What spells can a first level wizard learn?

[ambartanen]

Moving this out of the QA thread since it might take a bit of discussion.


A61:
I'm going to respectfully disagree.

Page 164 states, You determine what spells you know and can prepare for each class individually, as if you were a single-classed member of that class.

But, wizards don't have a Spells Known list, they have a spellbook. And the rules for preparing wizard spells are as follows:

From page 114, You prepare the list of wizard spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of wizard spells from your spellbook equal to your Intelligence modifer + your wizard level. The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

From the sidebar on the same page, When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a level for which you have spell slots and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.

Spell slots are calculated based on all of your casting classes, so yes, rules-as-written, anyone with at least one wizard level can copy into their spellbook, and then prepare, any spell of a level that they have spell slots for.

If you look at the actual examples below the quotes, you'll see that isn't right. Specifically, by raw, writing a spell to your speallbook is learning it for which purpose the first level wizard only counts as a first level spellcaster regardless of what other class levels the character has. Specifically the PHB says:


For example, if you are the aforementioned ranger 4/wizard 3, you count as a 5th-level character when determining your spell slots: you have four 1st-level slots, three 2nd-level slots, and two 3-rd-level slots. However, you don't know any third level spells, nor do you know any 2nd-level ranger spells.

Similarly, a 10th level cleric that takes a level in sorcerer does not get to choose 6th-level spells sorcerer spells.

There are further quotes about that hypothetical ranger 4/wizard 3 character that make it abundantly clear they cannot learn 3rd-level spells but this quote outright states they cannot.

[Giant2005]

Yes of course that example is correct - if you don't know any third level spells then of course you can't cast any third level spells. That should be extremely obvious. However due to his class ability, a Wizard might have learned third level spells in which case the rest of the example (Which you conveniently forgot to mention) holds relevance:


You can use the spell slots of those levels to cast the spells you do know - and potentially enhance their effects.

[ambartanen]

And how do you propose the wizard learn third level spells? Transcribing a spell to your book on leveling up is literally identical to transcribing it for money at another time but somehow one way doesn't let you transcribe 3rd level spells while the other does?


Learning Spells of 1st level and higher
Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots... On your adventures, you might find other spells that you can add to your spellbook...
Well, a Cleric 19/Wizard 1 only has spell slots of first level when they are trying to learn spells as a wizard. They only have higher level spell slots for casting purposes which is why they don't get to pick half the wizard's 9th-level spell list upon gaining that first wizard level.

[MinaBee]

None of the other classes prepare from a spellbook, this is a mechanic unique to wizards.

Wizards get free spells when they level up, but they can also add additional spells they find or research. And that mechanic is based on what spell slots they have available.

Spell slots are not connected to your class.

The example Ranger / Wizard in the multiclassing chapter cannot prepare any third level spells because she is explicitly stated to not have any third level spells in her spell book.

If she had a third level spell in her book, she could prepare it, because she has third level spell slots. If she looted a tomb, and found a spellbook with a third level spell in it, she could copy that spell into her spellbook, because she has third level spell slots.

When Miss Ranger / Wizard gains her fourth Wizard level, she gets two free spells for her spell book, and those would have to be second level or lower.

Does that make sense?
I'm saying that the two freebies per level that a wizard 'learns' are bound by the multiclassing rule, but the spellbook itself isn't. Because the multiclassing rules don't actually say anything about spellbooks.

[ambartanen]

Does that make sense?
I'm saying that the two freebies per level that a wizard 'learns' are bound by the multiclassing rule, but the spellbook itself isn't. Because the multiclassing rules don't actually say anything about spellbooks.That makes no sense at all.


Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots...
So you are saying this means that Ranger 4/Wizard 3 character cannot use their two freebie spells gained at 7th level to transcribe 3rd level spells to a spellbook. Why do you think that is?

[MinaBee]

So you are saying this means that Ranger 4/Wizard 3 character cannot use their two freebie spells gained at 7th level to transcribe 3rd level spells to a spellbook. Why do you think that is?

Because the multiclassing section says that when you learn spells by leveling in a class, you figure what spells you can learn as if you were single-classed.

[HugeC]

A cleric 19 / wizard 1 is a wizard 1 when he prepares his wizard spells. Look on the wizard class table to see what spells you can prepare as a level 1 wizard. Doesn't matter if you have a spellbook chock full of level 2 thru 9 spells, you can't prepare them.

[ambartanen]

Because the multiclassing section says that when you learn spells by leveling in a class, you figure what spells you can learn as if you were single-classed.

The section doesn't mention anything about leveling, it just says you cannot know or prepare any spells you wouldn't be able to learn as a single-class character.

The preparing argument though doesn't really work. 5e removed the idea of preparing spells in a slot so you can now prepare any spell you know.

[Shining Wrath]

As a DM, if a player tried this on me (Wizard 1 copying / preparing level 9 arcane spells because of 17 levels in another casting class) I'd have to throw my not-yet-published 5e DMG at their heads, using my patented wrist snap so that it decapitated on a natural 20 TH roll. :smallbiggrin:

Seriously, you might be able to argue this as RAW here on the forums, but I doubt any DM anyplace anytime any table will allow it. A single-level dip into Wizard does not allow access to all arcane magic you come across in your travels if you have 17 levels in druid or cleric or warlock.

[Gnomes2169]

As you prepair spells by specified caster level and not slot, you are restricted in what you can prepair by your single-class caster level. So while a Cleric 19/ Wizard 1 would have level 9 slots, he would only be able to prepair 1+Int mod level 1 arcane spells from his wizard side, since his wizard side is only able to cast level 1 spells.

He could cast these level 1 spells from a level 9 slot, since he does have level 9 slots to spend, but that is a world of difference from being able to cast True Poly or Finger of Death.

[ambartanen]

As you prepair spells by specified caster level and not slot, you are restricted in what you can prepair by your single-class caster level. So while a Cleric 19/ Wizard 1 would have level 9 slots, he would only be able to prepair 1+Int mod level 1 arcane spells from his wizard side, since his wizard side is only able to cast level 1 spells.

Well, there is no such thing as caster level in 5e but you are right- the wizard can only prepare spells he can cast as a single-class wizard which is never an issue because he can only learn spells he can cast as a single-class wizard in the first place.


A single-level dip into Wizard does not allow access to all arcane magic you come across in your travels if you have 17 levels in druid or cleric or warlock.
The point is that some DMs might be tricked into allowing that Ranger 4/Wizard 3 to learn 3rd-level spells by such an argument. When you present it as Cleric 19/Wizard 1 the absurdity is a lot more immediately obvious.