casters help

[almightyk]

hey i have started to play dnd with some friends but so far i have only played "meatshields"
i was just wondering how casters work
such as wizards sorcerers druids etc

i was wondering how gaining and casting spells work, the differences between the classes, etc

thanks in advance

[Tyrrell]

What game?

[almightyk]

just regular 3.5

[Farlion]

Read the core rule book, it's all in there.


Cheers,
Farlion

[almightyk]

ok
wasnt sure whether it was in players handbook or dm guide

big books

[Farlion]

It's in the players handbook. There's a section named "Spells". And under each class description there's a paragraph named "Spells". Try those.

If something is unclear, just ask ;-D

[GreatWyrmGold]

Read the core rule book, it's all in there.


Cheers,
Farlion

Yep.
But, to summaize: Most casters have to choose what spells they can cast each day. Bards and sorcerors don't, but they have a limited spell selection.

[kamikasei]

It's a pretty big topic.

The long and the short of it is that a caster has a number of spell slots which are how many spells (split up by level) he can cast in a day. Prepared casters like wizards, clerics, druids, paladins and rangers have to determine which spells go in to those slots at the start of the day, while spontaneous casters like sorcerers or bards just have the ability to cast a certain number of spells of each level and can spend those slots on any spells they know (they're much more limited in spells known to make up for that flexibility).

Let's take a third-level wizard with 15 intelligence as our example.

He has one 2nd-level, two 1st-level, and four 0th-level spells per day from his class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/sorcererWizard.htm#wizard). His intelligence (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/theBasics.htm#abilitiesAndSpellcasters) also gives him bonus spells, so his total is 2, 3, 4. At the start of the day he cracks open his spellbook and prepares two second-level, three first-level, etc. spells from the spells he has recorded in it. (He has the option to leave some slots empty and fill them later in the day, but we'll ignore that for now.)

Think of the preparation as being like pre-casting 98% of the spell, so that it's ready to go and you just have to make the final words and gestures to trigger it. This will spare you confusion from thinking that you're "memorizing" the spells and then "forgetting" them once they're cast. Rather, you're preparing and expending them.

So let's say our wizard prepares three detect magics and one prestidigitation for his cantrips (0th-level spells), sleep, color spray and magic missile for his first-levels, and glitterdust and web for second level. Those are the spells he has available to him to cast through the day. As he casts each one, it's expended and no longer available - the spell slot is gone until he rests to recover it and refills it with the same or some other spell.

Casting the spell requires nothing beyond saying "I cast the spell". What each spell actually does, though, is different, and you might have to make an attack roll, or roll for various other effects, and there are ways that you might fail to cast the spell all together (if you're taking damage or being distracted at the time).

For the most part, playing a caster in D&D amounts to having the right spread of spells known or prepared and deploying them at the right times to get the most bang for your buck. You have an extremely powerful resource but must be cautious in rationing it.

As a new caster, it also pays to look past flashy damage-dealing spells and remember -
a) spells which make enemies easier to kill in various ways
b) those which boost your party
c) those which let you bypass problems entirely
Remember, anyone can deal damage, so while there will be times that you're called upon to do so, you shouldn't neglect the things that only you can do for the party.

edit: Okay, somewhat ninja'd... you will definitely need to read the PHB's section on magic and the spell lists, and probably reread them, and then try them out in a game and read them again. It's a pretty large and complex part of the game.

[almightyk]

thank kamakasei
that tells me basicallyt everything i need to start
i can work the rest out as i go

just wondering though
is it that i can cast so many of that level
or is it each prepared spell once

[GreatWyrmGold]

thank kamakasei
that tells me basicallyt everything i need to start
i can work the rest out as i go

just wondering though
is it that i can cast so many of that level
or is it each prepared spell once

If you prepare spells (and most people will advise you against classes that don't), you can prepare any number of the same spell, as long as you don't run out of slots. Each time you cast one, you lose the ability to cast the spell i that spell slot.

[almightyk]

alright thanks for the help.
and thanks for not leaving the "haha n00b" kinda comments

[GreatWyrmGold]

alright thanks for the help.
and thanks for not leaving the "haha n00b" kinda comments

I'd have to be Chaotic or Evil to do that. Check my MM entry; it's between "Copper Dragon" and "Silver Dragon".

[kamikasei]

just wondering though
is it that i can cast so many of that level
or is it each prepared spell once

I'm not quite sure what you mean. If you have 3 1st-level spells per day, then you can cast that many. You can prepare three different spells, or two of one and one of another, or three copies of the same spell. You can't prepare three different spells and then cast each of them three times, or anything like that.

[almightyk]

I'm not quite sure what you mean. If you have 3 1st-level spells per day, then you can cast that many. You can prepare three different spells, or two of one and one of another, or three copies of the same spell. You can't prepare three different spells and then cast each of them three times, or anything like that.

yeah thanks what i was meaning was whether i could prepare 3 differnt spells but cast the same one 3 times and then neither of the others or if it was each prepared one once only
but i got my answer thanks anyway

[Douglas]

If you're a prepared caster, like a wizard, what you prepare is what you're stuck with. If you prepare two Color Sprays and a Magic Missile, then you can cast Color Spray twice and Magic Missile once. If you cast Magic Missile, you cannot later decide to drop one of the Color Sprays to cast Magic Missile again. You can change your selection the next time you prepare spells, but until then you're stuck with it. It is entirely possible, and in fact quite easy, to run out of a particular spell despite still having 90% of your spell slots still available.

If you're a spontaneous caster, like a sorcerer, it's a different matter. If you have Color Spray and Magic Missile on your spells known list and three 1st level spells slots, then you can cast any combination of those two spells that adds up to three castings and you get to decide at the time you cast them. You could cast Magic Missile three times, Magic Missile once and Color Spray twice, or some other combination, and you have full flexibility to choose on the spot. On the down side, your spells known list is pretty short, and you can only change it by gaining more levels, and even then you can only change one existing spell known every two levels. If you make multiple bad choices, it takes a long time to fix them.

[#Raptor]

At what level are you starting anyways?

[almightyk]

alright i understand now
and i wasnt making one yet
i was just getting a better understanding for when i read about it
i have always just looked over them because i wasnt going to make one without understanding it properly

[#Raptor]

Ah, alright. Well, Druids are hard to fail with once you're about lvl 6, as long as you got the natural spell feat.

Stat prioritys: #1 Wis, #2 Con, #3 Int. Absolute dumpstats: Str, Dex, Cha.
Str & dex get replaced by wildshape anyway, cha is usually not needed. Some points in int give you better knowledge and spellcraft checks as well as more skills (look at the druids skill list - it is awesome!).

Wildshape and stay in wildshaped form as long as theres a risk of running into encounters.

You don't have to PrC, as you gain useful class features almost every level. You don't have to put alot of thought into spell selection - unlike a wizard or sorcerer.
If a sorcerer selects useless spells, hes stuck with them forever, unless he doesn't go into prestige classes (and I'd strongly advise to go into PrC's with a sorcerer).
If a wizard prepares useless spells, at least he can prepare some better ones the next day. If he has them in his spellbook, that is. But hes a good deal more flexible and harder to boop up than the sorcerer in this regard. Still, theres more room for f***-ups than with the druid.
With the cleric its the same as with the druid, but in core the druid certainly is easier to handle and the more powerful one of the two.