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.

 

[tetrasodium]

how is having access to wall of sand worse than not having access to wall of sand?

How is having access to one or two Wizard spells better than having access to all of them?

The reason that is part of the problem was explained in the post you snagged those two isolated sentences from.

Definition of NOT SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

 

[Neonchameleon]

I agree with Micah's post. I see no reason for a strength differential; they cast spells differently, and that's it.

So how do they cast spells differently?

"Rituals are nice, but they are also not often part of a class fantasy, and players use them well but fairly sparingly."

And I'm going to circle back to this. How is looking up spells in books and casting them slowly out of books while referring to your notes not part of the wizard class fantasy? How are the spells cast with mystic circles and dribbly candlewax not a part of the wizard fantasy? If the wizard is a scholar of magic (as it is) then I would call rituals integral to the scholar part.

In your own words what should a wizard do as part of your version of the class fantasy of being a wizard in a world where wizards and sorcerers are separate things? Because without rituals and research all I see that's left is preferring the word "wizard". If you want to be about the casting of spells on the fly then why do you want to play a wizard not a sorcerer? I mean it's clear you don't want to do wizardly things like research or slow cast magic.

There is a significant difference between the rituals and what the sorcerer can do. Rituals, meant for the exploration pillar of the game, often solve things fairly quickly. Should a wizard use a ritual to go around an exploration scenario, that's a 30-second memory and it fades before the session is out. Combat tends to last long chunks of real-life time, so the differences become more ingrained in the player's mind.

This is true only (a) when the ritual bypasses things rather than opens them up (such as an Alarm ritual I cast last time I played a wizard that let us track the bad guys to the base) and (b) when the fundamental fantasy the player is interested in is the class fantasy of the sorcerer, not that of the wizard.

I have responded to this exact point before, but yes, you are right, I do think it's weird that playing the bookish character also requires you to be bookish. We make no such demands of any other class: a fighter player does not need to be athletic. It's a fantasy, if a non-bookish person wants to feel bookish for 4 hours once a week, this should be the game for that.

The Player's Handbook is over 300 pages and I think A4. The character sheet is four pages long. If a non-bookish person wants to play a tabletop RPG D&D would not be my first pick even if 5e isn't as extreme as previous editions (have you ever tried to read Gygaxian prose?) This means that in a bookish hobby the wizard is a class designed for people who want to feel powerful because they are bookish. Do you think that this is an invalid fantasy?

And if someone just wants to feel bookish, I recommend reading the PHB, DMG, and MM

 

[mellored]

What we haven't seen is how much better the wizard spells are than the sorcerer spells.

Sure, but if high level wizard spells are better than tossing an quicken firebolt every turn, then Bard is going to be the best at high levels. Especially if there is only 1 or 2 premium wizard spells.

You're going to need a lot of really good and really well balanced rituals, and solid player skills, for the 40th pick to beat Bardic Inspiration. Bard will have enough choices to snag a few premium rituals.

IMO once you get to the 10th ritual, wizard power has peaked.

Or I guess if the DM is generous in letting you find spell. Going from 39 to 40 isn't much, but going from 39 to 80 and all the little niches will add up.

 

[mellored]

The reason that is part of the problem was explained in the post you snagged those two isolated sentences from.

Definition of NOT SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

You mean like how you think a the sorcerer subclass getting a single page is worth the entire spell book?

If not, try using different words. Repeating the same metaphor doesn't help.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Sure, but if high level wizard spells are better than tossing an quicken firebolt every turn, then Bard is going to be the best at high levels. Especially if there is only 1 or 2 premium wizard spells.

If there are only one or two the bard is going to be great. But the bard doesn't know many spells. They can get an absolutely superb collection but a level 20 bard has 22 spells to spread over nine spell levels. That's fewer than three spells per spell level.

The bard can do anything but can't do everything. The strength of the wizard is magical versatility. If there's only one top tier spell at each spell level the bard is laughing. If there are three on the wizard list alone (and even if there are two good rituals on top of it) the bard is not OP by comparison.

You're going to need a lot of really good and really well balanced rituals, and solid player skills, for the 40th pick to beat Bardic Inspiration

IMO once you get to the 10th ritual, wizard power has peaked.

I'm going to say this depends a lot on whether there are multiple rituals at each spell level that do different things. You can have ten good rituals, but they won't make Water Breathing other than sometimes really good.

 

[FrogReaver]

One thing to note - Ignoring particular spells and rituals the 2014 sorcerer is stronger than the 2014 Wizard as well. The reason Wizard is typically deemed stronger is the particular spells on his list.

 

[Lord Ustur]

Yes. But we were speaking about a blaster.

Look at Synaptic Static Spell that is a strong blasting spell that does not work with Sculpt Spell.
Careful + Heightein turn this Spell Insanely strong.

Wow, Psychic Scream + Distant+ Heightein can end an encounter so easily at 180ft.

Blasting Spells are not limited to evocation Spell. It turns Careful Spell stronger because for all sorcerers and affect all spells.

New revised conjuration Spells are so strong at blasting and It doesnt work with sculpt Spell.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Look at Synaptic Static Spell that is a strong blasting spell that does not work with Sculpt Spell.
Careful + Heightein turn this Spell Insanely strong.

Wow, Psychic Scream + Careful + Heightein can end an encounter so easily.

Blasting Spells are not limited to evocation Spell. It turns Careful Spell stronger because for all sorcerers and affect all spells.

New conjuration Spells are so strong and doesnt work with sculpt Spell.

You know what? That is ok. That still does not invalidate the invoker. Somewhere in tge spells video they mentioned that higher level damage spells became stronger.

 

[mellored]

Look at Synaptic Static Spell that is a strong blasting spell that does not work with Sculpt Spell.
Careful + Heightein turn this Spell Insanely strong.

Wow, Psychic Scream + Careful + Heightein can end an encounter so easily.

Just FYI, Heightened is now limited to 1 target.

Not exactly bad to put on the big enemy while also hitting small ones, but it won't multiply when used with an AoE.

Blasting Spells are not limited to evocation Spell. It turns Careful Spell stronger because for all sorcerers and affect all spells.

It's stronger but also more limited, Sculpt is at-will. You don't have infinite SP to use Careful on every blast, especially at low levels.

 

[Lord Ustur]

You know what? That is ok. That still does not invalidate the invoker. Somewhere in tge spells video they mentioned that higher level damage spells became stronger

Im arguing that Careful Spell is core for all sorcerers and affects other schools of magic for blasting or control for a single SP.
Sculpt Spell is limited to Evocation School and Evoker Subclass, so clearly the winner here is Careful Spell.