Novice questions about lvl 1 wizards

[itsred]

Hi. I'm fairly new to 3.5 and Pathfinder and am trying to build a wizard and have come unstuck once I got to spell selection.

First, how many spells does a wizard know at level 1? A quick check on the net says it's 3 +int bonus but I can't find it anywhere in the Core rulebook. Is this correct and what page is it on?

Secondly, if you have an Int bonus of +3 can you fill your extra 2nd and 3rd level spell slots with 1st level spells or do they not come into play until you can cast spells of that level?

I'm quite sure once these questions have been answered I'll kick myself at how obvious it is, but right now I can't see the wood for the trees, so to speak.

[Pooh]

itsred wrote:

Hi. I'm fairly new to 3.5 and Pathfinder and am trying to build a wizard and have come unstuck once I got to spell selection.

First, how many spells does a wizard know at level 1? A quick check on the net says it's 3 +int bonus but I can't find it anywhere in the Core rulebook. Is this correct and what page is it on?

Secondly, if you have an Int bonus of +3 can you fill your extra 2nd and 3rd level spell slots with 1st level spells or do they not come into play until you can cast spells of that level?

I'm quite sure once these questions have been answered I'll kick myself at how obvious it is, but right now I can't see the wood for the trees, so to speak.

I'm pretty new myself but i believe the answer is on Page 76 of the Core Rulebook.

A player may know any number of spells. That is however many spells he has written down in his spellbook. He can only memorise and cast the number of spells listed on table 3-16 on page 80. For a first level wizard that would be 3 cantrips and 1 1st level spell plus 1 bonus spell if his int. is high enough. The wizard can cast those 3 cantrips over and over any number of times.

We've always played that a player doesn't get bonus spells for his int. until he is high enough level to cast them.

Pooh

[TerraZephyr]

page 79 under Spellbooks

A wizard knows all 0 level spells (except prohibited) and then 3 spells plus a number of spells equal to his Intelligence bonus. So, if you have a Int bonus of +3 then you're looking at 6 1st level spells that you start with in your spell book.

page 16, Abilities and spell caster says the caster must be able to cast spells of that level before he gets bonus spells.

edit: assuming by "know" you are referring to how many spells he starts with in his spellbook. Preparing and number of spells is different and you use the chart on page 80.

[Paul Watson]

itsred wrote:

Hi. I'm fairly new to 3.5 and Pathfinder and am trying to build a wizard and have come unstuck once I got to spell selection.

First, how many spells does a wizard know at level 1? A quick check on the net says it's 3 +int bonus but I can't find it anywhere in the Core rulebook. Is this correct and what page is it on?

Secondly, if you have an Int bonus of +3 can you fill your extra 2nd and 3rd level spell slots with 1st level spells or do they not come into play until you can cast spells of that level?

I'm quite sure once these questions have been answered I'll kick myself at how obvious it is, but right now I can't see the wood for the trees, so to speak.

Page 79, under Spellbooks is where you'll find the rules for how many spells a wizard starts with in his book.

And you're second opinion is the correct one. You don't get a bonus spell until you cast that level of spell as indicated by the class table.

[itsred]

Thanks. As soon as I read p79 I did indeed kick myself (metaphorically) as I suspected I would.