Have there been any efforts to make Spontaneous Wizards?

[Secret Wizard]

Just wondering.

[Nifft]

In 5e, a Wizard prepares a number of spells, and then can cast any of those spells as many times as his and/or her spell-slots allow.

In 5e, a Wizard is basically spontaneous already.

So... what are you asking?

[Secret Wizard]

Basically not worrying about scribing spells into my spellbook :P

[Potato_Priest]

I believe the term you are looking for is Sorcerer.

To my knowledge, all wizards need to use a spellbook, although if they lose it they can keep the spell list they had prepared at the time of loss.

[Flashy]

Take wizard. Replace Spellbook with Bard, Warlock, or Sorcerer spells known progression. Remove the 2nd level scribe spell ribbons. Done.

[Spectre9000]

Keen Mind Feat.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Basically not worrying about scribing spells into my spellbook :P

You could give them a spells known progression of some description and be fine, sure. Giving them Cleric-style "prepare any spell from your class list" is more problematic. I don't know that it's really broken-- Druids do the same thing and their list is nearly as good-- but it's a huge versatility hike and doesn't really fit with the Wizard themes, either.

[Sicarius Victis]

Problem is, if you drop the spellbooks and give them a Sorcerer's spells-known progression, that just weakens them. You'd need to add something else to balance it out.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Problem is, if you drop the spellbooks and give them a Sorcerer's spells-known progression, that just weakens them. You'd need to add something else to balance it out.

The Sorcerer progression is pretty pathetic; they at least are supposed to make up for it with metamagic. I'd base it off the Bard. Or maybe Sorcerer, but add two spells/spell level from your favored school.

[Sicarius Victis]

The Sorcerer progression is pretty pathetic; they at least are supposed to make up for it with metamagic. I'd base it off the Bard. Or maybe Sorcerer, but add two spells/spell level from your favored school.

That was kind of my point. If you give them a Sorcerer's spells known, they'd just be inherently weaker than they were before. That last idea could be interesting, but often there aren't enough usable spells to actually do that.