How does learning new spells in-game work when it's not via a level up? I understand the time and component costs required to learn the new spell and record it in your spell book, but how is this approached within the context of your game? Can you learn any wizard spell that you're of an appropriate level to cast at any time as long as you have the requisite time and gold? Or does your DM have to allow you to actually find a copy of the spell (ie scroll, other spell book, etc.)? For instance, if our party is in a major city with an established center for magical study, can I simply go there to learn a spell I want and expend the time and gold required?
How do you guys (or your DMs) typically approach this in your games?
I've typically only heard of learning them through spell scrolls and spellbooks.
I think being tutored by another wizard would be another reasonable route.
Otherwise, I would talk to your DM about learning spells on your own, by yourself, and figure out how to make that work. I suspect it would take more gold and/or time in order to do that. At least, that's how I would do it in a game I ran.
This is a great point. I am playing a wizard for the first time, and realize I don't just automatically get access to new spells just because I leveled up. I'm not a cleric after all. This is a gamechanger.
This is a great point. I am playing a wizard for the first time, and realize I don't just automatically get access to new spells just because I leveled up. I'm not a cleric after all. This is a gamechanger.
Well, you do get access to new spells from leveling up, just not all of the spells.
Normally you will only be able to find new spells if they get rolled in a treasure table or included in a custom loot pool, but you might also be able to convince your DM to have some spells available for purchase. If you're buying access to a spell, it should probably be cheaper than a spell scroll since the owner will still have their copy, though there may be legal restrictions on buying and selling certain spells.
When you level up you are allowed to pick two new spells of an appropriate level. Meaning you should be able to cast a spell of that level.
Besides that, you can find/buy spellbooks or scrolls and scribe spells over into your spellbook. This takes time and costs money, both based on the level of the spell you are scribing.
If you are in towns or larger cities there might even be NPCs that allow you to scribe from their spellbook for a cost or if you are playing together with another wizard then you can scribe from each other.
But in general, your DM should drop a spellbook as treasure every now and then.
As others have noted you get to select 2 new spells for free each time you level up. After that you are more or less at the DM’s disgression. Sources the DM can ( and should) provide include: 1) scrolls as part of treasures found. 2) each traveling wizard that you defeat should have a spellbook that can be recovered and studied.(and brought back to your library) 3) defeated rangers, paladins, Bards, sorcerors, warlocks etc can have ritual books that can also be recovered. 4) wizards you can apprentice with that will teach you and give you access. This can be be very good if you get a place like Blackstaff Tower, or very bad if the wizard tries to enslave you. 5) the rare wizard it colleges where for a fee you can study and access new spells - sort of a Hogwarts for adults, there is an evil one in undermountain in the FRs. 6) private libraries where you can pay to get access to spellbooks and pay more to copy specific spells. There is at least one of these in North Ward in Waterdeep in the FRs. 7) trading spells with other wizards. The problem here is can you trust them?
Note that the game designers consider the wizard to be balanced with the other classes when they are receiving only two spells gained at each level.
In other words, to maintain balance any additional spells the wizard gets should be taken out of their share of the treasure new spellbooks should not be considered separate from the wizard's share of the treasure.
Out of curiosity, where do you get that the game designers considered wizards to be balanced with the other classes with only gaining two new spells on leveling up? Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I have never see that anywhere and would disagree with that conclusion myself. I don't see how gaining two spells only per level for the wizard would be balanced against something like a cleric where they gain access to every spell on their spell list as well as all their other class features. For Wizards, their spells ARE their class features really.
Of the 7 ways I listed above the first 3 would all count as part of the treasure. The other 4 are all in one way or the other under the DMs control via costs trouble with the wizards or DM fiat as the master mage of the tower/library/school. The real balance is in the number of spell slots and in the number you can memorize at once.
Out of curiosity, where do you get that the game designers considered wizards to be balanced with the other classes with only gaining two new spells on leveling up? Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I have never see that anywhere and would disagree with that conclusion myself. I don't see how gaining two spells only per level for the wizard would be balanced against something like a cleric where they gain access to every spell on their spell list as well as all their other class features. For Wizards, their spells ARE their class features really.
They aren’t, this essentially the same discussion is going on here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/class-forums/wizard/69873-how-many-spells-should-a-wizard-be-able-to-learn?page=3#c59 cybermind has a great table at the top of page 4 that shows just how unbalanced and weak a wizard that gets only the 2 spells and no scrolls etc to copy is. Basically at L20 the wizard would know 44 spells and be able to prep 25 of them while a Druid would know 137 spells and prep 25 or 35 depending on sub class while the cleric preps 35 spells out of 209 he can choose from. To have a better selection than the cleric the wizard needs to learn 9+ spells from scrolls etc each level.
What I push at my table is that the wizard should be designing 2 brand new or altered spells at each level ( the free ones) while they find scrolls or spellbooks with new (to them) but published spells as parts of the treasure. This actually works fairly well since when you stop to think it thru scrolls of commonly used spells like fireball are going to get used pretty quickly or be really common in spellbooks but the uncommon/special purpose utility spell scrolls are much more likely to survive the combat and be a part of the booty you get for winning.
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Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
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How does learning new spells in-game work when it's not via a level up? I understand the time and component costs required to learn the new spell and record it in your spell book, but how is this approached within the context of your game? Can you learn any wizard spell that you're of an appropriate level to cast at any time as long as you have the requisite time and gold? Or does your DM have to allow you to actually find a copy of the spell (ie scroll, other spell book, etc.)? For instance, if our party is in a major city with an established center for magical study, can I simply go there to learn a spell I want and expend the time and gold required?
How do you guys (or your DMs) typically approach this in your games?
My DM let me find spellbooks and spells and I learned spells from them.
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I've typically only heard of learning them through spell scrolls and spellbooks.
I think being tutored by another wizard would be another reasonable route.
Otherwise, I would talk to your DM about learning spells on your own, by yourself, and figure out how to make that work. I suspect it would take more gold and/or time in order to do that. At least, that's how I would do it in a game I ran.
This is a great point. I am playing a wizard for the first time, and realize I don't just automatically get access to new spells just because I leveled up. I'm not a cleric after all. This is a gamechanger.
Well, you do get access to new spells from leveling up, just not all of the spells.
Normally you will only be able to find new spells if they get rolled in a treasure table or included in a custom loot pool, but you might also be able to convince your DM to have some spells available for purchase. If you're buying access to a spell, it should probably be cheaper than a spell scroll since the owner will still have their copy, though there may be legal restrictions on buying and selling certain spells.
Sorry for the late reply, I've been away for a while. Thanks for the great suggestions!
When you level up you are allowed to pick two new spells of an appropriate level. Meaning you should be able to cast a spell of that level.
Besides that, you can find/buy spellbooks or scrolls and scribe spells over into your spellbook. This takes time and costs money, both based on the level of the spell you are scribing.
If you are in towns or larger cities there might even be NPCs that allow you to scribe from their spellbook for a cost or if you are playing together with another wizard then you can scribe from each other.
But in general, your DM should drop a spellbook as treasure every now and then.
He could make you a scroll in an hour, you could copy it in two. Tutoring wouldn't take much more than a short rest
Couldn't you just pay another Wizard to copy it into your spellbook? 10 gp and an hour. Hell make a living selling spellbooks to lower level wizards.
As others have noted you get to select 2 new spells for free each time you level up. After that you are more or less at the DM’s disgression. Sources the DM can ( and should) provide include:
1) scrolls as part of treasures found.
2) each traveling wizard that you defeat should have a spellbook that can be recovered and studied.(and brought back to your library)
3) defeated rangers, paladins, Bards, sorcerors, warlocks etc can have ritual books that can also be recovered.
4) wizards you can apprentice with that will teach you and give you access. This can be be very good if you get a place like Blackstaff Tower, or very bad if the wizard tries to enslave you.
5) the rare wizard it colleges where for a fee you can study and access new spells - sort of a Hogwarts for adults, there is an evil one in undermountain in the FRs.
6) private libraries where you can pay to get access to spellbooks and pay more to copy specific spells. There is at least one of these in North Ward in Waterdeep in the FRs.
7) trading spells with other wizards. The problem here is can you trust them?
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Note that the game designers consider the wizard to be balanced with the other classes when they are receiving only two spells gained at each level.
In other words, to maintain balance any additional spells the wizard gets should be taken out of their share of the treasure new spellbooks should not be considered separate from the wizard's share of the treasure.
Out of curiosity, where do you get that the game designers considered wizards to be balanced with the other classes with only gaining two new spells on leveling up? Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I have never see that anywhere and would disagree with that conclusion myself. I don't see how gaining two spells only per level for the wizard would be balanced against something like a cleric where they gain access to every spell on their spell list as well as all their other class features. For Wizards, their spells ARE their class features really.
Of the 7 ways I listed above the first 3 would all count as part of the treasure. The other 4 are all in one way or the other under the DMs control via costs trouble with the wizards or DM fiat as the master mage of the tower/library/school. The real balance is in the number of spell slots and in the number you can memorize at once.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
They aren’t, this essentially the same discussion is going on here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/class-forums/wizard/69873-how-many-spells-should-a-wizard-be-able-to-learn?page=3#c59 cybermind has a great table at the top of page 4 that shows just how unbalanced and weak a wizard that gets only the 2 spells and no scrolls etc to copy is. Basically at L20 the wizard would know 44 spells and be able to prep 25 of them while a Druid would know 137 spells and prep 25 or 35 depending on sub class while the cleric preps 35 spells out of 209 he can choose from. To have a better selection than the cleric the wizard needs to learn 9+ spells from scrolls etc each level.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
What I push at my table is that the wizard should be designing 2 brand new or altered spells at each level ( the free ones) while they find scrolls or spellbooks with new (to them) but published spells as parts of the treasure. This actually works fairly well since when you stop to think it thru scrolls of commonly used spells like fireball are going to get used pretty quickly or be really common in spellbooks but the uncommon/special purpose utility spell scrolls are much more likely to survive the combat and be a part of the booty you get for winning.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.