Can A Wizard Perform A Spell Without First Learning It?

A wizard must prepare a list of spells they have available to cast, which does not depend on being in or out of combat. They can cast spells without their spellbook and their list will stay prepared until they prepare a new list. A wizard can cast a spell as a ritual if it has the ritual tag and is in their spellbook. However, they cannot copy non-Wizard spells into their spellbook.

As a sage, having an enchanted book can help with casting ritual spells. For example, find familiar is a ritual spell that can be cast without having it prepared or even expending a spell slot by taking an extra 10 minutes to cast it as a ritual. If you want to cast either spell at a higher level, you must expend a spell slot.

Reading the entire manual is not a prerequisite for playing this game. Wizards are supreme magic-users defined and united as a class by the spells they cast. They cast spells of a certain level, and a wizard without their spellbook still has their spells prepared. When resting, they regain their spell slots but retain the last spells they had prepared.

Wizards only need spellbooks when preparing new spells, casting rituals that aren’t prepared, or using their Arcane Recovery feature. In combat, a wizard can only cast prepared spells. Outside of combat, a wizard can cast any spell they have within their spellbook.

A wizard’s level limits the number of spells they can prepare and cast. High Intelligence scores may allow them to prepare a few extra spells. To save time, the rules for preparing and casting spells are provided.