Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 FoxyLadyJ Feb 08, 2015 15:17:24	I was wondering if anyone could help someone who has never played a wizard before understand the differences between the amount of spells you can know, have prepared, use, etc.. I am having a very difficult time understanding it all in the way that WotC have written it in the 5e Player's Handbook. I am a high elf wizard, specializing in the school of Necromancy. I currently have four cantrips (normally would be 3, but I have an extra due to being a high elf), four 1st level spells, and two second level spells. I am confused as to the difference between how many spells I know versus spells I can have prepared. I do have an INT of 16, so in theory I can have six spells level 1 or 2 spells divided up however I want, but I was told by my DM that I still only have two level 2 spell slots available to use. So I am confused as to how being able to have more than two level 2 spells is even useful if you can only use two level 2 spells (due to spell slots). There seems to be a difference between spells I know, how many I can have prepared, and how many spell slots I can use. I've read the wizard section of the PH at least three times and every time I think I understand it, it turns out I really don't (which usually happens during game play). I keep getting told that the system is easy to understand, which is aggravatingly unhelpful considering I obviously don't get it.  If you are unable to switch between prepared and unprepared spells during an adventure, how can you be effective if you don't know what you are going to be facing? It seems like that would make wizards pretty ineffective and useless, especially if most of your party consists of fighter classes.  I have keep running into the situation where my wizard does practically nothing compared to the fighters in my group because I don't have the damage power that the fighter classes do.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.
#2 FallingIcicle Feb 08, 2015 17:02:36	As a wizard, your spells prepared and spell slots are entirely separate things.   You have a spellbook that contains the spells you've discovered and recorded. Each day, you spend time studying your spellbook and choose a list of spells to prepare. Those are the spells that you have available to cast that day, and you can change your list of prepared spells whenever you finish a long rest.   Your spell slots are the total number of spells of each level you can cast per day.   For example, let's say you're a 1st level wizard with a 16 Int. Your spellbook contains the spells charm person, detect magic, feather fall, magic missile, sleep and thunderwave. You can prepare four spells each day (your level 1 + your intelligence bonus of 3). At the start of the day, you study your spellbook and decide to prepare charm person, magic missile, sleep and thunderwave. Those are your prepared spells for that day. As a 1st level wizard, you have 2 1st level spell slots. That's how many 1st level spells you can cast each day. That could be two magic missiles, a magic missile and a sleep, or any other combination of two total 1st level spells, chosen from among your prepared spells.   You also have cantrips. Your cantrips are simple spells that you always have available and can cast as often as you like. You don't need to prepare them and they don't cost spell slots to use.
#3 FuelDrop Feb 08, 2015 17:43:15	Suggestion: A sack or cage of small creatures, combined with Vampiric touch, will allow you to heal an inordinate amount between fights. One casting will let you suck the life from up to 10 rats, at 1 hp from the spell and 9 hp from killing something with a 3rd level necromancy spell per round.   In theory, that's 100 hp from a 3rd level slot. Only works for necromancers, but it's far cheaper than healing potions!
(Reply to #3) FoxyLadyJ	FuelDrop wrote:
#5 cbwjm Feb 08, 2015 19:06:11	FoxyLadyJ wrote:
#6 Coredump00 Feb 08, 2015 19:07:56	There are three variables   A) The spells in your spell book: You get 2 per wizard level, and whichever ones you find or buy during the game   B) The spells you have prepared: Each day you can prepare X number of spells, where X = your Int bonus + your wizard level. I believe you are 3rd level, so you can prepare 6 spells (3+3) You can split these up any way you want between the 1st and 2nd level spells in your spell book. (6-0, 5-1, 4-2....)   C) The spells you can cast: This is just from the chart in the book. At third level, you can cast 4 first level spells, and 2 second level spells. So, if you prepared 3 First level spells (A, B, C.) and 3 Second level spells (X,Y,Z) Then you could cast spell A 4 times (AAAA) or you could cast (AABC) or (CCBB) or any other combination of your first level spells in the 4 slots.  Likewise, you could cast spell X twice (X,X) or (X,Y) or (Z,Y) or any other combination of your second level spells in the 2 slots available.     To expand this, lets say at level 4 you get to 18 Int.  Then at level 5 you have....   A) a total of 10 spells in your book, plus however many you found or bought during the game.   B) Of those spells, you can prepare 9 of them (4 from int, 5 from level)  Of those 9, you can prepare any combination of level 1 2 3 spells.  (9-0-0, 2-3-4, 3-3-3, 4-1-4, etc)   C) You can cast 4 first level spells, 3 second level spell, and 2 fifth level spells.  You can only cast those you prepared, but in any combination.         (Next: There are some spells that you can cast in a higher slot... like Sleep is a first level spell, but you can cast it as a second level or third level spell....  )
#7 QwertyAzerty Feb 09, 2015 10:27:44	AS a wizard you have a :   Spell list: those are ALL the spell under the headline Wizard in the PHB (and other reference book you can found) Spell in your spellbook (known) you have in your spell book 6 spell level 1 at level 1 then you gain 2 more spell when you level up. Then you can add more spell by copiying them from scroll or other spellbooks. You can only write in your spellbook spell from your spell list. Spell prepare: you can prepare spell from your spellbook. you can prepare a number of spell equal to you wizard level+Intellect modifier. You prepare spell only once (no need to prepare fireball twice if you want to cast it twice in your day) you prepare the spell no matter the spell level you want to use it (so again even if you want to cast fireball as a spell lvl 3 (8d6) and as a spell level 4 (9d6) you only preapare fireball once. Spell per day (similar function as Mana point in video game): Those are the number of spell you can cast per day choosen based on the spell level you want to use amoung your spell prepared. So if you can cast 4 spell level 1 and 2 spell level 2, then if you prepare Magic missile, you can cast magic missile twice as a spell elvel 1 (creating 3 dart) and once as a spell level 2 (creating 4 darts) then cast once MAge armor (spell level 1) and once Shield (spell level 1) and once invisibility (spell lvl 2), then you still have all the spell your prepare, but you don'T have more energy to cast them.
#8 FoxyLadyJ Feb 09, 2015 17:45:39	Is it possible to learn a spell that is not directly specified as a wizard spell?
#9 cbwjm Feb 09, 2015 17:51:19	FoxyLadyJ wrote: