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I was trying to build a character for my next D&D campaign, and the question came up in my mind while picking spells for my bard/warlock multiclass.

For an example: I have the "Eldritch Sight" Invocation and I decide to Glyph of Warding it onto a ring, will that use a spell slot? since it does say in the invocation:

You can cast detect magic at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.

(Yes I am aware that I cannot move the glyph, I'm just using Detect Magic for the sake of the example)

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It will use a spell slot for the Glyph but not for the Detect Magic

Glyph of Warding says:

You can store a prepared spell of 3rd Level or lower in the glyph by casting it as part of creating the glyph.

Since you are casting the Detect Magic using an Invocation, this does not use a spell slot.

However …

Are you aware of this:

If you choose an object, that object must remain in its place, if the object is moved more than 10 feet from where you cast this spell, the glyph is broken and the spell ends without being triggered.

So the ring you are using cannot be moved more than 10 feet from where you cast the Glyph or the magic is lost.

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You only can store prepared spells into the glyph

Glyph of Warding has two modes: Explosive Runes, or Spell Glyph. Anyone can use the Explosive Runes mode. Reading the glyph's description, to store a spell into the glyph, the spell must be a prepared spell, because Glyph of Warding says:

You can store a prepared spell of 3rd level or lower in the glyph by casting it as part of creating the glyph.

This reduces to options for spontaneous casting classes that do not prepare spells, and instead know spells, like bards or warlocks. Clerics, wizards, and artificers all prepare their spells, but bards and warlocks do not. On a strict reading, a bard cannot store the spells they know into the glyph, because those are not prepared spells; they are limited to using the Explosive Runes mode. Likewise, if you have access to a spell via an Eldritch Invocation, it is not a prepared spell, and you cannot store it into the glyph.

This makes glyph of warding a less exciting choice for bards, and it is possible that the wording is just an oversight on behalf of the designers, glyph has had errata and causes lots of questions. It probably would not be unbalancing to allow casting known spells into the glyph.

As Dale points out, when you move the object you cast a glyph of warding on more then 10 feet away, the glyph breaks and the spell ends.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I dont think your strict reading of “prepared” is correct, so that’s why I’ve downvoted. \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Dec 14, 2022 at 11:16
  • \$\begingroup\$ @ThomasMarkov Hi Thomas, interesting. I do not think that answer is correct, but I do agree that we all would like it to be correct, because we want bards to be able to store their spells in the glyph. I will answer on that other question, when I find time (and I already expect to get that downvoted by you and others that see it the same way, but I think it is valuable to present both interpretations). \$\endgroup\$
    – Nobody the Hobgoblin
    Dec 14, 2022 at 11:54
  • \$\begingroup\$ Probably. I won’t tell you that I will definitely downvote before I’ve read it, but there are some pretty big hurdles you’d have to overcome for me to agree with that conclusions. I upvote your good answers and downvote your poor ones, it’s nothing personal. \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Dec 14, 2022 at 12:15
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    \$\begingroup\$ If it is only for prepared spell casters, then why is it on the bard spell list? \$\endgroup\$
    – dndndndndnndndndnd
    Dec 14, 2022 at 13:38
  • \$\begingroup\$ You can still cast it for explosive runes, but I agree: the intended use is probably for the bard to be able to store their spells, it's just not what they wrote in the spell. And so far they did not issue a SAC ruling or errata on it. But I'll answer in more depth on that other question, which is focused on that aspect. For your use, even if you could, putting a one use detect magic on a ring you cannot move for 200 gp is unlikely to be a good use of resources. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nobody the Hobgoblin
    Dec 14, 2022 at 13:43

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