In Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game (DFRPG), what spells can a cleric or druid access with a given level of Power Investiture? We’ve got handy lists for that! And what spells can a wizard learn with a given level of Magery? We’ve got… well, not a handy list. Because it’s a little complex for the wizards. Learning a given spell requires a given level of Magery and, often, one or more prerequisites (which aren’t always even spells). So a list of spells by Magery level still wouldn’t let wizards just pick out spells like clerics and druids do.

On top of that, such a list would be long, as wizards blow away the priestly types in sheer number of spells available. And it wouldn’t be useful at all for wizards built from Adventurers‘ template; they all have Magery 3, letting them tackle every listed spell anyway (miscellaneous prerequisites, like IQ, allowing). So DFRPG made a sensible choice in not bothering with a list.

Fan blogs, however, don’t bother with “sensible”! I went and made a Wizardly Spell List. Again, it’s by no means a needed thing. But it is handy for a thing or two: namely, eyeballing what spells are potentially available for an off-template wizard with less than Magery 3 – or any elf or half-elf looking to exercise Magery 0.

So there it is below. And wow, it sure is long – a tad over 300 spells, if I count correctly. A couple of cautions before you make any use of this:

1. Don’t forget: a spell listed by your Magery level – even if you have Magery 3 – doesn’t mean you can necessarily learn that spell. Many have long chains of prerequisites, and a spell or one of its prerequisite spells may call for a certain IQ or other requirement. Be ready to flip through that copy of Spells.
2. Many spells can be approached through multiple chains of prerequisites. I’ve done my best to find the minimum Magery level to attain each spell; that is, if a spell is placed under Magery 1, there’s some road to learning that spell with just Magery 1. But the alternate path you’d prefer to follow may require a higher level of Magery.
3. I got a lot of help with this list-making from a spreadsheet of DFRPG spells I made. Many spells in the game have a clearly noted level of minimum Magery; filling in Magery for the rest was not unlike a crossword or sudoku puzzle (you have to confirm the minimum Magery for the spell’s prerequisites, which requires first checking the minimum Magery for their prerequisites, which…) The point of which is this: There’s tons of room for errors in my list! If something looks wrong, please leave a comment.

Wizardly Spell List

Superscripts indicate special non-spell prerequisites, whether stated for the given spell or required by one or more of its prerequisite spells: minimum IQ or DX requirements, or the requirement that the wizard know several languages.

Magery 0: Air Jet, Alertness (VH), Ambidexterity, Balance, Blackout, Blur, Borrow Language, Borrow Skill^IQ11, Bravery, Breathe Water, Bright Vision, Climbing, Clumsiness, Cold, Colors, Complex Illusion^IQ11, Concussion, Continual Light, Control Person, Cook, Coolness, Copy, Create Air, Create Fire, Create Food, Create Water, Dark Vision, Darkness, Daze^IQ12, Debility, Decay, Dehydrate, Destroy Air, Destroy Water, Drunkenness^IQ12, Dull (Sense), Dullness (VH), Earth to Air, Earth Vision, Essential Food (VH), Extinguish Fire, Fascinate^IQ12, Fasten, Fear, Find Weakness, Fireproof, Flame Jet, Foolishness^IQ12, Freeze, Frostbite, Garble, Gift of Letters^languages (VH), Gift of Tongues^languages (VH), Glass Wall, Glow, Glue, Grace, Grease, Great Voice, Haste, Hawk Vision, Heat, Hide, Hide Emotion, Hide Thoughts, Hinder, Hush, Ice Dagger, Ice Sphere, Icy Missiles, Icy Weapon, Ignite Fire, Illusion Disguise^IQ11, Illusion Shell^IQ11, Independence^IQ11, Infravision, Initiative, Invisibility, Itch, Keen Hearing, Keen (Sense), Knot, Know Illusion^IQ11, Lend Language, Lend Skill^IQ11, Light, Light Jet, Loyalty, Mage-Stealth, Mapmaker, Mass Daze^IQ13, Mass Sleep^IQ13, Measurement, Mind-Reading, Mind-Search (VH), Mind-Sending, Mirror, Nauseate, Night Vision, Nightingale, No-Smell, Noise, Pain, Panic, Persuasion, Poison Food, Prepare Game, Purify Air, Purify Food, Purify Water, Reflect Gaze (VH), Reflexes, Rejoin, Resist Cold, Resist Fire, Resist Lightning, Resist Sound, Resist Water, Restore, Retch, Rooted Feet, Roundabout, See Invisible, Seek Earth, Seek Fire, Seek Food, Seek Water, Sense Danger, Sense Emotion, Sense Foes, Sense Life, Shape Air, Shape Earth, Shape Fire, Shape Water, Sickness, Silence, Silver Tongue, Simple Illusion^IQ11, Sleep^IQ12, Smoke, Soul Rider, Sound, Sound Jet, Spasm, Stench, Stiffen, Strike Blind, Strike Deaf, Strike Dumb, Stun, Tanglefoot, Telepathy (VH), Tell Position, Terror, Test Food, Test Load, Thunderclap, Tickle, Truthsayer, Umbrella, Voices, Walk on Air, Walk on Water, Walk Through Earth, Wall of Silence, Warmth, Watchdog, Water Jet, Water Vision, Weaken, Windstorm, Wisdom

Magery 1: Analyze Magic, Apportation, Astral Vision (VH), Aura, Banish, Charm, Control Illusion, Counterspell, Create Earth, Death Vision, Deflect Energy, Deflect Missile, Delayed Message, Detect Magic, Dispel Illusion, Dispel Magic, Earth to Stone, Entrap Spirit, Explosive Fireball, Explosive Lightning, Far-Feeling, Far-Hearing, Far-Tasting, Find Direction, Fire Cloud, Fireball, Flesh to Stone, Forgetfulness^IQ12, Frailty, Great Haste^IQ12 (VH), History, Hold Breath, Identify Spell, Know Location, Lend Energy, Levitation, Light Tread, Lighten Burden, Lightning, Locksmith, Mage Sight, Magelock, Magic Resistance, Manipulate, Message^IQ12, Might, Missile Shield, Mystic Mist, Paralyze Limb, Pathfinder^IQ12, Perfect Illusion, Possession (VH), Projection, Purify Earth, Quick March, Recover Energy, Reflect, Repel Spirits, Sandstorm, Scryguard, See Secrets^IQ12, Seek Magic, Seeker^IQ12, Sense Spirit, Sensitize, Share Energy, Shatter (VH), Shocking Touch, Slow, Slow Fall, Spark Cloud, Spark Storm, Stone Missile, Stone to Earth, Strengthen Will, Sunbolt, Sunlight, Swim, Total Paralysis, Trace^IQ12, Turn Spirit, Undo, Vigor, Wall of Lightning, Wallwalker, Ward, Weaken Will^IQ12, Wizard Eye

Magery 2: Agonize, Armor, Astral Block, Bladeturning, Burning Touch, Command, Command (Spirit), Compel Truth, Deathtouch, Entombment, Flaming Missiles, Flaming Weapon, Flight (VH), Great Ward, Iron Arm^DX11, Lightning Missiles, Lightning Weapon, Lockmaster, Pentagram, Phantom (VH), Repair, Resist Pain, Rive (VH), Scry Gate, Seek Gate, Sense Evil, Sharpen, Shatterproof, Shield, Spell Shield, Steelwraith, Stone to Flesh, Summon Spirit, Teleport Shield, Trace Teleport^IQ13, Wither Limb

Magery 3: Blink^IQ13, Blink Other^IQ13 (VH), Control Gate, Divert Teleport^IQ13 (VH), Ethereal Body (VH), Phase, Phase Other (VH), Protection from Evil

Bargain-basement wizardry?

This little exercise answers an all-important question: “So if I’m an elf or half-elf, how many spells can I learn?” The clear answer: With just Magery 0, a character has access to about half the wizardly spell list! At a glance, this looks like the greatest bargain in the game: get the magic-sensing benefits of Magery 0, and pretty much as many spells as you might like, for a mere 5 points plus 1 point per spell! Who wouldn’t want that?

Well, a downside becomes apparent when you give the ploy a try. For a net outlay of just 10 to 20 points on spell-casting prowess (including the cost of Magery 0), your IQ 10 elf or half-elf can eagerly load up with several to over a dozen spells and head to the dungeons, ready to unleash those mighty magicks… at a skill level of 7 or 8. Yikes! That’s down in the slow-and-loud “ritual casting” zone, definitely not the look a wannabe Galadriel has in mind. Getting those spells up to a useful level demands more Magery, more IQ, or further points per spell – i.e., the sacrifices that real wizards have to make. (And there’s more to wizardry than just spells, of course; a serious prestidigitator will want decent levels in wizards’ other weird skills to tackle miscellaneous magical challenges. Those are tough skills to master at IQ 10.)

And, of course, you’ll face the disappointment of learning that particular desired spells are beyond the reach of Magery 0. These include the ever-popular Fireball and the beloved Recover Energy.

All this doesn’t mean that an elven swashbuckler, knight, or what-have-you can’t make great use of Magery 0. The trick is to focus on spells that aren’t resisted, don’t take frequent penalties (e.g., for distance), and don’t suffer from slow casting (due to doubled casting time and/or casting failures). That mainly leaves out direct-attack combat spells. By contrast, simple buffs, food spells, and many information-related spells, to name some examples, can typically be cast without penalties. They’re often handy outside of combat, in situations that don’t demand fast and assured casting. Low skill level means such spells will fail as often as any other spells, but there’s no big harm in re-casting them a time or few until they finally work.

And the situation is quite a bit better for professions with IQ at the runner-up level. An elven thief with IQ 13, for example, will have those 1-point spells at level 10 or 11. Much better! There are a lot of great things your elven adventurer can do with a dozen or so spells at level 11.

But leave the flashy combat stuff to a real wizard.

More resources

• At the SJG Forums, ArchonShiva offers this list of DFRPG spells available at Magery 0.

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Header image: I don’t know what’s going on here, but I think it’s an application of a legendary Magery 4 spell.