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.

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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]

So nothing changed between 2014 and 2024 empower?

Exactly the same.
As of the playtest anyways.

Thanks.

Np

 

[mellored]

As of the last playtest, the metamagic changes where...

Extended: adds Advantage on concentration

Seeking Spell: now cost 1 instead of 2

Subtle: still need costly or consumed components.

Twinned 1 SP: +1 spell level on spells that have "At Higher Levels: ... you can target on additional.."*

*presumably they will have more spells that scale that way. Warlocks would like more scaling spells too.

 

[FrogReaver]

Can sorcerers still recover spell slots with sorcery points?

 

[mellored]

Can sorcerers still recover spell slots with sorcery points?

Converting slots to SP no longer takes a bonus action. Otherwise the same.

 

[deadman1204]

Wizards get to select 2 new spells for free at every level, of any level they are able to cast. Not quite “dm handout”, especially since there are ‘best spells’ at every level. Add to that species ‘spell like abilities’, feat ‘spell like abilities’, and other ‘spell like abilities’, and you can have a whole lot of spells available, even if you were limited to 2 every level. You get 6 at first, plus what, 3 cantrips, then a total of 36 selected spells from 2-20, so 42 spells and 5 cantrips. That’s a hell of a lot more flexibility than my 1e wizard with 4 spells at first, and THEN having to find more. AND the 5e wizard has way more casting flexibility via ‘preparation’ than locking in a spell to a slot.

And it’s not wizard hate. I play wizards a lot. It’s just not challenging (for me).

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.

 

[deadman1204]

3.5 + 2.5 per level.
They get a few extra at level 1, and their subclass adds one every other level.

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.

 

[mellored]

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.

A 5th level wizard knows 6 base + 8 from levels + 3 from subclass = 17.
If you fill the spell book with rituals, they DO have access to all of them.

Playtest sorcerer gave 10 with 0 from subclass. We know they added some for the subclass, but that probably means the base class will have less. My guess is 12 total for the sorcerer.

We'll have to wait and see the final numbers though.

 

[ECMO3]

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.

Some of your numbers are not accurate. A 5th level AM Sorcerer has 12 leveled spells and 6 Cantrips (so 12 or 18 depending on what you are counting as "spells").

A 5th level Wizard has 14 leveled spells and 4 Cantrips (so 14 or 18).

In terms of preparation a 5th level Wizard can prepare up to 10 plus 4 Cantrips. So 14 total.

People don't talk about the extra Cantrip(s) a Sorcerer gets, but that is a pretty big deal for a single class character (less so for a multiclassed character), especially at low level.

* note: Numbers above based on 2014 classes and subclasses.

 

[tetrasodium]

.

* note: Numbers above based on 2014 classes and subclasses.

The numbers you were trying to correct were not based on 2014 numbers. In fact the discussion about sorc/wiz itself is not either. The thread is even clear about that by having a title of D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal: "New Wizard

 

[FrogReaver]

Some of your numbers are not accurate. A 5th level AM Sorcerer has 12 leveled spells and 6 Cantrips (so 12 or 18 depending on what you are counting as "spells").

A 5th level Wizard has 14 leveled spells and 4 Cantrips (so 14 or 18).

In terms of preparation a 5th level Wizard can prepare up to 10 plus 4 Cantrips. So 14 total.

People don't talk about the extra Cantrip(s) a Sorcerer gets, but that is a pretty big deal for a single class character (less so for a multiclassed character), especially at low level.

* note: Numbers above based on 2014 classes and subclasses.

There's a couple of important points though -
1. Wizards traditionally get a better spell list than sorcerers.
2. I've never seen any subclass get all top tier 1 spells on their subclass list (most have a few never or rarely use spells as well) - whereas the wizard being able to pick all their spells is a notable advantage.

In short comparing spells known/prepared seems counterproductive without these other details incorporated into the analysis.