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I'm a bit confused about the druid's spellcasting. I checked several forum posts, the errata and the PH in German and English but still got a problem. The 5e PH says on p. 66:

Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.

Does this mean if I prepared Healing Word only one time I can use it as many times as I want to without resting? It's a big discussion between me, some companions and our DM. It feels way too overpowered to be true but everyone understands it this way.

p. 201 says:

Some characters and monsters have special abilities that let them cast spells without using spell slots. For example, a monk who follows the Way of the Four Elements, a warlock who chooses certain eldritch invocations, and a pit fiend from the Nine Hells can all cast spells in such a way.

Is this such an example? Thank you for your help! Greetings

NathanS
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Riskensi
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3 Answers3

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Prepared spells

Fifth edition does not use prepared spells in the same way 3.5 used to.

You do not prepare "Healing Word 5 times", you prepare "Healing Word". Then you can cast it using your spell slots, as long as you have the appropriate spell slot left.

You never need to prepare that single spell more than once, unless for some obscure reason you have the same spell on two different spell lists for two different classes, and want to be able to cast it as either class. (Because of attribute scaling or something, for example.)

Theik
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3

Unlike previous editions, 5e separates spell casting into spells prepared and spell slots.

Spells prepared are the spells you know that you have readied for the day. They can be changed after a long rest and depend on class level. The class description tells how many spells can be prepared, and where you can draw spells from.

Spell slots are the number of spells you can cast and depends on character level. For a single class caster, your class description tells how many slots you have and how you regain them (usually a long rest). A multiclass caster (for example druid/wizard) uses a different table for determining available spell slots.

Thus yes you can cast Healing Word repeatedly until you run out of spell slots. (Six times for a level 3 Druid)

Cantrips on the other hand are cast at will without using a spell slot.

See Chapter 10 (p. 202) of the Players Handbook for more detail.

ravery
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  • Maybe also worth mentioning that each class that can cast spells will have the number of spell slots of each level they get per day indicated on their class/level table. The description of the class will indicate how many spells that can prepare in a day (and where they can pick those spells from). – PJRZ Jul 12 '18 at 14:41
  • @PJRZ -- though spell slots is different for multiclassed casters, say a druid/wizard, It will not be equal to druid slots plus wizard slots. updated – ravery Jul 12 '18 at 14:46
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You prepare a certain number of spells, but you can only cast as many as you have spell slots.

This is explained on p.66 of the (English-language) Player's Handbook:

To cast one of these druid spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher.

Quadratic Wizard
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