This is something that has been bugging me for a while now: When reading through the Player’s Handbook (PHB), it’s really hard to understand how the rules for magic differ between classes. If all you want to know is how magic works for your specific class, it’s perfect! But I’d like to compare and contrast the mechanics of using magic in D&D 5e. So I went and did a bunch of homework to sum this up for future reference.

This article isn’t about flavour. It’s not about how the magic using classes differ based on where they get their magic from. It’s about the core mechanics. I’m using the SRD as a reference here, except for the Artificer, which is described in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Note that the licensing of the SRD overrules the licensing on this site for content quoted from there.

Here’s what I learned.

Spellcasting Basics

The various classes differ in their Spellcasting Ability. This directly affects your Spell save DC and your Spell attack modifier.

Spell save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Spellcasting Ability modifier

Spell attack modifier = proficiency bonus + Spellcasting Ability modifier

Next, we can also group them into their Spellcasting Type: Full Casters and Half Casters have a different progression of spell slots, with Full Casters gaining access to level 9 spells at level 17, whereas Half Casters only going up to level 5 spells. Half Casters progress more slowly than Full Casters.

Warlocks are the odd ones out here, being something called Pact Casters. Like Half Casters, Pact Casters only progress to level 5 spells. Unlike the other casters, their spell slots are not divided by spell level - they have less spell slots, but all spells are cast at the highest spell level they have reached. They have a lot less spell slots than the other casters, but gain them back after a short rest - instead of the long rest required by the others.

Finally, Half Casters generally don’t get cantrips, except for the Artificer.

Class Spellcasting Type Spellcasting Ability Cantrips Known Max Spell level
Bard Full Caster Charisma Yes 9
Cleric Full Caster Wisdom Yes 9
Druid Full Caster Wisdom Yes 9
Sorcerer Full Caster Charisma Yes 9
Wizard Full Caster Intelligence Yes 9
Artificer Half Caster Intelligence Yes 5
Paladin Half Caster Charisma No 5
Ranger Half Caster Wisdom No 5
Warlock Pact Caster Charisma Yes 5

Spell Preparation and Spell Learning

The next table focuses on how each class manages their spells, including how they acquire new spells, whether they need to prepare spells, and how they recover their spell slots.

There are two main ways a magic user learns spells:

  • Choose new spells when levelling up / No preparation needed
  • Access to entire spell list / Prepare spells each day

The Wizard class is an outlier here: They need to prepare spells each day, but they don’t automatically have access to the entire Wizard spell list. Instead, they’re supposed to go and find additional spells in dungeons, old books, scrolls etc. in addition to the spells they get to choose when levelling up.

The Half Casters also don’t all use the same strategy. Artificer and Paladin are supposed to prepare spells each day. The amount of spells they can prepare is calculated using the following formula:

Number of spells prepared: Spell Ability modifier + half your level, rounded down (minimum of one spell).

Class How They Get New Spells Prepare Recovery Mechanism Spellcasting Focus
Bard Choose new spells when leveling up No preparation needed Long rest Musical Instrument
Cleric Access to entire Cleric spell list Prepare spells each day Long rest Holy Symbol
Druid Access to entire Druid spell list Prepare spells each day Long rest Druidic Focus
Sorcerer Choose new spells when leveling up No preparation needed Long rest None
Wizard Choose new spells when leveling up or copy from spell scrolls/books Prepare spells each day Long rest Arcane Focus
Artificer Access to entire Artificer spell list Prepare spells each day Long rest Tools/Arcane Focus
Paladin Access to entire Paladin spell list Prepare spells each day Long rest Holy Symbol
Ranger Choose new spells when leveling up from Ranger spell list No preparation needed Long rest None
Warlock Choose new spells when leveling up from Warlock spell list No preparation needed Short rest Arcane Focus

Of course there are other differences, special features and perks of the different classes, but these are the main ones affecting the main mechanics of using magic.