Does a NPC wizard know the spells in their stat block or spell book?












12












$begingroup$


In Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, there is an encounter with an apprentice wizard.



Apprentice Wizard in the appendix has a stat block with a spell list, however the adventure text states that this apprentice wizard has a spell book with a spell list that contains more spells than the stat block.



I'm happy running it with either set based on what my players can handle and most importantly, what will serve the game we agree we want best, but which spell list is intended to be used?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$

















    12












    $begingroup$


    In Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, there is an encounter with an apprentice wizard.



    Apprentice Wizard in the appendix has a stat block with a spell list, however the adventure text states that this apprentice wizard has a spell book with a spell list that contains more spells than the stat block.



    I'm happy running it with either set based on what my players can handle and most importantly, what will serve the game we agree we want best, but which spell list is intended to be used?










    share|improve this question











    $endgroup$















      12












      12








      12





      $begingroup$


      In Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, there is an encounter with an apprentice wizard.



      Apprentice Wizard in the appendix has a stat block with a spell list, however the adventure text states that this apprentice wizard has a spell book with a spell list that contains more spells than the stat block.



      I'm happy running it with either set based on what my players can handle and most importantly, what will serve the game we agree we want best, but which spell list is intended to be used?










      share|improve this question











      $endgroup$




      In Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, there is an encounter with an apprentice wizard.



      Apprentice Wizard in the appendix has a stat block with a spell list, however the adventure text states that this apprentice wizard has a spell book with a spell list that contains more spells than the stat block.



      I'm happy running it with either set based on what my players can handle and most importantly, what will serve the game we agree we want best, but which spell list is intended to be used?







      dnd-5e spells npc






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited Dec 5 '18 at 16:15









      SevenSidedDie

      207k31664940




      207k31664940










      asked Dec 5 '18 at 9:24









      StuperUserStuperUser

      2,92213061




      2,92213061






















          3 Answers
          3






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          35












          $begingroup$

          The following is an excerpt from the apprentice wizard stat block (emphasis mine):




          Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




          I would take this to mean that while this apprentice may have more spells in his spell book, he has a certain set of spells prepared. If you decide he can swap out these spells (as if he were a "player character" wizard) that is within your power as DM.






          share|improve this answer











          $endgroup$









          • 11




            $begingroup$
            Also, the spells in its spellbook might be of interest to the party spellcasters if they manage to get their hands on it; regardless of which the apprentice had prepared.
            $endgroup$
            – Matthieu M.
            Dec 5 '18 at 13:38



















          9












          $begingroup$

          Apprentice Wizard can use spells in the spellbook



          Stat block spells are in the spellbook



          As an introductory statement: all published adventures use the MM as a reference1.



          Most monsters are referred to in bold text: that means "go to the MM and see what that monster has." All other monsters will be in the Appendix for the adventure; each published adventure I have indicates which are in an appendix.



          With that in mind, the Monster Manual (page 10, under "Spellcasting") says:




          The monster has a list of spells known or prepared from a specific
          class. {snip}



          You can change the spells that a monster knows or has prepared, replacing any spell on its spell list with a spell of the same level and from the same class list. If you do so, you might cause the monster to be a greater or lesser threat than suggested by its challenge rating.




          In this case, the CR won't change; they are all 1st level spells, and I'll argue that the three in the stat block are the best choices to be prepared when the PCs are encountered.



          Apprentice Wizard is not in the MM. It is in Volo's Guide to Monsters. The stat block in this adventure's Appendix (p. 194) is identical to the one in Volo's Guide (p. 209).



          The spells available to that NPC (a first level caster) are (1) those from the stat block, which are all in the spell book:
          burning hands, shield, disguise self

          and (2) some other spells




          false life, unseen servant, witch bolt are the other three spells listed in the spellbook under the "Treasure" section for the encounter; he carries the book in his satchel (p. 29)




          Simple Solution



          He has the stat block spells prepared by default. Makes perfect sense, each is a useful spell: Burning hands, Shield, Disguise Self. Going with that makes it easier on the DM.



          Tailored Solution



          Replace one or all of the ones prepared (per stat block) with spells from the book that is available to that NPC wizard. Put another way, this is an NPC wizard with a little "fleshing out" already done for the DM.




          • My brother and I both do the same thing in our campaign. For Mage
            and Apprentice wizard NPC's, we usually create a spell book and roll
            randomly to see which ones are prepared that day before the session
            starts. (Some old school habits die hard)


          Which do you prefer: simple or tailored? Go with that.



          The published adventure does not limit you to the ones in the stat block.





          1 On page 7 of that adventure is a section entitled "running the adventure" which states that you need the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual to run this adventure. These are core rule books for the adventure. (SCAG is "helpful, but not necessary," they say).






          share|improve this answer











          $endgroup$





















            7












            $begingroup$

            Wizards can know more spells than they can prepare



            It's likely that this NPC wizard's spell book contains more spells that his stat block because those in his stat block are those he has prepared for the day.




            Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




            As a first level spellcaster, he should have the same number of cantrips as a Wizard PC at that level (3 cantrips; PHB, pg. 113) and either six or eight spells, depending on whether he's equivalent to a level 1 or level 2 PC (see PHB, pg. 114 for starting spells from spellbook):




            Spellbook



            At 1st level, you have a spell book containing six 1st level spells of your choice...



            [...]



            Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher



            Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook.




            If the NPC was built with PC character creation rules, then using the Wizard class features would have come to the same conclusion.



            Other published adventures have also had wizard NPCs whose spellbook you can find, and which contains more spells that in the NPC's statblock, but I am away from my books so currently so I can't provide any specific examples.






            share|improve this answer











            $endgroup$













              Your Answer





              StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
              return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
              StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
              StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["\$", "\$"]]);
              });
              });
              }, "mathjax-editing");

              StackExchange.ready(function() {
              var channelOptions = {
              tags: "".split(" "),
              id: "122"
              };
              initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

              StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
              // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
              if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
              StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
              createEditor();
              });
              }
              else {
              createEditor();
              }
              });

              function createEditor() {
              StackExchange.prepareEditor({
              heartbeatType: 'answer',
              autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
              convertImagesToLinks: false,
              noModals: true,
              showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
              reputationToPostImages: null,
              bindNavPrevention: true,
              postfix: "",
              imageUploader: {
              brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
              contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
              allowUrls: true
              },
              noCode: true, onDemand: true,
              discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
              ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
              });


              }
              });














              draft saved

              draft discarded


















              StackExchange.ready(
              function () {
              StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f136811%2fdoes-a-npc-wizard-know-the-spells-in-their-stat-block-or-spell-book%23new-answer', 'question_page');
              }
              );

              Post as a guest















              Required, but never shown

























              3 Answers
              3






              active

              oldest

              votes








              3 Answers
              3






              active

              oldest

              votes









              active

              oldest

              votes






              active

              oldest

              votes









              35












              $begingroup$

              The following is an excerpt from the apprentice wizard stat block (emphasis mine):




              Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




              I would take this to mean that while this apprentice may have more spells in his spell book, he has a certain set of spells prepared. If you decide he can swap out these spells (as if he were a "player character" wizard) that is within your power as DM.






              share|improve this answer











              $endgroup$









              • 11




                $begingroup$
                Also, the spells in its spellbook might be of interest to the party spellcasters if they manage to get their hands on it; regardless of which the apprentice had prepared.
                $endgroup$
                – Matthieu M.
                Dec 5 '18 at 13:38
















              35












              $begingroup$

              The following is an excerpt from the apprentice wizard stat block (emphasis mine):




              Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




              I would take this to mean that while this apprentice may have more spells in his spell book, he has a certain set of spells prepared. If you decide he can swap out these spells (as if he were a "player character" wizard) that is within your power as DM.






              share|improve this answer











              $endgroup$









              • 11




                $begingroup$
                Also, the spells in its spellbook might be of interest to the party spellcasters if they manage to get their hands on it; regardless of which the apprentice had prepared.
                $endgroup$
                – Matthieu M.
                Dec 5 '18 at 13:38














              35












              35








              35





              $begingroup$

              The following is an excerpt from the apprentice wizard stat block (emphasis mine):




              Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




              I would take this to mean that while this apprentice may have more spells in his spell book, he has a certain set of spells prepared. If you decide he can swap out these spells (as if he were a "player character" wizard) that is within your power as DM.






              share|improve this answer











              $endgroup$



              The following is an excerpt from the apprentice wizard stat block (emphasis mine):




              Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




              I would take this to mean that while this apprentice may have more spells in his spell book, he has a certain set of spells prepared. If you decide he can swap out these spells (as if he were a "player character" wizard) that is within your power as DM.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Dec 5 '18 at 9:45

























              answered Dec 5 '18 at 9:35









              L0neGamerL0neGamer

              1,385319




              1,385319








              • 11




                $begingroup$
                Also, the spells in its spellbook might be of interest to the party spellcasters if they manage to get their hands on it; regardless of which the apprentice had prepared.
                $endgroup$
                – Matthieu M.
                Dec 5 '18 at 13:38














              • 11




                $begingroup$
                Also, the spells in its spellbook might be of interest to the party spellcasters if they manage to get their hands on it; regardless of which the apprentice had prepared.
                $endgroup$
                – Matthieu M.
                Dec 5 '18 at 13:38








              11




              11




              $begingroup$
              Also, the spells in its spellbook might be of interest to the party spellcasters if they manage to get their hands on it; regardless of which the apprentice had prepared.
              $endgroup$
              – Matthieu M.
              Dec 5 '18 at 13:38




              $begingroup$
              Also, the spells in its spellbook might be of interest to the party spellcasters if they manage to get their hands on it; regardless of which the apprentice had prepared.
              $endgroup$
              – Matthieu M.
              Dec 5 '18 at 13:38













              9












              $begingroup$

              Apprentice Wizard can use spells in the spellbook



              Stat block spells are in the spellbook



              As an introductory statement: all published adventures use the MM as a reference1.



              Most monsters are referred to in bold text: that means "go to the MM and see what that monster has." All other monsters will be in the Appendix for the adventure; each published adventure I have indicates which are in an appendix.



              With that in mind, the Monster Manual (page 10, under "Spellcasting") says:




              The monster has a list of spells known or prepared from a specific
              class. {snip}



              You can change the spells that a monster knows or has prepared, replacing any spell on its spell list with a spell of the same level and from the same class list. If you do so, you might cause the monster to be a greater or lesser threat than suggested by its challenge rating.




              In this case, the CR won't change; they are all 1st level spells, and I'll argue that the three in the stat block are the best choices to be prepared when the PCs are encountered.



              Apprentice Wizard is not in the MM. It is in Volo's Guide to Monsters. The stat block in this adventure's Appendix (p. 194) is identical to the one in Volo's Guide (p. 209).



              The spells available to that NPC (a first level caster) are (1) those from the stat block, which are all in the spell book:
              burning hands, shield, disguise self

              and (2) some other spells




              false life, unseen servant, witch bolt are the other three spells listed in the spellbook under the "Treasure" section for the encounter; he carries the book in his satchel (p. 29)




              Simple Solution



              He has the stat block spells prepared by default. Makes perfect sense, each is a useful spell: Burning hands, Shield, Disguise Self. Going with that makes it easier on the DM.



              Tailored Solution



              Replace one or all of the ones prepared (per stat block) with spells from the book that is available to that NPC wizard. Put another way, this is an NPC wizard with a little "fleshing out" already done for the DM.




              • My brother and I both do the same thing in our campaign. For Mage
                and Apprentice wizard NPC's, we usually create a spell book and roll
                randomly to see which ones are prepared that day before the session
                starts. (Some old school habits die hard)


              Which do you prefer: simple or tailored? Go with that.



              The published adventure does not limit you to the ones in the stat block.





              1 On page 7 of that adventure is a section entitled "running the adventure" which states that you need the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual to run this adventure. These are core rule books for the adventure. (SCAG is "helpful, but not necessary," they say).






              share|improve this answer











              $endgroup$


















                9












                $begingroup$

                Apprentice Wizard can use spells in the spellbook



                Stat block spells are in the spellbook



                As an introductory statement: all published adventures use the MM as a reference1.



                Most monsters are referred to in bold text: that means "go to the MM and see what that monster has." All other monsters will be in the Appendix for the adventure; each published adventure I have indicates which are in an appendix.



                With that in mind, the Monster Manual (page 10, under "Spellcasting") says:




                The monster has a list of spells known or prepared from a specific
                class. {snip}



                You can change the spells that a monster knows or has prepared, replacing any spell on its spell list with a spell of the same level and from the same class list. If you do so, you might cause the monster to be a greater or lesser threat than suggested by its challenge rating.




                In this case, the CR won't change; they are all 1st level spells, and I'll argue that the three in the stat block are the best choices to be prepared when the PCs are encountered.



                Apprentice Wizard is not in the MM. It is in Volo's Guide to Monsters. The stat block in this adventure's Appendix (p. 194) is identical to the one in Volo's Guide (p. 209).



                The spells available to that NPC (a first level caster) are (1) those from the stat block, which are all in the spell book:
                burning hands, shield, disguise self

                and (2) some other spells




                false life, unseen servant, witch bolt are the other three spells listed in the spellbook under the "Treasure" section for the encounter; he carries the book in his satchel (p. 29)




                Simple Solution



                He has the stat block spells prepared by default. Makes perfect sense, each is a useful spell: Burning hands, Shield, Disguise Self. Going with that makes it easier on the DM.



                Tailored Solution



                Replace one or all of the ones prepared (per stat block) with spells from the book that is available to that NPC wizard. Put another way, this is an NPC wizard with a little "fleshing out" already done for the DM.




                • My brother and I both do the same thing in our campaign. For Mage
                  and Apprentice wizard NPC's, we usually create a spell book and roll
                  randomly to see which ones are prepared that day before the session
                  starts. (Some old school habits die hard)


                Which do you prefer: simple or tailored? Go with that.



                The published adventure does not limit you to the ones in the stat block.





                1 On page 7 of that adventure is a section entitled "running the adventure" which states that you need the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual to run this adventure. These are core rule books for the adventure. (SCAG is "helpful, but not necessary," they say).






                share|improve this answer











                $endgroup$
















                  9












                  9








                  9





                  $begingroup$

                  Apprentice Wizard can use spells in the spellbook



                  Stat block spells are in the spellbook



                  As an introductory statement: all published adventures use the MM as a reference1.



                  Most monsters are referred to in bold text: that means "go to the MM and see what that monster has." All other monsters will be in the Appendix for the adventure; each published adventure I have indicates which are in an appendix.



                  With that in mind, the Monster Manual (page 10, under "Spellcasting") says:




                  The monster has a list of spells known or prepared from a specific
                  class. {snip}



                  You can change the spells that a monster knows or has prepared, replacing any spell on its spell list with a spell of the same level and from the same class list. If you do so, you might cause the monster to be a greater or lesser threat than suggested by its challenge rating.




                  In this case, the CR won't change; they are all 1st level spells, and I'll argue that the three in the stat block are the best choices to be prepared when the PCs are encountered.



                  Apprentice Wizard is not in the MM. It is in Volo's Guide to Monsters. The stat block in this adventure's Appendix (p. 194) is identical to the one in Volo's Guide (p. 209).



                  The spells available to that NPC (a first level caster) are (1) those from the stat block, which are all in the spell book:
                  burning hands, shield, disguise self

                  and (2) some other spells




                  false life, unseen servant, witch bolt are the other three spells listed in the spellbook under the "Treasure" section for the encounter; he carries the book in his satchel (p. 29)




                  Simple Solution



                  He has the stat block spells prepared by default. Makes perfect sense, each is a useful spell: Burning hands, Shield, Disguise Self. Going with that makes it easier on the DM.



                  Tailored Solution



                  Replace one or all of the ones prepared (per stat block) with spells from the book that is available to that NPC wizard. Put another way, this is an NPC wizard with a little "fleshing out" already done for the DM.




                  • My brother and I both do the same thing in our campaign. For Mage
                    and Apprentice wizard NPC's, we usually create a spell book and roll
                    randomly to see which ones are prepared that day before the session
                    starts. (Some old school habits die hard)


                  Which do you prefer: simple or tailored? Go with that.



                  The published adventure does not limit you to the ones in the stat block.





                  1 On page 7 of that adventure is a section entitled "running the adventure" which states that you need the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual to run this adventure. These are core rule books for the adventure. (SCAG is "helpful, but not necessary," they say).






                  share|improve this answer











                  $endgroup$



                  Apprentice Wizard can use spells in the spellbook



                  Stat block spells are in the spellbook



                  As an introductory statement: all published adventures use the MM as a reference1.



                  Most monsters are referred to in bold text: that means "go to the MM and see what that monster has." All other monsters will be in the Appendix for the adventure; each published adventure I have indicates which are in an appendix.



                  With that in mind, the Monster Manual (page 10, under "Spellcasting") says:




                  The monster has a list of spells known or prepared from a specific
                  class. {snip}



                  You can change the spells that a monster knows or has prepared, replacing any spell on its spell list with a spell of the same level and from the same class list. If you do so, you might cause the monster to be a greater or lesser threat than suggested by its challenge rating.




                  In this case, the CR won't change; they are all 1st level spells, and I'll argue that the three in the stat block are the best choices to be prepared when the PCs are encountered.



                  Apprentice Wizard is not in the MM. It is in Volo's Guide to Monsters. The stat block in this adventure's Appendix (p. 194) is identical to the one in Volo's Guide (p. 209).



                  The spells available to that NPC (a first level caster) are (1) those from the stat block, which are all in the spell book:
                  burning hands, shield, disguise self

                  and (2) some other spells




                  false life, unseen servant, witch bolt are the other three spells listed in the spellbook under the "Treasure" section for the encounter; he carries the book in his satchel (p. 29)




                  Simple Solution



                  He has the stat block spells prepared by default. Makes perfect sense, each is a useful spell: Burning hands, Shield, Disguise Self. Going with that makes it easier on the DM.



                  Tailored Solution



                  Replace one or all of the ones prepared (per stat block) with spells from the book that is available to that NPC wizard. Put another way, this is an NPC wizard with a little "fleshing out" already done for the DM.




                  • My brother and I both do the same thing in our campaign. For Mage
                    and Apprentice wizard NPC's, we usually create a spell book and roll
                    randomly to see which ones are prepared that day before the session
                    starts. (Some old school habits die hard)


                  Which do you prefer: simple or tailored? Go with that.



                  The published adventure does not limit you to the ones in the stat block.





                  1 On page 7 of that adventure is a section entitled "running the adventure" which states that you need the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual to run this adventure. These are core rule books for the adventure. (SCAG is "helpful, but not necessary," they say).







                  share|improve this answer














                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer








                  edited Dec 6 '18 at 1:07









                  V2Blast

                  21.8k365139




                  21.8k365139










                  answered Dec 5 '18 at 15:54









                  KorvinStarmastKorvinStarmast

                  77.9k18242424




                  77.9k18242424























                      7












                      $begingroup$

                      Wizards can know more spells than they can prepare



                      It's likely that this NPC wizard's spell book contains more spells that his stat block because those in his stat block are those he has prepared for the day.




                      Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




                      As a first level spellcaster, he should have the same number of cantrips as a Wizard PC at that level (3 cantrips; PHB, pg. 113) and either six or eight spells, depending on whether he's equivalent to a level 1 or level 2 PC (see PHB, pg. 114 for starting spells from spellbook):




                      Spellbook



                      At 1st level, you have a spell book containing six 1st level spells of your choice...



                      [...]



                      Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher



                      Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook.




                      If the NPC was built with PC character creation rules, then using the Wizard class features would have come to the same conclusion.



                      Other published adventures have also had wizard NPCs whose spellbook you can find, and which contains more spells that in the NPC's statblock, but I am away from my books so currently so I can't provide any specific examples.






                      share|improve this answer











                      $endgroup$


















                        7












                        $begingroup$

                        Wizards can know more spells than they can prepare



                        It's likely that this NPC wizard's spell book contains more spells that his stat block because those in his stat block are those he has prepared for the day.




                        Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




                        As a first level spellcaster, he should have the same number of cantrips as a Wizard PC at that level (3 cantrips; PHB, pg. 113) and either six or eight spells, depending on whether he's equivalent to a level 1 or level 2 PC (see PHB, pg. 114 for starting spells from spellbook):




                        Spellbook



                        At 1st level, you have a spell book containing six 1st level spells of your choice...



                        [...]



                        Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher



                        Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook.




                        If the NPC was built with PC character creation rules, then using the Wizard class features would have come to the same conclusion.



                        Other published adventures have also had wizard NPCs whose spellbook you can find, and which contains more spells that in the NPC's statblock, but I am away from my books so currently so I can't provide any specific examples.






                        share|improve this answer











                        $endgroup$
















                          7












                          7








                          7





                          $begingroup$

                          Wizards can know more spells than they can prepare



                          It's likely that this NPC wizard's spell book contains more spells that his stat block because those in his stat block are those he has prepared for the day.




                          Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




                          As a first level spellcaster, he should have the same number of cantrips as a Wizard PC at that level (3 cantrips; PHB, pg. 113) and either six or eight spells, depending on whether he's equivalent to a level 1 or level 2 PC (see PHB, pg. 114 for starting spells from spellbook):




                          Spellbook



                          At 1st level, you have a spell book containing six 1st level spells of your choice...



                          [...]



                          Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher



                          Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook.




                          If the NPC was built with PC character creation rules, then using the Wizard class features would have come to the same conclusion.



                          Other published adventures have also had wizard NPCs whose spellbook you can find, and which contains more spells that in the NPC's statblock, but I am away from my books so currently so I can't provide any specific examples.






                          share|improve this answer











                          $endgroup$



                          Wizards can know more spells than they can prepare



                          It's likely that this NPC wizard's spell book contains more spells that his stat block because those in his stat block are those he has prepared for the day.




                          Spellcasting. The apprentice is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:




                          As a first level spellcaster, he should have the same number of cantrips as a Wizard PC at that level (3 cantrips; PHB, pg. 113) and either six or eight spells, depending on whether he's equivalent to a level 1 or level 2 PC (see PHB, pg. 114 for starting spells from spellbook):




                          Spellbook



                          At 1st level, you have a spell book containing six 1st level spells of your choice...



                          [...]



                          Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher



                          Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook.




                          If the NPC was built with PC character creation rules, then using the Wizard class features would have come to the same conclusion.



                          Other published adventures have also had wizard NPCs whose spellbook you can find, and which contains more spells that in the NPC's statblock, but I am away from my books so currently so I can't provide any specific examples.







                          share|improve this answer














                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer








                          edited Dec 5 '18 at 9:49

























                          answered Dec 5 '18 at 9:36









                          NathanSNathanS

                          24.7k8116261




                          24.7k8116261






























                              draft saved

                              draft discarded




















































                              Thanks for contributing an answer to Role-playing Games Stack Exchange!


                              • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                              But avoid



                              • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                              • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                              Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


                              To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                              draft saved


                              draft discarded














                              StackExchange.ready(
                              function () {
                              StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f136811%2fdoes-a-npc-wizard-know-the-spells-in-their-stat-block-or-spell-book%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                              }
                              );

                              Post as a guest















                              Required, but never shown





















































                              Required, but never shown














                              Required, but never shown












                              Required, but never shown







                              Required, but never shown

































                              Required, but never shown














                              Required, but never shown












                              Required, but never shown







                              Required, but never shown







                              Popular posts from this blog

                              Plaza Victoria

                              Puebla de Zaragoza

                              Musa