Wizard Bonus Spells...

[Omote]

Old-school question:

Do wizard bonus spells represent the number of spells per day they can cast, or does wizard bonus spells dictate the number of spells a wizard knows. The reason for the question, though it seems obvious to more experienced players is that I was asked this question. When I explained the answer, I was told that the PHB wasn't written too specifically on the subject. After reading over the description, I will tend to agree that the explanation for wizard bonus spells is not the most clear.

-O
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[gideon_thorne]

Its unclear on purpose. Folks do it either way.

But here's a piece of logic arguing for the ideal of the # per day thing. It gives a spell caster a motive for capturing another wizards spell books. Not only more spells, but potentially different ones.

There is a trend for wizards to select all the same sorts of spells. It helps to have a variety.
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[serleran]

Bonus spells, as my understanding of the intent is, affects both spells one casts, and ones that you know -- since a spellbook for a beginning character has 1 spell / spell castable, though you can mix and match your prepared spells in any combination equaling your spells to cast.

This is the only time bonus spells does impact your spellbook -- you do not, for example, at level 3 automatically gain 1 2nd level spell because you have a bonus 2nd level spell. You gain the normal 1 spell, of any spell level you can cast, so, if you choose a 2nd level spell you can cast the same one twice (since you have no other options.) It does make things more interesting for the spellcasters to let them have the bonus here, too, but maybe a bit too much at the very high levels...

[Omote]

This question really irked me, but no longer!

I have always done this as Serleran does, but I have found the official answer in the PHB. In the magic section on page 46 under Bonus Spells the exact rule is described as only applying to the # of spells one casts per day. The wording on this could be challanged as well as not being clear enough. Though, in my estimation this is described well enough to not cause too much confusion.
-O
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[Breakdaddy]

Omote wrote:
This question really irked me, but no longer!

I have always done this as Serleran does, but I have found the official answer in the PHB. In the magic section on page 46 under Bonus Spells the exact rule is described as only applying to the # of spells one casts per day. The wording on this could be challanged as well as not being clear enough. Though, in my estimation this is described well enough to not cause too much confusion.
-O

I'm an easily confused rube, but this seems fairly well laid out to me (on page 46, not in the wizard description)

[Arioch]

serleran wrote:
Bonus spells, as my understanding of the intent is, affects both spells one casts, and ones that you know -- since a spellbook for a beginning character has 1 spell / spell castable, though you can mix and match your prepared spells in any combination equaling your spells to cast.

This is the only time bonus spells does impact your spellbook -- you do not, for example, at level 3 automatically gain 1 2nd level spell because you have a bonus 2nd level spell. You gain the normal 1 spell, of any spell level you can cast, so, if you choose a 2nd level spell you can cast the same one twice (since you have no other options.) It does make things more interesting for the spellcasters to let them have the bonus here, too, but maybe a bit too much at the very high levels...

I concur
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[Lord Dynel]

I've always thought that wizards had no "limit" to the spells they knew. Whatever they find and are able to put in their spellbook. I play it as bonus to spells cast.

Also, page 8 of the PHB, under the "Intelligence" entry kind of backs that up. But to each his own and all.

[serleran]

Having bonus spells to start the game with has no bearing on the number of spells one might eventually know. This is not AD&D where there is, actually, a limit to that (called maximum number of spells known / level.) In fact, it is more of a bonus (as in the term bonus spells) as it gives the caster more variety in spell selection as a reward for being all smart and stuff... or, Hermionesque.

[Lord Dynel]

Exactly. Bonus spells initially equate to the number of spells you have in your spellbook, but are not bound to the spells you are able to cast after that point. If you're a 1st level wizard with an Intelligence of 16, you start being able to cast 4 0-Level and 3 1st level spells. At the point, you also have 4 0-Level and 3 1st level spells in your spellbook. If you gain access to more spells (through looking at another person's spellbook or from finding a scroll, for example) then your spells known goes up, but your castable spells per day do not.

And it works both ways. If you lose your spellbook and get a new one with 2 0-Level and 1 1st level spell, you can still cast 4 0-Level and 3 1st level spells. I think the spells per day = spells known was done for the sake of simplicity at first level.

[Thoom]

On a related note, anyone has house rules for the number of spells of each level in the spell book of a wizard/illusionist when creating a higher level character?

[serleran]

I typically go for a random result of 1d4+3 / spell level, and then random each spell, excluding ones I specifically want the caster to have.