I'm sorry if this is a stupid question. I'm new to D&D and even newer to wizards.
As I understand, the wizard can prepare a spellbook that contains all of the spells a wizard can choose from, then, the wizard prepares a certain number of spells and these are what the wizard can cast off of the top of their head. Finally, there are spell slots that limit that amount of times a wizard can cast a spell. When a wizard takes a long rest, they can then change the spells they have prepared, but must choose spells from their spellbook.
I understand that the spellbook makes wizards unique, but how mechanically does it differ from other casters? When other casters take a long rest, can't they also change their prepared spells by choosing from their respective spell list?
Wizards must "learn" a spell and add it to the spellbook. They start with 6 at 1st level, and then gain 2 new spells every time they increase their Wizard level. Wizards can learn spells from other sources such as Magic Scrolls or other wizard spellbooks, but these must be scribed into the spellbook at a cost of time and gold. When a Wizard completes a Long Rest they can prepare spells from their spellbook's list of spells, up to their Wizard level + Intelligence modifier. A wizard can only add a spell to their spellbook or prepare a spell from their spellbook, if it is of a level they can cast (if their highest level spell slot is 2nd, they can only prepare 2nd level and lower spells).
Other Prepare types, such as Druids, Clerics and Paladins, do not have spellbooks and effectively "know" all spells - they can prepare any spell without having to actually "learn" it, and can choose from their class spell list. They can only prepare spells they are able to cast, so if their highest spell slot level was 3rd they could only prepare spells of 3rd level and lower. They can prepare spells equal to their Class level + the modifier of their Spellcasting ability for full casters such as Clerics and Druids, or half-level + modifier if half-caster like Paladins.
Finally there are the "known type" casters such as Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks and such. They must "learn" a spell and can only learn through levelling up - as determined by their class' spellcasting feature. They do not prepare spells.
In all cases Cantrips work differently and are chosen at certain levels. This varies by class.
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In the end of the day, Clerics, Druids and Paladins have a superior way to prepare spells, because they have full access to their entire spell list and they can exchange everything after a long rest.
The only advantage of a Wizard in this would be if your DM gives you easy access to scrolls and other spellbooks during the campaign. That way, you can copy all spells into your own spellbook. I have a DM who was super nice to my Wizard going to the local Mage Tower and copying all scroll he needed for some amount of money, at a given time my character had literally every ritual available to Wizards in his spellbook. Did this break the game? Definitely not. But I was literally prepared for everything.
In the end of the day, Clerics, Druids and Paladins have a superior way to prepare spells, because they have full access to their entire spell list and they can exchange everything after a long rest.
The only advantage of a Wizard in this would be if your DM gives you easy access to scrolls and other spellbooks during the campaign. That way, you can copy all spells into your own spellbook. I have a DM who was super nice to my Wizard going to the local Mage Tower and copying all scroll he needed for some amount of money, at a given time my character had literally every ritual available to Wizards in his spellbook. Did this break the game? Definitely not. But I was literally prepared for everything.
I think I agree about the way Clerics and Druids prepare spells being Superior.
How does playing with the mechanic for the Wizard with the Spellbook compare to like a Sorcerer and Bard (those who can't swap spells out freely during each long rest and can only swap out one when they level up)?
It seems like the Spellbook mechanism sort of creates a filter or a barrier to the entire Wizard's spell list, granted the Wizard's spell list is pretty awesome. And then if I understand correctly, a wizard can copy spells into their spell book, but then that cost gold (expensive) and then that helps with the limits of the filter/barrier problem, but unless the spell can be cast as a ritual, I think the wizard still has to have the spell prepared , in order to cast it. This all seems limiting and complicated.
Is it more limiting than how things work for Bards and Sorcerers?
In the end of the day, Clerics, Druids and Paladins have a superior way to prepare spells, because they have full access to their entire spell list and they can exchange everything after a long rest.
The only advantage of a Wizard in this would be if your DM gives you easy access to scrolls and other spellbooks during the campaign. That way, you can copy all spells into your own spellbook. I have a DM who was super nice to my Wizard going to the local Mage Tower and copying all scroll he needed for some amount of money, at a given time my character had literally every ritual available to Wizards in his spellbook. Did this break the game? Definitely not. But I was literally prepared for everything.
I think I agree about the way Clerics and Druids prepare spells being Superior.
How does playing with the mechanic for the Wizard with the Spellbook compare to like a Sorcerer and Bard (those who can't swap spells out freely during each long rest and can only swap out one when they level up)?
It seems like the Spellbook mechanism sort of creates a filter or a barrier to the entire Wizard's spell list, granted the Wizard's spell list is pretty awesome. And then if I understand correctly, a wizard can copy spells into their spell book, but then that cost gold (expensive) and then that helps with the limits of the filter/barrier problem, but unless the spell can be cast as a ritual, I think the wizard still has to have the spell prepared , in order to cast it. This all seems limiting and complicated.
Is it more limiting than how things work for Bards and Sorcerers?
Wizards get roughly three spells per level out of almost any spell and can choose which ones they want based on the environment. Bards and sorcerers, on the other hand, get to prepare one different spell when they level up. Don't like one of your spells? You can change it next level. (assuming, of course, that you're not at level 20) 99% of the time, copying spells doesn't even come into play unless the wizard wants a backup spellbook.
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I was a little disappointed with the 2024 Wizard update, as it did not address this design weakness for spell preparations. The design team said several times throughout the 2024 process that they were looking to eliminate the "Mother may i?" mechanics from the game- rules where the player was reliant upon the DM for how their character plays. One such example of those revisions are the Illiusion Wizards and Illusion spells, for which they made an effort to clear up language and rules so that illusions were less up to DM interpretation. And another example is the Wild Magic Sorcerer, who had their main feature- the Wild Magic table- now trigger mostly upon events that the player controls, rather than the DM.
The Wizard base class, however, is still largely dependant upon the DM and/or the adventure or campaign for whether or not they have extensive access to the full Wizard spell list. And one of the things many people cite as the feature that most defines the Wizard class is its versatility in having the biggest and broadest spell list. But if the Wizard only has access to the spells granted by class and subclass level ups, then the Wizard knows around the same number of spells as the Sorcerer or Bard.
I was hoping the designers would alleviate this situation by increasing the number of spells Wizards learn upon level up- or by introducing a new feature that would essentially do the same thing. As it stands though, the Wizard is still reliant upon the DM/Adventure/Campaign to hopefully find scrolls or spellbooks as loot or in shops, and then have enough gold and down time to copy them into their spellbook.
I was a little disappointed with the 2024 Wizard update, as it did not address this design weakness for spell preparations. The design team said several times throughout the 2024 process that they were looking to eliminate the "Mother may i?" mechanics from the game- rules where the player was reliant upon the DM for how there character plays. Two good examples of such revisions are the Illiusion Wizards and Illusion spells, for which they made an effort to clear up language and rules so that illusions were less up to DM interpretation. And the second example is the Wild Magic Sorcerer, who had their main feature- the Wild Magic table- now trigger mostly upon events that the player controls, rather than the DM.
The Wuzard base class, however, is still largely dependant upon the DM and/or the adventure or campaign for whether or not they have extensive access to the full Wizard spell list. And the one thing most people cite as the feature that most defines the Wizard class is their versatility in having the biggest and broadest spell list. But if the Wizard only had access to the spells granted by class and subclass level ups, then the Wizard knows around the same number of spells as the Sorcerer or Bard.
I was hoping the designers would alleviate this situation by increasing the number of spells Wizards learn upon level up- or by introducing a new feature that would essentially do the same thing. As it stands though, the Wizard is still reliant upon the DM/Adventure/Campaign to hopefully find scrolls or spellbooks as loot or in shops, and then have enough hold and down time to copy them into their spellbook.
Keep in mind that they did significantly increase the number of spells Wizards learn when leveling up, via the "Savant" features of each of the four subclasses in the 2024 Player's Handbook.
I was a little disappointed with the 2024 Wizard update, as it did not address this design weakness for spell preparations. The design team said several times throughout the 2024 process that they were looking to eliminate the "Mother may i?" mechanics from the game- rules where the player was reliant upon the DM for how there character plays. Two good examples of such revisions are the Illiusion Wizards and Illusion spells, for which they made an effort to clear up language and rules so that illusions were less up to DM interpretation. And the second example is the Wild Magic Sorcerer, who had their main feature- the Wild Magic table- now trigger mostly upon events that the player controls, rather than the DM.
The Wuzard base class, however, is still largely dependant upon the DM and/or the adventure or campaign for whether or not they have extensive access to the full Wizard spell list. And the one thing most people cite as the feature that most defines the Wizard class is their versatility in having the biggest and broadest spell list. But if the Wizard only had access to the spells granted by class and subclass level ups, then the Wizard knows around the same number of spells as the Sorcerer or Bard.
I was hoping the designers would alleviate this situation by increasing the number of spells Wizards learn upon level up- or by introducing a new feature that would essentially do the same thing. As it stands though, the Wizard is still reliant upon the DM/Adventure/Campaign to hopefully find scrolls or spellbooks as loot or in shops, and then have enough hold and down time to copy them into their spellbook.
Keep in mind that they did significantly increase the number of spells Wizards learn when leveling up, via the "Savant" features of each of the four subclasses in the 2024 Player's Handbook.
True enough.
But it didn't go far enough for me, I guess. It's only 9 additional spells known (2 at level 3, then 7 more for each time you learn a new spell level.) And you don't get them as additional preparations. Now, if it was 1 addition spell school spell at every Wizard level up, that would be pretty good. That'd be 19 additional spells known in your spell school. And- at least for the four 2024 subclasses- that covers most of those spells. (Those 4 spell schools each have around 20 spells.)
They barely addressed the preparation issue with Memorize Spell, but, again, I don't think that went far enough. I'd have liked to have seen that feature useable Int Mod times per Long Rest (but still contingent upon finishing a Short Rest.) Otherwise, they might have considered something like a set number of additional preparations per day within your chosen spell school.
The end goal is to set the Wizard further apart from the other casters in their versatility by having access to more spells and more preparations. Wizards are still limited by spell slots, just as the other caster classes are.
One thing to keep in mind is that all spell casting classes can now cast spells as rituals. In order to cast a ritual spell, that spell must be prepared by the character. Wizards do not have that restriction. They can cast any ritual spell in their spellbook as a ritual without having it prepared. So spells like Find Familiar, Detect Magic, and Rary's Telepathic Bond can be cast without counting against the Wizard's number of prepared spells. Gives them a lot more versatility in that respect.
I'm sorry if this is a stupid question. I'm new to D&D and even newer to wizards.
As I understand, the wizard can prepare a spellbook that contains all of the spells a wizard can choose from, then, the wizard prepares a certain number of spells and these are what the wizard can cast off of the top of their head. Finally, there are spell slots that limit that amount of times a wizard can cast a spell. When a wizard takes a long rest, they can then change the spells they have prepared, but must choose spells from their spellbook.
I understand that the spellbook makes wizards unique, but how mechanically does it differ from other casters? When other casters take a long rest, can't they also change their prepared spells by choosing from their respective spell list?
How does the spellbook differ from this?
Wizards must "learn" a spell and add it to the spellbook. They start with 6 at 1st level, and then gain 2 new spells every time they increase their Wizard level. Wizards can learn spells from other sources such as Magic Scrolls or other wizard spellbooks, but these must be scribed into the spellbook at a cost of time and gold. When a Wizard completes a Long Rest they can prepare spells from their spellbook's list of spells, up to their Wizard level + Intelligence modifier. A wizard can only add a spell to their spellbook or prepare a spell from their spellbook, if it is of a level they can cast (if their highest level spell slot is 2nd, they can only prepare 2nd level and lower spells).
Other Prepare types, such as Druids, Clerics and Paladins, do not have spellbooks and effectively "know" all spells - they can prepare any spell without having to actually "learn" it, and can choose from their class spell list. They can only prepare spells they are able to cast, so if their highest spell slot level was 3rd they could only prepare spells of 3rd level and lower. They can prepare spells equal to their Class level + the modifier of their Spellcasting ability for full casters such as Clerics and Druids, or half-level + modifier if half-caster like Paladins.
Finally there are the "known type" casters such as Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks and such. They must "learn" a spell and can only learn through levelling up - as determined by their class' spellcasting feature. They do not prepare spells.
In all cases Cantrips work differently and are chosen at certain levels. This varies by class.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
In the end of the day, Clerics, Druids and Paladins have a superior way to prepare spells, because they have full access to their entire spell list and they can exchange everything after a long rest.
The only advantage of a Wizard in this would be if your DM gives you easy access to scrolls and other spellbooks during the campaign. That way, you can copy all spells into your own spellbook. I have a DM who was super nice to my Wizard going to the local Mage Tower and copying all scroll he needed for some amount of money, at a given time my character had literally every ritual available to Wizards in his spellbook. Did this break the game? Definitely not. But I was literally prepared for everything.
I think I agree about the way Clerics and Druids prepare spells being Superior.
How does playing with the mechanic for the Wizard with the Spellbook compare to like a Sorcerer and Bard (those who can't swap spells out freely during each long rest and can only swap out one when they level up)?
It seems like the Spellbook mechanism sort of creates a filter or a barrier to the entire Wizard's spell list, granted the Wizard's spell list is pretty awesome. And then if I understand correctly, a wizard can copy spells into their spell book, but then that cost gold (expensive) and then that helps with the limits of the filter/barrier problem, but unless the spell can be cast as a ritual, I think the wizard still has to have the spell prepared , in order to cast it. This all seems limiting and complicated.
Is it more limiting than how things work for Bards and Sorcerers?
Wizards get roughly three spells per level out of almost any spell and can choose which ones they want based on the environment. Bards and sorcerers, on the other hand, get to prepare one different spell when they level up. Don't like one of your spells? You can change it next level. (assuming, of course, that you're not at level 20) 99% of the time, copying spells doesn't even come into play unless the wizard wants a backup spellbook.
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I was a little disappointed with the 2024 Wizard update, as it did not address this design weakness for spell preparations. The design team said several times throughout the 2024 process that they were looking to eliminate the "Mother may i?" mechanics from the game- rules where the player was reliant upon the DM for how their character plays. One such example of those revisions are the Illiusion Wizards and Illusion spells, for which they made an effort to clear up language and rules so that illusions were less up to DM interpretation. And another example is the Wild Magic Sorcerer, who had their main feature- the Wild Magic table- now trigger mostly upon events that the player controls, rather than the DM.
The Wizard base class, however, is still largely dependant upon the DM and/or the adventure or campaign for whether or not they have extensive access to the full Wizard spell list. And one of the things many people cite as the feature that most defines the Wizard class is its versatility in having the biggest and broadest spell list. But if the Wizard only has access to the spells granted by class and subclass level ups, then the Wizard knows around the same number of spells as the Sorcerer or Bard.
I was hoping the designers would alleviate this situation by increasing the number of spells Wizards learn upon level up- or by introducing a new feature that would essentially do the same thing. As it stands though, the Wizard is still reliant upon the DM/Adventure/Campaign to hopefully find scrolls or spellbooks as loot or in shops, and then have enough gold and down time to copy them into their spellbook.
Keep in mind that they did significantly increase the number of spells Wizards learn when leveling up, via the "Savant" features of each of the four subclasses in the 2024 Player's Handbook.
True enough.
But it didn't go far enough for me, I guess. It's only 9 additional spells known (2 at level 3, then 7 more for each time you learn a new spell level.) And you don't get them as additional preparations. Now, if it was 1 addition spell school spell at every Wizard level up, that would be pretty good. That'd be 19 additional spells known in your spell school. And- at least for the four 2024 subclasses- that covers most of those spells. (Those 4 spell schools each have around 20 spells.)
They barely addressed the preparation issue with Memorize Spell, but, again, I don't think that went far enough. I'd have liked to have seen that feature useable Int Mod times per Long Rest (but still contingent upon finishing a Short Rest.) Otherwise, they might have considered something like a set number of additional preparations per day within your chosen spell school.
The end goal is to set the Wizard further apart from the other casters in their versatility by having access to more spells and more preparations. Wizards are still limited by spell slots, just as the other caster classes are.
One thing to keep in mind is that all spell casting classes can now cast spells as rituals. In order to cast a ritual spell, that spell must be prepared by the character. Wizards do not have that restriction. They can cast any ritual spell in their spellbook as a ritual without having it prepared. So spells like Find Familiar, Detect Magic, and Rary's Telepathic Bond can be cast without counting against the Wizard's number of prepared spells. Gives them a lot more versatility in that respect.