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In Baldur’s Gate 3, you can browse spells by level, school, or class. A spell’s level is not your character’s level: it indicates the spell’s power and the slot generally needed to cast it. Cantrips are level 0 and usually cost no slot. Which spells you can use—and how you select them—depends on your class and on whether a spell comes from a class, an item, a race, or a scroll.
How to browse BG3 spells
A spell reference is easiest to use through three filters:
- Level: Shows spells by spell level, from level 0 cantrips through level 6 spells.
- School: Groups spells by their magical category.
- Class: Shows which class lists include a spell, helping you check whether your character can access it.
Spell entries can also be compared by casting time, range or area, duration, effect, attack roll or saving throw, concentration requirements, and whether the spell can be upcast. The relevant details vary by spell.
Spell level, character level, and spell slots
Spell level describes the spell, not the character. The game’s character-level cap is 12, while the spell reference includes spells through level 6. A leveled spell generally requires a spell slot of its level or higher; using a higher-level slot may strengthen spells that can be upcast.
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Cantrips
Cantrips are level 0 spells and can usually be cast without spending a spell slot. Their availability and effects still depend on the character’s class or other source of access.
Scrolls
Casting a spell from a scroll consumes the scroll rather than a spell slot. Scroll access is therefore different from learning or preparing a class spell, and a scroll’s casting ability can depend on where the spell comes from.
Which classes can access spells?
BG3’s spellcasting classes and subclasses have different spell-list access and slot progression. The reference groups them as follows:
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| Category | Classes or subclasses | Maximum spell level in the reference |
|---|---|---|
| Full casters | Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | Level 6 |
| Half casters | Paladin, Ranger | Level 3 |
| One-third casters | Arcane Trickster, Eldritch Knight | Level 2 |
These categories describe access to spell levels, not a promise that every character in the category learns every spell at the maximum level. A character’s class, subclass, and level determine the available choices.
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Learning spells versus preparing them
Spell access and spell selection are separate questions. Some classes choose spells as they gain levels; Clerics, Druids, and Paladins automatically learn the spells available to them as they level. Wizards use a spellbook and prepare spells from it.
How Wizard spell selection works
The Wizard reference says a Wizard selects six spells initially, gains two additional spell choices per level-up, and can transcribe spells from scrolls into their spellbook. A Wizard then prepares spells out of that book. This is a Wizard-specific system, not the general rule for all spellcasters.
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How multiclassing affects spell slots
For characters with the Spellcasting feature in multiple classes, calculate effective spellcaster level by adding the classes’ fractional contributions and rounding down. The resulting effective level determines ordinary spell-slot progression; it does not grant access to every spell on every class list. Warlock Pact Magic is a separate system and should not be treated as ordinary Spellcasting progression.
Because spell access and slots are not identical, check both the character’s individual class levels for spells they can learn and the multiclass slot progression for resources available to cast them.
Which ability does a spell use?
The casting ability depends on the spell’s source, so identify that source before interpreting its attack rolls or saving-throw difficulty.
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- Class-learned spell: Uses the spellcasting ability associated with the class that learned it.
- Wizard spell transcribed from a scroll: Counts as a Wizard spell and uses Intelligence.
- Item or other non-class or race source: The reference says the spell uses the ability associated with the class in which the character most recently took a first level. It notes exceptions for non-spellcasting Fighter and Rogue levels.
This source-dependent rule is why a spell granted by an item may not use the same ability as a character’s learned class spells.
How to choose between spells
Compare spells by what they cost, what they can affect, and what kind of check they require—not by level alone. For two options, check:
- Spell level and the slot required, including whether the spell can be upcast.
- Class availability and whether the spell must be learned, prepared, or obtained another way.
- Range, area, target limits, casting time, and duration.
- Whether it makes an attack roll or asks targets for a saving throw.
- Its effect and any concentration or other restrictions shown in the spell entry.
The spell and class lists are community-maintained references, not established here as official Larian publications. Their details may change; verify mechanics in-game after relevant updates.
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