“The paramount collector of spells.”
Open your spellbooks, everybody. Today we get a Wizard video.
The last version of the class was in the UA Playtest 7 package (PT7). It’s not clear how much they’ll say here. Of the base class, I am hoping that they have recanted the level 5 ability, Memorize Spell (or perhaps shifted it to needing a short rest). They’ve said that the PHB will get clearer rules for how illusions work — maybe they’ll talk about that? Other than that, I think the most they can do is show us some revised spells: Will the revised version of Counterspell be kept? Any surprise Necromancy reveals? Let’s find out.
OVERVIEW
- “the paramount collector of spells”: “many” of new spells are for the wizard.
- As in PT7: cantrip change after long rest (level 1); scholar — expertise in an academic field (at 2)
- NO MENTION OF ARCANE RECOVERY
- NEW: Ritual Adept broken out as a new class feature. They can cast spells in their spellbook, as before, but here ID’d as a new feature.
- NEW: Memorize Spell at 5: you can swap a spell after short rest. (YAY – sorry @OB1).
- Each subclass gets a new version of Savant: free spells in spellbook of preferred school. 2 free spells of favored class, and a new spell for each spell level (so every 2 levels, as in the playtest. THis isn’t what is said in the video, but has been corrected elsewhere.
SUBCLASSES
Abjurer
- new abjuration spells feeds back onto how subclass functions.
- NEW: Arcane Ward at 3: resistance, immunity applied before the Arcane Ward.
- NEW: Projected Ward a 6: your friend’s resistance is applied before the ward for them.
- NEW: Spell breaker at level 10: Counterspell and Dispell Magic are both prepared (PT7 did not include Counterspell). Dispell Magic is a bonus action.
Diviner
- NEW: Third Eye at 10. As in PT7, bonus action to activate; 120′ darkvision, see invisibility. NO MENTION of Greater Comprehension (“read any language”)
Evoker — “all about bringing the boom”
- As in PT7: Potent Cantrip at 3 applies to cantrips both with a saving throw or an attack roll.
Illusionist — “we felt that the subclass needed more” (YAY)
- NEW: Improved Illusions at level 3:
- cast illusion spells with no verbal components. (FUN)
- illusions with range with at least 10′ is increased to 60′ (no– by 60′ to 70′).
- you get minor illusion cantrip, with both visual and audible
- you cast minor illusion as a bonus action.
- NEW: Phantasmal Creatures
- summon beast and summon fey spells always prepared. These MAY BE changed from conjuration to Illusion, and the illusory version can be cast without expending a spell slot, but the summoned version, only with half the hit points. ONCE PER DAY.
- illusions can step on a trap to set it off (?!)
- (replacing Malleable Illusions, which I complained about here. This is so exciting.)
- NEW: Illusory Self triggered by you being hit by an attack (not when you are targeted). As in PT7, you can get more uses by giving up a spell slot of level 2+.
SPECIFIC SPELLS
- NEW: school shift to Abjuration: no examples
- Counterspell as in PT7.
- GUIDANCE ON ILLUSIONS in Rules Glossary. E.g. How are they affected by environment?
- spell descriptions also clarified. Rules Glossary to be discussed in future video (also conditions, areas of effects, guidance on teleportation, telepathy, “
- “being dead” to be discussed in Cleric Video. Tease…
So this gave much more than I was expecting, and it looks amazing. Playing an illusionist will now be much more clearly not a “mother may I?” situation, which (I feel) has long been the case. I think I got most of what I’d asked for in the PT feedback.
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