How To Best Use The Magic Stick

[RUMBLETiGER]

A chain of random thoughts lead me to the Rod of Many Wands.

First, I thought, "How might I cast Weildskill and Divine Insight at the same time for a fast skill bonus?"

Than, "Hm.. what are the methods for casting multiple spells at once?"

and thus, I concluded upon the Rod of Many Wands (Complete Mage p.128, 27,000gp).

And so this has got me pondering, 3 spells at the same time? Surely there is room for creative thinking (horrible abuse) here. Keeping within the limit of level 4 spells, what 3 spells might you choose to trigger as a Full Round action?

I'm thinking if one spell is Snake's Swiftness or one of the spells along the Celerity line, you could readily make use of the other 2 spells.

Ideas? Any links to this being discussed before?

 

[Dandu]

I think you should put your magic stick into a portable hole.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

I think you should put your magic stick into a portable hole.

Couldn't help yourself, could you?

 

[jefgorbach]

Off the cuff, it seems a pointless waste of spells to use your standard action to cast Celerity(4th level) to gain another standard action to cast Snake's Swiftness (2nd level) to cast a melee/ranged spell ... when you could have simply used the first standard action to attack.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Off the cuff, it seems a pointless waste of spells to use your standard action to cast Celerity(4th level) to gain another standard action to cast Snake's Swiftness (2nd level) to cast a melee/ranged spell ... when you could have simply used the first standard action to attack.

I'm not promoting using Celerity and Snake's Swiftness (note the "or" between referring to those spells). I'm suggesting using Spell X + Spell Y + Snake's Swiftness. For example, True Strike + Orb of Acid + Snake's Swiftness to allow for a ranged touch attack spell that is guaranteed to hit. etc.

Including Snake's Swiftness essentially mimics having casted a Quickened True Strike and an Orb of Acid.

Make sense?

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

For example, Casting Assay Spell Resistance + Shivering Touch + Lesser Shivering Touch at a dragon would be three useful spells to fire off at once.

Or Assay Spell Resistance + True Casting + Somethingawesome on that really pesky spell resistance critter.

 

[Wyvernhand]

There is a little spell called Awaken from Afar. It is a...not a nice spell. Very not a nice spell.

Awaken from Afar
Evocation
Level: Sor/Wiz 5, Clr 6, Drd 6
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One spell trigger activation item
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

An awaken from afar spell allows you to use a spell trigger item without actually touching the item. The item to be activated must be within the range of the awaken from afar spell, and it functions as though you yourself were triggering it from its current position. All other conditions, such as the requirement that you have the spell on your spell list or if the item's enchantment restricts its use to a particular race or individual, still apply. Both you and the item to be activated have to be on the same plane. The item cannot be in the possession of another creature at the time of activation, and it must be an item that you have previously triggered normally (in other words, without the aid of an awaken from afar spell.

Don't use Awaken from Afar on a wand...thats a waste. Use it on a Rod of Many Wands loaded with 3 wands each. Sure, he'll burn through charges like mad, but who cares? Just grab some duct tape, put the rods in a huge bundle, and duct tape them all into place. Carry it over your shoulder like a bazooka.

So, assuming you cast a Chained Awaken from Afar at CL20 and target 20 Rods of Many Wands, that's 60 wands you are activating. If they were all simple CL1 Wands of Magic Missile, and you rolled MINIMUM damage, thats 120 damage minimum, or 150 damage average. No save, no attack roll, no nothing. 60 wands x 3 charges each x 25 gp per charge = 4500g per salvo.

Now, lets load for something a little bigger...

Make them all Wands of Seeking Ray (4d6 electric damage at CL3). Now we've upped our average damage to 14 per wand. 60 wands results in 840 damage per activation with a net price of 27,000g per salvo, and with the slight drawback that what you are shooting at has to be relatively easy to hit and you don't roll too many 1s on your attack rolls, and that its not immune or resistant to electricity.

Ok, now lets load for BEAR!

Make them all Wands of Enervation. We've got 60d4 negative levels coming, averaging out at 150 negative levels per salvo, assuming all hit. That also results in a loss of 150 x5 = 750 HP due to the level loss, assuming you are shooting at something that has more than 150 HD. Net cost per salvo is 126,000g. You know...when it REALLY REALLY REALLY has to die. Also note that each Enervate doesn't have to strike the same target. Take that puppy to a busy town square, mount it up on the roof of an inn overlooking a busy market place, and let er rip. You'll clear half the square in your initial salvo, and then just wait till midnight and you'll have begun a large scale wightocolypse! Its the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine!

 

[Stormonu]

I am reminded of a Nodwick cartoon where Artax duct tapes a bunch of 1-charge wands he has into a mega-wand...

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

The Rod of Many Wands is definitely useful for a bazooka.

What about spell combos? What 3 spells would you really like to cast in a single round?

 

[Dandu]

Glitterdust, Web, and Stinking Cloud.