Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as an Ultimate Spell Duelist

Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted were feeling inspired after building the ultimate melee duelist as a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character and set out to create its counterpart the Ultimate Spell Duelist. This 5E D&D Character Build Guide explores the idea of two wizards going at each other on equal footing — may the best spellcaster win style. Let’s get into it.

Behind the CBG — Spell Duelist

Every Character Build Guide we create considers the journey as much as the final outcome. We aim to present a guide suitable for any level of 5E D&D play whether you’re pursuing an epic campaign from start to finish, starting beyond 1st level or choosing a character for a one shot. Then we take those concepts and develop an NPC or creature version of the character build for DMs to incorporate into their games. All of this gets packaged up and laid out in a PDF you can find over at Dungeon Master’s Guild. We’ve got dozens of pay what you want products at DMG, many of them best sellers so if you want to check those out start with the Ultimate Spell Duelist here.

All about the character story

Each CBG starts with a character concept sticking to a particular schtick, from the Mind Breaker’s psyche crushing smites to the Ultimate Spell Duelist’s process of attacking their studies with the same vigor they reserve for the battlefield. Sometimes puns and pop culture references instigate the creation of a CBG too, while other times we simply lean heavily into a niche concept like this one. At every step of the way we considered how this character would assess their options for single combat of a decidedly magical nature.

For us it’s important to consider who these characters are as individuals and why they follow these particular paths. One special thing to note with this CBG is while we always aim to make the journey to 20th level as practical as possible — none of these characters “come online” after an awkward slog through many levels — the Ultimate Spell Duelist’s most consistent feature puts them over the top at 10th level. Much of this character’s journey both before and after this point rely on their wits and ability to think ahead to make the best use of whatever resources they’ve got available.

At the end of the day the core concept for this Ultimate Duelist boils down to attack and defense in the purest form. Abjuration spells and the features provided by the Arcane Tradition based upon this school of magic ensure this magic user’s opponents can’t penetrate their protections. On the offensive side they’re much like a traditional wizard from the perspective it’s all about anticipating what lies ahead. Because this particular character build looks outside the individual to scenarios that may never actually arise during a campaign the choices we made make them best suited for combat against other spellcasters. But they’re still a wizard at heart and this gives them a ton of flexibility.

Master Spell Duelist NPC for 5E D&D

Full disclosure — the NPCs and creatures we make in CBGs are some of my favorite bits of 5E D&D content to create. We step back and look at the character build to find the standout features that feel like signature abilities. The juice! From there we consider what sort of person or people would possess or gain these abilities and build a stat block around them. More often than not the section of a CBG For Dungeon Masters presents a generic creature.

Another early CBG entry (we’re almost completely caught up here at Nerdarchy the Website!) the NPC creature version doesn’t deviate very much from the features available to the player version. There’s a few minor tweaks to account for that static nature of a creature compared to a player character and in general presents a very powerful spellcaster with supreme defensive capabilities. This Master Spell Duelist would smoke Volo’s Guide to Monsters’ abjurer no question. Now there’s a spell duel to witness! Since the time this CBG was created there’s been a ton of new official character options as well as a change in the direction of game design. If we created this today it would look much different starting with the Spellcasting trait, which I’d model more closely on our Spell Savant. Nevertheless the Master Spell Duelist is no slouch when it comes to slinging magic and defending against pretty much everything.

By Staff and Spell. The master spell duelist prides themselves on defeating other spellcasters in single combat. Whether this is to feed their own ego, prove they are the most powerful caster, or to battle those who mean to do harm

“Superior Magic Resistance. The master spell duelist has advantage on saving throws against spells. Furthermore, it has resistance against the damage of spells.”

If your next 5E D&D game needs a potent spellcaster who knows their enemies — whether you’re the DM or a player — check out the Ultimate Spell Duelist Character Build Guide here.

*Featured image — Mage Duel from Magic: The Gathering’s Strixhaven: School of Mages expansion expresses everything cool about a wizardly duel right on the nose. Casting multiple spells on your turn provides attack and defense bonuses to a creature who then fights an opponent’s creature. With Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos for 5E D&D in the very near future here’s hoping for opportunities to engage in mage duels during the campaign. [Art by Randy Vargas]

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