In Age of Sigmar 4th Edition, Wizards cast spells by rolling 2D6 and equalling or beating the spell’s casting value, while Priests chant prayers with a single D6 and can bank “ritual points” to answer harder prayers later. Enemy Wizards within 30″ can try to unbind a spell by beating your casting roll. Both Wizards and Priests can summon manifestations (endless spells and invocations), and either can try to banish the enemy’s.
This guide follows the Magic rules in the General’s Handbook 2026-27 advanced rules, as published with the rules updates up to October 2026. Older guides that mention Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield as spells every Wizard knows are describing a previous edition. If you’re new, our how to play Age of Sigmar guide covers the basics first.
Magic at a glance
| Rule | Wizards (spells) | Priests (prayers) |
|---|---|---|
| Roll | 2D6 casting roll | D6 chanting roll |
| Succeeds when | Roll equals or beats the casting value | Roll (plus any ritual points you choose to add) equals or beats the chanting value |
| Bad roll | Two 1s (a miscast): spell fails, Wizard takes D3 mortal damage, no more spells that phase | Unmodified 1: prayer fails, Priest loses D3 ritual points |
| How many per phase | Up to its power level, e.g. Wizard (2) = 2 spells | Up to its power level, e.g. Priest (1) = 1 prayer |
| Can the enemy stop it? | Yes, Unbind (2D6, must beat your casting roll) | No unbinding |
| Free option | – | Sacred Rites (bank ritual points safely) |
| Manifestations | Endless spells | Invocations |
| Banish enemy manifestations | Yes | Yes |
Power level: how many spells and prayers
Every Wizard and Priest has a number after the keyword, such as Wizard (2) or Priest (1). That’s its power level:
- A Wizard can cast a number of spells per phase equal to its power level.
- A Priest can chant a number of prayers per phase equal to its power level.
- A Wizard can also use Unbind a number of times per phase equal to its power level.
If a unit has more than one power level (for example it’s both a Wizard and a Priest), abilities that reference its power level use the higher one, and abilities that change power level change both.
Which spells and prayers you know
A Wizard or Priest can only use spells and prayers it knows: the ones on its own warscroll, plus the lores you take. When building your army you can pick:
- One spell lore: all Wizards with the same faction keyword as your general know every spell in it.
- One prayer lore: all Priests with the same faction keyword as your general know every prayer in it.
- One manifestation lore: all Wizards know its spells and all Priests know its prayers.
Your faction’s rules list which lores are available to it; you can browse every faction on our Age of Sigmar army pages.
Casting spells
- Declare the spell and pick its target.
- Make a 2D6 casting roll. If it doesn’t equal or beat the spell’s casting value (shown in the top right of the spell), the spell fails.
- If it succeeds, your opponent can try to unbind it.
- If it isn’t unbound, it’s cast and its effect happens.
Miscasts: if the unmodified casting roll includes two or more 1s, the spell fails, the Wizard takes D3 mortal damage, and it can’t cast any more spells that phase. On 2D6 that’s a double 1, roughly a 1-in-36 chance.
Jealous Mages and Fickle Gods: no more than one of your Wizards can cast the same spell in the same turn, and no more than one of your Priests can chant the same prayer in a turn, unless it has the Unlimited keyword. Each unit can still only use a given spell or prayer once per phase.
Worked example: casting and unbinding
Your Wizard (1) casts a damage spell with a casting value of 7. On 2D6 you roll a 4 and a 4: 8, so it’s cast unless unbound.
Your opponent has a Wizard 20″ away (inside the 30″ limit), so they try to unbind. They need to beat your roll, so 9 or more on 2D6. That’s about a 28% chance. They roll 6, the spell goes off.
Roughly speaking, a casting value of 7 succeeds about 58% of the time on 2D6, before your opponent gets a chance to unbind it.
Unbinding
- Unbind is a reaction your Wizard uses when an enemy Wizard within 30″ casts a spell.
- Roll 2D6; if it is higher than the casting roll, the spell is unbound and does nothing.
- Each Wizard can unbind up to its power level per phase, but you can only try once against any one casting roll.
- Prayers can’t be unbound.
Chanting prayers and ritual points
Priests work differently. When a Priest chants, it makes a D6 chanting roll:
- On an unmodified 1, the prayer fails and the Priest loses D3 ritual points.
- Otherwise, you choose one:
- Bank it: the Priest gains ritual points equal to the roll. Ritual points stay with the Priest across turns.
- Spend it: add the Priest’s ritual points to the roll. If the total equals or beats the prayer’s chanting value, the prayer is answered, its effect happens, and the Priest’s ritual points drop back to 0.
Sacred Rites is a prayer every Priest knows, and it has the Unlimited keyword. You roll a D6 and the Priest gains ritual points equal to the roll. On an unmodified 1 it loses only 1 ritual point instead of D3, and the total never resets to 0. It’s the safe way to build up for a big prayer.
Worked example: building up to a prayer
Your Priest (1) wants a prayer with a chanting value of 6.
- Turn 1: you chant Sacred Rites and roll a 4. The Priest now has 4 ritual points.
- Turn 2: you chant the big prayer and roll a 3. Adding your 4 ritual points makes 7, which beats 6. The prayer is answered and ritual points reset to 0.
If you’d rolled a 1 on turn 2, the prayer would fail and you’d lose D3 of those banked points.
Magical Intervention: magic on your opponent’s turn
For 1 CP, the Magical Intervention command lets a friendly Wizard or Priest use a spell, a prayer or Banish Manifestation in the enemy hero phase, at -1 to the casting or chanting roll. It’s a great answer to an enemy who has just buffed their army or set up a dangerous manifestation. More on CP in our commands guide.
Manifestations
Manifestations are magical constructs with their own warscrolls:
- Endless spells are summoned by Wizards.
- Invocations are summoned by Priests.
The summoning spell or prayer is in your manifestation lore. Key rules:
- Only one of your Wizards or Priests can attempt to summon the same manifestation each turn.
- If the unit that summoned a manifestation is destroyed, the manifestation is removed (Severed Connection).
- Models can move through manifestations but can’t end a move on them, and units can finish a charge within ½” of an enemy manifestation.
- Manifestations can be damaged and destroyed, but they don’t count as destroyed units for battle tactics or abilities.
- Enemy abilities affect them like units. Your own other abilities don’t affect them unless the ability says so.
- Manifestations with a Move of “-” can’t move. They only count as in combat during the combat phase.
Banishing manifestations
Instead of casting a spell or chanting a prayer in your hero phase, a Wizard or Priest can use Banish Manifestation:
- Pick a manifestation within 30″ that wasn’t summoned this turn.
- Roll 2D6, adding 1 for each enemy manifestation on the battlefield beyond the first.
- If the total equals or beats the manifestation’s banishment value, it’s removed.
Each manifestation can only be targeted by Banish Manifestation once per turn. And because Magical Intervention allows banishing, you can also do it in your opponent’s hero phase for 1 CP.
Common mistakes
- Using older-edition universal spells. Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield aren’t core spells in 4th Edition. Your Wizards know their warscroll spells plus your chosen lores.
- Unbinding on a tie. The unbind roll must beat the casting roll, not equal it.
- Casting the same spell with two Wizards. Only one of your Wizards can cast a given spell each turn unless it’s Unlimited.
- Forgetting ritual points reset. Once a prayer is answered, the Priest drops to 0 ritual points.
- Trying to unbind prayers. Prayers can’t be unbound; your counterplay is killing the Priest or banishing its invocations.
- Banishing something summoned this turn. You have to wait until a later turn.
FAQ
How far away can you unbind a spell in Age of Sigmar?
Your Wizard must be within 30″ of the enemy Wizard casting the spell.
What happens if you roll double 1 when casting?
That’s a miscast. The spell fails, the Wizard takes D3 mortal damage, and it can’t cast any more spells that phase.
Do ritual points carry over between turns?
Yes. A Priest keeps its ritual points until it uses them to answer a prayer (which resets them to 0) or loses some on a failed chant.
Can a Priest unbind spells?
Not by default; Unbind is a Wizard ability. Some battlepack rules and abilities can let other Heroes unbind for a limited time, so check the rules for the format you’re playing.
How many manifestation lores can I take?
One. All of your Wizards know its spells and all of your Priests know its prayers.
What are the odds of casting a spell in Age of Sigmar?
It depends on the casting value. On 2D6 you roll 5 or more about 83% of the time, 6 or more about 72%, 7 or more about 58% and 8 or more about 42%. A successful cast can still be unbound if an enemy Wizard within 30″ beats your roll, and a double 1 is always a miscast however high the casting value.
Can a Wizard cast spells while it is in combat?
Yes. The 4th Edition magic rules don’t stop a Wizard casting just because it is in combat, so it can still use spells in your hero phase up to its power level. Check each spell’s own targeting rules, as some need a visible target or a friendly unit within range, and remember an enemy Wizard within 30″ can still try to unbind it.