I heard that a potion of Enlarge Person takes effect right away (ignores one-round casting time) but a wand of identify takes an hour to activate. What about scrolls? Do they ignore casting time or not?
Spell Completion
This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The preparation is done for the caster, so no preparation time is needed beforehand as with normal spellcasting. All that’s left to do is perform the finishing parts of the spellcasting (the final gestures, words, and so on). To use a spell completion item safely, a character must be of high enough level in the right class to cast the spell already. If he can’t already cast the spell, there’s a chance he’ll make a mistake. Activating a spell completion item is a standard action and provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does.
Drinking a potion, reading a scroll, or casting a spell using a wand or a staff all take a standard action, no matter what the casting time of the spell would be normally. (Good for long casting time spells, like lesser restoration; bad for short casting time spell, like feather fall).
Drinking a potion, reading a scroll, or casting a spell using a wand or a staff all take a standard action, no matter what the casting time of the spell would be normally. (Good for long casting time spells, like lesser restoration; bad for short casting time spell, like feather fall).
Not quite. What the DMG says is that activating an item like a wand either takes the spell's base casting time, or 1 standard action, whichever is longer. This means that you cannot benefit from a wand of "swift action spell", such as wraithstrike, because it will always take at least a standard action. But using a wand of say, phantom steed still takes 10 minutes.
It is also worth noting that rules compendium supersedes this. Activating a magic item now takes the same time as the spell's original casting time, unless stated otherwise. This means that it still takes 3 rounds to use a wand of restoration, but just a standard action to quaff a similar potion. But you can now read a scroll or use a wand of say, wraithstrike as a swift action (previously not possible). So rogues can now benefit from wands of gravestrike.
they should change it to 'activating the item takes a standard action or the normal casting time, whichever is shorter' and then use the duration modifier on the cost of the item.
What the DMG says is that activating an item like a wand either takes the spell's base casting time, or 1 standard action, whichever is longer.
Can you help me find this in the SRD? All I can find with the search function for "base casting time" is magic item basics which is all about the standard actions.
USING ITEMS
To use a magic item, it must be activated, although sometimes activation simply means putting a ring on your finger. Some items, once donned, function constantly. In most cases, using an item requires a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. By contrast, spell completion items are treated like spells in combat and do provoke attacks of opportunity.
Activating a magic item is a standard action unless the item description indicates otherwise. However, the casting time of a spell is the time required to activate the same power in an item, regardless of the type of magic item, unless the item description specifically states otherwise.
When it says item description that is generally read to mean the specific item description.
The Spell Compendium (pg 4) addresses swift casting time items.
"Activating a spell completion item, activating a spell trigger item, or drinking a potion is a stqandard action even if the spell from which the scroll, potion, or item is made can be cast as a swift action."
Swift actions were not addressed when the DMG was written.
they should change it to 'activating the item takes a standard action or the normal casting time, whichever is shorter' and then use the duration modifier on the cost of the item.
I absolutely disagree with this since it would allow a normally swift casting time spell to be done in less than a standard action - which is whay the Spell Compendium added it in.
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