D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal: "New Wizard"

"The paramount collector of spells."

Open your spellbooks, everybody. Today we get a Wizard video.

​

The last version of the class was in the UA Playtest 7 package (PT7). It's not clear how much they'll say here. Of the base class, I am hoping that they have recanted the level 5 ability, Memorize Spell (or perhaps shifted it to needing a short rest). They've said that the PHB will get clearer rules for how illusions work -- maybe they'll talk about that? Other than that, I think the most they can do is show us some revised spells: Will the revised version of Counterspell be kept? Any surprise Necromancy reveals? Let's find out.

OVERVIEW

• "the paramount collector of spells": "many" of new spells are for the wizard.
• As in PT7: cantrip change after long rest (level 1); scholar -- expertise in an academic field (at 2)
• NO MENTION OF ARCANE RECOVERY
• NEW: Ritual Adept broken out as a new class feature. They can cast spells in their spellbook, as before, but here ID'd as a new feature.
• NEW: Memorize Spell at 5: you can swap a spell after short rest.
• Each subclass gets a new version of Savant: free spells in spellbook of preferred school. 2 free spells of favored class, and a new spell for each spell level (so every 2 levels, as in the playtest. This isn't what is said in the video, but has been corrected elsewhere.

SUBCLASSES
Abjurer

• new abjuration spells feeds back onto how subclass functions.
• NEW: Arcane Ward at 3: resistance, immunity applied before the Arcane Ward.
• NEW: Projected Ward a 6: your friend's resistance is applied before the ward for them.
• NEW: Spell breaker at level 10: Counterspell and Dispell Magic are both prepared (PT7 did not include Counterspell). Dispell Magic is a bonus action.

Diviner

• NEW: Third Eye at 10. As in PT7, bonus action to activate; 120' darkvision, see invisibility. NO MENTION of Greater Comprehension ("read any language")

Evoker -- "all about bringing the boom"

• As in PT7: Potent Cantrip at 3 applies to cantrips both with a saving throw or an attack roll.

Illusionist -- "we felt that the subclass needed more" (YAY)

• NEW: Improved Illusions at level 3:
  • cast illusion spells with no verbal components. (FUN)
  • illusions with range with at least 10' is increased to 60' (no-- by 60' to 70').
  • you get minor illusion cantrip, with both visual and audible
  • you cast minor illusion as a bonus action.
• NEW: Phantasmal Creatures
  • summon beast and summon fey spells always prepared. These MAY BE changed from conjuration to Illusion, and the illusory version can be cast without expending a spell slot, but the summoned version, only with half the hit points. ONCE PER DAY.
  • illusions can step on a trap to set it off (?!)
  • (replacing Malleable Illusions, which I complained about here. This is so exciting.)
• NEW: Illusory Self triggered by you being hit by an attack (not when you are targeted). As in PT7, you can get more uses by giving up a spell slot of level 2+.

SPECIFIC SPELLS

• NEW: school shift to Abjuration: no examples
• Counterspell as in PT7.
• GUIDANCE ON ILLUSIONS in Rules Glossary. E.g. How are they affected by environment?
  • spell descriptions also clarified. Rules Glossary to be discussed in future video (also conditions, areas of effects, guidance on teleportation, telepathy, "
• "being dead" to be discussed in Cleric Video. Tease...

So this gave much more than I was expecting, and it looks amazing. Playing an illusionist will now be much more clearly not a "mother may I?" situation, which (I feel) has long been the case. I think I got most of what I'd asked for in the PT feedback.

 

[mellored]

I would bet that there is now a fixed ammount instead of the old Attribute+level Formula (for Wizard, Cleric,..)

yes. It's on the class table.

But if thats so, will all full-casters have the same ammount (wich will give an advantage to those who gain spells through subclass-features) or will it differ per class.

Do we have some insight about that (blurred screenshots, Interview,..)?

As of the last playtest, so expect tweaks...

Cleric is 22 + 10 from subclass = 32.

Druid was 22+ 5 from subclass = 27 (land druid gets more).

Sorcerers prepared 22 + 0 from their subclass. Though we now know the subclass now adds some, so I expect the base class will lose a few.

Warlocks have 15 + 10 (subclass) = 25.

Wizards have 25 prepared out of 6 (base) + (2*19 levels) + 9 (subclass) = 53 free spells. That's room for 28 rituals or otherwise niche spells. Not including any they can buy.

I wouldn't be surprised if they evened them all out.

 

[Lord Ustur]

Well, The new sorcerer with divine soul subclass and Cartomancer feat can choose a Spell from the sorcerer and Cleric lists for free and cast it as bonus action.

 

[Stalker0]

Have you not noticed how basically all of the points you've been using to justify the idea of sometimes maybe useful rituals equaling the value of regularly useful class and subclass features collapses like this once the smoke of the edge case long shot hypothetical white room clears?

The value of rituals from spell book is vastly overstated and they are only even an option if the wizard chooses those spells instead of spells that are going to be more reliably useful... Then there is the extra functional warlock ritual book

How is a someone sneaking into the party’s camp at night with a very obtainable stealth check of 20 someone an edge case?

Sure if dms aren’t ambushing the party ever than I agree alarm is a lot less useful, but come on that DMing 101

 

[tetrasodium]

How is a someone sneaking into the party’s camp at night with a very obtainable stealth check of 20 someone an edge case?

Sure if dms aren’t ambushing the party ever than I agree alarm is a lot less useful, but come on that DMing 101

Once again you fail to account for the surrounding rules and when the smoke of an edge case clears you are left with an ambush easily handled followed by an immediate loop back to the rest the group started. The game is dungeons and dragons not testing and ramen.

 

[Stalker0]

Once again you fail to account for the surrounding rules and when the smoke of an edge case clears you are left with an ambush easily handled followed by an immediate loop back to the rest the group started. The game is dungeons and dragons not testing and ramen.

If your retort to "alarm helps you stop an ambush" is "well ambushes are easily handled"..... I guess there isn't much else to say. Spells help you in specific situations, if you think those situations aren't a thing....than sure you are going to think those spells are weak.

All I can say is....in many games that assumption is incorrect.

 

[mellored]

Once again you fail to account for the surrounding rules and when the smoke of an edge case clears you are left with an ambush easily handled followed by an immediate loop back to the rest the group started. The game is dungeons and dragons not testing and ramen.

Not every class needs to be made for you. If your just want to blow stuff up, be a sorcerer.

Let the wizard exsist for out of the 5' corridor thinking.

Like putting a Tensors floating disk over some lava in order to cross.

Or attaching a rope to a magic mouth, and setting an alarm, so your party can safely fall back and if a monster follows you it will trigger a trap.

Or use water breathing and cast control water a few times to flood a dungeon.

Ect...

 

[tetrasodium]

Not every class needs to be made for you. If your just want to blow stuff up, be a sorcerer.

Let the wizard exsist for out of the 5' corridor thinking.

Like putting a Tensors floating disk over some lava in order to cross.

Or attaching a rope to a magic mouth, and setting an alarm, so your party can safely fall back and if a monster follows you it will trigger a trap.

Or use water breathing and cast control water a few times to flood a dungeon.

Ect...

Your oversimplifying misses the problem with how other arcane casters point at the wizard list to double dip benefits. Back away from the single leaf on a single tree and look at the forest

 

[the Jester]

I feel like cantrips ought to be similar to other spells, where you can prep a certain number per day. Wizards ought to be able to swap them (for other cantrips in their book) every long rest. Clerics shouldn't be stuck with the same cantrip selection forever.

I am a huge fan of meaningful choices, and cantrip selection seems like one of those, but it is frustrating to see the same cantrips get chosen over and over and others never see play. Treat them (more) like other spells, I say.

 

[Stalker0]

Your oversimplifying misses the problem with how other arcane casters point at the wizard list to double dip benefits. Back away from the single leaf on a single tree and look at the forest

this statement tells me nothing, what is the complaint?

If the complaint is....the wizard doesn't actually get that many spells....I countered that a few pages ago. If your providing the fighter the "expected" gear like plate armor, than that money equivalent would give the wizard a ton of new spells.

If the complaint is, certain spells are situational....I mean that's the nature of spells. Some spells are generally useful, some are really good in niche situations. The wizard has the advantage of using both due to the extra spells they often get and the fact that ritual spells are always available to them.

If the complaint is....the new spell swap isn't good because it takes an hour....you can argue that about any short rest ability. The wizard is a swiss army knife but they sometimes take time to activate, whereas the rogue can't always automatically handle certain problems but they can apply their craft right then and there. Its a trade off that provides important niche differentiation between the two classes. Aka a feature not a bug

 

[Marandahir]

Your oversimplifying misses the problem with how other arcane casters point at the wizard list to double dip benefits. Back away from the single leaf on a single tree and look at the forest

They can't afford to have the flexibility of spells prepared the same way the Wizard does, though. They just don't have the quantity of spells to prepare for as many situations as the Wizard can.

With all the classes providing short rest benefits now, expect the 5MWD problem to largely diminish. Everyone has reason to do Combat, Exploration, and multiple short rests for lunch and snacks etc throughout the day.

Wizards function better when they have time to slow down and think and act appropriately, swapping out a prepared spell after lunch or using a ritual to figure out they need to follow their nose to find the way forward in Moria. Sorcerers function better IN THE MOMENT, when things go haywire and they have to go wizz wizz bang bang with twin spell or enlarge cone or whatever.

Bards and Sorcerers may have MORE spells now, but their quantity prepared is still small enough that they have to be very judicious in their choices. Sorcerers in particular given that their Spell List is no where near as big as the Wizard list.