[RPG] Is the number of spells I can prepare the same as the number of spells I can cast per day

dnd-3.5edruidmagicspells

I'm currently playing a Druid and I'm extremely confused with "prepared spells".

I know how to prepare a spell but I'm not sure how many I can prepare; is it the same number of spells I can cast a day?

I mean, at level 1 a druid with 16 WIS can cast 3× level 0 spells and 2× level 1 spells, does that mean that I can only prepare 3× level 0 spells and 2× level 1 spells; in short, I can only prepare the spells that I'm going to use?

If that's really how it is I'm feeling terribly restricted on situational spells like faery fire and charm animals; I can't afford to not prepare spells like cure light wounds or entangle in order to prepare another spell that I may not/probably won't use…

Best Answer

The number of spells you can prepare is the number of spells you can cast per day. You can only prepare spells for which you have slots available. You may gain bonus spells per day based on your wisdom modifier. You are correct that this is severely limiting, at least early on. Keep in mind that you do not need to fill all your slots in the morning when you normally prepare spells. From the D20 SRD:

A divine spellcaster does not have to prepare all his spells at once. However, the character’s mind is considered fresh only during his or her first daily spell preparation, so a divine spellcaster cannot fill a slot that is empty because he or she has cast a spell or abandoned a previously prepared spell.

What this means is, you can leave slots empty in the morning and wait until you know you need a specific spell, then take the time to prepare it then. This second preparation can only be used to fill slots that have not been occupied by any spells in the same day, or slots that have not been used in the previous 8 hour period. You do not need to take the full hour of time to perform this second preparation. This preparation time can take as little as 15 minutes or as long as half an hour, so it's not likely to be useful during combat.