# How do I determine how many spell slots I have when multiclassing?

How do I determine how many spell slots I have if I multiclass into more than one spellcasting class? For example, I have a character that is a level 3 Wizard, a level 5 Eldritch Knight Fighter, a level 4 Arcane Trickster Rogue, a level 4 Paladin, and a 4 Warlock. How many spell slots do I have and how do I determine this?

# You would use the rules for Multiclass Spellcasting.

The Multiclass Spellcasting rules state (PHB, p. 164-165):

You determine your available spell slots by adding together all your levels in the bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, and wizard classes, half your levels (rounded down) in the paladin and ranger classes, [half your levels (rounded up) in the artificer class,] and a third of your fighter or rogue levels (rounded down) if you have the Eldritch Knight or the Arcane Trickster feature. Use this total to determine your spell slots by consulting the Multiclass Spellcaster table.

So in this case your spellcaster level is 8 and would have 4 first level spell slots, 3 second level slots, 3 third level slots, and 2 fourth level slots.

I got eight from 3 levels in wizard + ((5 levels in Fighter with Eldritch Knight + 4 levels in Rogue with Arcane Trickster) over 3) + (4 levels in Paladin over 2). That's 3 + (9/3) + (4/2) or 3 + 3 + 2.

The Multiclass Spellcaster table is reproduced below:

$$\begin{array}{c|ccc ccc ccc } \text{Level}& \text{1st}& \text{2nd}& \text{3rd}& \text{4th}& \text{5th}& \text{6th}& \text{7th}& \text{8th}& \text{9th} \\ \hline \text{1st}&2&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&- \\ \text{2nd}&3&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&- \\ \text{3rd}&4&2&-&-&-&-&-&-&- \\ \text{4th}&4&3&-&-&-&-&-&-&- \\ \text{5th}&4&3&2&-&-&-&-&-&- \\ \text{6th}&4&3&3&-&-&-&-&-&- \\ \text{7th}&4&3&3&1&-&-&-&-&- \\ \text{8th}&4&3&3&2&-&-&-&-&- \\ \text{9th}&4&3&3&3&1&-&-&-&- \\ \text{10th}&4&3&3&3&2&-&-&-&- \\ \text{11th}&4&3&3&3&2&1&-&-&- \\ \text{12th}&4&3&3&3&2&1&-&-&- \\ \text{13th}&4&3&3&3&2&1&1&-&- \\ \text{14th}&4&3&3&3&2&1&1&-&- \\ \text{15th}&4&3&3&3&2&1&1&1&- \\ \text{16th}&4&3&3&3&2&1&1&1&- \\ \text{17th}&4&3&3&3&2&1&1&1&1 \\ \text{18th}&4&3&3&3&3&1&1&1&1 \\ \text{19th}&4&3&3&3&3&2&1&1&1 \\ \text{20th}&4&3&3&3&3&2&2&1&1 \\ \end{array}$$

Worth noting is that thus far all of our spell slots are essentially combined into a single shared pool of slots. None of them are class specific but they can be used by all of your classes. You regain these spell slots on a long rest according to each of the spellcasting features. This does still allow you to use features like the Wizard's Arcane Recovery to gain some back on a short rest (in this case either a level 2 slot or two level 1 slots)

Also note that this does NOT change what spells you can learn by leveling up, that is determined as if you are a single classes member of that class. Meaning that you learn spells as a level 3 wizard, or as a level 5 Eldritch Knight, or as a level 4 Arcane Trickster, or as a level 4 Paladin, or as a level 4 Warlock. See this Q&A for more details: If I multiclass into 2 or more spellcasting classes, how do I determine my known/prepared spells?

Notice that you add the Fighter and Rogue levels BEFORE dividing them. Otherwise you would be a level 7 spellcaster. Also if you were less than level 3 in either Fighter or Rogue you would not have the subclass which grants you the spellcasting feature making you a level 6 spellcaster. The same applies if you were only level 1 in Paladin.

## But what about my Warlock levels?

The same section on Multiclass Spellcasting also says this about Pact Magic:

If you have both the Spellcasting class feature and the Pact Magic class feature from the warlock class, you can use the spell slots you gain from the Pact Magic feature to cast spells you know or have prepared from classes with the Spellcasting class feature, and you can use the spell slots you gain from the Spellcasting class feature to cast warlock spells you know.

What this essentially means is that these slots are completely independent of the rest. They are not affected by the rest of your levels. You can however, still cast your Warlock spells with the slots from your Wizard, Fighter, Rogue, and Paladin classes and you can use your Warlock spell slots (which recover on a short rest!) to cast your spells from those classes. They're separate but compatible.

So your total number of spell slots, after adding in your 4 levels in Warlock (which according to the Warlock Table gives you 2 second level spell slots) are 4 first level spell slots, 5 second level slots, 3 third level slots, and 2 fourth level slots. And two of those second level slots recover on a short rest.

## Special note: Eldritch Smite is Warlock slot only

Disclaimer: this part of the answer was originally posted by András but I wanted to add it here for the sake of completeness

Only warlock spell slots from the Pact Magic feature can be expended to use Eldritch Smite; spell slots from the Spellcasting feature do not work with it.

An unofficial tweet by rules designer Jeremy Crawford in November 2017 confirms that this was intentional (unlike the paladin's Divine Smite, which had similar wording initially but was changed in errata later to work with any spell slot):

Talking about Eldritch Smite; can you only use Warlock spell slots to power it, or can you use any slot (à la Divine Smite)? The RAW on it specifies Warlock slots.

Eldritch Smite works with warlock spell slots only—the ones you get from Pact Magic.

Judging by the similar wording, we can assume the same applies to the following other Eldritch Invocations: Bewitching Whispers, Dreadful Word, Minions of Chaos, Sculptor of Flesh, Sign of Ill Omen, and Thief of Five Fates.

• Just pointing out that your assertion that "you add the Fighter and Rogue levels BEFORE dividing them" is a contested stance: "How do paladin and ranger class levels add up for multiclass spellcasting?" You can fold that into your answer if you want, but I think readers should know that small detail – Medix2 Mar 31 at 21:46
• To add to the last section. There are a small number of warlock features that require warlock spell slots, not other spell slots. Fr example Bewitching Whispers, Dreadful Word, and Eldritch Smite. – Greenstone Walker Mar 31 at 22:09
• Thanks, I've added that information in – Himitsu_no_Yami Mar 31 at 23:04
• The first quote doesn't actually match what the PHB multiclass spellcasting rule says. Rather than making it seem as if the quote says something it doesn't, I'd advise noting the artificer's own rule separately - especially since it rounds up instead of down, which is different from the other half-casters (and one-third casters). – V2Blast May 19 at 23:32