Wizards in AL

[AthasianWarlock]

Hello all,

I am fairly new to 5th and adventure league. To my understanding a wizard in adventure league can write into his spell book any spell he finds on a scroll even if it isn't his +1.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this make the wizard just better than every other class in the long run? It reminds me of 3.5 polymorph, the spells power scaled directly to the number of books that came out. Seeing as they will be printing at least a dozen books with new spells doesn't the wizard maintain an enormous edge on other classes?

Thanks

[Jerrykhor]

Not any spell, only spells on the wizard's spell list can be copied.

[Unoriginal]

Hello all,

I am fairly new to 5th and adventure league. To my understanding a wizard in adventure league can write into his spell book any spell he finds on a scroll even if it isn't his +1.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this make the wizard just better than every other class in the long run? It reminds me of 3.5 polymorph, the spells power scaled directly to the number of books that came out. Seeing as they will be printing at least a dozen books with new spells doesn't the wizard maintain an enormous edge on other classes?

Thanks

First of all, how would this give the Wizard an enormous edge?

Scrolls aren't that common a treasure, and the AL adventures aren't going to include that many exotic spells. And a few more spells in your spellbook aren't going to give you "an emormous edge".

Second, what do you mean by "Seeing as they will be printing at least a dozen books with new spells" ?

There has been maybe three books aside from the PHB that contain new spells. Since 5e came out.

Heck, the authors don't even have a dozen new books planned, currently.


Not any spell, only spells on the wizard's spell list can be copied.


This too.

[DivisibleByZero]

If they happen to get their hands on every single wizard spell ever, which is doubtful.... Then they'll be in the same page as Clerics and Druids as far as spell selection goes.

[Unoriginal]

If they happen to get their hands on every single wizard spell ever, which is doubtful.... Then they'll be in the same page as Clerics and Druids as far as spell selection goes.

Another good point.

Wizards have many strengths , ease of access to a large spell selection while adventuring around isn't one of them.

[prototype00]

Clerics and Druids don’t get access to spells in books outside their PHB+1.

If your +1 was Volos no Xanathar’s spells for you.

[AthasianWarlock]

Oh ok. So I was under the understanding that a wizards whose +1 was Xanthars could still copy a spell from a scroll which was printed in Mordakains. From this FAQ


"Wizards, and other characters that prepare and/or cast spells from a spellbook may copy spells from a scroll, captured spellbook, or spellbooks belonging to another player’s character—even if those spells are not normally found in your character’s allowed resource."


https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/DDADVL_FAQv3.pdf

[AthasianWarlock]

Second, what do you mean by "Seeing as they will be printing at least a dozen books with new spells" ?



Well I am assuming they plan on printing a new book every 6 months or so. Maybe 1 new book with spells per year? 3.5 ended up with 30+ books that all had spells for comparison.

[DivisibleByZero]

I think you're seriously overrating the frequency that you'll find scrolls. And when you find some, you aren't going to find an entire spell level's worth, let alone 9.
Sure, you'll find some. But you still aren't going to find enough to let you rival a Cleric or Druid's selection as far as quantity is concerned.

[Eriol]

Oh ok. So I was under the understanding that a wizards whose +1 was Xanthars could still copy a spell from a scroll which was printed in Mordakains. From this FAQ


"Wizards, and other characters that prepare and/or cast spells from a spellbook may copy spells from a scroll, captured spellbook, or spellbooks belonging to another player’s character—even if those spells are not normally found in your character’s allowed resource."


https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/DDADVL_FAQv3.pdf
IMO you're right that it's an advantage Wizards get. I think you're reading it correctly. But I also agree that this isn't a HUGE problem, as the number of spells dropped as scrolls is typically not all that significant. Over a LOT of time, then yes, a Wizard in AL will get more spells than a cleric doing the same, since they aren't limited to a +1 like the clerics/druids/everybody else is. Heck, if a couple of high-level wizards coordinated with their +1s, and then copy the spells between them that they each don't have, they're golden, but IMO this whole thing is caused by the +1 restriction in the first place, which I don't understand why it exists.

[DivisibleByZero]

but IMO this whole thing is caused by the +1 restriction in the first place, which I don't understand why it exists.

It exists for a few reasons, but the main one is so that when they introduce a new book, they don't have to try to balance it against, (or look for strange interactions with) every single thing that has been printed before it. They only have to balance it against itself and the PHB.

[Jerrykhor]

Wizards are one of those classes that are overpowered in theory only. Sure, they could theoretically own every wizard spell known in their spell book, and have a spell for every occasion. But they are limited by number of spells prepared, and the fact that you never know what will happen the next day. If your DM always tell you the upcoming events and never spring any surprises, sure wizard would be the best class bar none.

That, you can't assume unlimited gold and downtime cost for copying the spells.

[Envyus]

Well I am assuming they plan on printing a new book every 6 months or so. Maybe 1 new book with spells per year? 3.5 ended up with 30+ books that all had spells for comparison.

The game has been out for 5 years now. We have gotten 1 major splat book with a bunch of new spells. The next splat book coming out does not have any in it.

[sithlordnergal]

The power of this is not in finding spell scrolls. As a Wizard in AL, your greatest strength is playing with other wizards and trading spells with them.

It will allow your wizard to have a massive amount of spells, including those outside of your +1. However, having every spell known doesn't do much when you can only prepare a number of spells equal to your wizard level + int mod. It sort of evens out, and you'll end up with a ton of unused spells because you just have better options

[DnDegenerates]

PHB+1 applies to spells.

However, there are a lot of spellbooks as player rewards. Many with spells from a variety of sourcebooks.

You can also copy spells from other players.

Our regular cleric in t2 has a bunch of scrolls and FIVE spellbooks she can't use.

[prototype00]

PHB+1 applies to spells.

However, there are a lot of spellbooks as player rewards. Many with spells from a variety of sourcebooks.

You can also copy spells from other players.

Our regular cleric in t2 has a bunch of scrolls and FIVE spellbooks she can't use.

Yeah, my Barbarian carries two spellbooks around (cost to copy a spell? One “lent” healing potion)

[MxKit]

"Wizards, and other characters that prepare and/or cast spells from a spellbook may copy spells from a scroll, captured spellbook, or spellbooks belonging to another player’s character—even if those spells are not normally found in your character’s allowed resource."

Note that it says Wizards and other characters that use spellbooks. This is a boon for a Wizard, yes, but I believe this also covers the Book of Shadows that Tome Warlocks get, and the ritual book that you get from the Ritual Caster feat.

Wizards do get the most natural benefit from this particular ruling; however, I don't think it's particularly unbalanced for the reasons others have mentioned. It's definitely a nice perk, though!

[DnDegenerates]

Yeah, my Barbarian carries two spellbooks around (cost to copy a spell? One “lent” healing potion)

That's pretty hilarious actually!

[Theodoxus]

Haven't seen many scrolls in the two concurrent AL games I'm in. And the 3 or so I have seen, have been ranger and cleric spells, not wizards.

One of the tables' wizards is constantly scrounging for books - any books, mundane or magical, in the hopes of obtaining a new spell. I don't know what his +1 is, he's a forest gnome and has only used PHB spells so far (and there's a better than even chance the player doesn't even know the +1 rule).

The other wizard at the table just rebuilt from a monk, and is playing a lizardman necromancer. So, he's definitely PHB only, given the lack of spells in Volo's.

Since Elemental Evil was subsumed into Xan's and SCAG only has the 4 cantrips, which can't be learned from scrolls - any wizard that isn't a special race (lizardman) would be best served by using Xan's as their +1 - unless you just have to have BB or GFB for some reason.

I'm curious if Mort's has new spells. One would think so, since he's a wizard and has spells named after him... but haven't heard anything about it.

[Unoriginal]

I'm curious if Mort's has new spells. One would think so, since he's a wizard and has spells named after him... but haven't heard anything about it.

Not likely. We might get some new magic items, but I doubt we'll get new spells. Maybe some species-specific ones, if any show up at all.

Mordenkainen isn't keen in sharing his best spells, anyway.

[The_Jette]

I've played a wizard up to T2, and found a grand total of 3 scrolls, all of them from the PHB. However, if there's a story reward that let's me choose, I tend to pick scrolls for the option of scribing them. I've only had two story rewards, though. So, I have five spells from scrolls, and one other that I with a Tomelock for.