How D&D Magic Works (Without Needing a Law Degree)

A beginner’s guide to spellcasting in D&D that won’t melt your brain or your party.

Magic isn’t rocket science. It’s worse. Rocket science never made me memorize 37 pages of wand regulations.

If you’re new to D&D and wondering why casting a spell feels like translating ancient elvish legal scrolls during a goblin raid, don’t worry. I’ll walk you through the magical mess with minimal sighing, maximum sarcasm, and virtually no required reading.

Welcome to D&D for Beginners. Join Professor Lump (but I prefer "Richard") Crackfang, learned scholar and wizard, in exploring the most common questions of new and early D&D players. If you haven't yet, subscribe for free here:

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Ah, magic! That glittering promise of flinging fireballs, summoning familiars, and making your enemies smell like wet goblins (that last one’s not a real spell, but it should be).

If you’re new to Dungeons & Dragons — whether you’ve played a few sessions or are devouring the Player’s Handbook in a futile attempt to know everything there is to know before you start — reading all the magic rules can feel like you accidentally walked into a wizard’s graduate economics seminar. But fear not. Professor Richard Crackfang, the arcanist extraordinaire and definitely not a former orc bouncer, is here to make sense of it all.

No law degree required. No scrolls written in Draconic legalese. Just the bare-bones basics, with a dash of charm and a whiff of sulfur… and maybe last night bean burrito (sorry).

There Are Two Types of Spells: Cantrips & Leveled Spells

Think of cantrips like magical low-carb snacks. They're free. You can cast them as often as you want. No spell slots needed. Your magic-user can fire off these simple spells as easily as they can walk or count to 10. Zap, zap, zap.

Most spellcasting characters get a few cantrips to start, and they scale up as your character levels up. That means your puny little Fire Bolt becomes a respectable fur-scorcher later on.

Leveled spells, on the other hand, are the juicier stuff: your big kabooms, buffs, heals, and standby “Oh shit, I did NOT prepare for this” lifesavers.

Leveled spells are ranked from Level 1 to Level 9. The higher the level, the more complex they are and the more oomph they pack. And you are correct: Because they are bigger and better than cantrips, you can’t spam them like troll posts on 𝕏. Leveled spells are taxing on magic-users. To keep track of how much magic juice you have left, you’ll use “spell slots.”

Spell Slots: Like Magical Ammo

Spell slots tell you how many leveled spells you can cast before your brain turns to arcane oatmeal.

As a Level 1 character, you might only have two spell slots. That’s it. Two spells, and then you’re all tuckered out like a houseplant after three weeks of good intentions. But…

You don’t lose the spells forever. You just need a long rest (essentially a good night’s sleep) to recharge those spell slots.

Think of spell slots like a pistol magazine, and spells are the bullets in the magazine. As you fire spells, you gradually empty the magazine. Sleep. Reload the mag. Repeat.

Tip: Just because you know a spell, that doesn’t mean you can cast it a gazillion times. That’s why cantrips exist. Cantrips are the jabs; leveled spells are right hooks and uppercuts. Learn to love the jab. I do. (Mostly because I’m cheap.)

Wait. How Many Spells Can I Cast Per Day?

The higher the spell level, the fewer you can cast. More boom = more brain drain.

You can cast one leveled spell per spell slot. So if you have six spell slots — say four for Level 1 spells and two for level 2 spells — you can cast a total of six leveled spells before needing a rest. You decide which spells you want to cast with those slots, depending on what spells you have prepared.

On a related note, you’ll probably know a lot more spells than you have prepared. After a good snooze, you can look over all the spells you know and pick a few to mentally rehearse (like cramming for an exam) and pretend you actually remember. Those spells you chose to review are considered “prepared” until your next rest.

So if you want to cast the Level 1 Shield spell three times in a row, you need to have prepared it and have three unused spell slots.

But those tasty, low-carb cantrips? Free refills. Go nuts. Just don’t set the tavern on fire. Again.

Spellcasting Ability: It’s What Makes Your Magic Magic

Different classes use different mental muscles to power their spells:

• Wizards use Intelligence (big brains).

• Clerics and Druids use Wisdom (divine insight, tree-whispers, etc.).

• Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Paladins use Charisma (raw charm, confidence, or that big-Richard energy).

This ability affects two important numbers for spellcasters:

1. Spell Save DC – This is how hard it is for enemies to resist or avoid the effects of your spell.

2. Spell Attack Bonus – This is how likely you are to hit something with a spell that requires an attack roll, like Eldritch Blast aka “spicy pew pew”.

Don’t worry. These numbers are easy to determine, and your dungeon master (sometimes called game master) can tell you what these numbers are.

How Do I Know What My Spells Actually Do?

You don’t need to memorize anything.
Seriously.

Keep a list or cheat sheet handy with a word or two to give you an idea, like “Burning Hands – 15’ cone, DEX save.” Use a blank spot on your character sheet, sticky notes, apps, tattoo it on your arm, whatever helps. Then just read the actual spell description when you cast it.

In fact, most seasoned players still ask stuff like,
“Wait, does Misty Step require concentration?” (It doesn’t.)
Or “Can I Counterspell a Counterspell?” (Yeah, you cannnnn, but now you’ve started a wizard duel. Hope everyone brought popcorn.)

You’ll learn over time. Guaranteed. Fumble. Forget about it. It’s fine. That’s the fun.

A Few Tips to Survive and Thrive

• Start simple. Pick spells that sound like the most fun or might be useful. Don’t overthink it. You’re not writing a dissertation.

• Don’t hoard spell slots. You don’t get a prize for dying with unused spell slots. Trust me. I checked.

• Ask your DM/GM. If you're unsure whether a spell works a certain way, just ask. Simple.

Slinging magic isn’t about perfection. It’s about flavor, flair, and occasionally setting your own eyebrows on fire while trying to light a torch with Prestidigitation.

Trust me: The rules will make more sense the more you play. So grab your spellbook, channel your inner chaos, and remember that magic is less about knowing everything, and more about making fun stuff happen.

-- Dick Crackfang, A.W.E. (Arcane Wizard Extraordinaire)
Scholar. Wizard. Definitely Not a Brute Named Lump.

P.S. If you accidentally summon something infernal, don’t negotiate. Just run. Trust me on this.