So you wanna play a spellcaster, hey?
It’s no secret that spell slot management in D&D 5e can seem a little, well… overwhelming.
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It’s also no surprise, then, that a lot of new D&D players start out in the martial classes of Barbarian or a Fighter, because everyone can understand the intricacies of hit guy with stick make hurt.
But as fun as the aforementioned stick-hitting can be, those very same fighters may look on in shock, envy, and occasional horror as they see the party spellcaster bring an entire plot of land to ruin — along with half the enemy horde.
If you’re hoping to uncover the mysteries of the arcane arts (which, at its most basic, is just getting a grasp of how the hells spell slots work), you’ve come to the right place.
Spell level does NOT equal character level
I figured we should get this one out of the way right off the top, because it seems to be where a lot of confusion comes from.
All characters can level up in D&D from 1 to 20 (unless you’re playing some sort of godly 20+ campaign — if so I tip my hat to you, you Breakers of Worlds). As you gain levels, you gain new abilities, new strengths, and, for some, unlock new spells.
However, spells in D&D also have different levels (0 through 9), which do not exactly increase 1 to 1 with character levels.
Just as an example, it will take a Wizard until level 17 to actually be able to use 9th level spells — so don’t go thinking that just because your DM started you at 3rd level it means that you can start blasting Fire Ball (a 3rd level spell) all over the show.
All about cantrips
Two paragraphs ago you may have stopped and been like, “What the hell is a 0 level spell?” Well, my good friend, those would be cantrips.
These are spells that can be cast without expending any spell slots — which I promise we will be getting to shortly — so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of how many you’ve used throughout the day.
You will still have to abide by the limitations stated within the cantrip’s description regarding casting time, range, etc. but as far as spamming goes, have at ‘er.
We’ve even got a list of all OG D&D 5e cantrips ranked from worst to best for you to check out if you’re wondering which ones you should take for your next character. Just remember that each spellcasting class is limited to choosing specific spells, cantrips included.
Spell slots
Okay, here we go.
So when spellcasters in D&D 5e want to cast something a little more powerful than a cantrip (and are of a high enough level to know the spell) they use up a spell slot in order to do so.
Just as you’d expect, it costs one first level spell slot to cast a first level spell one time. It costs a second level spell slot to cast a second level spell one time. Seems pretty straight forward, right?
Well, things get a little tricky when you add in the fact that you can also cast a first level spell with a second level spell slot. As is the case for casting any lower level spell with a higher level spell slot — something that may happen if you reaaaally want to cast a certain spell but have exhausted your spell slots for that particular level.
Some spells even factor this into their descriptions, noting that if they are upcast (ie. have been cast with a spell slot higher than is necessary) they will do more damage, affect more people, or just generally be more powerful than when used at their lowest possible spell slot.
The number of spell slots you have to use each day is determined by your class level, and each spellcaster class includes a handy little chart that will show you how many slots of each spell level you have at any given class level.
Ritual casting
Sometimes you’re allowed to cast levelled spells (non cantrips) without having to use up one of your spells slots.
If a spell can be ritually cast — you’ll be able to tell if it has a little R beside it’s name — you can spend however much time that specific spell says it takes to Ritual cast it to save yourself from having to spend the spell slot.
Getting spell slots back
Most spellcasters can only restore their expended spell slots at the end of a long rest. But, this being D&D, there are some exceptions.
Warlocks get their small amount of spell slots back at the end of a short rest (they have so few because their spells are ALWAYS going to be cast at the highest possible level), Wizards can use Arcane Recovery to get some slots back at the end of a short rest (determined by their Wizard level), and Sorcerers… well Sorcerers can just go ahead and exchange their sorcery points for spell slots whenever they want.
Sorcery points will need to be another article entirely, I’m realizing.
Half and quarter casters
Now you don’t need to go full Merlin in order to cast some spells in D&D 5e. Most classes (or at least subclasses within that class) have the ability to cast spells — just not quite to the extent of the full casters like Wizards, Druids, and Sorcerers.
Paladins and Rangers are considered half-casters, meaning that they unlock new spell levels at a rate that’s roughly half that of a full caster. They’ll never get spell slots over 5th level, but that’s the tradeoff you make for a 22 AC and a huge ass longsword.
Some sub-classes, like the Eldritch Knight or the Arcane Trickster, are considered quarter-casters, because they unlock spells and spell slots at an even slower pace than their half-casting counterparts.
Still, even will just a few spell slots and a limited number of known spells to use, quarter casters and half casters provide a great way for those intimidated by the spell management in D&D 5e to dip their toes a little.
In conclusion
If I’m being honest, this is all just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to How Spells Work in D&D 5e. We’ll cover spell range, components, durations, AoE, and more in future article down the line, but really, if you want to play a spellcaster in D&D, spell slots are all you need to understand to get started.
You can pick everything else up as you go along, and I’m sure that your DM and fellow players will be more than happy to answer whatever questions you may have.
Good luck!
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