Summary

  • Wizards get more versatility with spell changes and expertise, enhancing their identity.
  • Spellbook secrecy is highlighted, with a need for Identify, adding intrigue to magical knowledge.
  • Level 3 subclass choice allows for specialization, while simpler spell preparation encourages experimentation.

Wizards are the spell masters of Dungeons & Dragons, being able to potentially learn more spells than any other class can. The 2024 Player's Handbook keeps that identity up and running, maintaining what makes wizards who they are while giving them a few new options to showcase their knowledge.

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The changes found within the 2024 rules mostly revolve around versatility, giving wizards more options to change up their spells during a single day, or even cantrips when long resting. If you’re looking to play a wizard in the future, be sure to keep these changes in mind.

7 The Spellbook Can’t Be Easily Read By Others

They Will Need To Cast Identify

The Wizard Leomund by Michele Giorgi.

A wizard’s spellbook is the core of their identity, since without it, they would have a difficult time swapping spells or even learning new ones. While you don’t want other people putting their hands on it in the best of cases, in the off chance that they do, you’re better off if they can’t read the contents.

Now your spellbook has a little more secrecy, since the 2024 Player's Handbook adds a nice little feature where other people can’t read your spellbook, unless they cast Identify. Of course, this doesn’t only apply to you, so if you want to take spells from a recently defeated spellcaster, you better have Identify ready within the pages of your own book.

6 Scholar

Expertise For Wizards

A Wizard and her familiar by Katerina Ladon.

Expertise used to be a mechanic closely associated with rogues, but nowadays, plenty of other classes have some access to it. When wizards make it to level two in the 2024 Player's Handbook, they get the scholar feature, which lets them have expertise in one of a select list of skills.

Expertise is applied to a skill you are already proficient in. Said proficiency is doubled.

The skills are Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, and Religion. You can now prove your deep magical knowledge by being an expert in Arcane lore, or roleplay as a magical detective by having expertise in Investigation.

5 You Now Gain Your Subclass At Level Three

You’ll Have To Wait Another Level To Specialize In A School

The Witch Tasha by Linda Lithen.

All classes have had their subclass choice standardized in the 2024 Player's Handbook, with each having their choice at level three, and the book containing four choices for each class. This means that wizards, who used to be able to gain their subclass at level two, will now have to wait for an additional level.

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This is a minor change in the grand scheme of things, so much so that old subclasses are easily adaptable to the new model. Simply make whatever they used to give you at level two happen at three, and you’ll be ready to play the new and improved 2024 wizard.

4 Simpler Way To Prepare Spells

No More Need For Calculations

A human Wizard by Aaron J Riley.

In the original 2014 rules, the number of spells you could prepare from your spellbook was equal to your level plus your Intelligence modifier. This calculation, at the end of the day, was the same for nearly every wizard, since they all wanted to have their intelligence reach the highest possible value in the shortest amount of time.

This, in turn, made wizard players reluctant to try any other species that weren’t optimal, or take any feats that prevented them from getting 20 points in Intelligence. Now, the number of spells you can prepare is a fixed number per level, opening up players to experiment with all sorts of combinations.

3 Memorize Spell

A Quicker Way To Cast

An aasimar Wizard by Martina Fa Ckova.

Wizards can always replace spells after a long rest, but you don’t always have eight hours to prepare for an upcoming fight. This is where memorize spell comes in, a level five wizard feature that lets them use a short rest to replace one of their spells with another one from their spellbook.

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This is great for moments when you need to make a small change in a pinch. If, for example, you know you’re about to face a group of devils, it may be a good chance to take a short rest, swapping your trusty Fireball for something that will actually damage the fire immune monsters.

2 Epic Boons

Make Your Wizard As Powerful As It Can Be

Jallarzi’s Storm of Radiance by Joseph Weston.

All classes at level 19 gain the option to choose an epic boon, a special feat reserved for high level play that can fundamentally change how you play your character. Wizards already have many options to customize their characters, but what these boons offer can go above and beyond, as well as not expending spell slots.

The boon recommended by the 2024 Player's Handbook is spell recall, giving you a one in four chance to not spend a spell slot when casting a level four or below spell. While great, an even better option is the boon of dimensional travel, since low health wizards always need to reposition themselves out of harm’s way, so being able to teleport after each spell cast is a real blessing.

1 Replace Cantrips On Long Rests

Cantrip Formulas Are Back

A Scholarly Magic-User by Billy Christian.

An old optional feature for wizards was cantrip formulas, letting them change one of their cantrips during a long rest for any option in the wizard cantrip list. This is back as a core feature in the 2024 Player's Handbook, but at level one, giving players even more time to experiment with what they want to have as their bread and butter spell.

With so many cantrips being changed in some way, this feature lets everyone test out everything before falling back to the old favorites like Firebolt. While the old version of the feature required your spellbook, this one seems to be completely detached from it.

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