Hey everyone, my friends and I are new to D&D but we've decided to have a crack at one of the most iconic board games of all time. The game will consist of three players, excluding me (who will be the DM), and we will be running the Lost Mine of Phandelver as I've heard its really good for new players. The problem is, none of us have ever played D&D before. As the DM, I've learned most of the rules of character creation, combat, roleplay and everything else essential to D&D but am still confused on how spells work. Specifically, how characters 'learn' spells or how many they have to begin with. I will go into more detail about the specifics of the problem I'm facing.
My friend is using one of the pre-generated characters that comes with the Lost Mine set, the Elf Sorcerer. He's also told me that he wants to be a Sorcerer that can create items or objects using magic, which I believe falls under the school of Conjuration(?). The problem is, the Players' Handbook tells me nothing about what spells are available to Sorcerers at level 1 that fall under the school of Conjuration, or any other school for that matter. Can someone help tell me where I can find spells that are usable for certain classes at low levels? My other friend is also going to be playing the Halfling rogue so I don't know if he uses any spells. Thanks for reading.
Thank you for the help and tips guys, my friend is looking at the website right now and it is loads of help! But I still have a couple of questions: do players get one spell per level and how many spells do they start with? Also, do different classes such as rogues or fighters get spells or do they get special actions?
The best place to look for that information is in the class page. The Sorcerer Table lists number of cantrips known, number of spells known and the spell slots available for each given level as well as what they get in regards to other abilities.
Every class has their own table so it's really important you and your players consult them often. You can find them at the top of the page via Game Rules -> Classes.
As for classes like Rogues and Fighters getting spells - they can - if they choose a specific subclass (Arcane Trickster for Rogue and Eldritch Knight for Fighter). Basically classes can only cast spells if their class has the Spellcasting feature or Pact Magic feature. Or if the player's race has given them a couple of cantrips and/or spells like Genasi for example. Or you take the Magic Initiate Feat. Any time you're given spells it should give you an explanation on how often you can cast them - what spellslot they use (if any) - as well as what their spellcasting ability is and so on.
Hi Sharkywc! Welcome to D&D! The Starter Set can be a little confusing for casters as it does all the decisions for you, making it hard to understand how certain choices were made when you level up.
Magic can take a while to get your head around - but once you learn the mechanics, it’s not too bad. I’ll give you some background exposition, and then go into a bit more detail.
Background:
In older editions, magic could neatly be divided into two categories - Divine or Arcane, and classes would either cast arcane or divine spells. In 5e, these distinctions do exist, but to a lesser extent, as each class is handled entirely uniquely from a spell list perspective. All you need to know now is:
Divine - These spells are bestowed by deities, nature or otherworldly forces. Gods bestowing blessings, or nature rising up to defeat foes at the command of a patron. The primary casters in these categories are Clerics and Druids.
Arcane - These are spells of power, learned through study, or innately controlled through directly accessing The Weave - or source of magic. The primary casters of arcane spells are Sorcerers and Wizards and Warlocks.
Between these classes, are ‘half-casters’ - which have access to some spells, but split their spellcasting with martial or other abilities. Paladins are a mix of fighter and cleric. Bards can be considered a rogue and sorcerer hybrid. Rangers can be seen as a mix of fighter and Druid.
Some subclasses give access to a number of spells too. The Arcane Trickster subclass of rogue for example gives access to some spells.
The Arcane Pure Casters:
Though much less so than previous editions, the two comparable arcane spellcasters are Sorcerer and Wizard. They (mostly) have access to the same spell list - but the way they access their spells is different, to reflect how they cast them.
Sorcerers - Can cast spells because they can. Either through a magical bloodline, or innate ability, they can simply manipulate the weave and bend it to their will to cast spells.
Wizards - Have learned to understand the complexities of the weave through intense study. It is through understanding how a spell works that they can cast it - and they must prepare their spells in a spell book.
The Mechanics:
Each caster handles spells differently, and will have different mechanics for what spells they can cast, how many per day, and the attribute that governs them.
Sorcerers cast spells by having a number of slots that they can use. This is shown on the table in Sorcerer section of the PHB. I’d recommend flipping that open as you follow this next bit:
At level 1, a Sorcerer knows 2 first circle spells (I use ‘circle’ instead of ‘level’ to avoid confusion between character level and spell level). They also have 2 first circle slots with which to cast them.
You might choose Magic Missile and Burning Hands as your two first circle spells. That means you can cast either Magic Missile and Burning Hands once, or cast either of them twice. After your two casting slots are used up, and you must finish a long rest to get them back.
You also have access to 4 cantrips of your choice at level one. These don’t take up any slots and can be cast as often as you like.
As you level up, you’ll get access to more spells, and more slots. Eventually at level 3, you’ll unlock the next circle of spells.
The slots of this second circle are independent of the first, and also allow you to learn spells of its associate level. For example, at level 3, you will have 4 first circle slots, and 2 second circle slots. You’ll also learn one new spell, bringing your total spells known to 4. This new spell can either be another first circle spell, or a second circle spell.
Spells can be cast using slots of the same circle of the spell or higher. Usually, spells are more powerful if cast using a higher level slot, and this will be in the spell’s description.
When you level up, you can replace one spell you know for another of a circle you have slots for. For example, you might want to eventually swap that Burning Hands spell for a higher circle spell once you have access to them.
This progression continues as you level - take a look at the table for Sorcerers in the PHB. The starter set character sheet also tells you what you’ll get at each level, but as mentioned above, doesn’t go into why.
Alternatively, if by "create items and objects using magic" you mean he wants to be an enchanter/crafter outside of combat, then you'll need to take a look at the sections on downtime activities, crafting, and creating magic items in the Dungeon Master's Guide and maybe Xanathar's - that's basically completely up to what you as the DM want to allow, and would not have any bearing on what spells he chooses as a sorcerer. Sorcerers aren't tied to a particular "school of magic" like a wizard character is.
Ok, thank you for all the respones guys! They've all taught me about different things on spellcasting. I've got my first hosting session running the Lost Mine of Phandelver tomorrow, wish me luck!
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Hey everyone, my friends and I are new to D&D but we've decided to have a crack at one of the most iconic board games of all time. The game will consist of three players, excluding me (who will be the DM), and we will be running the Lost Mine of Phandelver as I've heard its really good for new players. The problem is, none of us have ever played D&D before. As the DM, I've learned most of the rules of character creation, combat, roleplay and everything else essential to D&D but am still confused on how spells work. Specifically, how characters 'learn' spells or how many they have to begin with. I will go into more detail about the specifics of the problem I'm facing.
My friend is using one of the pre-generated characters that comes with the Lost Mine set, the Elf Sorcerer. He's also told me that he wants to be a Sorcerer that can create items or objects using magic, which I believe falls under the school of Conjuration(?). The problem is, the Players' Handbook tells me nothing about what spells are available to Sorcerers at level 1 that fall under the school of Conjuration, or any other school for that matter. Can someone help tell me where I can find spells that are usable for certain classes at low levels? My other friend is also going to be playing the Halfling rogue so I don't know if he uses any spells. Thanks for reading.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/school/conjuration?filter-class=6&filter-search=&filter-verbal=&filter-somatic=&filter-material=&filter-concentration=&filter-ritual=&filter-sub-class=
Here you go. That should be all the conjuration spells available to sorcerers listed in order of spell level.
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The PHB does not break them down by school, but you can search by school on this website
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Thank you for the help and tips guys, my friend is looking at the website right now and it is loads of help! But I still have a couple of questions: do players get one spell per level and how many spells do they start with? Also, do different classes such as rogues or fighters get spells or do they get special actions?
The best place to look for that information is in the class page. The Sorcerer Table lists number of cantrips known, number of spells known and the spell slots available for each given level as well as what they get in regards to other abilities.
Every class has their own table so it's really important you and your players consult them often.
You can find them at the top of the page via Game Rules -> Classes.
As for classes like Rogues and Fighters getting spells - they can - if they choose a specific subclass (Arcane Trickster for Rogue and Eldritch Knight for Fighter). Basically classes can only cast spells if their class has the Spellcasting feature or Pact Magic feature. Or if the player's race has given them a couple of cantrips and/or spells like Genasi for example. Or you take the Magic Initiate Feat.
Any time you're given spells it should give you an explanation on how often you can cast them - what spellslot they use (if any) - as well as what their spellcasting ability is and so on.
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I'm pretty sure that if your players are using the pregens, the spells are already on the sheet.
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Hi Sharkywc! Welcome to D&D! The Starter Set can be a little confusing for casters as it does all the decisions for you, making it hard to understand how certain choices were made when you level up.
Magic can take a while to get your head around - but once you learn the mechanics, it’s not too bad. I’ll give you some background exposition, and then go into a bit more detail.
Background:
In older editions, magic could neatly be divided into two categories - Divine or Arcane, and classes would either cast arcane or divine spells. In 5e, these distinctions do exist, but to a lesser extent, as each class is handled entirely uniquely from a spell list perspective. All you need to know now is:
Divine - These spells are bestowed by deities, nature or otherworldly forces. Gods bestowing blessings, or nature rising up to defeat foes at the command of a patron. The primary casters in these categories are Clerics and Druids.
Arcane - These are spells of power, learned through study, or innately controlled through directly accessing The Weave - or source of magic. The primary casters of arcane spells are Sorcerers and Wizards and Warlocks.
Between these classes, are ‘half-casters’ - which have access to some spells, but split their spellcasting with martial or other abilities. Paladins are a mix of fighter and cleric. Bards can be considered a rogue and sorcerer hybrid. Rangers can be seen as a mix of fighter and Druid.
Some subclasses give access to a number of spells too. The Arcane Trickster subclass of rogue for example gives access to some spells.
The Arcane Pure Casters:
Though much less so than previous editions, the two comparable arcane spellcasters are Sorcerer and Wizard. They (mostly) have access to the same spell list - but the way they access their spells is different, to reflect how they cast them.
Sorcerers - Can cast spells because they can. Either through a magical bloodline, or innate ability, they can simply manipulate the weave and bend it to their will to cast spells.
Wizards - Have learned to understand the complexities of the weave through intense study. It is through understanding how a spell works that they can cast it - and they must prepare their spells in a spell book.
The Mechanics:
Each caster handles spells differently, and will have different mechanics for what spells they can cast, how many per day, and the attribute that governs them.
Sorcerers cast spells by having a number of slots that they can use. This is shown on the table in Sorcerer section of the PHB. I’d recommend flipping that open as you follow this next bit:
At level 1, a Sorcerer knows 2 first circle spells (I use ‘circle’ instead of ‘level’ to avoid confusion between character level and spell level). They also have 2 first circle slots with which to cast them.
You might choose Magic Missile and Burning Hands as your two first circle spells. That means you can cast either Magic Missile and Burning Hands once, or cast either of them twice. After your two casting slots are used up, and you must finish a long rest to get them back.
You also have access to 4 cantrips of your choice at level one. These don’t take up any slots and can be cast as often as you like.
As you level up, you’ll get access to more spells, and more slots. Eventually at level 3, you’ll unlock the next circle of spells.
The slots of this second circle are independent of the first, and also allow you to learn spells of its associate level. For example, at level 3, you will have 4 first circle slots, and 2 second circle slots. You’ll also learn one new spell, bringing your total spells known to 4. This new spell can either be another first circle spell, or a second circle spell.
Spells can be cast using slots of the same circle of the spell or higher. Usually, spells are more powerful if cast using a higher level slot, and this will be in the spell’s description.
When you level up, you can replace one spell you know for another of a circle you have slots for. For example, you might want to eventually swap that Burning Hands spell for a higher circle spell once you have access to them.
This progression continues as you level - take a look at the table for Sorcerers in the PHB. The starter set character sheet also tells you what you’ll get at each level, but as mentioned above, doesn’t go into why.
Alternatively, if by "create items and objects using magic" you mean he wants to be an enchanter/crafter outside of combat, then you'll need to take a look at the sections on downtime activities, crafting, and creating magic items in the Dungeon Master's Guide and maybe Xanathar's - that's basically completely up to what you as the DM want to allow, and would not have any bearing on what spells he chooses as a sorcerer. Sorcerers aren't tied to a particular "school of magic" like a wizard character is.
Ok, thank you for all the respones guys! They've all taught me about different things on spellcasting. I've got my first hosting session running the Lost Mine of Phandelver tomorrow, wish me luck!