Does Spell Breaker allow an Abjurer to attempt to dispel a spell twice in 1 turn?

Question

In the 2024 update to D&D 5e, the rule limiting the casting of multiple spells per turn has changed:

On a turn, you can expend only one spell slot to cast a spell. This rule means you can’t, for example, cast a spell with a spell slot using the Magic action and another one using a Bonus Action on the same turn.

Additionally, the 10th level Abjurer feature has changed. I haven't seen the exact text of it yet, but Jeremy Crawford described the new "Spell Breaker" feature (replacing Improved Abjuration) pretty clearly in this video. From his description:

• Counterspell and Dispel Magic are always prepared
• Can cast Dispel Magic as a bonus action
• If either spell fails, "your spell slot is not expended"

JC goes on to give an example of where casting Dispel Magic as a bonus action might be relevant: dispelling the magical barrier around a MacGuffin as a bonus action and then "doing something else" with their action all in one turn. In this example, the bonus action Dispel Magic is successful and the spell slot is expended. But what if the dispel attempt fails, and the Abjurer has to try again? Since the Abjurer's failed dispel attempt does not expend a spell slot, can they simply cast Dispel Magic again as an action to get a second chance to dispel it on the same turn? Or does the rule quoted above somehow prevent that?

(Note: Feel free to answer based on the actual text of the feature in the new 2024 PHB, if that differs from what JC described in the linked video.)

Answer 1

The full text of the level 10 Abjurer feature Spell Breaker reads:

You always have the Counterspell and Dispel Magic spells prepared. In addition, you can cast Dispel Magic as a Bonus Action, and you can add your Proficiency Bonus to its ability check.

When you cast either spell with a spell slot, that slot isn’t expended if the spell fails to stop a spell.

So it aligns with the description.

There is no specific guidance on whether you are able to cast another spell with your action. However the specific language of “that slot isn’t expended” does match the specific language in the rules for casting multiple spells: “On a turn, you can expend only one spell slot to cast a spell.”

This would seem to be intentional. If an Abjurer casts Dispel Magic using a bonus action and it fails, a spell slot isn’t expended. If they cast it again as a Magic action, and it succeeds, then they expend one spell slot. They’ve only expended one spell slot on their turn, so the rule is clearly followed.

The ambiguity comes only from the given example, which uses more general language of “casting a spell with a spell slot”. While that could be interpreted to mean attempting to cast a spell in a way that would use a spell slot if successful, I think the intent of these rule changes is fairly clear: to reduce the number of ways in which spell slots (a more finite resource than actions) are wasted to no effect. So I’d interpret this using the “exceptions supersede general rules” - under normal circumstances casting two levelled spells in a turn would expend two spell slots, but in the Abjurer’s case it doesn’t if the first one fails.