Wizards do not start with armor in DnD 5e, nor do they start with any armor proficiency. Wizards don’t typically wear armor, relying instead on spells like Mage Armor and Shield to protect them from attacks. Additionally, Wizards can increase their AC (Armor Class) by increasing their Dexterity modifier, since a character’s base AC is 10 + Dexterity modifier.

While Wizards can wear armor they aren’t proficient in, it is not advised. When a character wears armor they don’t have proficiency with, they are unable to cast spells (Player’s Handbook, page 144).

If a Wizard wishes to gain proficiency in armor, they can multiclass into a class that gets armor proficiency or pick up a feat (Lightly Armored). Most commonly, a Wizard will dip into Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Paladin, or Ranger, as these all get medium armor proficiency from multiclassing into them.

Artificers are a good choice because they also use Intelligence as their spellcasting ability, but Clerics and Druids can also work well, as can dipping into Fighter for Action Surge.

Matt Zane

Author, DnD Lounge

Matt Zane started DnD Lounge in 2021. Matt began playing DnD 5e in 2015, and has been DMing since 2017. He loves optimization, but also enjoys looking for creative ways to use spells and abilities that follow the spirit and letter of the rules. He also eschews pure optimization in favor of a more balanced approach, where building a character is primarily about serving an interesting story arc and party dynamics rather than maxing out DPR.