Author Topic: The Definitive Guide to Wands Discussion  (Read 4098 times)


Offline Libertad

  • Epic Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3618
    • View Profile
    • My Fantasy and Gaming Blog
Re: The Definitive Guide to Wands Discussion
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2012, 02:35:18 PM »
Ninjenko suggested that I add in the Wand Volley spell.

I cannot locate the source of such a spell; Google has failed me.

Anybody know where to find it?

Offline Wiggins

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 314
  • I love my country as much as I hate patriotism
    • View Profile
Re: The Definitive Guide to Wands Discussion
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2012, 02:57:35 PM »
According to a discussion I remember lurking at this morning; Alaunghaer's Triptych
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/wn/20030226a

Online Garryl

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 4503
    • View Profile
Re: The Definitive Guide to Wands Discussion
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2012, 07:57:13 PM »
Also from the same discussion, a Chained Awaken From Afar.

Offline Shadowhunter

  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 765
  • E6/E8 fanboy.
    • View Profile
    • The additional vestige collection for all you Binder players out there.
Re: The Definitive Guide to Wands Discussion
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2012, 10:00:42 PM »
My favorite mid-levels trick for wands. It is campaign specific though, since Action Points are only used in Eberron (unless we talk about the ones in Unearthed Arcana which are even better).

What you need:
Extend Spell (PHB)
Persistent Spell (Complete Arcana)
Wand Surge (Magic of Eberron).
Unfettered Heroism (Races of Eberron).

The ones that can pull it of:
Wizard/Sorcerer or Bard into Incantatrix or
Artificer with Etch Minor Schema.

You apply Persistent Spell to Unfettered Heroism either through the Incantatrix class feature or the Artificer infusion to add a metamagic feat to an item. In the latter case, you need to craft a Schema of Unfettered Heroism. Schemas are found in Magic of Eberron and works like a permanent scroll that you can use one per day.

Now you gain 1 action point per round, but it'll disappear at the end of the round if you don't use it.
This will go on for 24 hours.
Through Wand Surge, you can burn an action point instead of a charge to activate a wand or a staff.
You can now activate your wand for free.
Or your custom built Staff of Avasculate for that matter... :smirk

Offline Libertad

  • Epic Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3618
    • View Profile
    • My Fantasy and Gaming Blog
Re: The Definitive Guide to Wands Discussion
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2012, 11:50:19 PM »
Hope you don't mind if I quote you in the guide.

Offline SorO_Lost

  • Epic Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 7197
  • Banned
    • View Profile
Re: The Definitive Guide to Wands Discussion
« Reply #6 on: April 05, 2012, 04:51:50 AM »
I think you need to restructure stuff and try to talk about wands a little more. Also, I'm pretty sure "Definitive" implies it goes beyond one post referencing a half dozen feats and refuses to talk about spell choice, costs, and eternal wands.

Your preamble is several paragraphs longer than the one that mentions what a wand is (spell trigger) and doesn't even bring up Wands use the same action to activate as their embedded spell. Then you jump right into classes and you're all over the place. Like "Arty has a Metamagic Spell Trigger Infusion but I'm not going to talk about this now as I need to tell you Monks suck asap!".

I'm not even sure what the crap the list of who and where to get you're wand from amounts to anything either, Wand cost remains exactly the same no matter who makes it as cost is scaled by spell and caster level. A better topic would be checking oddball PrCs that have spells at a lower than normal level, like Trapsmith who gets Haste as a 1st level spell. In fact, there is an entire list of suggestions of lower than normal spells you can copy/paste with almost no effort over on the old forums that will at some point vanish from the net if uncopied.

And it's an absolute must to touch on partially charged wands in any "wand guide" and how WBL works. For instance the DMG explicitly awards more treasure than what it takes to hit WBL (p54), floods the market with sold-to-vendors partial charged wands (p214), and they really are insanely cheap. Like, even at the rate of two uses per encounter a full wand lasts longer than you're current level will.

And you really didn't even explain how anyone can use them. I'd think step 1 - how to use would be a huge priority for a guide to wands to cover, like the previously mentioned action needed to use. Like even at the most basic level 2 skill points buys at least a 50% chance to use a given wand each day. 50gp on a Masterwork Tool ups this to 60%, and even a additional wands of Guidance of the Avatar practically zero out the chance of being locked out of a needed spell, like dumb Fighter needing to Vigor the rest of the party.

Offline wotmaniac

  • Legendary Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1586
  • Procrastinator in Chief
    • View Profile
Re: The Definitive Guide to Wands Discussion
« Reply #7 on: April 05, 2012, 06:46:01 AM »
I think that you would be remiss to not mention Rod of Many Wands somewhere in the guide -- it's from CMage.
And don't forget the wand bracers from Dungeonscape.
« Last Edit: April 05, 2012, 06:50:36 AM by wotmaniac »

Offline nijineko

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 2408
  • two strange quarks short of a graviton....
    • View Profile
    • TwinSeraphim
Re: The Definitive Guide to Wands Discussion
« Reply #8 on: April 06, 2012, 12:59:52 PM »
staves and scepters deserve a mention as they are also function in the same way as wands, and can be affected by much the same things.

i feel dorje mastery deserves a better mention than you have given it. the power is augmented for free. a very nice boost for non-wilders. in the hands of a psionic artificer this becomes even more powerful as they get the psionic equivalent of metamagic spell trigger ability. in the hands of a wilder / psi-arti this reaches truly staggering possibilities.

also, there is the potential synergy of practiced caster/manifester feats with the wand/dorje mastery. since the mastery feats require a caster level, they can be met (in theory) with a single level of casting/manifesting and two feats.