CHA Based Spells Help! [Archive] - Wizards Community

CHA Based Spells Help! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
SpiritedAway
07-14-07, 10:06 PM I am new to D&D and a little confused by one thing. For Charisma and Sorcerers + Bards, if I have like 18 Charisma (for example) does the +4 bonus affect spells I know OR spells I cast per day. Also, is it exactly a +4, like I can cast +4 more spells per day, even when I would normally have only 1 spell to cast daily without the high charisma bonus or is it something totally different? I don't clearly understand. Thanks for any help!
claypigeons
07-14-07, 10:21 PM I am new to D&D and a little confused by one thing. For Charisma and Sorcerers + Bards, if I have like 18 Charisma (for example) does the +4 bonus affect spells I know OR spells I cast per day. Also, is it exactly a +4, like I can cast +4 more spells per day, even when I would normally have only 1 spell to cast daily without the high charisma bonus or is it something totally different? I don't clearly understand. Thanks for any help!

The +4 bonus from 18 cha helps with spell DC. You gain spells per day based on the chart in the class section. You gain bonus spells per day based on your relevent ability mod (cha for bards/sorcs, int for wizards, etc.), as described in the chart on page 9 of the Player's Handbook.
ArcTan
07-14-07, 10:34 PM This is actually one of the more confusing rules you need to learn to play the game, so have patience. Once you learn it it's not that hard to remember, though.

The table for bonus spells is here:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/theBasics.htm#abilitiesAndSpellcasters

"Bonus spells" means extra spells you can prepare per day, not total spells known -- total spells known is controlled by totally different factors.

Wizards control their total spells known based on the gold they spend to write those spells in their spellbooks. Sorcerers gain spells known at a steady rate as they level up that isn't affected by any of their stats, at all.

As you can see from the table, if you have a +4 modifier in your casting stat (for Sorcs, Charisma) you get 1 extra spell slot you can use per day for your 1st-level spells, 2nd-level spells, 3rd-level spells and 4th-level spells. (You *must* be able to cast 4th-level spells normally before you can have a bonus 4th-level spell, though.)

So, for instance, as a 1st-level Sorcerer you get 4 cantrips (0th-level spells) and 2 1st-level spells that you can cast, like every other 1st-level Sorcerer in the world. Your *base* spell slots -- before we account for bonus spell slots -- let you cast 0th-level spells a total of 5 times and 1st-level spells a total of 3 times.

If you're a 1st-level Sorcerer with Cha 18, that gives you a bonus spell slot for all levels from 1 to 4. Since you can only cast 1st-level spells at all, though, you only get 1 bonus level 1 spell slot -- so now you can cast cantrips a total of 5 times and 1st-level spells a total of 4 times. (You can choose to use one of the 1st-level spells you know twice and the other one twice, or one three times or the other once, or one four times and the other not at all.)

Make sense?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
SpiritedAway 07-14-07, 10:06 PM	I am new to D&D and a little confused by one thing. For Charisma and Sorcerers + Bards, if I have like 18 Charisma (for example) does the +4 bonus affect spells I know OR spells I cast per day. Also, is it exactly a +4, like I can cast +4 more spells per day, even when I would normally have only 1 spell to cast daily without the high charisma bonus or is it something totally different? I don't clearly understand. Thanks for any help!
claypigeons 07-14-07, 10:21 PM	I am new to D&D and a little confused by one thing. For Charisma and Sorcerers + Bards, if I have like 18 Charisma (for example) does the +4 bonus affect spells I know OR spells I cast per day. Also, is it exactly a +4, like I can cast +4 more spells per day, even when I would normally have only 1 spell to cast daily without the high charisma bonus or is it something totally different? I don't clearly understand. Thanks for any help! The +4 bonus from 18 cha helps with spell DC. You gain spells per day based on the chart in the class section. You gain bonus spells per day based on your relevent ability mod (cha for bards/sorcs, int for wizards, etc.), as described in the chart on page 9 of the Player's Handbook.
ArcTan 07-14-07, 10:34 PM	This is actually one of the more confusing rules you need to learn to play the game, so have patience. Once you learn it it's not that hard to remember, though. The table for bonus spells is here: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/theBasics.htm#abilitiesAndSpellcasters "Bonus spells" means extra spells you can prepare per day, not total spells known -- total spells known is controlled by totally different factors. Wizards control their total spells known based on the gold they spend to write those spells in their spellbooks. Sorcerers gain spells known at a steady rate as they level up that isn't affected by any of their stats, at all. As you can see from the table, if you have a +4 modifier in your casting stat (for Sorcs, Charisma) you get 1 extra spell slot you can use per day for your 1st-level spells, 2nd-level spells, 3rd-level spells and 4th-level spells. (You must be able to cast 4th-level spells normally before you can have a bonus 4th-level spell, though.) So, for instance, as a 1st-level Sorcerer you get 4 cantrips (0th-level spells) and 2 1st-level spells that you can cast, like every other 1st-level Sorcerer in the world. Your base spell slots -- before we account for bonus spell slots -- let you cast 0th-level spells a total of 5 times and 1st-level spells a total of 3 times. If you're a 1st-level Sorcerer with Cha 18, that gives you a bonus spell slot for all levels from 1 to 4. Since you can only cast 1st-level spells at all, though, you only get 1 bonus level 1 spell slot -- so now you can cast cantrips a total of 5 times and 1st-level spells a total of 4 times. (You can choose to use one of the 1st-level spells you know twice and the other one twice, or one three times or the other once, or one four times and the other not at all.) Make sense?