A few noobish questions, PF

[Palocles]

I just ran a game for a few friends from work, making pregen characters for them at 2nd level so they wouldn't die too easily and because they've never played before.

I had the most trouble making the Wizard because of all the options they have but the main issue i had was finding the number of spells they start with. Unless i missed it in the Wizard section, i only found a reference in the Spells section saying a Wizard gains 2 spells per level.

Does that mean a lvl1 Wiz has only 2 spells until they find scrolls or book sto copy from? Are cantrips included in this meagre allotment? It seems a bit stink to have to choose only 2 lvl 0 and lvl 1 spells at first level. Did i miss something somewhere?

I've seen it mentioned that a wand of Cure Light Wounds i very common equipment for Clerics and i gave ours one with 25 charges to fill up his 1000gp wealth by level. I gave the Wizard a wand of Magic Missles too.

Am i correct in this understanding of how a wand works: create wands is a lvl 5 feat meaning the spells they cast are also level 5. The cure light wounds is therefore 1d8+5HP and the MM is (1d4+1)x3 each charge and in turn, the cost of the wand is 750 gp according to the table, 15 gp per charge and incredibly cost effective.

Or is it spell lvl 1 x caster lvl 5 x 750 = 3750 using the formula listed in the text? That makes the wand much less cost effective and more precious to the PC who owns it.

Finally; i put a couple of goblins riding wolfs in an encounter but couldn't find any rules for firing at mounted target. Does the firing choose which they are firing at and then just rolls as usual or is there a chance of the projectile hitting the wrong target?

Thanks everyone. I think that's it.

 

[Varthol]

re

All wands cost [caster level, multilied by spell level, and then 25 for scrolls or 750 for wands]. A wand MIGHT cost less, 1/50 less for each charge it is missing.

Wizards at 1st level begin with their spellbook containing ALL 0 lvl spells plus a number of 1st level spells equal to 3 + INT mod at lvl 1.

 

[Palocles]

I understand the formulas for scrolls and wands but you get scribe scroll at first level and have to be 5th level to get Craft Wand, so shouldn't you have spell level 1 times caster level (atleast) 5, as you can't get the craft wand feat earlier, plus the times 750gp?

Thanks for the Wizards stuff. I thought they must get the cantrips but couldn't see where it as written. Have you got a page (or srd) reference for it?

 

[enrious]

Thanks for the Wizards stuff. I thought they must get the cantrips but couldn't see where it as written. Have you got a page (or srd) reference for it?

Spellbooks: A wizard must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook, except for read magic, which all wizards can prepare from memory.

A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice. The wizard also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook. At each new wizard level, he gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new wizard level) for his spellbook. At any time, a wizard can also add spells found in other wizards' spellbooks to his own (see Magic).

From Wizard and the core book under "Wizard".

Finally; i put a couple of goblins riding wolfs in an encounter but couldn't find any rules for firing at mounted target. Does the firing choose which they are firing at and then just rolls as usual or is there a chance of the projectile hitting the wrong target?

The firer chooses which they target and then roll to hit or miss as usual. The only exception I can think of off hand is if the firer is targeting one of them and the other is in the way (providing cover) - see http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/combat.html#cover

Note that from your description, this would seem to be an unlikely scenario, something on the order of the PC being directly above the wolf and goblin and declaring a shot at the wolf - and even then, they'd just be making it hard on themselves because a miss would still miss both wolf and goblin, but if they aimed at the goblin they wouldn't have a -4 to hit, as far as I can tell at any rate.

 

[DaveMage]

I understand the formulas for scrolls and wands but you get scribe scroll at first level and have to be 5th level to get Craft Wand, so shouldn't you have spell level 1 times caster level (atleast) 5, as you can't get the craft wand feat earlier, plus the times 750gp?

Even though you can't get the feat earlier, I believe, as the creator, you can set the caster level as anything up to your level. So a level 5 caster could still make a level 1 wand. I'll see it I can find a cite for this...

Edit - yes, Core Rulebook, page 549, 2nd full paragraph, it says "A caster can create an item at a lower caster level her own, but never lower than the minimum level needed cast the spell."

 

[Jester David]

Even though you can't get the feat earlier, I believe, as the creator, you can set the caster level as anything up to your level. So a level 5 caster could still make a level 1 wand. I'll see it I can find a cite for this...

Edit - yes, Core Rulebook, page 549, 2nd full paragraph, it says "A caster can create an item at a lower caster level her own, but never lower than the minimum level needed cast the spell."

Most wands have their caster level as the minimum level required to cast the spell, even if the crafter is higher level. Mostly because the cost goes up.
So it's a CL1 wand made by a >=5th level caster.

 

[Palocles]

Thanks Enrious. I rremember that from 3.5 but must have skimmed over that section in the PF book so many times!

Thanks Varthol, DaveMage and Jester Canuck. So the actual level of the creator of the wand is not a factor, only the level they create the wand at. Perhaps he gets the process started then has an apprentice finish the work while he does things more fitting of his caster level.

 

[Empirate]

On the mounted combat thing: the firer indeed chooses which target to attack, mount or rider. Note that the mount oftentimes has worse AC, but isn't the real threat, so there's an interesting tactical decision to make: killing the mount only acts as a "debuff" of sorts on the rider.

Note that a rider can take an immediate action to gain cover from his mount, as a DC 15 Ride check. Getting into the saddle again after this is a move action.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

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[Scott DeWar]

re: spell books

a wizard would have spells in the book as if he bought the scroll.

a second level wizard with 16 int. would have as previously mentioned 3 +3 [int] at first + 2 at second

any other would have been bought as scrolls and scribed into the book, therefore the scrolls would count against the wealth by level.