School of Evocation 5e wizard subclass

The wizard as artillery: fireballs that miss your friends and cantrips that always hurt.

Jump to: Features by level · Playing the School of Evocation · 2014 features · What changed in 2024 · 2024 features · Common questions

School of Evocation at a glance

Class: Wizard
Subclass type: Arcane Tradition, chosen at 2nd level (level 3 in 2024)
2024 rules: Renamed Evoker
Key abilities: Intelligence, then Constitution
Source: System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2 (Player’s Handbook 2014 and 2024)

The wizard class page has the class features this subclass builds on, and the wizard spell list the rest of your spells come from.

School of Evocation features by level

The wizard subclass features you gain at each wizard level, in the 2014 rules and the 2024 rules. Each one links to its full text below.

Level	2014 rules (SRD 5.1)	2024 rules (SRD 5.2)
2	Evocation Savant, Sculpt Spells	—
3	—	Evocation Savant, Potent Cantrip
6	Potent Cantrip	Sculpt Spells
10	Empowered Evocation	Empowered Evocation
14	Overchannel	Overchannel

Who the School of Evocation suits

The School of Evocation is for players who want to blow things up without worrying about the party. Sculpt Spells lets you drop an area spell on a crowded fight and leave your allies untouched, which makes the evoker the easiest wizard to play in a group that likes to charge in.

It is a good first wizard: the features are passive or simple, and they reward the damage spells a new player tends to pick anyway.

How the School of Evocation plays

2014 rules. At 2nd level, Evocation Savant halves the gold and time to copy evocation spells into your spellbook, and Sculpt Spells lets you choose 1 + the spell’s level creatures when you cast an evocation spell: they automatically succeed on their saves and take no damage where they would take half. A 3rd-level Fireball can spare four allies. Potent Cantrip (6th) makes a creature that succeeds on a save against your cantrip still take half damage. Empowered Evocation (10th) adds your Intelligence modifier to one damage roll of wizard evocation spells, and Overchannel (14th) lets you deal maximum damage with a spell of 1st to 5th level, at a cost of necrotic damage to yourself if you use it again before a long rest.

2024 rules. The Evoker starts at level 3. Evocation Savant adds two evocation spells of level 2 or lower to your spellbook for free, and one more each time you gain a new level of spell slots. Potent Cantrip comes first, at level 3, and now also works when your cantrip’s attack roll misses. Sculpt Spells moves to level 6. Empowered Evocation applies to any Wizard spell from the Evocation school, and Overchannel maximizes damage on the turn you cast the spell.

Ability scores for an evoker

Intelligence first, for your spell save DC and attack rolls and, from 10th level, extra damage. Constitution second for hit points and concentration. Dexterity third for Armor Class, since wizards wear no armor.

With the standard array: Intelligence 15, Constitution 14, Dexterity 13, Wisdom 12, Charisma 10, Strength 8.

Spells and feats to pair with it

Sculpt Spells makes big area evocations safe: Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Ice Storm and Cone of Cold. Magic Missile, Scorching Ray and Shatter are good early picks, and Empowered Evocation adds to one damage roll, so single big hits gain the most. For cantrips, Fire Bolt and Ray of Frost benefit from the 2024 Potent Cantrip on a miss; in 2014 it only helps save cantrips such as Acid Splash.

Keep defensive spells too: Shield and Counterspell protect you when enemies reach the back line. For feats, War Caster or a Constitution increase protects concentration, and Elemental Adept helps a fire-heavy evoker. In 2024, Alert is a strong origin feat for any wizard.

School of Evocation features (2014 rules, SRD 5.1)

You focus your study on magic that creates powerful elemental effects such as bitter cold, searing flame, rolling thunder, crackling lightning, and burning acid. Some evokers find employment in military forces, serving as artillery to blast enemy armies from afar. Others use their spectacular power to protect the weak, while some seek their own gain as bandits, adventurers, or aspiring tyrants.

Evocation Savant

2nd level

Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy an evocation spell into your spellbook is halved.

Sculpt Spells

2nd level

Beginning at 2nd level, you can create pockets of relative safety within the effects of your evocation spells. When you cast an evocation spell that affects other creatures that you can see, you can choose a number of them equal to 1 + the spell's level. The chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throws against the spell, and they take no damage if they would normally take half damage on a successful save.

Potent Cantrip

6th level

Starting at 6th level, your damaging cantrips affect even creatures that avoid the brunt of the effect. When a creature succeeds on a saving throw against your cantrip, the creature takes half the cantrip's damage (if any) but suffers no additional effect from the cantrip.

Empowered Evocation

10th level

Beginning at 10th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier to one damage roll of any wizard evocation spell you cast.

Overchannel

14th level

Starting at 14th level, you can increase the power of your simpler spells. When you cast a wizard spell of 1st through 5th level that deals damage, you can deal maximum damage with that spell.

The first time you do so, you suffer no adverse effect. If you use this feature again before you finish a long rest, you take 2d12 necrotic damage for each level of the spell, immediately after you cast it. Each time you use this feature again before finishing a long rest, the necrotic damage per spell level increases by 1d12. This damage ignores resistance and immunity.

What changed in 2024

The 2024 Player’s Handbook revised the School of Evocation as the Evoker, and the System Reference Document 5.2 has the new version. The biggest differences in play:

The subclass is renamed Evoker and starts at level 3. Evocation Savant now gives free evocation spells instead of cheaper copying.
Potent Cantrip moves to level 3 and also works on a missed attack roll; Sculpt Spells moves to level 6.
Overchannel now spells out that the maximum damage applies on the turn you cast the spell, with a spell slot of levels 1 to 5.

Feature by feature

The School of Evocation is called the Evoker in the 2024 rules.
You choose it at level 3 instead of 2nd level, like every subclass in the 2024 rules.
Moved: Evocation Savant, 2nd level → level 3; Sculpt Spells, 2nd level → level 6; Potent Cantrip, 6th level → level 3.

Evoker features in the 2024 rules (SRD 5.2)

Create Explosive Elemental Effects

Your studies focus on magic that creates powerful elemental effects such as bitter cold, searing flame, rolling thunder, crackling lightning, and burning acid. Some Evokers find employment in military forces, serving as artillery to blast armies from afar. Others use their power to protect others, while some seek their own gain.

Level 3: Evocation Savant

Choose two Wizard spells from the Evocation school, each of which must be no higher than level 2, and add them to your spellbook for free.

In addition, whenever you gain access to a new level of spell slots in this class, you can add one Wizard spell from the Evocation school to your spellbook for free. The chosen spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Level 3: Potent Cantrip

Your damaging cantrips affect even creatures that avoid the brunt of the effect. When you cast a cantrip at a creature and you miss with the attack roll or the target succeeds on a saving throw against the cantrip, the target takes half the cantrip's damage (if any) but suffers no additional effect from the cantrip.

Level 6: Sculpt Spells

You can create pockets of relative safety within the effects of your evocations. When you cast an Evocation spell that affects other creatures that you can see, you can choose a number of them equal to 1 plus the spell's level. The chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throws against the spell, and they take no damage if they would normally take half damage on a successful save.

Level 10: Empowered Evocation

Whenever you cast a Wizard spell from the Evocation school, you can add your Intelligence modifier to one damage roll of that spell.

Level 14: Overchannel

You can increase the power of your spells. When you cast a Wizard spell with a spell slot of levels 1–5 that deals damage, you can deal maximum damage with that spell on the turn you cast it.

The first time you do so, you suffer no adverse effect. If you use this feature again before you finish a Long Rest, you take 2d12 Necrotic damage for each level of the spell slot immediately after you cast it. This damage ignores Resistance and Immunity.

Each time you use this feature again before finishing a Long Rest, the Necrotic damage per spell level increases by 1d12.

Common questions

How many creatures can Sculpt Spells protect?

1 + the spell’s level. A Fireball cast with a 3rd-level slot counts as a 3rd-level spell, so it can spare four creatures; cast with a 5th-level slot, six.

Does Sculpt Spells work on non-evocation spells?

No. It only works with spells from the evocation school that affect other creatures you can see.

What does Potent Cantrip do?

In 2014, a creature that succeeds on a saving throw against your cantrip takes half its damage but no other effect. In 2024 it also applies when you miss with a cantrip’s attack roll.

How does Overchannel work?

When you cast a damaging wizard spell of 1st to 5th level, you can deal maximum damage with it. The first use each long rest is free; each later use before a long rest deals 2d12 necrotic damage per spell level to you, rising by 1d12 per level each time, and that damage ignores resistance and immunity.

What is the Evoker?

The 2024 name for the School of Evocation, in the 2024 Player’s Handbook and the SRD 5.2.

When does a wizard choose the School of Evocation?

At 2nd level in the 2014 rules, and at level 3 in the 2024 rules.

The School of Evocation compared with other options

Page	How it compares
Wizard class	The spellbook, Arcane Recovery and the wizard spell list every school builds on.
Draconic Bloodline	The sorcerer’s blaster: fewer spells, more hit points, and a damage type of its own.
Circle of the Land	A full caster who favors control and battlefield magic over damage.
Fireball	The evocation spell Sculpt Spells was made for.

How to build a wizard with the School of Evocation

Open the builder, choose the 2014 or 2024 rules on the first step, pick Wizard as your class, and choose the School of Evocation (the Evoker in the 2024 rules) as your arcane tradition once your character is 2nd level (3rd in the 2024 rules). The builder works out everything the rules can: hit points, Armor Class, attack bonuses and saving throws.

Other SRD subclasses

Back to the Wizard class or all classes.