D&D 5E Spell Preparation: Leaving Slots Open

I was looking over spell preparation. The way I'm reading it, you can leave slots open and fill them when you might need a spell. You can't change a spell slot until you take a long rest. There is no designated time of day when you have to fill your prepared spell slots. You could for example only memorize 8 slots of 10 after a long rest leaving two slots open, then choose which spells you fill those last two slots with later in the day taking the 1 minute per spell level to pray or study to fill the slot.

Is this how most read it?

AFAIK there is no explicit option in 5e to prepare only a partial list of spells, and later prepare the remaining amount.

IIRC it only talks about "preparing your list of spells" and then "changing the list" after a long rest. So normally you just prepare all of it.

BTW, we should get used not to talk in terms of "filling slots" in 5e, because the prepared spell list has nothing to do with the daily slots anymore!

Hiya!

As Lil Shenron said, plus: When asking about 5e questions, one thing that should one should always keep in mind is that 5e requires DM involvement in many, Many, MANY aspects of character mechanics choices. The DM in 5e is basically a "built in catch-all rule" for everything in the game.

Basically, if a rule can be interpreted in more than one way, it requires DM involvement. In the OP's original question, it is obvious that he is interpreting a "rule" from a "non-stated assumption". In other words, because the rules don't explicitly state something, he is arguing that he can "automatically" do something. In fact, he should interpret that as "Oh, I think normally it is assumed that all spell slots are filled, but maybe not... I guess I should consult the DM" (or, if he is the DM, make a ruling and keep on playing).

For me... in a "Generic" D&D world, I'd say you need to do all or nothing. Sorry, no "filling 8 of 10 slots then waiting to do the rest later in the day". In a different campaign world I may rule differently. This is the beauty of 5e (and older versions, like BECMI)... how the 'actual' rules of the game are going to be used/interpreted is up to the individual DM. This allows for a virtually limitless amount of different campaigns, DM's and play styles. Yay! I always hated saying "In my Pathfinder campaign, I restrict paladins to being only human"... and then almost instantly getting pounced on by rabid power-gamers, rules lawyers, or "character build optimizer's" about how I was a bad DM, or otherwise "sucked" because I somehow "didn't want players to have any cool, fun stuff".

^_^

Paul L. Ming

There's nothing that says you have to prepare the list all at once. It doesn't even imply it once you read the text and forget about Pathfinder. In Pathfinder/3E they made a point of a preparing at a specific time of the day for divine casters and the wizard could memorize at different points of the day. They never explicitly stated in those editions you could leave slots open. I believe in this edition you can leave slots open. It gives minutes to memorize, but does not specify time of day. It only gives minutes to memorize. I think you can leave slots open. I think I'm going to allow it. I'd like to know if anyone else has read a ruling that contradicts this anywhere else.

Hiya!

Celtavian said:

I think I'm going to allow it. I'd like to know if anyone else has read a ruling that contradicts this anywhere else.

Click to expand...

Ruling? Nope. But, to use the same sort of logic... I've never seen an NPC caster stat block that had "blank slots". If having "blank slots" was a possible assumption, I would guess that some NPC somewhere would have had at least one 'blank slot' in their list with a note about something like "He has 1 3rd level slot left that he will prepare something appropriate later on in the day if he needs too"... or anything even remotely close to that.

I'd err on the side of "No, not normally allowed". But it's your campaign. If it fits your campaigns "magic feel", go for it! The more unique and varied campaigns out there to talk about the better as far as I'm concerned!

^-^

Paul L. Ming

Celtavian, it's true it doesn't say you have to prepare the entire list at once. But it is ruleslawery to argue this means "partial preparation" is intended or even permissible by the design team. There would be no rules to tell you how this would be done, a good sign it wasn't meant to happen.

And oh, there are no "slots" involved in preparation.

In the end, if your DM allows partial preparation the answer is "yes". If he or she doesn't, then "no".

But I'm gathering you're the DM, Celtavian; and so I think you're fishing for support for the position that the rules support partial preparation.

And thus my answer becomes:

The 3e style answer: no, the rules doesn't support it. Make it a house rule.

The 5e style answer: the rules doesn't support it, but doesn't explicitly disallow it either. However, that can be said for a zillion rules interpretations. So in the end, if you like it, use it at your game.

"You prepare the list of cleric spells that are available
for you to cast, choosing from the cleric spell list. When
you do so, choose a number of cleric spells equal to your
Wisdom modifier + your cleric level (minimum of one
spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have
spell slots."

The wording implies, to me, that you prepare them at once "When you do so...". In normal English usage it makes sense for one preparation period. But it is not explicit and if you want to have open slots (& resultant more versatile casters) in your campaign go for it. But RAI, as pointed out in the Sage Advice Compendium, says all at once to me.

But yeah your game go wild!

I don't read it that way, for a couple reasons.

Basic Rules said:

You prepare the list of cleric spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the cleric spell list. When you do so, choose a number of cleric spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your cleric level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Click to expand...

First, it tells you the number of spells to prepare, the maximum. The minimum of one spell is for a first level caster with a spell casting ability of less than 12. At least that's my interpretation, so no you can't prepare a partial list.

Basic Rules said:

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of cleric spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Click to expand...

Second, even if you could, I would rule that adding spells to your list is the same as changing your list, so it could only be done after a long rest. The one minute per level is given to clarify how long you need to spend preparing/changing the list, but doesn't change that it can only be done once per day.

During the public playtest, classes that prepared spells each day had the following clause in their class descriptions: "You don’t have to prepare all your spells at once. If you like, you can prepare some later in the day."

I have to admit I was a bit miffed when I got my PHB and saw that those two sentences had been removed. I don't have a problem with doing it that way myself.

On a semi-related note, I've always found the concept of a cleric praying to their deity for magical power ahead of time a bit odd. I think it would make more sense for them to be able to cast any spell from their spell list when they need it. So if a cleric comes across a diseased beggar, he can just pray to his deity to heal the beggar (by casting lesser restoration or whatever) then and there, rather than having to say, "Oh, sorry. I'd love to help you but I can't right now. Maybe tomorrow ..."

Since there is not yet a definitive ruling anyone can point out. This is interpretation that seems to be different. I see nothing indicating all spells must be filled at once. I'm going to rule in the following fashion:

1. You can leave spell slots open. This makes more sense to me and adds flexibility that I expect with casters. I have seen often in fiction a caster studying, praying, or coming up with a resource in a specific event.

2. Once a spell slot is filled, you cannot change it until a long rest.

3. You must spend the requisite amount of time to pray to fill the slot.

I find this follows the rules as written (perhaps not RAI) and fits well from a fictional standpoint. I like the idea of a priest, druid, or wizard being able to pray or study their book to solve a particular problem during the course of the adventure rather than be locked in after preparing once per day. Since nothing says they can only prepare spells once per long rest, I see no reason to disallow it from a rules standpoint and definitely not a fictional standpoint. In fact, I think it would more interesting from a fictional standpoint to allow a player to fill a slot.

The cleric saying "Let me pray to Sarenrae for the power to alter this stone" versus "My goddess will not allow me to change after I have prayed for spells" is better fiction to me.

I am the DM. I believe I will allow it when I DM. I'll have to run this by the other DM to see if he is good with it when he runs it. I very much like the fiction of being able to leave spell slots open and filling them as needed with prayer or study. I never liked the idea of studying or praying one time a day. Seemed too gamist for my tastes.