Keith said:
I know that especially with the newer editions of the game, some will argue otherwise, but my view of this is that the rule you cite is for Player Characters. Other creatures in a DM’s world can do what the DM says, no more and no less.
if the DM isn't playing by the same set of rules, then the DM and players aren't really playing the same game, are they? i agree with Numion; if the DM is constantly breaking the rules, then any hope of the players being able to understand and plan for things in the campaign is lost.
Keith said:
Metagame it any way you like- an improved Imp with that spell, an Imp with Rogue levels and use magic device; it doesn’t matter. It is a fantastic, magical world, and creatures in it do things outside the limits of Player Characters, for good or bad.
yes, those are good ways of allowing the imps to use the wands. however, those
are things that are within the limits of what the player characters can do themselves and reasonably expect from the game. if the DM wants the imps to use magic missile wands, i'd rather he go one of these routes than just arbitrarily saying it works because "I said so."
yes, it's a fantastic, magical world, but since this is a game, it is still a world that is based on rules. adding something to the imps that allows them to accomplish this
within the rules is much better than just allowing it to happen by whim or fiat.
think of it this way -- adding a rogue or sorcerer level, or adding magic missile to the imp's spell-like abilities is most likely going to increase the CR of the creature, because it makes it a more powerful opponent. if you don't do one of these things and let the imp just go ahead and use the wand against the rules, you're not being fair to the PCs, because they won't get as much experience from the encounter as they should have based on the
actual difficulty and capability of the opponent.
i am a firm believer that the DM
must operate under the same rules as the players in order to present a sensible, understandable world. of course, it's fine for the DM to make up new monsters, new feats, new spells, what-have-you, but these have to fit within the guidelines of the rules and follow the consequences thereof. as above, if you allow imps to use wands, you have to understand how that will increase the capabilities of the creature and change the CR and experience award accordingly.
