Meet the Wizard
The Wizard is the party's spellcaster: nine spells from three of the four schools, each castable once per quest. In exchange they are the frailest hero by far, with 1 attack die (a Dagger), 4 Body Points, and no normal armor or large weapons. The Wizard has the most Mind Points of anyone (6), which makes them the hardest hero to affect with Dread magic.
Mind Points don't pay for spells. There's no spell cost in HeroQuest: a spell is simply used up when you cast it and comes back for the next quest.
Starting Stats
| Stat | Wizard | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 1 die | From the Dagger. Fighting is a last resort. |
| Defend | 2 dice | The same as the others to start. The Wizard can't add normal armor later. |
| Body Points | 4 | Half the Barbarian's. At 0 you die unless you drink a healing potion or cast a healing spell at once. |
| Mind Points | 6 | The best resistance to magic in the party. |
| Movement | 2 red dice | Same as every hero. |
| Spells | 9 | Three schools of three, each spell once per quest. |
The Wizard Next to the Other Core Heroes
The Nine Spells
The hero spells come in four schools, Air, Earth, Fire and Water, with three spells each. Before each quest the Wizard picks one school, the Elf picks one of the remaining three, and the Wizard takes the last two. For the first quest the rulebook suggests Fire for the Wizard and Earth for the Elf, which leaves the Wizard with Fire, Air and Water.
The Wizard's Spells in the Suggested Split
Spell names are the classic ones; the 2021 cards may word some differently. Magic & Spells describes each one.
How casting works
It's your action. Casting replaces attacking or searching that turn. You can still move before or after, but not both.
You need line of sight to the target: a straight line from square centre to square centre that doesn't cross a wall, closed door, hero or monster.
Once per quest. A cast spell is set aside until the quest ends. Nine spells across a whole quest means roughly one every few fights, so pick your moments.
Which school to pick first depends on the party. If the Elf wants Earth for healing, the Wizard can take Fire for damage and still end up with Water's healing too. If you'd rather be sure of two healing spells for yourself, pick Water or Earth first. Talk it through with the Elf's player: the point of the split is that the two casters cover each other.
Staying Alive
Four Body Points and 2 defend dice don't last long. An Orc rolling 3 attack dice deals 0.96 Body Points per attack on average, so a Wizard who stands next to one for a few turns is in real danger.
Chance the Wizard Is Killed
Two Orc attacks kill the Wizard 11.6% of the time; four, more often than not. A Dread Warrior can do it in a single attack (all four dice skulls and no white shield: 2.8%). Monster attack dice here are from the classic 1990 North American chart.
Rules that protect the Wizard
Monsters can't attack diagonally. A Wizard whose four side squares are all walls or heroes can't be attacked in melee at all.
Monsters can't pass over heroes. A hero standing in a one-square corridor is a wall to the monsters behind them.
Healing works at 0. If you hit 0 Body Points, you can still save yourself on the spot with a healing potion or a healing spell. Keep one in reserve.
Where to Stand
The safe spot (behind a fighter) and the useful spot (with a clear line to the monsters) aren't always the same, because heroes block line of sight. In a straight corridor, the Wizard behind the Barbarian can't see past them. In a room, have the fighter attack from the side so the Wizard gets a clear line.
Blocked Line versus Clear Line
Fighting, If You Must
One attack die gives the Wizard a 41.7% chance to kill a Goblin and 34.7% to kill an Orc in a single attack. It's sometimes worth it to finish a monster that's already down to its last Body Point, but most turns the Wizard does more by casting, or by moving out of reach.
The Wizard can't wear normal armor or use large weapons; each Armory card says whether the Wizard may use it. That leaves potions and artifacts as the Wizard's main upgrades, so they deserve a good share of the party's gold. See Treasure & Equipment.
Other Wizards
The Wizards of Morcar quest pack (March 2026) adds an alternate Wizard figure with the same stats, and new hero spell schools (Protection, Detection and Darkness) that can be used in place of the usual ones; the Elf still gets one school and the Wizard three. In the rulebook's backstory, Rogar's companion Telor was a wizard, and Zargon himself was once Mentor's apprentice. The Warlock from The Prophecy of Telor is a separate hero, not a Wizard variant.
Try It at the Table
- Before the quest, decide which one spell you're keeping back for an emergency. Count how often you end the quest with it unused.
- For one quest, never end a turn with an open square next to the Wizard that a monster could reach. Notice how many attacks that saves.
- Each time the Barbarian attacks, ask whether they can do it from a square that leaves your line of sight clear.
Where Next
- The Knight: the first of the quest-pack heroes.
- The Elf: the Wizard's spell-sharing partner.
- Magic & Spells: every spell in detail.