10
\$\begingroup\$

Can a spell being cast via a magic item be considered to be more than one class' spell at the same time? Specifically, items phrased along the lines of "While holding it, you can use an action [...] to cast [a spell] from it", with no ties to a particular class (such as Wand of Magic Missiles, Helm of Teleportation, Wand of Entangle, etc.).

The reason I'm asking this question is it seems like it is possible via an odd interaction quirk of the following rules that I'm aware of, and I wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything:

  • From the answers over on the question of "What makes a spell being cast considered to be a {class} spell?", the implication is that something is a 'class spell' if it is on that class' spell list.

  • The multiclass spellcasting rules state "Each spell you know and prepare is associated with one of your classes". However, in an instance where you are a multiclassed character who neither knows nor has prepared the spell from either class, I don't think this rule would apply, removing the limit of being associated with only one class.

  • My current understanding is that spells cast from magic items can still be considered class spells, as per the answer to "Can a sorcerer spell cast from a magic item trigger a Wild Magic Surge" (plus, they are still on the class' spell list, as mentioned above).


(For a specific application of where this may matter, consider this example: Could a multiclassed 10th level School of Evocation wizard/1st level Wild Magic sorcerer PC benefit from both Empowered Evocation and Wild Magic Surge on a single cast of magic missile from a Wand of Magic Missiles, assuming that they did not pick up magic missile as a spell via either of their classes? Empowered Evocation and Wild Magic Surge care that the spell being cast is a wizard spell and a sorcerer spell, respectively.)

\$\endgroup\$
0

2 Answers 2

4
\$\begingroup\$

RaW, yes

RaW only specifies spells you know or prepare.

Each spell you know and prepare is associated with one of your classes

Since a spell from a magic item is neither, then all you check is whether that spell is on your classes' spell lists. If so, the spell can trigger effects from both.


Whether this agrees with RaI, I'm not sure. InSpaceICanScreamAsLoudAsIWant's answer shows some of the logic behind the rules, but this is a fairly niche edge-case, and I'm not surprised the rules don't cover it. I would discuss this with your DM. I don't think it would be broken for the spell to belong to both classes, but it is something for your table to decide and experiment with. If it's fun for everyone, why not spit out Wild Magic while doing Wizard shenanigans?

\$\endgroup\$
0
\$\begingroup\$

No

Per this tweet by Jeremy Crawford:

When a spell is associated with more than one class, a multiclass spellcaster chooses one of them and associates the spell with it.

So you must associate the cast spell (whether from an item or not) with a single class of yours.

For your specific example, to utilize the Empowered Evocation on a casting of magic missile from a Wand of Magic Missiles, you would need to choose to cast the spell as a wizard spell. Alternatively, you can choose to cast magic missile as a Sorcerer spell, and thus the casting can trigger a Wild Magic Surge. You can make this choice each time you cast the spell from the Wand, however.

\$\endgroup\$
3
  • 5
    \$\begingroup\$ Good answer; I still have a slight concern in that the question he's responding to with that tweet is one in which the rule of "Each spell you know and prepare is associated with one of your classes" would apply and in my hypothetical it wouldn't, but his ruling is a more general one that would catch my situation if it was intended to apply more broadly than just what he's responding to. +1 regardless. \$\endgroup\$
    – CTWind
    Feb 21, 2019 at 6:11
  • 5
    \$\begingroup\$ -1 Crawford's Tweets are no longer considered official rulings on their own \$\endgroup\$ Feb 21, 2019 at 19:14
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ @DavidCoffron regardless, this is still a well-researched answer that addresses the question in an appropriate manner. +1 from me. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 22, 2020 at 18:15

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .