D&D Beginner’s Guide: Spellcasting Basics
Spellcasting can be a somewhat confusing subject for the inexperienced. But don’t worry; this article is a guide to everything necessary for slinging spells and casting hexes.
D&D’s spellcasting system can be complicated for new players to understand. That’s not to say the system itself is hard to get into. Actually, its simplicity and streamlined design are among D&D’s most significant selling points.
But players not getting spellcasting is nothing to scoff at, especially if they’re new.
Learning how to cast spells in D&D is a mouthful. The system has a lot of in-depth mechanics that don’t fit together fluidly like puzzle pieces should.
And as a once-new player who struggled to understand spellcasting, I know the frustration of not understanding everything. But trust me on this. Goblins can even understand it if it’s dumbed down enough!
I Hope They Have Fun Extracurriculars!
The first step to understanding how magic casting works is to know the different schools of magic and what they focus on. There are eight schools of magic as of 2024’s most recent release.
Knowing the different schools and what they bring to the table is essential for building a proper list of spells!
Evocation Magic
Evocation consists primarily of elemental-based spells and is where spellcasters will find most of their combat spells. This school lets players be pseudo-avatars of the elements, shooting fireballs, lightning bolts, and even the occasional healing spell from their fingertips.
Necromancy Magic
Necromancy is a school of magic that practically explains itself. Now, a fair warning: many virtuous individuals often view necromancy unfavorably. However, if a character still chooses to pursue these dark arts, they’re in for a world of fun. From resurrecting the dead to draining health from a target like a mosquito, necromancy spells are scary to deal with on the receiving end and have insane versatility.
Abjuration Magic
Abjuration is best described as the “I hit you! – Nuh-uh no you didn’t!” school of magic. Most of the other schools have a variety of damaging, offensive spells. However, its spells, like “Shield” or “Dispel Magic,” set abjuration magic apart. And who could forget about the good-old “Counter Spell?” A good spellcaster isn’t adventure-ready without one or two abjuration spells in their robe’s back pocket!
Divination Magic
If a player wants to play a medium or some scholarly old fart, then they’ll probably want to take a look at divination magic. The best way to describe divination spells is simply- if there is something a player wants to know, then a divination spell can tell them. I love using spells like “Arcane Eye” and “Legend Lore” to keep tabs on things happening in the campaign world.
Conjuration Magic
As players, we hate spending our hard-earned gold on things we could take for free, right? Well, consider that a thing of that past with conjuration magic! As a school of magic, not only does it let the arcane-influenced summon things like creatures or devils but also inanimate objects like weapons or deadly clouds of poison.
Transmutation Magic
So, let’s say the wizard wants to move a 5 ft cube of dirt onto a guy’s head because they cut in front of them in line. Or a hag intends to make a greedy adventurer suffer for invading their hut. Chances are, they’ll use a transmutation spell to make such dreams a reality.
Transmutation spells most commonly revolve around turning one thing into another, like transforming a human into a sheep via the “Polymorph” spell. More specifically, transmutation magic focuses on altering the physical status of something.
Enchantment Magic
Enchantment magic covers various supportive spells, all with many unique applications. For example, if the party needs to charm a guard, they could use the “Charm Person” spell. Or, if the barbarian’s weapon needs some extra oomph, they could cast the “Magic Weapon” spell instead! Is the enemy rolling too high? Boom! Get “Bane” spelled idiot! Naturally, the enchantment school of magic encompasses various spell types. When appropriately used, enchantment spells provide incredible buffs and debuffs that give the party an excellent fighting edge.
Illusion Magic
Despite not having many damage-oriented spells, illusion magic is one of the strongest schools a spellcaster can fixate on. As the name suggests, illusion magic is themed around spells that can mislead and disorient their targets.
Spells like these can be used for various applications, such as a player changing their appearance through the “Disguise Self” spell. Or, if a player is feeling especially mischievous, they could use the “Hypnotic Pattern” spell to charm an entire tavern of NPCs before robbing them all blind.
Spells and Spell Slots Simplified
Where most new players get overwhelmed with spellcasting is when someone tries to explain how spell slots work. And, oh my god, I am the token example of this.
I avoided playing full casters for the entire first year I played D&D because of how confused spell slots made me. Honestly, I felt beyond stupefied trying to understand why my scorching ray couldn’t be cast with a first-level spell slot.
To keep things simple, I will reference the 5E Wizard progression chart for this article.
What are Spell Slots?
Spell slots are what allow spellcasters to cast their spells. Without them, spellcasters would be old geriatric sages angrily waving around sticks and crystals.
Each class has a certain number of spell slots depending on their level. For example, at the fifth level, a wizard would have access to four first-level spell slots, three second-level spell slots, and two third-level spell slots. This means that a wizard can cast two third-level spells, three second-level spells, and four first-level spells before recharging their spell slots with a long rest.
Also, to recharge spell slots, almost every spellcaster class has to long rest to get them back. Unfortunately, even the most powerful wielders of the arcane require their beddy-byes.
However, many new players fail to understand that spells cannot be downcasted. This means that if a character has access to a level three spell, like fireball, they can only use level three spell slots (or higher) to cast it. So, spellcasters cannot use a second-level spell slot to rain fiery glory on their enemies.
Upcasting is okay. Downcasting is bad. Don’t do it. It’s impossible.
What Do “V”, “S”, and “M” Stand For?
In D&D, every spell has specific “components” that must be met before they can be cast. When a spell’s information is written down, its spell components are often abbreviated to V, S, and M.
Simply put, if a character can’t meet these bare basic requirements to cast a spell, then the spell just ain’t gonna happen, y’hear?
The V stands for Verbal. Meaning that, to cast the spell, the character has to be able to speak. So if they’re underwater or gagged, then the only thing they’ll be saying is- well- nothing. Because, y’know, they can’t speak.
The S stands for Somatic. No, not Socratic. Somatic. D&D is already full of enough argumentative conversation topics to begin with, after all.
For Somatic spells, the character has to have at least one hand free to make gestures while the spell is being cast. Because if a character can’t do sick hand signs while casting a spell, what’s the point in casting it in the first place?
Finally, the M stands for Material. Most commonly, unless a character is casting a spell via a spell focus (like a wand or a funny-looking rock), a spell will require some small item as a cost for the spell. These often scale with the level of the spell. So, wizard thats casting a level 1 spell, thank WotC that you only have to use a handful of dirt for the material cost instead of a diamond worth 300 gp.
Focus vs. Material Spellcasting
As previously stated, some spells have a material component to be cast. Yet, in most cases, this component can be circumvented.
Think about what a stereotypical wizard might look like.
What would a wizard not be caught dead without? That’s right—their magic wand/old tree branch (AKA their staff)!
However, spellcasters can circumvent the material components of most spells if they wield an arcane focus, like a wand or a staff. However, if the material required for a spell states its cost in gold, it will still need that component even if cast through a focus.
Using an arcane focus makes spellcasting easier to learn and simplifies the casting process. However, using materials can make way for unique character premises, making each spell the character casts much more valuable and impactful.
Wait—What Spells Do I Know Again?
Every class has a different way of learning spells. For some, like the Sorcerer or the Warlock, their level determines the number of spells they can know. Meanwhile, for classes like the Cleric and the Wizard, their stats and level determine the number of spells they can know at once.
These are “prepared spells” and can be calculated by adding the class level with their spellcasting modifier (Wisdom for Druid and Cleric, Intelligence for Wizard).
The main difference between the two is that a prepared spellcaster can switch out their prepared spells whenever they want at a long rest. In contrast, a leveled spellcaster can only switch their levels one at a time per long rest. Ultimately, the preference for which class the player wishes to play is up to them as both styles have their benefits.
And these pieces of advice are just touching the tip of the iceberg regarding all the spellcasting rules. Each class has mechanics and abilities that make their spellcasting unique, from class-specific spells to class features like a sorcerer’s meta magic or a wizard’s spell book.
The best way for players to learn how magic works is to simply play a spellcaster and see what they like about each class.
What do you think? Is there any advice I missed that you’d personally give to a new D&D player?
