If you’re playing a magical character, like a Wizard or Cleric, then you may want to know, How many spells can you have in D&D?
Magical characters can technically learn an unlimited number of official and homebrew spells in D&D. Magical characters receive spells based on class, race, and level. There are approximately 509+ official spells in D&D. There is a limit of 50 spell slots. A spellbook can contain up to 100 spells.
In this article, I’ll cover everything you need to know about how many spells you can have in D&D.
How Many Spells Can You Have in D&D? (Character Class)
The number of spells you can have will depend on several things, such as the class and your Dungeon Master (DM).
Bards
For example, the Bards class gets access to two known cantrips, four known spells, and two 1st level spell slots at the first game level.
As they level up and advance toward the 20th level, they gain more.
At the 20th level, they get twenty-two known spells, four known cantrips, and twenty-two spell slots on all nine slot levels.
Rangers
The Rangers class gets zero known spells and zero first-level slots at the first game level.
They, however, gain access to more as they level up and eventually get a total of 11 known spells and 15 spell slots.
Of course, a Ranger (or any class) can gain additional spells if the DM allows it.
Sorcerers
Sorcerers get a limit of two known spells, four cantrips, and two spell slots at the 1st level.
They gain access to more as they level up and eventually reach the twentieth level. At that level, they get fifteen known spells, six known cantrips, and twenty-one spell slots.
Warlock
The Warlock class gets access to two known spells, two known cantrips, and one spell slot at the first level.
They gain more as they go up the game levels.
At level 20, they get a total of fifteen known spells, four known cantrips, and four spell slots. However, unlike other classes, Warlocks have fewer and fixed spell slots for each level.
Warlocks also get up to 8 invocations.
Druids
Druids get access to many cantrips. They get two of them and two spell slots at the first level. This number increases as they move up the game and eventually reach the top.
They get four known cantrips and twenty-two spell slots at the 20th level.
Clerics
Clerics can have up to three known cantrips and two 1st level spell slots when they start the game.
They have access to more as they level up. At the 20th level, they can access five cantrips and twenty-two spell slots.
Paladins
Paladins only get access to spell slots up to the fifth level.
They get five spell slots on the second game level and fifteen on the twentieth game level. While they know every spell on their spell list, they can only prepare a fixed number of spells per day based on their character level.
However, that can change after a long and restful sleep.
Once you wake up, you can choose a new list of prepared spells.
How Many Spells Can a Cleric Know in DND?
Clerics know all 119 spells available to them but they don’t learn them like other magical characters.
Let me explain.
Clerics are unique in the sense that they prepare spells without learning them. Wait, how is that possible?
The answer to the question, “How do Clerics learn spells?” is that their deities bestow spells as gifts.
Since they can only prepare spells, they do not technically learn any spell as they gain levels.
A level 1 Cleric can prepare spells from the list of level one spells equal to their Cleric level per day + Wisdom Modifier. Once they move to the next level and have access to 2nd level spells, they can prepare spells from that list.
This process continues as they move up in the D&D game.
Therefore, Clerics can have spells and prepare spells, but Clerics do not mechanically learn them.
How Many Spells Does a Wizard Learn Per Level?
The Wizard class can learn two extra spells each time you gain a level.
At the first level, get access to six spells. That means that by the 20th level, the character will have learned forty-four spells in total.
That’s not all.
Every time you come across a Wizard’s spell written in a scroll, you can learn that one too. However, to cast a spell, the Wizard must have reached or surpassed the level of the spell.
If not, you can drop it into a pack until you reach that level.
This way, when your DM drops spell scrolls like confetti, you will have the potential to learn every Wizard spell in D&D.
You may not learn cantrips with this method if you follow the official rules.
Although, your DM may allow you to do pick up cantrips this way, too.
Here is a good article about how many cantrips you can have in D&D.
How Many Spells Can a Wizard Know?
A Wizard can know all the spells from their class list and that exist in D&D—all 509 of them (and counting).
They are a little different from the rest of the classes. First, they have six layers of spell mechanism.
These mechanisms include:
- Spell slots
- Spells they choose as they level up
- A Wizard Spellbook
- Spells Known in their world
- The pool of prepared spells
- Wizard spell Research/ Creation
While they might be confusing at first, they are easy to comprehend once you learn the basic information.
The Wizard Spellbook
A spellbook contains all the spells that a wizard has learned from every source.
It’s basically a Wizard’s life work, which contains a measure of arcane knowledge and power. When they write any spell here, they can access, prepare, and cast it.
They may also find new spells they don’t have in their arcane memory.
Additionally, they can create their own with the approval of a DM. Another way to learn spells is when your Wizard kills an evil Wizard or Wizarddesses and takes their spellbook.
Spells Known in Their World
Your Wizard can learn all known spells and any other spell that resides in the world.
They can include rare, common, uncommon, and the secret ones from some Wizards. However, they are spells mainly from the core rulebooks such as Xanathars, Players Handbook, and more.
Your DM can also homebrew unlimited spells.
Spells They Choose as They Level Up
According to the rule as written (RAW), your Wizard gets five level one spells at the 1st game level.
From here, they learn two extra spells each time you gain a level. That means that by the twentieth level, Wizards will have 27 spells at their disposal.
Wizard Spell Research/Created
The Wizard’s spell research and creation is a complex mechanism compared to other D&D classes.
The mechanism allows you to research and create spells that you don’t have, but only if the DM permits.
The Pool of Prepared Spells
According to RAW, Wizards prepare a spell from their spellbook.
From this, they create a pool of prepared spells. The pool contains one spell per intelligence modifier and one spell from each Wizard level.
That means a level 7 Wizard will have four spells with +18 intelligence and seven prepared spells.
That’s not to say that you can cast all eleven spells. It only means you can choose any spell from the pool of 11 options.
Here is a good video that goes over the difference between spell slots and spells known:
Is There a Limit to How Many Spells a Wizard Can Learn in D&D?
There is no official limit to how many spells a Wizard can learn in D&D.
A Wizard can learn every official spell in Dungeons and Dragons. Depending on the “homebrew” or “house rules” set forth by your Dungeon Master, a Wizard might be able to learn additional spells.
It is also possible for a Wizard to learn more spells by wielding a magical item or familiar.
Another option: Deities can bestow special powers and spells on Wizards.
How Many Spells Can I Have in My Spellbook?
There is a limit to the number of spells magical characters can copy into a spellbook. According to the official rules, each spellbook comes with 100 pages. Therefore, you can have a maximum of 100 spells in your spellbook.
For instance, if you have a 1st level Wizard with six spells, your spellbook will have 6/100 used pages.
You may talk to your DM to add pages or allow you to buy several spellbooks. That would give you a way around the limit.
However, certain spells take up several of them, depending on the spell level.
Each time you level up in your class, you can choose two additional, new spells to inscribe in your spellbook.
If you choose Wizard as your class, you can have six 1st level spells in your spellbook at the first level. You also know cantrips, but cantrips get memorized.
You don’t put them in your spellbook.
You can add two new spells per each spell slot level as you go up in levels.
By the 20th level, you will have copied all spells in your class’s list to your spellbook. That includes those from scroll spells.
Remember, you can copy any (non-cantrip) spell from your spell list to your spellbook, not just those available at the first level.
The same general principle applies to other magical classes as well.
Final Thoughts: How Many Spells Can You Have in D&D?
Dungeons and Dragons will occasionally release new spells in new publications. Therefore, there will likely never be a limit or a ceiling to the number of spells your character can learn in D&D.
In other words, there will never truly be a finite answer to the question, “How many spells can you have in D&D?”
I actually find that exciting. I hope you do, too.
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