What is clear is that there is a hole in the rules RAW. My version of RAI is as follows- when you acquire a spellbook (magical or otherwise) that is not your original or a copy you can copy any spells in it of a level you are able to cast as per RAW from either your own or the new spellbook. Spells of a higher level than you can cast RAW are typically incomprehensible to you or, at best/worse you can cast them, once, out of the new spellbook but doing so wipes them from the spellbooks pages as if it were functioning as a scroll - with all the penalties and potential consequences of casting a higher level spell off a scroll. Basically they are there but unavailable until you are able to scribe them into your original spellbook. This is why wizards keep a collection of spellbooks from other wizards they have defeated- to get spells they don’t know/can’t learn yet so they are available to learn as they progress.
otherwise the argument runs that the spellbook from the L11 Wizard bbeg your L7 party just killed is now your spellbook so why can’t you cast the L4/5 spells listed in it.
A few comments. Personally, I don't see a hole in the RAW.
1) A spellbook is not a scroll. Casting spells from a spellbook is a house rule other than rituals from YOUR own spellbook. You can't cast or prepare someone else's scribed spells - you can only cast or prepare spells you have scribed.
2) All of the spellbook rules refer to YOUR spellbook. You can only add spells to your spellbook or a copy of it. You can't cast spells from spellbooks and can't cast from someone else's spellbooks. The fluff reasoning in the PHB is:
"When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.
Copying that spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation."
According to this, every wizard's notation system is unique. It has to be deciphered and transcribed to YOUR spellbook before you can use it.
Detail RAW:
Preparing:
"choose a number of wizard spells from your spellbook " "Preparing a new list of wizard spells requires time spent studying your spellbook"
Rituals:
"You can cast a wizard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook."
Learning:
"Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook "
Copying:
"Copying a Spell into the Book. When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it."
You can only copy a spell into your spellbook if it is of a spell level that you can prepare. So level 4/5 spells in a found spellbook can't be copied by a level 6 wizard since they can't prepare them - they are limited to preparing level 3 spells. Even a multiclassed 6 wizard/3 cleric with 5th level spell slots could NOT copy them because they are limited to spells they can prepare as each class individually so the 6 level wizard/3 cleric still can't prepare 4th or 5th level spells despite having spell slots.
Backup Spellbooks:
"Replacing the Book. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell.
If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many wizards keep backup spellbooks in a safe place."
You can copy your spells to another book as a backup. However, the only spells in that book you can use are the ones scribed using your own notation. RAW, you can't prepare a spell from someone else's spellbook, you have to copy it first. So, you could decide to use a spellbook you found as another place to write your spells but in order to use any spells that are already in that spell book, you need to copy them into your own unique notation.
In earlier editions you were allowed to caste from a spellbook you had studied but you lost the spell because it acted as a scroll. You’re correct that is not really carried over into 5e in any sort of clearly stated way. However you should have the same sort of difficulty understanding a found scroll since it’s written in the writers notation not yours and you have to decipher it first to be able to use it.
When you say 'select' do you mean 'add to your spellbook,' or 'prepare?' Because you still have a limit to how many spells you can prepare per day, and if you filled it all with lower level spells, that might be why you can't prepare any higher level spells.
I mean add to spell book. Spells > Manage Spells > Add Spells. The only spells that show up there are up to level 6.
Just to test, I created a new character with the same classes, and I can add spells up to level 9. Must be something gunked up in the code with the char I was originally talking about.
edit: further testing revealed that, after using the char builder and then viewing the char sheet, a page refresh seems to be required before the correct spells will show up.
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A few comments. Personally, I don't see a hole in the RAW.
1) A spellbook is not a scroll. Casting spells from a spellbook is a house rule other than rituals from YOUR own spellbook. You can't cast or prepare someone else's scribed spells - you can only cast or prepare spells you have scribed.
2) All of the spellbook rules refer to YOUR spellbook. You can only add spells to your spellbook or a copy of it. You can't cast spells from spellbooks and can't cast from someone else's spellbooks. The fluff reasoning in the PHB is:
"When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.
Copying that spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation."
According to this, every wizard's notation system is unique. It has to be deciphered and transcribed to YOUR spellbook before you can use it.
Detail RAW:
Preparing:
"choose a number of wizard spells from your spellbook "
"Preparing a new list of wizard spells requires time spent studying your spellbook"
Rituals:
"You can cast a wizard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook."
Learning:
"Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook "
Copying:
"Copying a Spell into the Book. When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it."
You can only copy a spell into your spellbook if it is of a spell level that you can prepare. So level 4/5 spells in a found spellbook can't be copied by a level 6 wizard since they can't prepare them - they are limited to preparing level 3 spells. Even a multiclassed 6 wizard/3 cleric with 5th level spell slots could NOT copy them because they are limited to spells they can prepare as each class individually so the 6 level wizard/3 cleric still can't prepare 4th or 5th level spells despite having spell slots.
Backup Spellbooks:
"Replacing the Book. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell.
If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many wizards keep backup spellbooks in a safe place."
You can copy your spells to another book as a backup. However, the only spells in that book you can use are the ones scribed using your own notation. RAW, you can't prepare a spell from someone else's spellbook, you have to copy it first. So, you could decide to use a spellbook you found as another place to write your spells but in order to use any spells that are already in that spell book, you need to copy them into your own unique notation.
In earlier editions you were allowed to caste from a spellbook you had studied but you lost the spell because it acted as a scroll. You’re correct that is not really carried over into 5e in any sort of clearly stated way. However you should have the same sort of difficulty understanding a found scroll since it’s written in the writers notation not yours and you have to decipher it first to be able to use it.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Wizard 17 / Artificer 3
dndbeyond lets me select wizard spells only up to level 6. shouldn't I be able to select up to level 9, b/c a 17 Wizard has access to them?
As a 17th level Wizard you should definitely be able to learn and prepare 9th level Wizard spells. Can you link to the character in question?
When you say 'select' do you mean 'add to your spellbook,' or 'prepare?' Because you still have a limit to how many spells you can prepare per day, and if you filled it all with lower level spells, that might be why you can't prepare any higher level spells.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
I mean add to spell book. Spells > Manage Spells > Add Spells. The only spells that show up there are up to level 6.
Just to test, I created a new character with the same classes, and I can add spells up to level 9. Must be something gunked up in the code with the char I was originally talking about.
edit: further testing revealed that, after using the char builder and then viewing the char sheet, a page refresh seems to be required before the correct spells will show up.