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.
 

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I know people are upset that the wizard didn't get all 10 options it had immediately in the PHB. But on the other hand, it was absolutely absurd that the old PHB had nearly half the classes with only two subclasses (barbarian, bard, druid, ranger, and sorcerer) while the wizard had 8.

And, even if they wanted to give 10 subclasses for every single class, giving us 120 options instead of 48... they would have had to design a lot more new classes, because most classes have between 8 and 9 options (with the druid having only 7).

Yes, you might need to homebrew a little to play that Conjuration wizard you have been dying to play with updated rules... but I'd much rather have all the classes presented on an even footing for once.

I am not upset that they don't have all 10 options, but I am upset they don't have a single one of the options I like to play.
 



The wizard summons the energy to cast prepared spells he has written in his book, this means the energy needs to be used for something that equates to the power summoned. So evocations are powerful and quite easy to exchange whereas more complex memorized spells' energies are not so much. Illusions are the most simplistic as they lack substance and are more of the imagination of the caster. Necromancy energy can not be used with this due to the opposition of the power, this means the interactions and conversion of one spell's energy to another may have some extreme or subtle side affects to it. So a say using a necromantic spell energy to do an evocation like fireball might just cause it to look like black or dark green fire or have a side effect of making people feel sick or a few points of necrotic damage. Or like above you just memorize a different spell and the school and type don't matter.
 

I would be shocked if the next Everything book wasn't filled with non-school subclasses for the wizard (as well as the remaining school-based ones). WotC limiting themselves to four subclasses in the PHB really puts a crimp on things.
I think keeping all the classes Even for the PHB has its elegance. I think that they are under no obligation to repeat that elegance in future books - they could opt to do a Ringlerun's Reliquary of Riches (with MOAR Magic Items, Spells, and Arcane Subclasses!) or something to that effect.
 




No, they were picked for being opposites. Illusions (lies) vs Diviners (truth) and Evokers (offense) vs Abjurers (defence). This is a themes in most if not all subclass choices in 2024 PHB.
That makes more sense to me. The last illusionist I saw played was during 2e, and I only saw one then. Going by popularity, I'd have thought Conjurer or Transmuter would have been the selection.
 

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