Help me thwart my DM and save our life! Wand usage...

Tsyr · Apr 6, 2003

Ok, our DM pulled something evil on us... he had a character that made a Multi-Wand of magic missle... Basicly, 10 Wands of Magic Missle slaved together to the same activation word. Enough damage pouring out of that to kill most of the party. It's stupid, and I'm *sure* there is a rule somewhere that we are over looking that prevents that from working, but I can't find it!

gfunk · Apr 6, 2003

Well activating a wand is a stanadard action (this is clearly stated in the DMG and PHB), so therefore activating 10 wands would require 10 actions.

Though you can activate a wand twice in one round if hasted, the 10x activation seems pretty silly.

Tsyr · Apr 6, 2003

gfunk said:
Well activating a wand is a stanadard action (this is clearly stated in the DMG and PHB), so therefore activating 10 wands would require 10 actions.

Though you can activate a wand twice in one round if hasted, the 10x activation seems pretty silly.

The point he is trying to ride on is that the part of activation that is the standard action is the speaking of the command word, and thus, if they all had the same command word, they would all activate in the same round.

I don't agree with that view, btw, but that's what his view is.

Dinkeldog · Apr 6, 2003

You could always say that you want to create 5 wands of cure light wounds with the same command word for 375x5 = 1875gp instead of one cure critical wounds for 375x4x7=10500gp. Maybe that'll help him see the error of his ways.

andargor · Apr 6, 2003

Tsyr said:
Ok, our DM pulled something evil on us... he had a character that made a Multi-Wand of magic missle... Basicly, 10 Wands of Magic Missle slaved together to the same activation word. Enough damage pouring out of that to kill most of the party. It's stupid, and I'm *sure* there is a rule somewhere that we are over looking that prevents that from working, but I can't find it!

Egads, I wouldn't want to have your DM. Change groups, for God's sake. He's supposed to play with you, not against you.

From a straight rules point of view, he can create whatever item he likes that functions however he says. This looks like Minor Artifact territory. But where's the fun in blasting the party?

Do yourself a favor. Change DMs...

Andargor

Pax · Apr 6, 2003

That DM is SO ****ed in th head (pardon the language).

...

I suggest you find a new GM, as has been advised already. In the meantime, introduce THIS DM to "the Stick of Pain" (see the story linked in my .sig, and it's predecessor linked form THERE, for an explaination)

GMVictory · Apr 6, 2003

First off, who cares about the "rule" that says it can't be done. It's there, stop meta-game thinking, and think in game how to beat it. It can be done under the rules. Munchie? Yes. Unbeatable? No. How? Check the following ideas.

Shield spells counter magic missiles.

Silence spells can shut up the wand user.

Fully concealed, covered, hidden, or invisible attackers cannot be struck by magic missiles.

Magic Missile has a range, 110' min., hit him at greater range.

A blinded (from spell or darkness) wand user cannot target a magic missile, target is considered in total concealment.

Shield potions for the group.

Beating the DM or quitting the table when things look hard doesn't seem to be much of an answer either. Not all of us are surrounded by so many gamers that we can just pick up and find another game to play.

Destil · Apr 6, 2003

Tsyr said:
Ok, our DM pulled something evil on us... he had a character that made a Multi-Wand of magic missle... Basicly, 10 Wands of Magic Missle slaved together to the same activation word. Enough damage pouring out of that to kill most of the party. It's stupid, and I'm *sure* there is a rule somewhere that we are over looking that prevents that from working, but I can't find it!

DMG 175

Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action...

(underline mine)

That's the best I think you can do, as far as rules go. Clearly your DM is just making a stupid rule so he can kill anyone whenever he wants. I suggest liberal application of broaches of shielding, and the affore mentioned 5xcure light wounds wands for your party.

drnuncheon · Apr 6, 2003

Tsyr said:
The point he is trying to ride on is that the part of activation that is the standard action is the speaking of the command word, and thus, if they all had the same command word, they would all activate in the same round.

I don't agree with that view, btw, but that's what his view is.

The standard action to activate a magic wand cannot simply be speaking the command word, because speaking is a free action (PHB 128). If speaking the command word was all that was required, then activating a wand would be a free action as well.

J

Tsyr · Apr 7, 2003

drnuncheon said:
The standard action to activate a magic wand cannot simply be speaking the command word, because speaking is a free action (PHB 128). If speaking the command word was all that was required, then activating a wand would be a free action as well.

J

Yes! Thank you!

As to "just counter it in-game with (insert XXXXX tactic here)"...

1) We have no magic items to speak of, and that's not going to change. The world, as it relates to us, is magic-poor. This is an uber-NPC we are dealing with, who has far more magic than is norm for this world.

2) We dont have a wizard

3) This is, as I mentioned, a DM Uber-NPC... He is never presented on our terms. Only when the DM wants him to be. We don't have a hope of defeating him. I just want a ruling to keep him from instant-killing one of us each time he appears, with no save possible.

As to why I don't just walk?

Eh. I'm a masocist. And he's a friend. I know, I know. Human doormat and all, but I can't hurt a friend very easily. I'm weak that way.