Goliath Wizard Build Guide

Levels 1-4

Take War Magic at level 2. Tactical Wit adds your Intelligence modifier to Initiative, making up for your mediocre 13 Dexterity so you can cast Sleep or Web before enemies scatter. At level 4, take the Ability Score Improvement to bump INT to 16 and DEX to 14. This maximizes your Mage Armor AC to 15 and gets your spell save DC on track.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 brings 3rd-level spells like Hypnotic Pattern. At level 6, War Magic gives you Power Surge, which is mechanically weak, but your real power spike is at level 8. Take the Resilient (Constitution) feat. Your Goliath damage mitigation reduces the DC of incoming concentration checks, and adding proficiency ensures your Polymorph doesn't drop when you take a hit that bypasses your Stone Giant Ancestry.

Levels 11-16

Access to 6th-level spells changes the game. Mass Suggestion ends encounters instantly. At level 12, take the Telekinetic feat (+1 INT) to weaponize your bonus action, shoving enemies into your Wall of Fire. Deflecting Shroud at level 14 finally makes Arcane Deflection offensive, allowing you to deal force damage while turtling behind your Goliath bulk. Level 16 is your ASI to cap INT at 18 or 19 depending on future feat plans.

Levels 17-20

Level 17 gives you access to Foresight or Wish. With a maximum 104 HP pool at level 17, Foresight grants you advantage on all saves, pairing perfectly with your Goliath damage mitigation to make you essentially unkillable. Cap your Intelligence at 20 at level 19 to ensure your 9th-level spells stick.

Cantrips

Mind Sliver targets Intelligence saving throws and synergizes perfectly with your leveled control spells. Ray of Frost slows enemies trying to close the gap to your easily targeted Large Form. Minor Illusion provides on-demand cover.

Level 1-2 Spells

Shield and Absorb Elements are mandatory for survival. Web is your bread-and-butter control spell at level 3. Mage Armor is strictly required since you wear no armor and rely on a 14 Dexterity.

Level 3-5 Spells

Hypnotic Pattern and Slow dictate the flow of the battlefield. Polymorph gives you an emergency hit point pool by turning your Large Form into a Huge Giant Ape. Wall of Force isolates massive threats with zero save permitted.

High-Level Spells

Mass Suggestion handles crowds without eating your concentration. Forcecage traps bosses indefinitely. Maze removes high-threat enemies from the board instantly, giving your party time to mop up minions without breaking a sweat.

Resilient (Constitution)

Take this at level 8. Your Goliath damage mitigation reduces the DC of concentration checks significantly, and adding proficiency ensures you rarely fail them when maintaining crucial spells like Wall of Force.

Telekinetic

An excellent level 12 pick to bump your Intelligence to 17. Shoving enemies 5 feet into your Web or Cloudkill uses a bonus action you otherwise wouldn't touch, maximizing your action economy.

Fey Touched

If you prefer mobility over pushing enemies, take this instead of Telekinetic. Grabbing Misty Step and Gift of Alacrity helps you reposition your Large Form when dungeon corridors get far too cramped for a Goliath.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Grab a Ruby of the War Mage if you plan to hold a staff, though a simple Wand of the War Mage +1 will help your Ray of Frost hit consistently while your spell save DC is still scaling.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Seek out a Cloak of Displacement. Giving enemies disadvantage to hit you means you can save your Stone Giant reaction for critical hits. An Amulet of Health sets your Constitution to 19, massively boosting your squishy 68 HP pool at level 11.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

A Staff of Power is the holy grail for this build. The +2 bonus to Armor Class and saving throws stacks beautifully with War Magic's Arcane Deflection, making your Goliath wizard a walking fortress.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

A Robe of the Archmagi fixes your AC permanently to 15 + DEX modifier and buffs your spell save DC, letting your Meteor Swarm and Prismatic Wall land with devastating reliability against endgame bosses.

As a Controller with a 3/10 synergy rating, you need a party that capitalizes on your crowd control while ignoring your useless Powerful Build trait. You excel at grouping enemies up for area-of-effect bursts or locking down big threats so your martials can focus-fire without getting swarmed.

Pair this build with a Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarian. They can face-tank the enemies you trap in your Web, and their physical dominance makes up for your dumped 8 Strength. A Twilight Domain Cleric is also fantastic; their Twilight Sanctuary grants you temporary hit points that stack beautifully underneath your Stone Giant damage reduction, making your d6 hit die feel like a d12.

Artificer 1 Dip

Start Artificer at level 1 for medium armor, shields, and Constitution saving throw proficiency. This completely changes your stat priority, letting you dump Dexterity to 14, skip the Resilient feat, and wear half-plate to reach 19 AC before casting Shield.

Fighter 2 Dip

Action Surge allows you to cast two leveled spells in one turn. Dropping a Mind Sliver and following it immediately with a Feeblemind on a boss is a devastating combo that completely justifies delaying your high-level Wizard spells.

• Relying on Large Form in melee: Your 8 Strength and d6 hit die mean expanding your size just makes you a bigger, squishier target for archers. Stay in the backline.
• Wasting reactions: Don't use your Giant Ancestry damage reduction on a 4-damage goblin arrow when a Hobgoblin Warlord is next in the initiative order. Save it for massive hits.
• Ignoring Darkvision: Goliaths lack Darkvision. If you don't cast Light or bring torches, your line-of-sight spells like Hypnotic Pattern will be impossible to target in underground dungeons.
• Hoarding spell slots: With your melee DPR sitting at an abysmal 3.9 at level 5, you cannot rely on weapon attacks. If you run out of spell slots, your contribution plummets. Pace yourself appropriately.