I'm a wizard, and I was able to copy spells from the spellbook of a pirate deck wizard. I pointed out that the pirate could copy some of the spells in my own spellbook, but the DM disallowed it at first because the pirate's Spellcasting trait didn't say anything about him being able to copy spells. Come to think of it, it also doesn't say anything about a spellbook (and I know there's a spellcaster monster in Hoard of the Dragon Queen that explicitly uses a spellbook). Or a spellcasting focus. Or ritual casting. Can the pirate deck wizard really not do these things? Or does the monster stat block just not bother with that information since it's not really necessary to run the monster in battle?
And if I were to cast magic jar and possess this pirate's body, I would keep my own class features but not the pirate's class features. Is the pirate's Spellcasting a class feature, in this sense?
Monster stat blocks often leave out the spellcasting focus or ritual casting element in order to simplify running it in combat. But a DM can always make adjustments to a stat block, especially if they end up becoming more of an NPC than a one-time confrontation.
The pirate's spellcasting is essentially a class feature since it says they're a 4th-level wizard. Sometimes DMs will build NPCs the same way PCs are built, with class levels and all, and a number of "NPC" stat blocks match with particular class features.
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Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
Monsters/NPCs stats don't work the same way as PCs.
It is at the DM's discretion if NPCs with wizard spells have a spellbook (they could work like eldritch knights for example). I encourage DMs to treat NPCs with "wizard levels" as if they had the wizard class's spellcasting feature, but it is not required. (Note that changing their spells could change their CR).
As for magic jar: NPC spellcasting (not innate spellcasting) is always (to my knowledge) specifically noted to be from class levels, and you would not get these. NPCs with features resembling other class features (like the champion) is up to DM if it counts, but I'd say it should.
That champion stat block is weird, since the champion fighter usually gets Action Surge and Improved Critical. Does that mean the champion's traits aren't real class features? Furthermore, the wizard I mentioned from HotDQ actually has Potent Cantrips, but an explicitly more powerful version that works on attack rolls, too. How do I tell the fake class features from the real ones?
That champion stat block is weird, since the champion fighter usually gets Action Surge and Improved Critical. Does that mean the champion's traits aren't real class features? Furthermore, the wizard I mentioned from HotDQ actually has Potent Cantrips, but an explicitly more powerful version that works on attack rolls, too. How do I tell the fake class features from the real ones?
Fake class features are in monster stat blocks. Real class features are in class descriptions.
As a rule, NPCs don’t have classes, so they don’t have class features. They may have some features that are identical to a PC class feature, but it’s not a class feature per se, it’s just a thing they can do. The big thing to remember is NPCs don’t have to follow PC rules.
As far as the spell stuff goes, in general if they are casting a spell, they have to follow the general casting rules. But how they acquire spells is left ambiguous. It would be easy and sensible to say the pirate wizard acquires spells the same way as a PC wizard, but it doesn’t have to work that way.
Short answer: the monster stat block just not bother with that information since it's not really necessary to run the monster in battle.
I usually do whip up a Spellbook for them,*1 often with a formula or partial formula for a magic item if the Wizard is a high enough level. I also occasionally adjust a “special” Wizard’s statblock*2 to add in some of that additional information if I think it worthwhile and don’t expect the Wizard to die in combat but still want a statblock to run them (like a mini character sheet). Most DMs don’t take these steps as they are not really necessary.
It's worth noting that WotC have made even more steps to distance monster and PC stat blocks with the most recent books. The spellcasting trait for all NPCs and monsters now drops any reference to class levels, and spells are listed per day rather than according to a spell slot system. That being said, some monsters, particularly those that previously had the "innate spellcasting" trait (which has been phased out) ignore the requirement for material components, suggesting that the remainder have to provide spell components as usual.
It's worth noting that WotC have made even more steps to distance monster and PC stat blocks with the most recent books. The spellcasting trait for all NPCs and monsters now drops any reference to class levels, and spells are listed per day rather than according to a spell slot system. That being said, some monsters, particularly those that previously had the "innate spellcasting" trait (which has been phased out) ignore the requirement for material components, suggesting that the remainder have to provide spell components as usual.
That's rather odd. The Monster Manual explains the difference between Innate Spellcasting and Spellcasting (the first is lowest possible level by default, the second uses spell slots). Why don't they just call it Innate Spellcasting if it really is innate spellcasting? There's even a monster called a ki-rin that uses both traits.
But anyway, my understanding now is that the pirate deck wizard stat block doesn't talk about a spellbook not because the pirate doesn't use one, but rather because it's pointless to bring it up in a monster stat block. Come to think of it, the rules for monsters' special traits are explicitly "characteristics that are likely to be relevant in a combat encounter and that require some explanation." So I guess it makes sense that the stat block doesn't include such minor details.
Monsters can indeed have class levels, but if they did, it looks like it would read something to the effect of "Werewolf, 4th-level barbarian". So I guess the stat block will usually have no class features by default.
Monsters can indeed have class levels, but if they did, it looks like it would read something to the effect of "Werewolf, 4th-level barbarian". So I guess the stat block will usually have no class features by default.
Agh! Someone just pointed something out to me in the monster rules!
"A monster with the Spellcasting class feature has a spellcaster level and spell slots, which it uses to cast its spells of 1st level and higher (as explained in the Player’s Handbook). The spellcaster level is also used for any cantrips included in the feature."
That means the Spellcasting trait monsters get is a class feature!
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I'm a wizard, and I was able to copy spells from the spellbook of a pirate deck wizard. I pointed out that the pirate could copy some of the spells in my own spellbook, but the DM disallowed it at first because the pirate's Spellcasting trait didn't say anything about him being able to copy spells. Come to think of it, it also doesn't say anything about a spellbook (and I know there's a spellcaster monster in Hoard of the Dragon Queen that explicitly uses a spellbook). Or a spellcasting focus. Or ritual casting. Can the pirate deck wizard really not do these things? Or does the monster stat block just not bother with that information since it's not really necessary to run the monster in battle?
And if I were to cast magic jar and possess this pirate's body, I would keep my own class features but not the pirate's class features. Is the pirate's Spellcasting a class feature, in this sense?
Monster stat blocks often leave out the spellcasting focus or ritual casting element in order to simplify running it in combat. But a DM can always make adjustments to a stat block, especially if they end up becoming more of an NPC than a one-time confrontation.
The pirate's spellcasting is essentially a class feature since it says they're a 4th-level wizard. Sometimes DMs will build NPCs the same way PCs are built, with class levels and all, and a number of "NPC" stat blocks match with particular class features.
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
Monsters/NPCs stats don't work the same way as PCs.
It is at the DM's discretion if NPCs with wizard spells have a spellbook (they could work like eldritch knights for example). I encourage DMs to treat NPCs with "wizard levels" as if they had the wizard class's spellcasting feature, but it is not required. (Note that changing their spells could change their CR).
As for magic jar: NPC spellcasting (not innate spellcasting) is always (to my knowledge) specifically noted to be from class levels, and you would not get these. NPCs with features resembling other class features (like the champion) is up to DM if it counts, but I'd say it should.
That champion stat block is weird, since the champion fighter usually gets Action Surge and Improved Critical. Does that mean the champion's traits aren't real class features? Furthermore, the wizard I mentioned from HotDQ actually has Potent Cantrips, but an explicitly more powerful version that works on attack rolls, too. How do I tell the fake class features from the real ones?
Fake class features are in monster stat blocks. Real class features are in class descriptions.
As a rule, NPCs don’t have classes, so they don’t have class features. They may have some features that are identical to a PC class feature, but it’s not a class feature per se, it’s just a thing they can do. The big thing to remember is NPCs don’t have to follow PC rules.
As far as the spell stuff goes, in general if they are casting a spell, they have to follow the general casting rules. But how they acquire spells is left ambiguous. It would be easy and sensible to say the pirate wizard acquires spells the same way as a PC wizard, but it doesn’t have to work that way.
Short answer: the monster stat block just not bother with that information since it's not really necessary to run the monster in battle.
I usually do whip up a Spellbook for them,*1 often with a formula or partial formula for a magic item if the Wizard is a high enough level. I also occasionally adjust a “special” Wizard’s statblock*2 to add in some of that additional information if I think it worthwhile and don’t expect the Wizard to die in combat but still want a statblock to run them (like a mini character sheet). Most DMs don’t take these steps as they are not really necessary.
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It's worth noting that WotC have made even more steps to distance monster and PC stat blocks with the most recent books. The spellcasting trait for all NPCs and monsters now drops any reference to class levels, and spells are listed per day rather than according to a spell slot system. That being said, some monsters, particularly those that previously had the "innate spellcasting" trait (which has been phased out) ignore the requirement for material components, suggesting that the remainder have to provide spell components as usual.
That's rather odd. The Monster Manual explains the difference between Innate Spellcasting and Spellcasting (the first is lowest possible level by default, the second uses spell slots). Why don't they just call it Innate Spellcasting if it really is innate spellcasting? There's even a monster called a ki-rin that uses both traits.
But anyway, my understanding now is that the pirate deck wizard stat block doesn't talk about a spellbook not because the pirate doesn't use one, but rather because it's pointless to bring it up in a monster stat block. Come to think of it, the rules for monsters' special traits are explicitly "characteristics that are likely to be relevant in a combat encounter and that require some explanation." So I guess it makes sense that the stat block doesn't include such minor details.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/monsters#SpecialTraits
Excuse me for complicating this discussion further, but I just remembered that there's a Monsters with Classes rule in DMG chapter 9.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/dungeon-masters-workshop#MonsterswithClasses
Monsters can indeed have class levels, but if they did, it looks like it would read something to the effect of "Werewolf, 4th-level barbarian". So I guess the stat block will usually have no class features by default.
Agh! Someone just pointed something out to me in the monster rules!
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/mm/introduction#Spellcasting
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/monsters#Spellcasting
"A monster with the Spellcasting class feature has a spellcaster level and spell slots, which it uses to cast its spells of 1st level and higher (as explained in the Player’s Handbook). The spellcaster level is also used for any cantrips included in the feature."
That means the Spellcasting trait monsters get is a class feature!