paladin spellcasting

[Ketiara]

Im not sure how it works... or I have an idea, but Im usually wrong.

As a lvl 20 paladin I can prepare: 4x 1st lvl; 3x 2nd lvl; 3x3rd lvl; 3x 4th lvl; 2x 5th lvl.

In 5e I prepare these spells... and as a divine caster I can prepare different spells everyday, right?

Then I read that I have a number of spells equal to ½caster lvl + modifier = 15.

Im not sure how this works?

Do I get to prepare 15 spells TOTAL for the day (refreshed with a long rest) can I decide however I want e.g. 15x 5lvl spells? (this seems unlikely)

or do I only get to prepare 2x 5th lvl spells (2x destruction wave, or does it have to be 1x raise death and 1x destruction wave). 3x 4lvl spells, 4x 3lvl spells 4x 2lvl spells and 2x 1llv spells =totaling 15 spells?

what If I want to cast a 2nd lvl spell as a lvl 5 spell? do I have to decide that at prep time or can is it more spontaneous?

Ive tried to read it from phb a few times and from a guide or two... but I cant quite figure it out.

I hope you guys can help me out.

[asorel]

It sounds like you're assuming that you have to prepare a spell for each anticipated casting. This is no longer the case; 'Fire and Forget' isn't a 5e mechanic. Instead, you can cast any spell you have prepared as long as you have the slots. For instance, if you have 4 1st level slots, and have Searing Smite and Thunderous Smite prepared, you can cast SS once and TS three times, or two of each, 4 SS and no TS, or any other combination.

[Ketiara]

ok so what about the ½caster lvl+modifier thing? How does that effect me? in this case it will sum up to 15

[Strill]

All casters in 5e are spontaneous casters. Your spell slots are no longer tied to particular spells.

15 is the number of spells you can prepare for the day. Furthermore, your oath will give you an additional list of spells which are always prepared. If you want to cast a prepared spell, you simply expend a spell slot. This doesn't remove the spell from your list of prepared spells, since spell slots are not tied to any particular spell.

[Fwiffo86]

As a lvl 20 paladin I can prepare: 4x 1st lvl; 3x 2nd lvl; 3x3rd lvl; 3x 4th lvl; 2x 5th lvl.

This bit is the number of those spell slots you can cast per day. This has nothing to do with the spells that you "prepare"



Then I read that I have a number of spells equal to ½caster lvl + modifier = 15.

You can select 15 spells to prepare. They can be any spells you have access to. Which ones you choose are up to you. When you cast them, you use up the slot you cast it from or at. Thus casting a first level Pally spell uses a 1st level slot, of which you have 4. You could use higher slots to cast the same spell though for greater effect.

[asorel]

ok so what about the ½caster lvl+modifier thing? How does that effect me? in this case it will sum up to 15



That number represents the total number of spells prepared, which you switch out at the end of a long rest. You can prepare any spell that you are a high enough Paladin level to cast.

[Ketiara]

This bit is the number of those spell slots you can cast per day. This has nothing to do with the spells that you "prepare"



You can select 15 spells to prepare. They can be any spells you have access to. Which ones you choose are up to you. When you cast them, you use up the slot you cast it from or at. Thus casting a first level Pally spell uses a 1st level slot, of which you have 4. You could use higher slots to cast the same spell though for greater effect.

Ahh so I see Ive got it the other way around... I can cast 4x1 ; 3x2; 3x3; 3x4; 2x5 spellss in the diffrent lvls apart from my oath spells.

And out of my 1-5 lvl spell repertoire I can choose 15

[asorel]

Ahh so I see Ive got it the other way around... I can cast 4x1 ; 3x2; 3x3; 3x4; 2x5 spellss in the diffrent lvls apart from my oath spells.

And out of my 1-5 lvl spell repertoire I can choose 15

No, oath spells still use spell slots, but they're always 'prepared,' and don't count against the .5(level)+CHA mod limit.

[calebrus]

Ahh so I see Ive got it the other way around... I can cast 4x1 ; 3x2; 3x3; 3x4; 2x5 spellss in the diffrent lvls apart from my oath spells.

And out of my 1-5 lvl spell repertoire I can choose 15

Yes and no.
You can prepare 15 spells from your list, plus you have your Oath spells always prepared (without expending a spell prep'd slot). Oath spells are not "apart from" your spell slots. You have 15 spells of your choice prepared + your Oath spells.
You have 4x1; 3x2; 3x3; 3x4; 2x5 to cast those spells from. Your Oath spells use those slots as well.

[JFahy]

If you're not an MMO player this won't help in any way, but...

The 15 spells + oath spells are what you're allowed to have on your action bar.
The 'spell slots' are discrete chunks of 'mana' that you use to cast them. In some
cases you could use all your 'mana' (slots) to cast a single spell over and over,
never using the other 14 that you prepared.

Large difference from old-school D&D, where if you want to fry three different
people on separate occasions you had to load three Lightning Bolts into your head.
Now you just have to load Lightning Bolt into your head, and have three spell slots
(level 3 or greater) to fuel the three casts.

[Shining Wrath]

If you're not an MMO player this won't help in any way, but...

The 15 spells + oath spells are what you're allowed to have on your action bar.
The 'spell slots' are discrete chunks of 'mana' that you use to cast them. In some
cases you could use all your 'mana' (slots) to cast a single spell over and over,
never using the other 14 that you prepared.

Large difference from old-school D&D, where if you want to fry three different
people on separate occasions you had to load three Lightning Bolts into your head.
Now you just have to load Lightning Bolt into your head, and have three spell slots
(level 3 or greater) to fuel the three casts.

Well put.

For OP: you have a "menu" of prepared spells, equal to 1/2 level + Wisdom modifier in number. You can cast any spell from the "menu" by "paying" a spell slot of that level or higher. This does not remove the spell from the "menu". Some spells, if you "pay" a higher level slot, do more of whatever it is they do; not all, though, so read spell descriptions carefully. You can still "pay" more than the asking price to cast a spell.

[Grand Warchief]

(snip)

can I decide however I want e.g. 15x 5lvl spells? (snip)

No, you can't prepare 15 level 5 Paladin spells, because a Paladin only has 6 level 5 spells on his list. =P well, assuming you can't prepare the same spell more than once.

Player: I CHOOSE TO PREPARE 15 DESTRUCTIVE WAVE SPELLS!
DM: I don't think you can prepare...
Player: FEAR MY AWESOME DESTRUCTIVE POWER!!

[calebrus]

There are no restrictions on which spells you prepare. You can prepare all 1st level spells if you want to, and cast those spells in the higher slots.
But it makes sense to prepare at least one from each spell level, just to cover your bases.

[Chronos]

Note that while you're allowed to use all of your preparations on high-level spells, it's probably a bad idea, as this would leave you unable to cast any spells using your low-level slots. Then again, as a paladin you could just use all of those low-level slots to fuel smites, or you could just prepare one spell each in the lower levels, and just cast those same low-level spells repeatedly.

Also, being able to prepare different spells every day has nothing to do with being divine. The distinction between arcane and divine magic is completely absent in fifth edition, beyond the fluff (and in fact, I think even the fluff only mentions it once, in a sidebar). Wizards, despite being arcane, can also prepare different spells every day (though they're limited to what they have in their spellbook), and rangers, despite being divine, have a set list of spells known that they can't change.