While I don’t disagree that those quotes exist, I do wonder at your ability to remove them from context. This thread is about mechanics, those quotes tend to be about story. The game is indeed all about doing things not in books, but saying that the rules must tell you what you can’t mechanically do is horse hockey. “The rules don’t say I can’t” is at once a terrible position, and yet not that surprising to see on these forums. The rules are permissive and your misunderstand of that is fundamental to why you are wrong here. Again.
You left out the very first sentence about preparing spells.
The Wizard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your wizard spells of 1st level and higher.
So, you are still restricted by the wIzard table for all of your wizard preparations. Your poorly contrived hypothetical feat runs into a logical problem: either it would be so detailed as to actually except the written rules, or it would have to follow them and therefore not work as you wish.
This rule is superseded by the muticlass spell slot rules if you have two or more spellcasting classes. FYI you can use your muticlass spell slots to cast your wizard spells.
In fact, you don't even have wizard spell slots anymore. You only have the muticlass slots.
But Re: The example. A hypothetical feat that gives you a 3rd level spell slot would by default also be an exception to what you're quoting. IDK how that is in question. But, specific beats general. Feats are more specific than generic class features. Getting a spell slot would indeed be more specific than the default spell slots of the class.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
This rule is superseded by the muticlass spell slot rules if you have two or more spellcasting classes. FYI you can use your muticlass spell slots to cast your wizard spells.
Except that the multiclassing rules explicitly do not supersede the rules governing the spells you can learn or prepare from your individual classes. The very first sentence of the Spells Known and Prepared section "You determine what spells you know and can prepare for each class individually, as if you were a single-classed member of that class." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/customization-options#Spellcasting
So in the example a level 3 Wizard and level 3 Cleric when preparing your Wizard spells you must do it from the perspective of a level 3 wizard only. Regardless of whether you use the Wizard table or the Multiclass Spellcaster table a level 3 caster only has access to 1st and 2nd level spells. Yes, you do have 3rd level slots and can upcast a Wizard or Cleric spell to third level. However you only have this slot if you are considering both your Wizard and Cleric levels which you cannot do when preparing your spells for the day, or learning new spells.
Copying a 3rd level spell into your spellbook might work depending on if this counts as learning a new known spell or not. But regardless you would not be able to prepare that 3rd level spell.
I will point out the obvious flaw in the logic here: the multiclass spell slot casting rules in fact do not change how you select spells at all, including the wizard table.
The wizard class explicitly tells you to use the wizard table to prepare spells. The multiclass rules do not ask you to do anything differently, so that is still exactly what you do. In fact, not only do the multiclass rules not change how you select spells for each individual class, they literally ask you to do it as if you weren't multiclass. Your arguments on this part have been nothing more than wishful thinking.
Not only that, the multiclass rules tell you to prepare your spells before they tell you what slots you get. This is exactly the reverse of the class features. Order is important: You select your spells then you find out what slots you can cast them with. It is as if they're building in exactly what you should do into the structure of the rules. Both the structure and the words of the rule say differently than your backwards idea.
Beyond that (pun intended), this WotC site does and will continuously prove you wrong as you will never be asked by official content to choose a spell for a multiclass character using the defective interpretation you have.
This rule is superseded by the muticlass spell slot rules if you have two or more spellcasting classes. FYI you can use your muticlass spell slots to cast your wizard spells.
Except that the multiclassing rules explicitly do not supersede the rules governing the spells you can learn or prepare from your individual classes.
Of course they do. Multiclass rules are more "specific" than the "general" class rules, and so multiclass rules supersede them as applicable. This is a basic rules 101 thing.
Okay. Neat. But, what "Feature" is this modifying? (Answer: "Preparing and Casting Spells")
And, what "Feature" is the spellbook? (Answer: "Spellbook")
The spellbook feature isn't modified by the multiclass rules.
So in the example a level 3 Wizard and level 3 Cleric when preparing your Wizard spells you must do it from the perspective of a level 3 wizard only. Regardless of whether you use the Wizard table or the Multiclass Spellcaster table a level 3 caster only has access to 1st and 2nd level spells. Yes, you do have 3rd level slots and can upcast a Wizard or Cleric spell to third level. However you only have this slot if you are considering both your Wizard and Cleric levels which you cannot do when preparing your spells for the day, or learning new spells.
Yes, this is the obvious "Intent" of the rules. I'll never disagree on the intent of the rules. Even from a power balance perspective it makes sense. I'd never advocate anyone should "actually play" different. But, if we are discussing that "actual words on the pages"... well... there is a reason this comes up all the time, savvy readers are prone to notice the loophole here.
I will point out the obvious flaw in the logic here: the multiclass spell slot casting rules in fact do not change how you select spells at all, including the wizard table.
There is no such thing as "multiclass spell slot casting rules" or whatever. So I agree, whatever "that" is doesn't change anything, due to not existing.
What does exist are the "Multiclassing" rules, found in the PHB, chapter 6. In them, you'll find two very important enties regarding this topic.
Spells Known and Prepared
Spell Slots
Do note these are two related, but separate, rules entries. Some people get them confused as a single entry.
The wizard class explicitly tells you to use the wizard table to prepare spells.
It doesn't. It does tell you that you have slots available for spellcasting, yes. It doesn't say you're limited to these slots for preparing, not once. More importantly, the multiclass rules supersedes parts of this rule. Specifically: Spell Slots.
The multiclass rules do not ask you to do anything differently, so that is still exactly what you do. In fact, not only do the multiclass rules not change how you select spells for each individual class, they literally ask you to do it as if you weren't multiclass. Your arguments on this part have been nothing more than wishful thinking.
This is where your argument is wrong again. Remember how earlier I pointed out that there are two related but separate rules, Spells Known and prepared vs Spell Slots? Good. Well, it is important because only one of those two rules tells you to pretend you're single classed. if they both did this wouldn't be an issue. Alas, "Spell Slots" doesn't say anything like that whatsoever. So you never treat your spell slots like a single class character.
It'd be easy to errata this section to close this sort of loophole, of course.
Not only that, the multiclass rules tell you to prepare your spells before they tell you what slots you get. This is exactly the reverse of the class features. Order is important: You select your spells then you find out what slots you can cast them with. It is as if they're building in exactly what you should do into the structure of the rules. Both the structure and the words of the rule say differently than your backwards idea.
This is just nonsense. You don't get spell slots after preparing spells for the day. That's not a thing supported by the rules anywhere. Heck, if you didn't use them from the day prior you'd still have them all anyway so IDK what you're on about.
Beyond that (pun intended), this WotC site does and will continuously prove you wrong as you will never be asked by official content to choose a spell for a multiclass character using the defective interpretation you have.
Prove me wrong? That we all agree, including this site, how we are supposed to play it and so everyone does, regardless of what is actually printed? By.. *checks notes* doing it the way we're supposed to play it?
Color me not convinced by that argument.
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I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
The spellbook feature isn't modified by the multiclass rules.
I did not say that it was. I agree that if a multiclassed level 3 Wizard/level 3 Cleric found a scroll of Fireball they would be able to copy it into their spellbook.
The problem is that they cannot then prepare Fireball. Per the Spells Known and Prepared section of the Multiclassing rules: "You determine what spells you know and can prepare for each class individually, as if you were a single-classed member of that class." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/customization-options#Spellcasting
As a direct consequence of this specific written rule when preparing your Wizard spells you are a level 3 Wizard. A level 3 Wizard, or level 3 full caster of any kind, has zero 3rd level spell slots. When you argue that you in fact have three 3rd level spell slots using the Spell Slots section of the Multiclassing rules to justify being able to prepare Fireball you are violating the above quoted rule. You are using your Wizard and Cleric levels to determine what level of Wizard spells you can prepare and when preparing Wizard spells you must only use your Wizard levels.
Of the arguments I made, you incorrectly interpreted each of them in a manner similar to how you incorrectly interpret each relevant rule.
Exceptions aren't wholesale replacements in this game; you only do differently what the more specific rule says to do differently. In this case (still, though you don't seem to get it), the more specific rule tells you to use the other rule.
The structure of the rules are an implicit reflection of the structure of the feature. I am talking about writing structure here, not mechanical time of day; if you are having trouble understanding this, stop and ask a question, don't just barrel through because you already know the answer you want. The rules do not require any foreknowledge of any un-referenced rule. As you point out (to your detriment) the section of the multiclass rules for "Spells Known and Prepared" does not reference the multiclass "spell slots" section at all, it only references your classes' rules. That structure tells you that the multiclass spell slots rules are not any part of choosing spells.
It is indeed true that the multiclass spells known and prepared rule is separate from the multiclass spell slots rule. What that actually means is what I pointed out above: if you are using one, you use it and do what it says. If the known/prepared rule does not reference the spell slots rule, you don't need it for what the known/prepared rule asks you to do. If the known/prepared rule refers to your class rules, then that is the part that lets you use those. Since there is no crossover between the known/prepared rule and the slots rule, you mixing them is incorrect (and in this case very ironic).
If the wizard rules tell you to use the wizard table to prepare spells, nothing in the multiclass "Known and Prepared Spells" rules changes that. You can't point to a part of that rule that tells you to do something differently.
The only limit on spells the wizard can prepare is "The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots." Same goes for what spells can be added to their spellbook.
A multiclass full caster who is a wizard can copy higher level spells into their spellbook and cast them. The Wizard's spellbook feature doesn't care if they are multiclassed, just that they have the spell slot.
That is RAW. There is an argument here about if its RAI, and most agree it isn't. Im not so sure: I think its an interaction the developers were not worried about.
The boogie man people keep pointing to is a wizard/sorceror abusing metamagic. But this would be so dependent on multiple ability scores, burning resources, and the DM handing you worthwhile higher level Wizard spells to copy... its just not a practical concern. It'd be an interesting interaction, but not a broken one.
The only limit on spells the wizard can prepare is "The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots." Same goes for what spells can be added to their spellbook.
A multiclass full caster who is a wizard can copy higher level spells into their spellbook and cast them. The Wizard's spellbook feature doesn't care if they are multiclassed, just that they have the spell slot.
That is RAW. There is an argument here about if its RAI, and most agree it isn't. Im not so sure: I think its an interaction the developers were not worried about.
The boogie man people keep pointing to is a wizard/sorceror abusing metamagic. But this would be so dependent on multiple ability scores, burning resources, and the DM handing you worthwhile higher level Wizard spells to copy... its just not a practical concern. It'd be an interesting interaction, but not a broken one.
That is wrong. Did you read what I just wrote? Or even the rules?
A wizard must be able to prepare a spell in order to add it to their spellbook. Full stop.
A wizard must be able to prepare a spell in order to add it to their spellbook. Full stop.
I don't disagree. But the only thing the Wizard's class features care about for learning spells and preparing them is if the character has the spell slot for it.
Not "spellslot for this class alone."
The Multi-Classing rule on this doesn't go out of its way to contradict this. It gives a general rule about spells learned through normal progression that doesn't negate the specific Wizard class features. A mutli-classed wizard can learn the higher level spells.
And there isn't even a mechanical reason for developers to have cared to spell out such a restriction.
Multiclass spells prepared rule is a different rule than slots.
Multiclass spells prepared tells you to look at your class.
Class says use class table.
Class table doesn’t change in multiclass prepared rules.
multiclass spell slots rules are not referenced by multiclass preparation rules or by class rules
The fact that you cannot add spells that you cannot prepare as a single classed wizard inevitably follows from the written rules. The only way you can mess it up is by making a mistake, or to ignore what is actually written.
I can see how you would wish it to be different, but the written words aren’t. You just haven’t read them with understanding if you come to another conclusion.
That is exactly where the trip up is. Wizard class rules only point to that for the spells learned, not for those prepared or added to the spellbook from other class features. That only goes by total spell slot level available.
You can't say "the rules point to the class" and then ignore what the actual class abilities say.
Even the wizard example in the multi-classing rules leaves out spells learned via spell scrolls/spell books, because that is not the feature it is commenting on. A level 19 Bard cannot pick up Wizard and automatically learn 2 9th level wizard spells, but they could get a spell scroll of wish from the wizard class and copy it into their spellbook to cast and break absolutely nothing, because level 18+ casters are broken anyways and the campaign is already basically over.
A multiclass full caster who is a wizard can copy higher level spells into their spellbook and cast them. The Wizard's spellbook feature doesn't care if they are multiclassed, just that they have the spell slot.
That is RAW.
This is factually incorrect. As has been repeated multiple times in this thread the Multiclassing rules specifically tell you: "You determine what spells you know and can prepare for each class individually, as if you were a single-classed member of that class."
This is in the Multiclassing Spellcasting rules and is the very first sentence in the Spells Known and Prepared section.
However, this is not the only rule the position you are arguing conflicts with, it is just the most relevant. The position you argue also conflicts with the Spell Slots section of the Multiclassing Spellcasting rules. The first sentence of the second paragraph tells us: "If you have more than one spellcasting class, this table might give you spell slots of a level that is higher than the spells you know or can prepare."
According to your argument this situation would almost never arise and would never arise when multiclassing into Druid or Cleric. This sentence (and the rest of the paragraph) is reaffirming that you must follow the the Multiclassing Spells Known and Prepared rules when preparing your spells or learning new spells.
Furthermore, the third paragraph of the Multiclassing Spell Slots section gives an example and tells us what the example character can and cannot do:
"For example, if you are the aforementioned ranger 4/wizard 3, you count as a 5th-level character when determining your spell slots: you have four 1st-level slots, three 2nd-level slots, and two 3rd-level slots. However, you don’t know any 3rd-level spells, nor do you know any 2nd-level ranger spells. You can use the spell slots of those levels to cast the spells you do know — and potentially enhance their effects."
If we try to reconstruct this ranger 4/wizard 3 character following your argument it is impossible to end up with a character that can't learn or prepare 3rd level spells. You end up with a character that can prepare either 3rd level Wizard spells or 3rd level Ranger spells depending on what order you take class levels in.
A wizard must be able to prepare a spell in order to add it to their spellbook. Full stop.
I don't disagree. But the only thing the Wizard's class features care about for learning spells and preparing them is if the character has the spell slot for it.
Not "spellslot for this class alone."
The Multi-Classing rule on this doesn't go out of its way to contradict this.
When preparing spells this is explicitly what the Multiclassing rules tell you to do.
When you add your spellcasting classes together to determine what level of spells you can prepare you are not treating yourself as a "single-classed member of that class" as required by the rules.
As an aside, 6 of the 8 sentences in the Multiclassing Spell Slots section are dedicated to explaining and demonstrating that the spell slots you gain by combining different spellcasting class levels are not the same as the spell slots used to determine the level of spells you can learn and prepare.
That is exactly where the trip up is. Wizard class rules only point to that for the spells learned, not for those prepared or added to the spellbook from other class features. That only goes by total spell slot level available.
You can't say "the rules point to the class" and then ignore what the actual class abilities say.
Even the wizard example in the multi-classing rules leaves out spells learned via spell scrolls/spell books, because that is not the feature it is commenting on. A level 19 Bard cannot pick up Wizard and automatically learn 2 9th level wizard spells, but they could get a spell scroll of wish from the wizard class and copy it into their spellbook to cast and break absolutely nothing, because level 18+ casters are broken anyways and the campaign is already basically over.
But that is what the rules do. The Learning spells rule says you might find other spells that you can add to your spellbook. The spellbook feature says that you can only add spells that you can prepare. So you have to follow all of the rules for preparing spells to determine if you can add it to your book. Again, those follow what I've already laid out: Muliclass prepared rule says use class, class says use class table, class table isn't multiclass table. None of those rules reference anything regarding multiclass slots rules or any other slots you might have.
Just step through it. It is several steps, so I see why you might have trouble with it, but they're all simple steps.
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While I don’t disagree that those quotes exist, I do wonder at your ability to remove them from context. This thread is about mechanics, those quotes tend to be about story. The game is indeed all about doing things not in books, but saying that the rules must tell you what you can’t mechanically do is horse hockey. “The rules don’t say I can’t” is at once a terrible position, and yet not that surprising to see on these forums. The rules are permissive and your misunderstand of that is fundamental to why you are wrong here. Again.
This rule is superseded by the muticlass spell slot rules if you have two or more spellcasting classes. FYI you can use your muticlass spell slots to cast your wizard spells.
In fact, you don't even have wizard spell slots anymore. You only have the muticlass slots.
But Re: The example. A hypothetical feat that gives you a 3rd level spell slot would by default also be an exception to what you're quoting. IDK how that is in question. But, specific beats general. Feats are more specific than generic class features. Getting a spell slot would indeed be more specific than the default spell slots of the class.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Except that the multiclassing rules explicitly do not supersede the rules governing the spells you can learn or prepare from your individual classes. The very first sentence of the Spells Known and Prepared section "You determine what spells you know and can prepare for each class individually, as if you were a single-classed member of that class." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/customization-options#Spellcasting
So in the example a level 3 Wizard and level 3 Cleric when preparing your Wizard spells you must do it from the perspective of a level 3 wizard only. Regardless of whether you use the Wizard table or the Multiclass Spellcaster table a level 3 caster only has access to 1st and 2nd level spells. Yes, you do have 3rd level slots and can upcast a Wizard or Cleric spell to third level. However you only have this slot if you are considering both your Wizard and Cleric levels which you cannot do when preparing your spells for the day, or learning new spells.
Copying a 3rd level spell into your spellbook might work depending on if this counts as learning a new known spell or not. But regardless you would not be able to prepare that 3rd level spell.
I will point out the obvious flaw in the logic here: the multiclass spell slot casting rules in fact do not change how you select spells at all, including the wizard table.
The wizard class explicitly tells you to use the wizard table to prepare spells. The multiclass rules do not ask you to do anything differently, so that is still exactly what you do. In fact, not only do the multiclass rules not change how you select spells for each individual class, they literally ask you to do it as if you weren't multiclass. Your arguments on this part have been nothing more than wishful thinking.
Not only that, the multiclass rules tell you to prepare your spells before they tell you what slots you get. This is exactly the reverse of the class features. Order is important: You select your spells then you find out what slots you can cast them with. It is as if they're building in exactly what you should do into the structure of the rules. Both the structure and the words of the rule say differently than your backwards idea.
Beyond that (pun intended), this WotC site does and will continuously prove you wrong as you will never be asked by official content to choose a spell for a multiclass character using the defective interpretation you have.
Of course they do. Multiclass rules are more "specific" than the "general" class rules, and so multiclass rules supersede them as applicable. This is a basic rules 101 thing.
Okay. Neat. But, what "Feature" is this modifying? (Answer: "Preparing and Casting Spells")
And, what "Feature" is the spellbook? (Answer: "Spellbook")
The spellbook feature isn't modified by the multiclass rules.
Yes, this is the obvious "Intent" of the rules. I'll never disagree on the intent of the rules. Even from a power balance perspective it makes sense. I'd never advocate anyone should "actually play" different. But, if we are discussing that "actual words on the pages"... well... there is a reason this comes up all the time, savvy readers are prone to notice the loophole here.
There is no such thing as "multiclass spell slot casting rules" or whatever. So I agree, whatever "that" is doesn't change anything, due to not existing.
What does exist are the "Multiclassing" rules, found in the PHB, chapter 6. In them, you'll find two very important enties regarding this topic.
Do note these are two related, but separate, rules entries. Some people get them confused as a single entry.
It doesn't. It does tell you that you have slots available for spellcasting, yes. It doesn't say you're limited to these slots for preparing, not once. More importantly, the multiclass rules supersedes parts of this rule. Specifically: Spell Slots.
This is where your argument is wrong again. Remember how earlier I pointed out that there are two related but separate rules, Spells Known and prepared vs Spell Slots? Good. Well, it is important because only one of those two rules tells you to pretend you're single classed. if they both did this wouldn't be an issue. Alas, "Spell Slots" doesn't say anything like that whatsoever. So you never treat your spell slots like a single class character.
It'd be easy to errata this section to close this sort of loophole, of course.
This is just nonsense. You don't get spell slots after preparing spells for the day. That's not a thing supported by the rules anywhere. Heck, if you didn't use them from the day prior you'd still have them all anyway so IDK what you're on about.
Prove me wrong? That we all agree, including this site, how we are supposed to play it and so everyone does, regardless of what is actually printed? By.. *checks notes* doing it the way we're supposed to play it?
Color me not convinced by that argument.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
I did not say that it was. I agree that if a multiclassed level 3 Wizard/level 3 Cleric found a scroll of Fireball they would be able to copy it into their spellbook.
The problem is that they cannot then prepare Fireball. Per the Spells Known and Prepared section of the Multiclassing rules: "You determine what spells you know and can prepare for each class individually, as if you were a single-classed member of that class." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/customization-options#Spellcasting
As a direct consequence of this specific written rule when preparing your Wizard spells you are a level 3 Wizard. A level 3 Wizard, or level 3 full caster of any kind, has zero 3rd level spell slots. When you argue that you in fact have three 3rd level spell slots using the Spell Slots section of the Multiclassing rules to justify being able to prepare Fireball you are violating the above quoted rule. You are using your Wizard and Cleric levels to determine what level of Wizard spells you can prepare and when preparing Wizard spells you must only use your Wizard levels.
Of the arguments I made, you incorrectly interpreted each of them in a manner similar to how you incorrectly interpret each relevant rule.
Exceptions aren't wholesale replacements in this game; you only do differently what the more specific rule says to do differently. In this case (still, though you don't seem to get it), the more specific rule tells you to use the other rule.
The structure of the rules are an implicit reflection of the structure of the feature. I am talking about writing structure here, not mechanical time of day; if you are having trouble understanding this, stop and ask a question, don't just barrel through because you already know the answer you want. The rules do not require any foreknowledge of any un-referenced rule. As you point out (to your detriment) the section of the multiclass rules for "Spells Known and Prepared" does not reference the multiclass "spell slots" section at all, it only references your classes' rules. That structure tells you that the multiclass spell slots rules are not any part of choosing spells.
It is indeed true that the multiclass spells known and prepared rule is separate from the multiclass spell slots rule. What that actually means is what I pointed out above: if you are using one, you use it and do what it says. If the known/prepared rule does not reference the spell slots rule, you don't need it for what the known/prepared rule asks you to do. If the known/prepared rule refers to your class rules, then that is the part that lets you use those. Since there is no crossover between the known/prepared rule and the slots rule, you mixing them is incorrect (and in this case very ironic).
If the wizard rules tell you to use the wizard table to prepare spells, nothing in the multiclass "Known and Prepared Spells" rules changes that. You can't point to a part of that rule that tells you to do something differently.
The only limit on spells the wizard can prepare is "The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots." Same goes for what spells can be added to their spellbook.
A multiclass full caster who is a wizard can copy higher level spells into their spellbook and cast them. The Wizard's spellbook feature doesn't care if they are multiclassed, just that they have the spell slot.
That is RAW. There is an argument here about if its RAI, and most agree it isn't. Im not so sure: I think its an interaction the developers were not worried about.
The boogie man people keep pointing to is a wizard/sorceror abusing metamagic. But this would be so dependent on multiple ability scores, burning resources, and the DM handing you worthwhile higher level Wizard spells to copy... its just not a practical concern. It'd be an interesting interaction, but not a broken one.
That is wrong. Did you read what I just wrote? Or even the rules?
A wizard must be able to prepare a spell in order to add it to their spellbook. Full stop.
I don't disagree. But the only thing the Wizard's class features care about for learning spells and preparing them is if the character has the spell slot for it.
Not "spellslot for this class alone."
The Multi-Classing rule on this doesn't go out of its way to contradict this. It gives a general rule about spells learned through normal progression that doesn't negate the specific Wizard class features. A mutli-classed wizard can learn the higher level spells.
And there isn't even a mechanical reason for developers to have cared to spell out such a restriction.
Reread.
The fact that you cannot add spells that you cannot prepare as a single classed wizard inevitably follows from the written rules. The only way you can mess it up is by making a mistake, or to ignore what is actually written.
I can see how you would wish it to be different, but the written words aren’t. You just haven’t read them with understanding if you come to another conclusion.
That is exactly where the trip up is. Wizard class rules only point to that for the spells learned, not for those prepared or added to the spellbook from other class features. That only goes by total spell slot level available.
You can't say "the rules point to the class" and then ignore what the actual class abilities say.
Even the wizard example in the multi-classing rules leaves out spells learned via spell scrolls/spell books, because that is not the feature it is commenting on. A level 19 Bard cannot pick up Wizard and automatically learn 2 9th level wizard spells, but they could get a spell scroll of wish from the wizard class and copy it into their spellbook to cast and break absolutely nothing, because level 18+ casters are broken anyways and the campaign is already basically over.
This is factually incorrect. As has been repeated multiple times in this thread the Multiclassing rules specifically tell you: "You determine what spells you know and can prepare for each class individually, as if you were a single-classed member of that class."
This is in the Multiclassing Spellcasting rules and is the very first sentence in the Spells Known and Prepared section.
However, this is not the only rule the position you are arguing conflicts with, it is just the most relevant. The position you argue also conflicts with the Spell Slots section of the Multiclassing Spellcasting rules. The first sentence of the second paragraph tells us: "If you have more than one spellcasting class, this table might give you spell slots of a level that is higher than the spells you know or can prepare."
According to your argument this situation would almost never arise and would never arise when multiclassing into Druid or Cleric. This sentence (and the rest of the paragraph) is reaffirming that you must follow the the Multiclassing Spells Known and Prepared rules when preparing your spells or learning new spells.
Furthermore, the third paragraph of the Multiclassing Spell Slots section gives an example and tells us what the example character can and cannot do:
"For example, if you are the aforementioned ranger 4/wizard 3, you count as a 5th-level character when determining your spell slots: you have four 1st-level slots, three 2nd-level slots, and two 3rd-level slots. However, you don’t know any 3rd-level spells, nor do you know any 2nd-level ranger spells. You can use the spell slots of those levels to cast the spells you do know — and potentially enhance their effects."
If we try to reconstruct this ranger 4/wizard 3 character following your argument it is impossible to end up with a character that can't learn or prepare 3rd level spells. You end up with a character that can prepare either 3rd level Wizard spells or 3rd level Ranger spells depending on what order you take class levels in.
When preparing spells this is explicitly what the Multiclassing rules tell you to do.
When you add your spellcasting classes together to determine what level of spells you can prepare you are not treating yourself as a "single-classed member of that class" as required by the rules.
As an aside, 6 of the 8 sentences in the Multiclassing Spell Slots section are dedicated to explaining and demonstrating that the spell slots you gain by combining different spellcasting class levels are not the same as the spell slots used to determine the level of spells you can learn and prepare.
But that is what the rules do. The Learning spells rule says you might find other spells that you can add to your spellbook. The spellbook feature says that you can only add spells that you can prepare. So you have to follow all of the rules for preparing spells to determine if you can add it to your book. Again, those follow what I've already laid out: Muliclass prepared rule says use class, class says use class table, class table isn't multiclass table. None of those rules reference anything regarding multiclass slots rules or any other slots you might have.
Just step through it. It is several steps, so I see why you might have trouble with it, but they're all simple steps.