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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Im talking about 52 damage vs 28 wizard on a turn.
Not if allies are where you need to fireball. And if you care about taking careful metamagic to cover that scenario then you aren’t doing 52 in a round at level 6 as you only have 2 metamagic options.

And if you don’t take careful spell then wizard blasting is clearly better in a number of circumstances.
Also, Arcane Recover is gone.
I don’t believe it technically is. I think it just got renamed.
Also The evoker must waste spells slots and prepared spell for Mage Armor.
Sure. But that’s such a minuscule thing.
For sorcerer AC is free
True and I noted this.
and more prepared spells choices.
More prepared spells does not equal more prepared spell choices. Wizards likely have more and better spells to select from their list for their known/prepared.
Careful can be applied not only to blasting spell and cast careful fear / Hypnotic Pattern spell ending an encounter.
Yes, but we are talking about blasting. If you careful spell hypnotic pattern then the wizard wins at blasting as you are down a fireball.
Now sorcerers can cast ritual spells, but here wizards shine, if your DM allows news spells.
Yes. But since about half of their spells known is defined by subclass they likely have much less opportunity to take the really good spells and rituals.
 

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Anyone have thoughts on how sorcerers new innate sorcery for advantage on sorcery spell attacks will work when multiclassed with warlock and EB.

Like I could see a single level sorcerer dip being way OP for that if it works.
 

Anyone have thoughts on how sorcerers new innate sorcery for advantage on sorcery spell attacks will work when multiclassed with warlock and EB.

Like I could see a single level sorcerer dip being way OP for that if it works.
Quicken Eldritch Blast with advantage sounds quite good.

But people have been using darkness + devils sight + quicken Eldritch Blast for over a decade, which also provides defense.

So yea, powerful. But not significantly different than before.
 

Quicken Eldritch Blast with advantage sounds quite good.

But people have been using darkness + devils sight + quicken Eldritch Blast for over a decade, which also provides defense.

So yea, powerful. But not significantly different than before.
Darkness was an action and could impact allies. Also prevented using hex at the same time.
 

Im talking about 52 damage vs 28 wizard on a turn.
Until level 10 only if you don't chose careful spell.
Also, Arcane Recover is gone.
Arcane recovery is not gone.
Wizards cant regain a spell slot when short rest anymore. Also The evoker must waste spells slots and prepared spell for Mage Armor. For sorcerer AC is free and more prepared spells choices.
Only for the dragon one.
Careful can be applied not only to blasting spell and cast careful fear / Hypnotic Pattern spell ending an encounter. The wizard cant do it.
The sorcerer canvt do it either if you chose two different metamagics.
Now sorcerers can cast ritual spells, but here wizards shine, if your DM allows news spells.
Sorceres in 2014 have 3 ritual spells or so. So being able to cast them as rituals won't do a lot.
Wizards can chose rituals even without the DM having a say.

So your assumptions are a bit off. Sorry.
 


plus the fact that at lvl 6, a sorcerer can have more spells than a wizard does. Unless your dm is handing out free spells, the wizard will in fact have less spells going by 2/lvl
This is misinformation. The wizard has the spells prepared plus the rituals in the spell book plus the ability to swap in spells. The minimum of free spells for the wizard exceeds the sorcerer prepped spells including the sorcerer subclasses that grant bonus spells prepped.
I note your only comparing to old wizards from other editions. Not a 6th level sorcerer with thier piles of bonus spells. If you did that, you'd see that wizards don't actually have more spells.
A 6th level sorcerer doesn't have piles of bonus spells. 3 out of 4 of the subclasses in the 2024 ed of the PHB have 6 bonus spell by that level. Sorcerers can only select some of their spells from a much small spell list than wizards and every ritual they try to add cuts into those spells.
Excluding cantrips to keep this simple as we really care about leveled spells. At 5th level an aberant mind sorcerer knows 13 spells. 6 normally and 7 from its subclass. At 5th level a wizard knows 14 spells.
Notice the 1 spell difference? The wizard cannot have all 14 of those spells prepared, while the sorcerer DOES have access to all 13 of thiers.
I think the 5th level sorcerer will know 9 spells plus bonuses from subclass, tbf. It's already been noted the sorcerer will catch up to other spell casters on the base table. The wizards will have access to a minimum of 17 based on prep swapping and rituals.

The way bonus spells are added is an early benefit that doesn't last, however, and this appears to be cherry-picking levels with the closest numbers.
Im talking about 52 damage vs 28 wizard on a turn.
Also, Arcane Recover is gone. Wizards cant regain a spell slot when short rest anymore. Also The evoker must waste spells slots and prepared spell for Mage Armor. For sorcerer AC is free and more prepared spells choices.
As has been mentioned, arcane recovery is not gone.

No one has to take mage armor, but your comparison is flawed in that you're applying a dragon sorcerer benefit to the class when the same can be said for other sorcerer subclasses. If they want AC they need to spend their spell prep to add it too.
Careful can be applied not only to blasting spell and cast careful fear / Hypnotic Pattern spell ending an encounter. The wizard cant do it.
Now sorcerers can cast ritual spells, but here wizards shine, if your DM allows news spells.
We're talking about 5th and 6th level when sorcerers have 5 and 6 sorcery points, and only 2 metamagic options selected. They can do a bit more with sorcerous restoration, but they cannot throw metamagic spells around all the time.

By 10th level when there are more sorcery points and more metamagic options the wizard has a minimum of 29 spells to work with. This is a larger number of spells from a larger spell list.
 

This is misinformation. The wizard has the spells prepared plus the rituals in the spell book plus the ability to swap in spells. The minimum of free spells for the wizard exceeds the sorcerer prepped spells including the sorcerer subclasses that grant bonus spells prepped.
I think the additional context is good but I don’t think the other was misinformation.
A 6th level sorcerer doesn't have piles of bonus spells. 3 out of 4 of the subclasses in the 2024 ed of the PHB have 6 bonus spell by that level. Sorcerers can only select some of their spells from a much small spell list than wizards and every ritual they try to add cuts into those spells.
Right, but a wizard at that level is preparing 9 or 10 spells only?
I think the 5th level sorcerer will know 9 spells plus bonuses from subclass, tbf. It's already been noted the sorcerer will catch up to other spell casters on the base table. The wizards will have access to a minimum of 17 based on prep swapping and rituals.
I think you are better off separating rituals and prepared spells.
The way bonus spells are added is an early benefit that doesn't last, however, and this appears to be cherry-picking levels with the closest numbers.
I don’t agree. Level 6 is also the level the evocation subclass gets its major subclass feature in 2024.
No one has to take mage armor, but your comparison is flawed in that you're applying a dragon sorcerer benefit to the class when the same can be said for other sorcerer subclasses. If they want AC they need to spend their spell prep to add it too.
When you look at blasters it really should be dragon sorc vs evocation wizard. Assigning both those subclasses seems like the best way to compare to me.
We're talking about 5th and 6th level when sorcerers have 5 and 6 sorcery points, and only 2 metamagic options selected. They can do a bit more with sorcerous restoration, but they cannot throw metamagic spells around all the time.
Sorc gets 3 back on rest. That’s a total of 9 for the day at level 6. Maybe not all day but not nearly as limited as 2014 (and sorcs have their 1 minute advantage ability now 2x per day, so isn’t totally reliant on metamagic now either.).
By 10th level when there are more sorcery points and more metamagic options the wizard has a minimum of 29 spells to work with. This is a larger number of spells from a larger spell list.
Yea. Sorc also gets more metamagics and sorcery points by then and can use more than 1 a spell at least sometimes.

I’d suggest the wizard is trending toward amazing adventuring companion and the sorc is trending toward combat powerhouse. Overall id rate wizard much higher. For blasting (and combat in general) id rate sorcerer a bit higher - though wizard spell list could close even that gap.
 

I think the additional context is good but I don’t think the other was misinformation.

Right, but a wizard at that level is preparing 9 or 10 spells only?
The problem is people start debating spells known and then switched it to spells prepared without actually noting that.

In terms of spells known, wizard straight up know more in 2024, before any additional spells purchased.

Prepared I believe it is close or the sorc has more prepared.
 


It was actually showcased that it is not gone...

I think the additional context is good but I don’t think the other was misinformation.

Right, but a wizard at that level is preparing 9 or 10 spells only?

I think you are better off separating rituals and prepared spells.

I don’t agree. Level 6 is also the level the evocation subclass gets its major subclass feature in 2024.

When you look at blasters it really should be dragon sorc vs evocation wizard. Assigning both those subclasses seems like the best way to compare to me.

Sorc gets 3 back on rest. That’s a total of 9 for the day at level 6. Maybe not all day but not nearly as limited as 2014 (and sorcs have their 1 minute advantage ability now 2x per day, so isn’t totally reliant on metamagic now either.).

Yea. Sorc also gets more metamagics and sorcery points by then and can use more than 1 a spell at least sometimes.

I’d suggest the wizard is trending toward amazing adventuring companion and the sorc is trending toward combat powerhouse. Overall id rate wizard much higher. For blasting (and combat in general) id rate sorcerer a bit higher - though wizard spell list could close even that gap.

Lets check combat scenarios.

Level 6 2 metamagic pick, elemental Adept fire +1 cha that is now a must have for dragon sorcerer.
Careful and Empowered Spell.
More HP, better AC, free resistence to fire, more prepared spells
PS:
-You spend 1SP IF your dice rolls was bad. If your damage rolls is high, you can choose not spending empower metamagic.
-You spend 1 SP IF your allies are around.
-Not every situation you will spend metamagic for your fireballs.
Also Careful Spell also apply to encounter ending spells like Fear / Hypnotic Pattern

The Dragon Sorcerer blasts with Empowered Fireball.
Average 37 damage with fireball that ignores enemies fire resistence. (33% highter than standard evoker), also +1 DC
The sorcerer can also blasts with non evocation spells.

If you dont have spells slots or need a single target you cast Scorching Rays or Firebolts with extra damage (cha on fire damage) with advantage. Here the Wizard is overshadows again.
When you get level level 7, you get Arcane Eruption and now the sorcerer shines and overshadows the evoker mixing blasting and a naughty word hard control Spell.
The dragon sorcerer is clearly stronger and reliable than evoker at blasting and control.


The Evoker Average damage is 28 damage.
 

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