D&D 5E A Wizard without a spell book...........

[CTurbo]

So I'm really not that familiar with Wizards. I've actually never played one in any edition I don't think.

Anyway, I'm about to start a new campaign and I want to start the characters off unarmed and in a prison camp of some sort. I guess my question is, what can an unarmed Wizard do? Cantrips? Maybe spells that are somatic only?

 

[Immoralkickass]

Don't you have an arcane focus? It can be a small crystal, ring or necklace that you snuck into the prison.

 

[jaelis]

Without a spellbook, you can't change what spells you have prepared, but you can still cast whatever you prepared last.

Without any gear, you can't cast spells with material components.

 

[CTurbo]

If I need to let him have an arcane focus, I can. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

I'm ok with him being extremely limited, as they all will be. I just don't want him to be totally useless in the first encounter or two.

 

[Croesus]

If I need to let him have an arcane focus, I can. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

I'm ok with him being extremely limited, as they all will be. I just don't want him to be totally useless in the first encounter or two.

It's fine for a couple encounters. Just don't keep him without a spellbook for too long. It's a serious limitation on the class, which is designed to be flexible in spell preparation. Besides, when he levels up, how would he gain and prepare new spells, which is a core feature of the class?

So a good rule of thumb is that the character should get his spellbook back by the time he levels up.

 

[CTurbo]

Yeah they'll only be unarmed to start. They'll be able to get the usual equipment after they break out. Level 1 goes by so quickly, "breaking out" may be the entire level and they'd reach level 2 upon completion.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

You did not say what level you are starting the characters at, and that would make a big difference in how important the spell book would be. One of the published WotC 5E adventures, Out of the Abyss, starts the characters out as prisoners. It started them at 1st level, so replacing starting gear, if they could not recover their confiscated gear, was not a big deal. Though I guess not having your spell book is always a big deal to a class that requires one. lol

 

[Saeviomagy]

There's a bunch of spells that need no M. Almost all cantrips, for instance.

Additionally a lot of the material components for low level spells are things they could just scrounge up. Color spray, for instance means you need to find some red, yellow and blue sand. Grease requires some pork rind or butter.

Finding the material components for the spells you want to cast makes for an interesting part of the break out attempt.

 

[Ilbranteloth]

If I need to let him have an arcane focus, I can. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

I'm ok with him being extremely limited, as they all will be. I just don't want him to be totally useless in the first encounter or two.

This is the sort of thing I see a lot, and my question is always the same - why is a wizard without spells useless? If all your wizard (or the player) can come up with for their character to do is cast spells, then there is a significant portion of any day where they have limited or no ability to do anything.

Sure, that's their "special ability" but that doesn't mean that they can't contribute or help in other ways.

As for recovering their spellbook - in my campaign it would depend on where it is. That might be more difficult, and might be easier to start looking for scrolls or other spellbooks. Of course, my campaign still has full spellbooks and traveling spellbooks, and the majority of my players' characters actually have a home to return to. So the wizard can go back and create a new traveling spellbook or two. Of course, a wise wizard might have squirreled one away someplace more convenient if far from home, or have some other contingencies for situations like that.

So it's really going to depend in part on your players and their play-style and expectations. Yes, the wizards in my campaign expect that they will have access to their spellbooks 99% of the time. And that's true. But there are exceptional situations, and they might lose a spellbook (or have it damaged or destroyed), characters are separated from their magic items, etc.

Since my players are more focused on their characters as a whole, specific special abilities (even one this important to the class), are secondary to the character finding a way to overcome whatever obstacles are in their way with whatever resources they have at the time.

Oh, and since magic is a thing in the world, then those who imprison somebody in my campaign go out of their way to foil spellcasting of any sort. So a suspected wizard or other spellcaster is usually bound, gagged, and often kept from benefiting from a long rest too.

 

[jaelis]

What I would do: if the player ends up prepping spells with material components, put a source for those particular components in the adventure. IE, if the have sleep prepped, put dome roses, sand, or crickets in a scene. Don't make it obvious, but reward the player for paying attention and being resourceful.