Secret Lesson 50

Wizard, the Wizard Spell List, and the Evoker

The Warlock gains supernatural power through:

A PACT

The Wizard follows another path entirely.

A Wizard gains magical power through:

STUDY

RESEARCH

PRACTICE

ARCANE THEORY

and perhaps most importantly:

A SPELLBOOK

For the Wizard, magic is something that can be:

LEARNED

RECORDED

STUDIED

PREPARED

and:

MASTERED

The Wizard possesses one of the broadest collections of spells in the SRD.

But there is an important distinction:

SPELLS IN YOUR SPELLBOOK

are not necessarily the same thing as:

SPELLS YOU CURRENTLY HAVE PREPARED

Learning to manage that distinction is one of the keys to understanding the Class.

The Wizard's SRD subclass is:

EVOKER

a specialist in:

EVOCATION MAGIC

The Evoker learns to unleash destructive magical energy while protecting allies from some of its most dangerous effects.

PART ONE — CORE WIZARD TRAITS

The Wizard's Primary Ability is:

INTELLIGENCE

Its Hit Point Die is:

D6 PER WIZARD LEVEL

Like the Sorcerer, the Wizard has a relatively small Hit Die.

The Class generally depends more heavily on:

SPELLS

POSITIONING

PLANNING

and:

DEFENSIVE MAGIC

than on absorbing repeated weapon attacks.

SAVING THROW PROFICIENCIES

The Wizard is proficient in:

INTELLIGENCE

and:

WISDOM SAVING THROWS

SKILL PROFICIENCIES

Choose:

TWO

from:

  • Arcana

  • History

  • Insight

  • Investigation

  • Medicine

  • Nature

  • Religion

WEAPON PROFICIENCIES

The Wizard has proficiency with:

SIMPLE WEAPONS

ARMOR TRAINING

The Wizard receives:

NO ARMOR TRAINING

from its core Class traits.

STARTING EQUIPMENT

A level 1 Wizard can choose:

OPTION A

  • 2 Daggers

  • Arcane Focus, Quarterstaff

  • Robe

  • Spellbook

  • Scholar's Pack

  • 5 GP

or:

OPTION B

55 GP

MULTICLASSING INTO WIZARD

If Wizard isn't your original Class, you gain:

THE WIZARD HIT POINT DIE

and:

THE WIZARD'S LEVEL 1 FEATURES

You don't gain additional armor or weapon training from the Wizard's multiclass entry.

The multiclassing rules determine your available Spell Slots.

PART TWO — COMPLETE WIZARD PROGRESSION

Wizard Level PB Class Features Cantrips Prepared Spells
1 +2 Spellcasting, Ritual Adept, Arcane Recovery 3 4
2 +2 Scholar 3 5
3 +2 Wizard Subclass 3 6
4 +2 Ability Score Improvement 4 7
5 +3 Memorize Spell 4 9
6 +3 Subclass Feature 4 10
7 +3 — 4 11
8 +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 12
9 +4 — 4 14
10 +4 Subclass Feature 5 15
11 +4 — 5 16
12 +4 Ability Score Improvement 5 16
13 +5 — 5 17
14 +5 Subclass Feature 5 18
15 +5 — 5 19
16 +5 Ability Score Improvement 5 21
17 +6 — 5 22
18 +6 Spell Mastery 5 23
19 +6 Epic Boon 5 24
20 +6 Signature Spells 5 25

Unlike some Classes, the Wizard doesn't receive a new named Class feature at every level.

Many Wizard levels instead improve:

SPELL SLOTS

PREPARED SPELLS

and:

ACCESS TO HIGHER-LEVEL MAGIC

For a Wizard, obtaining a new spell level can itself be an enormous increase in power.

PART THREE — WIZARD SPELL SLOT PROGRESSION

The Wizard is a:

FULL SPELLCASTER

and eventually reaches:

LEVEL 9 SPELLS

Wizard Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1 2 — — — — — — — —
2 3 — — — — — — — —
3 4 2 — — — — — — —
4 4 3 — — — — — — —
5 4 3 2 — — — — — —
6 4 3 3 — — — — — —
7 4 3 3 1 — — — — —
8 4 3 3 2 — — — — —
9 4 3 3 3 1 — — — —
10 4 3 3 3 2 — — — —
11 4 3 3 3 2 1 — — —
12 4 3 3 3 2 1 — — —
13 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 — —
14 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 — —
15 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 —
16 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 —
17 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1
18 4 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1
19 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
20 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1

All expended Wizard Spell Slots normally return when you finish:

A LONG REST

But:

ARCANE RECOVERY

can restore some slots after a Short Rest.

PART FOUR — LEVEL 1: SPELLCASTING

The Wizard's magic begins at:

LEVEL 1

Its Spellcasting feature has several separate parts:

CANTRIPS

SPELLBOOK

SPELL SLOTS

PREPARED SPELLS

INTELLIGENCE

and:

SPELLCASTING FOCUS

Understanding how those parts interact is essential.

PART FIVE — WIZARD CANTRIPS

At level 1, you know:

THREE WIZARD CANTRIPS

The SRD recommends:

LIGHT

MAGE HAND

and:

RAY OF FROST

CHANGING A CANTRIP

Whenever you finish:

A LONG REST

you can replace:

ONE WIZARD CANTRIP

gained from the Spellcasting feature with another Wizard Cantrip.

This makes the Wizard unusually flexible even with its Cantrips.

MORE CANTRIPS

At Wizard level 4:

FOUR CANTRIPS

At Wizard level 10:

FIVE CANTRIPS

PART SIX — THE SPELLBOOK

The defining object of the Wizard Class is:

THE SPELLBOOK

The SRD establishes specific game characteristics for it.

It is a:

TINY OBJECT

Weight:

3 POUNDS

Pages:

100

It can be read only by:

YOU

or:

SOMEONE CASTING IDENTIFY

You decide its appearance.

It might be a magnificent magical tome, a collection of pages bound with twine, or another book matching your character's style.

That appearance is narrative.

The mechanical object remains:

YOUR SPELLBOOK

PART SEVEN — STARTING SPELLS

At level 1, your Spellbook contains:

SIX LEVEL 1 WIZARD SPELLS

of your choice.

The SRD recommends:

DETECT MAGIC

FEATHER FALL

MAGE ARMOR

MAGIC MISSILE

SLEEP

and:

THUNDERWAVE

IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

Your Spellbook begins with:

SIX SPELLS

but at level 1 you prepare only:

FOUR

So:

SPELLBOOK ≠ PREPARED SPELLS

You know more level 1 spells than you can have prepared simultaneously.

EXAMPLE

Your Spellbook contains:

  1. Detect Magic

  2. Feather Fall

  3. Mage Armor

  4. Magic Missile

  5. Sleep

  6. Thunderwave

Prepared today:

MAGE ARMOR

MAGIC MISSILE

SLEEP

THUNDERWAVE

Detect Magic and Feather Fall remain:

IN YOUR SPELLBOOK

but aren't currently prepared.

However, Ritual Adept can create an important exception for qualifying Ritual spells.

PART EIGHT — ADDING SPELLS WHEN YOU LEVEL UP

Whenever you gain a Wizard level after level 1:

ADD TWO WIZARD SPELLS

to your Spellbook.

Each chosen spell must be of a level for which you have:

SPELL SLOTS

EXAMPLE — REACHING LEVEL 5

You gain access to:

LEVEL 3 SPELL SLOTS

You add:

TWO WIZARD SPELLS

to your Spellbook.

They could both be level 3.

Or one could be level 3 and another a lower-level Wizard spell.

The rule requires that each chosen spell be of:

A LEVEL FOR WHICH YOU HAVE SPELL SLOTS

THE SPELLBOOK CAN GROW FAR BEYOND THIS

The two spells gained per Wizard level aren't the only way to expand the book.

During adventures you may discover:

OTHER WIZARD SPELLS

and copy them into it.

This means two Wizards of the same level might have:

VERY DIFFERENT SPELLBOOKS

depending on what they have discovered.

PART NINE — COPYING A DISCOVERED SPELL

Suppose you discover a level 1+ Wizard spell during an adventure.

A common example might be a Wizard spell contained on:

A SPELL SCROLL

You can copy that spell into your Spellbook if:

IT IS A WIZARD SPELL

and:

IT IS OF A LEVEL YOU CAN PREPARE

and you have sufficient:

TIME

and:

MONEY

TRANSCRIPTION COST

For each spell level:

2 HOURS

and:

50 GP

EXAMPLE — LEVEL 1 SPELL

Time:

2 HOURS

Cost:

50 GP

EXAMPLE — LEVEL 3 SPELL

Time:

3 × 2 =

6 HOURS

Cost:

3 × 50 =

150 GP

EXAMPLE — LEVEL 5 SPELL

Time:

5 × 2 =

10 HOURS

Cost:

5 × 50 =

250 GP

After completing the transcription:

THE SPELL IS IN YOUR SPELLBOOK

and can later be prepared normally.

PART TEN — COPYING YOUR OWN SPELLBOOK

A Wizard can also copy spells from their own Spellbook into:

ANOTHER BOOK

Because you already understand those spells, this process is:

FASTER

and:

CHEAPER

For each spell level:

1 HOUR

and:

10 GP

EXAMPLE — BACKUP FIREBALL

Fireball is:

LEVEL 3

Copying it from your own Spellbook into a backup book takes:

3 × 1 hour =

3 HOURS

and costs:

3 × 10 GP =

30 GP

WHY KEEP A BACKUP?

Because:

THE SPELLBOOK CAN BE LOST

The SRD specifically notes that many Wizards therefore maintain:

A BACKUP SPELLBOOK

PART ELEVEN — LOSING YOUR SPELLBOOK

If you lose your Spellbook, you can use the same copying procedure to transcribe into a new book the Wizard spells that you currently have:

PREPARED

But the rest of the lost book isn't automatically recreated.

To rebuild the missing spells, you must:

FIND THOSE SPELLS AGAIN

This makes the Spellbook both:

A GREAT SOURCE OF FLEXIBILITY

and:

AN IMPORTANT PHYSICAL RESOURCE

for the Wizard.

PART TWELVE — PREPARING SPELLS

At level 1, choose:

FOUR SPELLS

from your Spellbook to prepare.

Each prepared spell must be of a level for which you possess:

SPELL SLOTS

PREPARED SPELL PROGRESSION

The number increases with Wizard level.

Eventually, at level 20, the table gives:

25 PREPARED SPELLS

before considering additional always-prepared spells from other features.

EXAMPLE — LEVEL 3 WIZARD

Prepared Spells:

6

Available Spell Levels:

LEVEL 1

and:

LEVEL 2

Your six prepared spells can be any eligible combination of level 1 and level 2 spells from:

YOUR SPELLBOOK

PART THIRTEEN — CHANGING PREPARED SPELLS

Whenever you finish:

A LONG REST

you may change:

YOUR PREPARED SPELL LIST

replacing spells there with other eligible spells from:

YOUR SPELLBOOK

IMPORTANT

Unlike several Classes we have studied, the Wizard isn't restricted to replacing:

ONLY ONE SPELL

You can reorganize:

THE LIST

after a Long Rest.

EXAMPLE

Yesterday you expected a dungeon full of monsters and prepared mostly:

COMBAT SPELLS

Today you expect:

EXPLORATION

INVESTIGATION

and:

TRAVEL

After a Long Rest, you can prepare a different set of spells from your Spellbook.

This is one of the Wizard's greatest strengths:

PREPARATION

PART FOURTEEN — SPELLCASTING ABILITY

Wizard spells use:

INTELLIGENCE

Therefore:

WIZARD SPELL SAVE DC

8 + Intelligence modifier + Proficiency Bonus

and:

WIZARD SPELL ATTACK BONUS

Intelligence modifier + Proficiency Bonus

EXAMPLE

Intelligence:

18

Modifier:

+4

PB:

+3

Spell Save DC:

8 + 4 + 3 =

DC 15

Spell Attack Bonus:

4 + 3 =

+7

PART FIFTEEN — SPELLCASTING FOCUS

A Wizard may use:

AN ARCANE FOCUS

or:

THE SPELLBOOK

as a Spellcasting Focus for Wizard spells.

The Spellbook therefore isn't merely where spells are recorded.

It can also directly function as:

YOUR SPELLCASTING FOCUS

PART SIXTEEN — LEVEL 1: RITUAL ADEPT

Ritual Adept makes the Spellbook even more valuable.

If a spell:

HAS THE RITUAL TAG

and:

IS IN YOUR SPELLBOOK

you can cast it as:

A RITUAL

even if:

YOU DON'T HAVE IT PREPARED

REQUIREMENT

You must:

READ FROM THE SPELLBOOK

while casting the spell in this way.

EXAMPLE — DETECT MAGIC

Detect Magic has the:

RITUAL TAG

It is in your Spellbook.

You didn't prepare Detect Magic today.

Ritual Adept still allows you to cast it as:

A RITUAL

by reading from your book.

WHY THIS IS POWERFUL

A Wizard can leave certain utility Rituals:

UNPREPARED

while still retaining access to them when there is enough time to perform:

RITUAL CASTING

This effectively increases the practical utility of a large Spellbook.

PART SEVENTEEN — LEVEL 1: ARCANE RECOVERY

Arcane Recovery lets the Wizard recover some magical energy after:

A SHORT REST

When you finish the Short Rest, choose expended Spell Slots to recover.

The combined levels of those slots can't exceed:

HALF YOUR WIZARD LEVEL

rounded:

UP

IMPORTANT LIMIT

None of the recovered slots can be:

LEVEL 6 OR HIGHER

EXAMPLE — LEVEL 4

Half of 4:

2

You may recover:

ONE LEVEL 2 SLOT

or:

TWO LEVEL 1 SLOTS

EXAMPLE — LEVEL 5

Half of 5:

2.5

Arcane Recovery explicitly rounds:

UP

Maximum combined slot levels:

3

You could recover:

ONE LEVEL 3 SLOT

or:

ONE LEVEL 2 + ONE LEVEL 1

or:

THREE LEVEL 1 SLOTS

provided those slots were expended.

EXAMPLE — LEVEL 20

Half of 20:

10

You can recover up to:

10 TOTAL SPELL-SLOT LEVELS

but:

NO INDIVIDUAL SLOT CAN BE LEVEL 6+

For example, you could potentially recover:

TWO LEVEL 5 SLOTS

if they were expended and available to recover.

RECOVERY

After using Arcane Recovery:

YOU CAN'T USE IT AGAIN

until you finish:

A LONG REST

So multiple Short Rests don't provide unlimited Arcane Recovery.

PART EIGHTEEN — LEVEL 2: SCHOLAR

At level 2, your academic studies deepen.

Choose one of these skills in which you already have:

PROFICIENCY

  • Arcana

  • History

  • Investigation

  • Medicine

  • Nature

  • Religion

You gain:

EXPERTISE

in the chosen skill.

IMPORTANT

Scholar doesn't simply give proficiency in one of those skills.

You must choose one in which you:

ALREADY HAVE PROFICIENCY

Then Expertise doubles your Proficiency Bonus for the relevant ability checks.

EXAMPLE

Intelligence:

18

Modifier:

+4

PB:

+3

Expertise in Arcana:

Proficiency contribution:

+6

Total:

4 + 6 =

+10 TO QUALIFYING ARCANA CHECKS

PART NINETEEN — LEVEL 3: WIZARD SUBCLASS

At level 3:

CHOOSE A WIZARD SUBCLASS

The SRD provides:

EVOKER

The Evoker receives features at Wizard levels:

3

6

10

and:

14

We will study every feature later in this lesson.

PART TWENTY — LEVEL 4: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

At level 4:

GAIN ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

or another Feat for which you qualify.

You gain this feature again at:

LEVEL 8

LEVEL 12

and:

LEVEL 16

For most Wizards, improving:

INTELLIGENCE

is especially important because Intelligence affects:

SPELL SAVE DC

SPELL ATTACK BONUS

and several Wizard or Evoker abilities.

PART TWENTY-ONE — LEVEL 5: MEMORIZE SPELL

At level 5, the Wizard becomes more adaptable even between Long Rests.

Whenever you finish:

A SHORT REST

you may study your Spellbook.

Then replace:

ONE LEVEL 1+ PREPARED WIZARD SPELL

with:

ANOTHER LEVEL 1+ SPELL FROM THE BOOK

EXAMPLE

You prepared:

FIREBALL

But after exploring the dungeon, you discover that you urgently need:

FLY

You finish a Short Rest.

If Fly is in your Spellbook and is otherwise eligible:

REPLACE FIREBALL WITH FLY

You don't need to wait for:

A LONG REST

IMPORTANT

Memorize Spell changes:

ONE PREPARED SPELL

after each qualifying Short Rest.

The normal Spellcasting feature still allows you to reorganize your prepared list after:

A LONG REST

PART TWENTY-TWO — LEVEL 18: SPELL MASTERY

At level 18, choose:

ONE LEVEL 1 SPELL

and:

ONE LEVEL 2 SPELL

from your Spellbook.

Each chosen spell must have a Casting Time of:

AN ACTION

ALWAYS PREPARED

Both spells become:

ALWAYS PREPARED

CAST AT WILL

You can cast either chosen spell at:

ITS LOWEST LEVEL

without expending:

A SPELL SLOT

EXAMPLE

Suppose your level 1 Spell Mastery spell is an eligible Action spell.

You can cast it repeatedly at:

LEVEL 1

without spending Spell Slots.

Your chosen level 2 spell can likewise be cast repeatedly at:

LEVEL 2

HIGHER-LEVEL CASTING

If you want to cast one of those spells using:

A HIGHER LEVEL

you must expend:

A SPELL SLOT

normally.

Spell Mastery makes the lowest-level casting free.

It doesn't provide free upcasting.

CHANGING SPELL MASTERY

Whenever you finish:

A LONG REST

you can study your Spellbook and replace:

ONE OF THE TWO SPELLS

with another eligible spell:

OF THE SAME LEVEL

So the level 1 choice must be replaced by:

ANOTHER LEVEL 1 SPELL

and the level 2 choice by:

ANOTHER LEVEL 2 SPELL

PART TWENTY-THREE — LEVEL 19: EPIC BOON

At level 19:

GAIN AN EPIC BOON FEAT

or another Feat for which you qualify.

The SRD recommends:

BOON OF SPELL RECALL

Epic Boon Feats will be studied completely in:

LESSON 59

PART TWENTY-FOUR — LEVEL 20: SIGNATURE SPELLS

At level 20, choose:

TWO LEVEL 3 SPELLS

in your Spellbook.

They become:

YOUR SIGNATURE SPELLS

ALWAYS PREPARED

Both Signature Spells are:

ALWAYS PREPARED

FREE CASTINGS

You can cast each Signature Spell:

ONCE AT LEVEL 3

without expending:

A SPELL SLOT

SEPARATE USES

Each of the two spells has its own:

FREE CAST

RECOVERY

After casting one through Signature Spells, you can't cast that particular spell again in this free way until you finish:

A SHORT REST

or:

A LONG REST

EXAMPLE

Signature Spells:

FIREBALL

and:

FLY

You cast Fireball for free at level 3.

The free Fireball use is now expended.

But your free Fly use remains:

AVAILABLE

HIGHER-LEVEL CASTING

To cast either Signature Spell at:

A HIGHER LEVEL

you must expend:

A SPELL SLOT

PART TWENTY-FIVE — THE WIZARD'S THREE LAYERS OF SPELL ACCESS

The Wizard becomes much easier to understand if you separate three concepts.

LAYER ONE — SPELLBOOK

These are the level 1+ Wizard spells you have:

RECORDED

Your Spellbook can potentially contain:

MANY SPELLS

LAYER TWO — PREPARED SPELLS

These are the spells from your Spellbook currently ready for:

NORMAL CASTING

The Class table limits how many you prepare.

LAYER THREE — SPELL SLOTS

Spell Slots are the:

RESOURCE

normally spent to cast prepared level 1+ spells.

EXAMPLE

Your Spellbook contains:

20 SPELLS

Your Class table allows:

9 PREPARED SPELLS

You therefore select nine from the Spellbook.

Your Spell Slots determine:

HOW MANY LEVEL 1+ SPELL CASTINGS

you can perform before recovering your slots.

These are three separate numbers.

PART TWENTY-SIX — COMPLETE WIZARD SPELL LIST

The Wizard Spell List extends from:

CANTRIPS

through:

LEVEL 9

The SRD uses:

C = CONCENTRATION

R = RITUAL

M = SPECIFIC MATERIAL COMPONENT

WIZARD CANTRIPS

Spell School Special
Acid Splash Evocation —
Chill Touch Necromancy —
Dancing Lights Illusion C
Elementalism Transmutation —
Fire Bolt Evocation —
Light Evocation —
Mage Hand Conjuration —
Mending Transmutation —
Message Transmutation —
Minor Illusion Illusion —
Poison Spray Necromancy —
Prestidigitation Transmutation —
Ray of Frost Evocation —
Shocking Grasp Evocation —
True Strike Divination —

LEVEL 1 WIZARD SPELLS

Spell School Special
Alarm Abjuration R
Burning Hands Evocation —
Charm Person Enchantment —
Chromatic Orb Evocation M
Color Spray Illusion —
Comprehend Languages Divination R
Detect Magic Divination C, R
Disguise Self Illusion —
Expeditious Retreat Transmutation C
False Life Necromancy —
Feather Fall Transmutation —
Find Familiar Conjuration R, M
Floating Disk Conjuration R
Fog Cloud Conjuration C
Grease Conjuration —
Hideous Laughter Enchantment C
Ice Knife Conjuration —
Identify Divination R, M
Illusory Script Illusion R, M
Jump Transmutation —
Longstrider Transmutation —
Mage Armor Abjuration —
Magic Missile Evocation —
Protection from Evil and Good Abjuration C, M
Ray of Sickness Necromancy —
Shield Abjuration —
Silent Image Illusion C
Sleep Enchantment C
Thunderwave Evocation —
Unseen Servant Conjuration R

LEVEL 2 WIZARD SPELLS

Spell School Special
Acid Arrow Evocation —
Alter Self Transmutation C
Arcane Lock Abjuration M
Arcanist's Magic Aura Illusion —
Augury Divination R, M
Blindness/Deafness Transmutation —
Blur Illusion C
Continual Flame Evocation M
Darkness Evocation C
Darkvision Transmutation —
Detect Thoughts Divination C
Dragon's Breath Transmutation C
Enhance Ability Transmutation C
Enlarge/Reduce Transmutation C
Flaming Sphere Evocation C
Gentle Repose Necromancy R, M
Gust of Wind Evocation C
Hold Person Enchantment C
Invisibility Illusion C
Knock Transmutation —
Levitate Transmutation C
Locate Object Divination C
Magic Mouth Illusion R, M
Magic Weapon Transmutation —
Mind Spike Divination C
Mirror Image Illusion —
Misty Step Conjuration —
Ray of Enfeeblement Necromancy C
Rope Trick Transmutation —
Scorching Ray Evocation —
See Invisibility Divination —
Shatter Evocation —
Spider Climb Transmutation C
Suggestion Enchantment C
Web Conjuration C

LEVEL 3 WIZARD SPELLS

Spell School Special
Animate Dead Necromancy —
Bestow Curse Necromancy C
Blink Transmutation —
Clairvoyance Divination C, M
Counterspell Abjuration —
Dispel Magic Abjuration —
Fear Illusion C
Fireball Evocation —
Fly Transmutation C
Gaseous Form Transmutation C
Glyph of Warding Abjuration M
Haste Transmutation C
Hypnotic Pattern Illusion C
Lightning Bolt Evocation —
Magic Circle Abjuration M
Major Image Illusion C
Nondetection Abjuration M
Phantom Steed Illusion R
Protection from Energy Abjuration C
Remove Curse Abjuration —
Sending Divination —
Sleet Storm Conjuration C
Slow Transmutation C
Speak with Dead Necromancy —
Stinking Cloud Conjuration C
Tiny Hut Evocation R
Tongues Divination —
Vampiric Touch Necromancy C
Water Breathing Transmutation R

LEVEL 4 WIZARD SPELLS

Spell School Special
Arcane Eye Divination C
Banishment Abjuration C
Black Tentacles Conjuration C
Blight Necromancy —
Charm Monster Enchantment —
Confusion Enchantment C
Conjure Minor Elementals Conjuration C
Control Water Transmutation C
Dimension Door Conjuration —
Divination Divination R, M
Fabricate Transmutation —
Faithful Hound Conjuration —
Fire Shield Evocation —
Greater Invisibility Illusion C
Hallucinatory Terrain Illusion —
Ice Storm Evocation —
Locate Creature Divination C
Phantasmal Killer Illusion C
Polymorph Transmutation C
Private Sanctum Abjuration —
Resilient Sphere Abjuration C
Secret Chest Conjuration M
Stone Shape Transmutation —
Stoneskin Transmutation C, M
Vitriolic Sphere Evocation —
Wall of Fire Evocation C

LEVEL 5 WIZARD SPELLS

Spell School Special
Animate Objects Transmutation C
Arcane Hand Evocation C
Cloudkill Conjuration C
Cone of Cold Evocation —
Conjure Elemental Conjuration C
Contact Other Plane Divination R
Creation Illusion —
Dominate Person Enchantment C
Dream Illusion —
Geas Enchantment —
Hold Monster Enchantment C
Legend Lore Divination M
Mislead Illusion C
Modify Memory Enchantment C
Passwall Transmutation —
Planar Binding Abjuration M
Scrying Divination C, M
Seeming Illusion —
Summon Dragon Conjuration C, M
Telekinesis Transmutation C
Telepathic Bond Divination R
Teleportation Circle Conjuration M
Wall of Force Evocation C
Wall of Stone Evocation C

LEVEL 6 WIZARD SPELLS

Spell School Special
Chain Lightning Evocation —
Circle of Death Necromancy M
Contingency Abjuration M
Create Undead Necromancy M
Disintegrate Transmutation —
Eyebite Necromancy C
Flesh to Stone Transmutation C
Freezing Sphere Evocation —
Globe of Invulnerability Abjuration C
Guards and Wards Abjuration M
Instant Summons Conjuration R, M
Irresistible Dance Enchantment C
Magic Jar Necromancy M
Mass Suggestion Enchantment —
Move Earth Transmutation C
Programmed Illusion Illusion M
Sunbeam Evocation C
True Seeing Divination M
Wall of Ice Evocation C

LEVEL 7 WIZARD SPELLS

Spell School Special
Arcane Sword Evocation C, M
Delayed Blast Fireball Evocation C
Etherealness Conjuration —
Finger of Death Necromancy —
Forcecage Evocation C, M
Magnificent Mansion Conjuration M
Mirage Arcane Illusion —
Plane Shift Conjuration M
Prismatic Spray Evocation —
Project Image Illusion C, M
Reverse Gravity Transmutation C
Sequester Transmutation M
Simulacrum Illusion M
Symbol Abjuration M
Teleport Conjuration —

LEVEL 8 WIZARD SPELLS

Spell School Special
Antimagic Field Abjuration C
Antipathy/Sympathy Enchantment —
Befuddlement Enchantment —
Clone Necromancy M
Control Weather Transmutation C
Demiplane Conjuration —
Dominate Monster Enchantment C
Incendiary Cloud Conjuration C
Maze Conjuration C
Mind Blank Abjuration —
Power Word Stun Enchantment —
Sunburst Evocation —

LEVEL 9 WIZARD SPELLS

Spell School Special
Astral Projection Necromancy M
Foresight Divination —
Gate Conjuration C, M
Imprisonment Abjuration M
Meteor Swarm Evocation —
Power Word Kill Enchantment —
Prismatic Wall Abjuration —
Shapechange Transmutation C, M
Time Stop Transmutation —
True Polymorph Transmutation C
Weird Illusion C
Wish Conjuration —

The complete descriptions and mechanics of these spells will be studied later in:

LESSONS 79–85

PART TWENTY-SEVEN — WHAT THE WIZARD SPELL LIST DOES

The Wizard's spell list is extremely broad.

Rather than being defined by one narrow magical function, it supports:

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

CONTROL

EXPLORATION

DIVINATION

ILLUSION

TRANSPORTATION

SUMMONING

TRANSFORMATION

and:

REALITY-ALTERING MAGIC

DIRECT DAMAGE

Examples include:

FIRE BOLT

MAGIC MISSILE

SCORCHING RAY

FIREBALL

LIGHTNING BOLT

CONE OF COLD

CHAIN LIGHTNING

DISINTEGRATE

and eventually:

METEOR SWARM

DEFENSE

Examples include:

MAGE ARMOR

SHIELD

BLUR

MIRROR IMAGE

RESILIENT SPHERE

WALL OF FORCE

and:

GLOBE OF INVULNERABILITY

BATTLEFIELD CONTROL

Examples include:

GREASE

FOG CLOUD

WEB

HYPNOTIC PATTERN

SLEET STORM

SLOW

BLACK TENTACLES

WALL OF FIRE

WALL OF ICE

and:

REVERSE GRAVITY

MOBILITY

Examples include:

JUMP

MISTY STEP

FLY

DIMENSION DOOR

ETHEREALNESS

PLANE SHIFT

and:

TELEPORT

INFORMATION AND DIVINATION

Examples include:

DETECT MAGIC

IDENTIFY

DETECT THOUGHTS

CLAIRVOYANCE

ARCANE EYE

SCRYING

TRUE SEEING

and:

FORESIGHT

ILLUSION

Examples include:

MINOR ILLUSION

SILENT IMAGE

MAJOR IMAGE

HALLUCINATORY TERRAIN

MISLEAD

PROJECT IMAGE

and:

WEIRD

TRANSFORMATION

Examples include:

ALTER SELF

ENLARGE/REDUCE

POLYMORPH

FLESH TO STONE

SHAPECHANGE

and:

TRUE POLYMORPH

NECROMANCY

Examples include:

ANIMATE DEAD

CREATE UNDEAD

FINGER OF DEATH

CLONE

and:

ASTRAL PROJECTION

THE HIGHEST ARCANE MAGIC

At the highest levels, the Wizard can gain access to spells such as:

TIME STOP

GATE

METEOR SWARM

and:

WISH

This enormous breadth explains why:

THE SPELLBOOK

is so central to the Class.

The Wizard's power isn't merely the number of Spell Slots available.

It is also:

WHICH SPELLS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED

and:

WHICH ONES ARE PREPARED FOR THE DAY

PART TWENTY-EIGHT — WIZARD SUBCLASS: EVOKER

The SRD Wizard subclass is:

EVOKER

The Evoker specializes in magic that produces powerful:

ELEMENTAL

and:

ENERGETIC EFFECTS

The SRD describes Evocation magic through effects such as:

BITTER COLD

SEARING FLAME

THUNDER

LIGHTNING

and:

ACID

An Evoker can therefore fill the classic role of:

ARCANE ARTILLERY

But the subclass isn't purely about dealing more damage.

It also learns how to:

PROTECT ALLIES

from dangerous Evocation spells.

EVOKER PROGRESSION

Wizard Level Evoker Feature
3 Evocation Savant
3 Potent Cantrip
6 Sculpt Spells
10 Empowered Evocation
14 Overchannel

PART TWENTY-NINE — LEVEL 3: EVOCATION SAVANT

At level 3, choose:

TWO WIZARD SPELLS

from the:

EVOCATION SCHOOL

Each must be no higher than:

LEVEL 2

Add both to:

YOUR SPELLBOOK

for:

FREE

EXAMPLE

You could choose two eligible Evocation spells that aren't already in your Spellbook.

They are added without paying the normal transcription cost.

FUTURE SPELL LEVELS

Whenever you gain access to:

A NEW LEVEL OF SPELL SLOTS

in the Wizard Class, you can add:

ONE WIZARD EVOCATION SPELL

to your Spellbook for free.

The chosen spell must be of a level for which you possess:

SPELL SLOTS

WHY THIS MATTERS

The normal Wizard already adds:

TWO SPELLS PER WIZARD LEVEL

Evocation Savant provides additional opportunities to add:

EVOCATION SPELLS

without paying the normal cost for copying discovered spells.

PART THIRTY — LEVEL 3: POTENT CANTRIP

Potent Cantrip makes your damaging Cantrips more reliable.

When you cast a Cantrip:

AT A CREATURE

and the Cantrip deals damage, Potent Cantrip can still deal some damage when the creature successfully avoids the normal full effect.

There are two possibilities.

ATTACK-ROLL CANTRIP

If you:

MISS

with the Attack Roll:

the target takes:

HALF THE CANTRIP'S DAMAGE

if the Cantrip has damage.

SAVING-THROW CANTRIP

If the target:

SUCCEEDS

on its Saving Throw:

it takes:

HALF THE CANTRIP'S DAMAGE

if any.

NO ADDITIONAL EFFECT

In either case, the target suffers:

NO ADDITIONAL EFFECT

from the Cantrip.

EXAMPLE — RAY OF FROST

Suppose Ray of Frost would deal damage and create an additional effect on a hit.

You miss the Attack Roll.

Potent Cantrip causes the creature to take:

HALF THE CANTRIP DAMAGE

but:

NO ADDITIONAL EFFECT

from the Cantrip.

IMPORTANT

Potent Cantrip doesn't turn the miss into:

A HIT

The rule specifically provides:

HALF DAMAGE

while removing any additional effect.

PART THIRTY-ONE — LEVEL 6: SCULPT SPELLS

Evocation spells can create dangerous areas.

That becomes a problem when:

YOUR ALLIES ARE INSIDE THEM

Sculpt Spells allows the Evoker to create:

POCKETS OF RELATIVE SAFETY

TRIGGER

When you cast:

AN EVOCATION SPELL

that affects other creatures you can:

SEE

choose a number of those creatures equal to:

1 + THE SPELL'S LEVEL

EXAMPLE — LEVEL 3 FIREBALL

Spell level:

3

Creatures you can protect:

1 + 3 =

4 CREATURES

SAVING THROWS

The chosen creatures:

AUTOMATICALLY SUCCEED

on their Saving Throws against the spell.

DAMAGE

If a chosen creature would normally take:

HALF DAMAGE

on a successful save:

it instead takes:

NO DAMAGE

EXAMPLE

You cast an Evocation spell whose area contains:

FIVE ENEMIES

and:

THREE ALLIES

The spell is level 3.

Sculpt Spells lets you choose up to:

FOUR CREATURES

So you can select all:

THREE ALLIES

They automatically succeed on the spell's saves.

If success normally means half damage:

THEY TAKE ZERO DAMAGE

IMPORTANT

Sculpt Spells does exactly what the feature states.

It doesn't automatically erase every possible effect from every Evocation spell.

Its protection is based on:

AUTOMATIC SAVING-THROW SUCCESS

and:

ZERO DAMAGE WHEN SUCCESS WOULD NORMALLY MEAN HALF DAMAGE

PART THIRTY-TWO — LEVEL 10: EMPOWERED EVOCATION

Whenever you cast:

A WIZARD SPELL

from the:

EVOCATION SCHOOL

you can add:

YOUR INTELLIGENCE MODIFIER

to:

ONE DAMAGE ROLL

of that spell.

EXAMPLE

Intelligence:

20

Modifier:

+5

You cast an Evocation spell.

One damage roll gains:

+5 DAMAGE

IMPORTANT

Empowered Evocation applies to:

ONE DAMAGE ROLL

It doesn't add your Intelligence modifier to:

EVERY DAMAGE DIE

or:

EVERY DAMAGE ROLL

of the spell.

PART THIRTY-THREE — LEVEL 14: OVERCHANNEL

Overchannel allows the Evoker to push a damaging spell to:

MAXIMUM POWER

When you cast:

A WIZARD SPELL

with a Spell Slot of:

LEVEL 1–5

and that spell deals damage, you can choose to deal:

MAXIMUM DAMAGE

with that spell:

ON THE TURN YOU CAST IT

SIMPLE EXAMPLE

Suppose a qualifying spell would normally deal:

8D6 DAMAGE

Rather than rolling:

8D6

Overchannel allows the relevant damage to use:

THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE RESULT

8 × 6 =

48 DAMAGE

subject to the spell's other rules.

FIRST USE

The first time you use Overchannel before a Long Rest:

NO ADVERSE EFFECT

SECOND USE BEFORE A LONG REST

If you use Overchannel again before finishing a Long Rest, immediately after casting the spell you take:

2D12 NECROTIC DAMAGE

for:

EACH LEVEL OF THE SPELL SLOT

EXAMPLE — SECOND USE WITH LEVEL 5 SLOT

Damage to you:

5 × 2d12 =

10D12 NECROTIC DAMAGE

THIS DAMAGE IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO AVOID

The Necrotic damage from Overchannel ignores:

RESISTANCE

and:

IMMUNITY

THIRD USE BEFORE A LONG REST

Each additional use increases the damage per spell level by:

+1D12

So the third use deals:

3D12 PER SPELL-SLOT LEVEL

LEVEL 5 EXAMPLE

Third Overchannel use:

5 × 3d12 =

15D12 NECROTIC DAMAGE

FOURTH USE

The damage becomes:

4D12 PER SPELL-SLOT LEVEL

and continues increasing by:

1D12 PER SPELL LEVEL

for every further use before the next Long Rest.

THE DECISION

Overchannel therefore offers a dangerous temptation:

GUARANTEED MAXIMUM DAMAGE

in exchange for an increasingly severe personal cost if repeatedly used.

The first use is safe.

Further uses can become:

EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

PART THIRTY-FOUR — HOW THE WIZARD PLAYS

The Wizard is a Class of:

PREPARATION

The question isn't simply:

WHAT SPELL SHOULD I CAST RIGHT NOW?

The Wizard must often think one stage earlier:

WHAT SPELLS SHOULD I PREPARE BEFORE THE ADVENTURE?

STEP ONE — STUDY THE SITUATION

What does the party expect?

A dungeon?

COMBAT AND EXPLORATION MAGIC

A diplomatic mission?

INFORMATION, ILLUSION, OR ENCHANTMENT

A journey?

MOBILITY AND RITUALS

A dangerous magical location?

PROTECTION AND DIVINATION

STEP TWO — PREPARE THE RIGHT SPELLS

After a Long Rest:

REORGANIZE YOUR PREPARED LIST

using spells from your Spellbook.

STEP THREE — USE RITUALS WHEN APPROPRIATE

If a useful Ritual is in the Spellbook:

YOU MAY NOT NEED TO PREPARE IT

Ritual Adept can still let you cast it as a Ritual.

STEP FOUR — MANAGE SPELL SLOTS

Powerful spells consume:

SPELL SLOTS

The Wizard must decide:

CAST NOW?

or:

SAVE THE SLOT FOR LATER?

STEP FIVE — ADAPT

At level 5:

MEMORIZE SPELL

allows one prepared spell to be changed after a:

SHORT REST

PART THIRTY-FIVE — EXAMPLE: LEVEL 5 WIZARD

Imagine a level 5 Wizard.

Intelligence:

18

Modifier:

+4

PB:

+3

Spell Save DC:

8 + 4 + 3 =

DC 15

Spell Attack Bonus:

4 + 3 =

+7

CANTRIPS

4

PREPARED SPELLS

9

SPELL SLOTS

Level 1:

4

Level 2:

3

Level 3:

2

SPELLBOOK

The Wizard started with:

6 LEVEL 1 SPELLS

Then gained two spells at levels:

2

3

4

and:

5

That means, even without copying any additional discovered spells, the Spellbook can now contain at least:

6 + 8 =

14 LEVEL 1+ SPELLS

before considering other features such as Evocation Savant.

PREPARED TODAY

Suppose the Wizard prepared:

  • Mage Armor

  • Magic Missile

  • Shield

  • Misty Step

  • Web

  • Counterspell

  • Fireball

  • Fly

  • Dispel Magic

Only:

NINE SPELLS

are prepared.

But other spells remain available inside:

THE SPELLBOOK

for future preparation.

SHORT REST

Later the party discovers an obstacle that requires another spell from the Spellbook.

Memorize Spell allows:

ONE PREPARED SPELL

to be replaced after the Short Rest.

At the same time, the Wizard may use:

ARCANE RECOVERY

if it hasn't already been used since the last Long Rest.

PART THIRTY-SIX — EXAMPLE: LEVEL 10 EVOKER

Imagine a level 10 Evoker.

Intelligence:

20

Modifier:

+5

PB:

+4

Spell Save DC:

8 + 5 + 4 =

DC 17

FIREBALL

Fireball is an:

EVOCATION SPELL

Suppose allies are inside its area.

Through:

SCULPT SPELLS

you can protect up to:

1 + spell level 3 =

4 CREATURES

Those chosen allies automatically succeed on the save and take:

ZERO DAMAGE

if success would normally produce half damage.

EMPOWERED EVOCATION

Because Fireball is a Wizard Evocation spell:

+5

can be added to:

ONE DAMAGE ROLL

of the spell.

The Evoker therefore combines:

OFFENSIVE POWER

with:

CONTROL OVER FRIENDLY FIRE

PART THIRTY-SEVEN — WIZARD VERSUS SORCERER

These two Classes can cast many of the same spells.

But their identities are very different.

SORCERER

The Sorcerer emphasizes:

INNATE MAGIC

SORCERY POINTS

and:

METAMAGIC

The Sorcerer asks:

HOW CAN I ALTER THIS SPELL?

WIZARD

The Wizard emphasizes:

SPELLBOOK

PREPARATION

RITUALS

and:

A LARGE COLLECTION OF MAGIC

The Wizard asks:

WHICH SPELL SHOULD I HAVE READY?

ONE RESHAPES MAGIC

The Sorcerer excels at:

MODIFYING SPELLS

THE OTHER COLLECTS MAGIC

The Wizard excels at:

LEARNING

RECORDING

and:

PREPARING

a broad range of spells.

Neither concept replaces the other.

They represent:

DIFFERENT SPELLCASTING STRATEGIES

PART THIRTY-EIGHT — COMPLETE LEVEL-BY-LEVEL SUMMARY

LEVEL 1

Gain:

SPELLCASTING

RITUAL ADEPT

ARCANE RECOVERY

Cantrips:

3

Prepared Spells:

4

Spellbook begins with:

6 LEVEL 1 SPELLS

Spell Slots:

TWO LEVEL 1

LEVEL 2

Prepared Spells:

5

Gain:

SCHOLAR

Expertise in one qualifying proficient skill.

LEVEL 3

Prepared Spells:

6

Gain:

LEVEL 2 SPELL SLOTS

Gain:

WIZARD SUBCLASS

Evoker gains:

EVOCATION SAVANT

and:

POTENT CANTRIP

LEVEL 4

Cantrips:

4

Prepared Spells:

7

Gain:

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

LEVEL 5

PB:

+3

Prepared Spells:

9

Gain:

LEVEL 3 SPELL SLOTS

Gain:

MEMORIZE SPELL

LEVEL 6

Prepared Spells:

10

Evoker gains:

SCULPT SPELLS

LEVEL 7

Prepared Spells:

11

Gain:

LEVEL 4 SPELL SLOT

LEVEL 8

Prepared Spells:

12

Gain:

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

LEVEL 9

PB:

+4

Prepared Spells:

14

Gain:

LEVEL 5 SPELL SLOT

LEVEL 10

Cantrips:

5

Prepared Spells:

15

Evoker gains:

EMPOWERED EVOCATION

LEVEL 11

Prepared Spells:

16

Gain:

LEVEL 6 SPELL SLOT

LEVEL 12

Gain:

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

LEVEL 13

PB:

+5

Prepared Spells:

17

Gain:

LEVEL 7 SPELL SLOT

LEVEL 14

Prepared Spells:

18

Evoker gains:

OVERCHANNEL

LEVEL 15

Prepared Spells:

19

Gain:

LEVEL 8 SPELL SLOT

LEVEL 16

Prepared Spells:

21

Gain:

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

LEVEL 17

PB:

+6

Prepared Spells:

22

Gain:

LEVEL 9 SPELL SLOT

LEVEL 18

Prepared Spells:

23

Gain:

SPELL MASTERY

One level 1 and one level 2 Action spell become:

ALWAYS PREPARED

and can be cast at their lowest levels:

WITHOUT SPELL SLOTS

LEVEL 19

Prepared Spells:

24

Gain:

EPIC BOON

Recommended:

BOON OF SPELL RECALL

LEVEL 20

Prepared Spells:

25

Gain:

SIGNATURE SPELLS

Choose:

TWO LEVEL 3 SPELLS

Each gains:

ONE FREE LEVEL 3 CAST

per:

SHORT OR LONG REST

COMMON BEGINNER MISTAKES

MISTAKE 1 — THINKING WIZARD SPELLCASTING USES WISDOM

Wizard Spellcasting uses:

INTELLIGENCE

MISTAKE 2 — THINKING WIZARDS HAVE ARMOR TRAINING

The core Wizard Class has:

NONE

MISTAKE 3 — THINKING EVERY SPELL IN YOUR SPELLBOOK IS PREPARED

It isn't.

The Spellbook contains:

SPELLS YOU KNOW AND HAVE RECORDED

Your prepared list contains:

THE SPELLS CURRENTLY READY FOR NORMAL CASTING

MISTAKE 4 — THINKING A LEVEL 1 WIZARD HAS ONLY FOUR SPELLS

The Wizard prepares:

FOUR

but its Spellbook begins with:

SIX LEVEL 1 SPELLS

MISTAKE 5 — FORGETTING TO ADD TWO SPELLS TO THE SPELLBOOK WHEN GAINING A WIZARD LEVEL

After level 1, every new Wizard level adds:

TWO WIZARD SPELLS

of eligible levels.

MISTAKE 6 — THINKING THE ONLY WAY TO GAIN SPELLBOOK SPELLS IS LEVELING UP

Wizards can also find eligible Wizard spells during adventures and:

COPY THEM INTO THE SPELLBOOK

MISTAKE 7 — COPYING A FOUND SPELL FOR FREE

Normal transcription costs:

2 HOURS AND 50 GP PER SPELL LEVEL

MISTAKE 8 — USING THE NORMAL COPYING COST FOR YOUR OWN BACKUP BOOK

Copying a spell you already know from your own Spellbook is cheaper:

1 HOUR AND 10 GP PER SPELL LEVEL

MISTAKE 9 — THINKING A LOST SPELLBOOK AUTOMATICALLY REAPPEARS

It doesn't.

You can recreate your currently prepared Wizard spells in a new Spellbook using the copying procedure.

Other lost spells must:

BE FOUND AGAIN

MISTAKE 10 — THINKING WIZARDS CAN CHANGE ONLY ONE PREPARED SPELL AFTER A LONG REST

The Wizard can change:

THE PREPARED LIST

after a Long Rest.

MISTAKE 11 — THINKING A WIZARD CAN PREPARE ANY SPELL FROM THE WIZARD LIST

The spell must be:

IN YOUR SPELLBOOK

unless another feature specifically provides it.

MISTAKE 12 — THINKING RITUAL ADEPT REQUIRES THE SPELL TO BE PREPARED

It doesn't.

The qualifying Ritual needs to be:

IN YOUR SPELLBOOK

and you must read from the book.

MISTAKE 13 — THINKING RITUAL ADEPT ALLOWS RITUAL CASTING WITHOUT THE SPELLBOOK

The feature specifically requires you to:

READ FROM THE BOOK

MISTAKE 14 — THINKING ARCANE RECOVERY RETURNS ALL SPELL SLOTS

It restores slots with a combined level no greater than:

HALF YOUR WIZARD LEVEL, ROUND UP

MISTAKE 15 — USING ARCANE RECOVERY TO RESTORE A LEVEL 6 SPELL SLOT

Arcane Recovery can't recover:

LEVEL 6+ SLOTS

MISTAKE 16 — USING ARCANE RECOVERY AFTER EVERY SHORT REST

Once used:

LONG REST REQUIRED

before it can be used again.

MISTAKE 17 — THINKING SCHOLAR GIVES EXPERTISE IN ANY SKILL

It is limited to:

ARCANA

HISTORY

INVESTIGATION

MEDICINE

NATURE

or:

RELIGION

and you must already have:

PROFICIENCY

in the chosen skill.

MISTAKE 18 — THINKING MEMORIZE SPELL REPLACES YOUR ENTIRE PREPARED LIST

After a Short Rest it replaces:

ONE LEVEL 1+ PREPARED SPELL

with another from the Spellbook.

MISTAKE 19 — THINKING SPELL MASTERY CAN USE ANY LEVEL 1 AND LEVEL 2 SPELL

Each selected spell must:

BE IN YOUR SPELLBOOK

and have a Casting Time of:

AN ACTION

MISTAKE 20 — THINKING SPELL MASTERY PROVIDES FREE UPCASTING

It doesn't.

Free casting is at:

THE SPELL'S LOWEST LEVEL

Higher-level casting still requires:

A SPELL SLOT

MISTAKE 21 — THINKING BOTH SPELL MASTERY SPELLS CAN BE REPLACED AFTER ONE LONG REST

You can replace:

ONE

after a Long Rest.

MISTAKE 22 — THINKING SIGNATURE SPELLS CAN BE ANY SPELL LEVEL

They must be:

LEVEL 3 SPELLS

from your Spellbook.

MISTAKE 23 — THINKING SIGNATURE SPELLS ARE FREE ONLY ONCE PER LONG REST

Each free use returns after:

A SHORT OR LONG REST

MISTAKE 24 — THINKING SIGNATURE SPELLS CAN BE UPCAST FOR FREE

The free casting is specifically at:

LEVEL 3

Higher-level casting requires:

A SPELL SLOT

MISTAKE 25 — THINKING EVOCATION SAVANT REDUCES THE COST OF COPYING EVERY SPELL

It specifically adds qualifying:

EVOCATION SPELLS

to your Spellbook for free under the feature's rules.

MISTAKE 26 — THINKING POTENT CANTRIP TURNS A MISS INTO A HIT

It doesn't.

The target takes:

HALF DAMAGE

if any, and suffers:

NO ADDITIONAL CANTRIP EFFECT

MISTAKE 27 — THINKING SCULPT SPELLS PROTECTS UNLIMITED ALLIES

The maximum chosen creatures is:

1 + SPELL LEVEL

MISTAKE 28 — THINKING SCULPT SPELLS WORKS WITH EVERY WIZARD SPELL

It requires:

AN EVOCATION SPELL

MISTAKE 29 — THINKING EMPOWERED EVOCATION ADDS INTELLIGENCE TO EVERY DAMAGE ROLL

It adds your Intelligence modifier to:

ONE DAMAGE ROLL

of the Wizard Evocation spell.

MISTAKE 30 — THINKING OVERCHANNEL WORKS WITH LEVEL 6–9 SPELL SLOTS

It works with Spell Slots of:

LEVELS 1–5

MISTAKE 31 — THINKING OVERCHANNEL WORKS WITH NONDAMAGING SPELLS

The qualifying Wizard spell must:

DEAL DAMAGE

MISTAKE 32 — THINKING OVERCHANNEL IS ALWAYS SAFE

The first use before a Long Rest has:

NO ADVERSE EFFECT

Repeated uses cause increasingly severe:

NECROTIC DAMAGE

MISTAKE 33 — TRYING TO RESIST OVERCHANNEL'S SELF-DAMAGE

The Necrotic damage from repeated Overchannel use ignores:

RESISTANCE

and:

IMMUNITY

LESSON 50 — KEY TAKEAWAYS

The Wizard is built around:

INTELLIGENCE

ARCANE STUDY

SPELL PREPARATION

and:

THE SPELLBOOK

HIT DIE

D6

SAVING THROW PROFICIENCIES

INTELLIGENCE

and:

WISDOM

WEAPONS

SIMPLE WEAPONS

ARMOR

NONE

SPELLBOOK

A Tiny:

3-POUND

100-PAGE

object containing the Wizard's level 1+ spells.

At level 1 it begins with:

SIX LEVEL 1 SPELLS

LEARNING SPELLS

Every Wizard level after level 1 adds:

TWO SPELLS

to the Spellbook.

Additional Wizard spells can be:

FOUND

and:

COPIED

COPYING A NEW SPELL

Per spell level:

2 HOURS

50 GP

COPYING YOUR OWN SPELL INTO ANOTHER BOOK

Per spell level:

1 HOUR

10 GP

PREPARED SPELLS

At level 1:

4

At level 20:

25

You can change the prepared list after:

A LONG REST

SPELLCASTING ABILITY

INTELLIGENCE

RITUAL ADEPT

A Ritual in your Spellbook can be cast as a Ritual:

WITHOUT BEING PREPARED

provided you read from:

THE SPELLBOOK

ARCANE RECOVERY

After a Short Rest, recover Spell Slots with combined levels up to:

HALF WIZARD LEVEL, ROUND UP

No recovered slot can be:

LEVEL 6+

Once used:

LONG REST REQUIRED

SCHOLAR

Gain:

EXPERTISE

in one qualifying academic skill in which you already have proficiency.

MEMORIZE SPELL

After a Short Rest:

REPLACE ONE PREPARED SPELL

with another level 1+ spell from your Spellbook.

SPELL MASTERY

At level 18:

ONE LEVEL 1 ACTION SPELL

and:

ONE LEVEL 2 ACTION SPELL

become always prepared and can be cast at their lowest levels:

WITHOUT SPELL SLOTS

SIGNATURE SPELLS

At level 20:

TWO LEVEL 3 SPELLS

become always prepared.

Each receives:

ONE FREE LEVEL 3 CAST

per:

SHORT OR LONG REST

EVOKER

The SRD Wizard subclass specializes in:

EVOCATION MAGIC

EVOCATION SAVANT

Adds free:

EVOCATION SPELLS

to the Spellbook.

POTENT CANTRIP

A creature that avoids the full effect of your damaging Cantrip can still take:

HALF DAMAGE

while suffering no additional effect.

SCULPT SPELLS

Protect:

1 + SPELL LEVEL

visible creatures from qualifying Evocation effects.

EMPOWERED EVOCATION

Add:

INTELLIGENCE MODIFIER

to one damage roll of a Wizard Evocation spell.

OVERCHANNEL

A level 1–5 damaging Wizard spell can deal:

MAXIMUM DAMAGE

on the turn you cast it.

First use:

SAFE

Repeated uses:

INCREASING NECROTIC SELF-DAMAGE

THE CENTRAL WIZARD IDEA

The Wizard's greatest weapon isn't simply:

FIREBALL

or:

WISH

It is:

PREPARATION

A Wizard builds power over time by:

LEARNING SPELLS

RECORDING THEM

EXPANDING THE SPELLBOOK

CHOOSING WHAT TO PREPARE

and:

ADAPTING TO THE ADVENTURE

A small Spellbook creates:

OPTIONS

A great Spellbook creates:

MANY OPTIONS

And the skilled Wizard learns that the most important magical question often comes before Initiative is ever rolled:

WHAT WILL I NEED TODAY?

THE CLASSES ARE NOW COMPLETE

With the Wizard, we have completed the eleven SRD Classes covered in this course:

BARBARIAN

BARD

CLERIC

DRUID

FIGHTER

MONK

PALADIN

RANGER

ROGUE

SORCERER

WARLOCK

and:

WIZARD

The next stage moves from:

WHAT YOUR CLASS MAKES YOU

to:

WHERE YOUR CHARACTER COMES FROM

NEXT LESSON

LESSON 51 — BACKGROUNDS: ACOLYTE, CRIMINAL, SAGE, AND SOLDIER

A Class describes much of:

WHAT YOUR ADVENTURER CAN DO

A Background helps describe:

WHO THEY WERE BEFORE THE ADVENTURE

Lesson 51 begins:

CHARACTER ORIGINS AND FEATS

and will cover every Background included in the SRD:

ACOLYTE

CRIMINAL

SAGE

and:

SOLDIER

including their:

ABILITY SCORES

FEAT

SKILL PROFICIENCIES

TOOL PROFICIENCY

and:

STARTING EQUIPMENT

SRD 5.2.1 ATTRIBUTION

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.