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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While some of those examples might suit your point to some degree, considering just how much material 2e put out it will still be a quite small percentage, and not really comparable to the swath of update material 5.5 players can look forward to purchasing again (just like 3.5 before it).
all of 2e was an update to 1e in a similar vein that 2024 is an update to 2014, so is that hardly surprising?
 

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Well, I appreciate the lack of shyness regarding your agenda.

That being said, all four of your subclass ideas sound pretty good to me.
I'm a professional Wizard Hater :D

But I also believe the Wizard deserves to be more than just a spell list. Gotta admit the current Illusionist feels more meaty than the 2014 one, at least.
The pure number of class abilities that 8 different subclasses contain in order to capture the theme of each school cannot fit into a single "Specialist Scholar" subclass. I tried. And if the abilities aren't different and interesting to create diverse playstyles, there is no reason to do it that way. Diviner plays VERY different than Illusionist.
Eh... You don't have to copy the ones from the 2014 PHB word for word. Using the levels from 2014:

Lv 2 School Savant and 1 special ability you can activate with limited uses.
Lv 6 Flat bonus to saving throws or damage (pick when casting), when using your chosen school and you can use your level 2 ability again after casting a slotted spell of your school. Arcane Recovery but only if you casted from your school.
Level 10 You pick between additional targets or extended range on your school spells. Copying spells of your school is even cheaper now. Maybe an ability to recreate your spell book if something happen to it, as a ribbon.
Level 14 another new ability, this one is at-will.

I think that would be the most 'basic' and flexible Book Wizard subclass you could make, and it would tide over people who would like a certain specialist until future books come out.

You add the Warmage who is a combination of Evoker and Abjurer and can switch between both styles very well, then keep the Illusionist as it's something of a semi-famous trope (it was a class of its own after all!) and it has enough tricks to be different from a Illusion Scholar (the Shadow Conjuration tricks for exemple would be unique to the proper Illusionist, and maybe that guy could get some Deception training and even Sleight of Hands). And the fourth can be something new.
 

The "w" doesn't stand for "warlocks," people.
Doesn't stand for Warrior either...

Too bad D&D isn't owned by the Alchemists of the Coast. I once had a guild named that in a game I was DMing. They were in charge of maintaining lighthouses all along the coast that used alchemical reaction to produce light. I only realized the WOTC rift after the fact :p
 





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