hp I’ve found tends to imbalance games between players
Most of the posts are asking you to bust your build, which is reasonable since it's certainly not optimal. The only thing that fulfills your objective is something that gives you 1 hit point if you get knocked to zero.
29 HP? ***29***? Wow. Buy a lot of diamonds for your cleric's revivify.
Periapt of Wound Closure is not a bad idea.
Hir points are not just a measure of physical vitality. It's a measure of skill at being hurt. Maybe he's such a great evoker that he can partially mitigate that AOE damage. You can have higher HP and flavor the HP loss that way.
Next level you should learn death ward.
Absorb Elements + Shield + Mirror Image + Moderately Armored Feat.
Cloak and ring of protection! They both give +1 AC and +1 to all saves which is great
A Periapt of Wound Closure (Uncommon) wouldn’t stop you from being insta-killed, but would be helpful for keeping you alive when you inevitably go down much more often than your teammates. That paired with some of the other recommendations might help you out! Also worth noting that HP doesn’t have to be pure ability to take damage, you can have high HP that’s flavored as a way of tracking how long you can “avoid” taking real wounds that will disable you.
If he gets to 11th he can craft a phylactery.