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... for example... a 4th level wizard that is slain, remains the spells he learned when he leveled-up to 4th level? when he's brought back, he looses a level (to 3rd). when he gets enough xp to level-up to 4th again, does he learn two new spells?

Good question.

I think not, but other DM's might decide otherwise.

Originally posted by bookai
... for example... a 4th level wizard that is slain, remains the spells he learned when he leveled-up to 4th level?

Yup. Just as a writer who goes down a level doesn't lose a chapter in his latest book

You don't learn any new spells though.

... for example... a 4th level wizard that is slain, remains the spells he learned when he leveled-up to 4th level? when he's brought back, he looses a level (to 3rd). when he gets enough xp to level-up to 4th again, does he learn two new spells?

Yes to both.

A wizard having a level drained by say... a vampire, will lose the ability to cast his spells of level 4, but will not forget them (they are still in his spellbook). But a sorcerer would forget them, because they are part of his being (a sorcerer doesn't use spellbooks).

Example:

A wizard at level 3 and 4 has those numbers of spells memorized respectively :

Spell Level - 0 1 2
At level 3 - 4 2 1
At level 4 - 4 3 2

A level 4 wizard drained down to level 3 will cast one 1st level and one 2nd level spell less per day, but his list of known spells (the ones in his spellbooks) will not be modified.

A sorcerer has a list of *known* spells apart of the number of spells he can *memorize* (two different tables - see the sorcerer in PHB). If he has levels drained, he will cast less spells per day AND will forget some (of his/her choice unless the DM chooses otherwise).

See what I mean?

Now, when both the wizard and sorcerer level 3 will earn enough XP to be level 4 again, they will earn new spells per day capacity (back to level 4), and the sorcerer will be able to learn additional spells, which could be different from the ones he once had when he was level 4 before being drained.

...

maybe I didn't express myself properly... when the wizard attains 4th level again, does he add 2 more spells to his spellbook?

The wizard in D&D doesn't add spells that way. He learns them when they become available (aka finds them in a dungeon or buy scrolls etc) and copy them in his spellbook.

A sorcerer on the other hand learns spells with levels. See?

Originally posted by Odhanan
The wizard in D&D doesn't add spells that way.

Yes he does. He gains 2 new spells of a level he can cast when he levels, assuming he has had some time to research them beforehand. (Of course he can always scribe spells, but that takes a lot of time and money.)

A wizard does not gain new spells if he is level drained and goes level up again. Think of the possibilities...

Correct.

Even when the level loss is permanent, instead of a level drain, and the wizard levels up again, he still doesn't gain 2 new spells.
The 2 new spells for the new spell level is only gained the first time he reaches that new character level.

*sigh*

This is my mistake. As I am currently designing using Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed, I mixed up actual editions of classical AD&D and D&D. My apologies guys. I just verified and you're right.