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These are the changes I would make to bring the Wizard up to the level of the other classes.


Ability Adjustment: +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.

Class Features
Level 3: Tradition Adept
Level 5: Implement Expertise
Level 7: Knowledge is Power
Level 9: Tradition Expert
Level 11: Scolarly Research
Level 13: Wizard's Presence
Level 15: Overpowering Magic
Level 17: Tradition Master
Level 20: Arcane Overdrive

Spells per Day
Level 18: +1 5th level spell, +1 6th level spell
Level 19: +1 6th level spell, +1 7th level spell
Level 20: +1 7th level spel, +1 8th level spell

Tradition Adept: You gain a benefit associated with your tradition of Wizardry:

Scholarly Wizardry: You gain one additional spell slot if your intelligence modifier is +4 or higher, or two additional spell slots if your intelligence modifier is +5 or higher. These spell slots are of the highest and second highest level you can cast, respectively.

School of Evocation: When you use an evocation cantrip, or an evocation spell up to 3rd level, and that spell deals one of the following types of damage, you may change the damage type dealt by that spell to one of the other types on the list; acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder.

School of Illusion: When a creature makes a saving throw against one of your illusion spells, you may choose to impose disadvantage on that creature's saving throw. If you do, you grant advantage to other creatures until the end of your next turn.

Implement Expertise: You may choose an implement (such as a crystal ball or a magic tome) or weapon (such as a staff or dagger) through which you channel your spells. If the object is a weapon you must be proficient in its use. You gain a benefit associated with the type of implement you chose:

Wand: A wand is a small stick or pointing device which can be made of wood, bone, glass, metal, or other more exotic materials. Once when you make a magical attack through a wand and miss every target, you may reroll the attack roll against one target of that attack. This ability refreshes after a short rest.

Staff: A staff is a long, thin cylinder, often made of wood or metal, and usually decorated or embellished in some way. Once when you are hit with an attack while wielding a staff you may make a magical attack and compare the result to the opposing attack roll. If your result is equal to or higher than the opposing attack, you take no damage from the attack. Your magical attack has no other effect. This ability refreshes after an extended rest.

Orb: An orb is a small handheld object, usually spherical in shape, and typically made of crystal, glass, or a similar reflective or translucent substance. Once when you cast a spell through an orb which allows the enemy a saving throw, you may impose disadvantage on the enemy's saving throw. This ability refreshes after an extended rest.

Weapon: Once when you cast a spell through a melee or ranged weapon you may use the range of the weapon in place of the spell's normal range. A ranged attack made through a melee weapon is treated as a melee attack, and vice versa. If the attack produces an area effect, you may exclude yourself from the area. This ability refreshes after an extended rest.


Knowledge is Power: When you cast a spell that deals damage, you may add your Intelligence modifier to the damage roll.

Tradition Expert: You can a benefit associated with your Tradition of Wizardry.

Scholarly Wizardry: Choose one knowledge skill you are trained in. You have advantage to checks using that skill.

School of Evocation: The benefit of Tradition Adept applies to all evocation spells up to 7th level. In addition, if you change a spell's damage type to a type you have resistance against, you gain a +5 bonus to the damage roll.

School of Illusion: You gain training in the sneak skill, and may use your spellcasting bonus in place of your deterity modifier when making sneak skill checks.

Scholarly Research: You gain training in an additional skill from the list given in your Wizardly Knowledge class feature.

Wizard's Presence: Once per day when you make a Bluff, Intimidate, or Persuade skill check, you may add your spellcasting bonus to the result.

Overpowering Magic: Once per day, when you make a magical attack againt an enemy with magic resistance or an enemy with magic resistance makes a saving thow against your spell, you can choose to take take damage equal to your intelligence modifier to pierce its resistance (negating its advantage). If your spell targets multiple enemies with magic resistance, you must choose one of them.

Tradition Master: You gain a benefit associated with your Tradition of Wizardry.

Scholarly Wizardry: Choose one 1st-3rd level spell in your spellbook. That spell refreshes after a short rest, instead of an extended rest.

School of Evocation: Your Tradition Adept feature applies to all evocation spells. In addition, the bonus to damage rolls from your Tradition Expert feature increases to +10.

School of Illusion: When you cast the Invisibility or Mass Invisibility spell, the effect does not end the first time you attack or cast a spell while invisible. In addition, when a creature under the effect of a Mass Invisibility spell attacks or casts a spell, you may use a reaction to prevent the effect from ending on any other creatures affected by the spell.

Arcane Overdrive: Once per day when you cast a spell that deals damage, you may treat all damage dice from that attack as if you had rolled the maximum result. Once the damage has been dealt, you then take damage equal to one quarter of your maximum hit points.

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Naturally, these specific class features don't have to be added. My point is just that the Wizard should have class features after level one; spell-casting (especially in its currently nerfed form) is just not enough to make this class good enough to stand with the Monk and Barbarian.

I have faith that they'll be balancing the wizard. Hopefully they bump up all of the damaging spells to at least double what they are now, and add the intelligence modifier to damage.

Unless your campaign starts at level 15 or above, a wizard is a frustrating and useless choice to be stuck with for months on end. 

This is actually really good. I would enjoy playing a Wizard with these features. Particularly Wizard's Presence.

I like alot of these but I hate how scholar gets an extra slot. It just screams pick me over everything else, honestly. I'd like to see something else for scholar instead of that. However, I enjoy your fixes much much much much more than the WoTc wizard.