D&D 5E My cleric can use a wand of lightning bolts?

BrockBallingdark said:

I wrote what the DMG stated, so they used "monster", instead of "opponent" or "creature" or "foe".

So you're saying that monsters should be the main focus with attuning to magic items, so the DMG went with focusing on them over the PCs? They could have chosen the word: foe, opponent, or creature in its place but used monsters.

Click to expand...

Aramis Erak made a valid point, what if someone took the Magic Initiate Feat, let's say a Ranger, then he could use a Wand of Fireballs. If you think that's fine to do in your world, go for it. I'm not going to do that in mine.

Click to expand...

Mouseferatu said:

Yes, I read that. It doesn't limit PCs the way you're saying it does. "Monster" has a specific meaning in D&D, and it's not the same as "any creature."

So for two reasons, that doesn't apply. 1) it's talking about monsters with specific spells but no class levels, like the aforementioned flameskull.

2) It's talking about prerequisites of a specific class. The prerequisite "spellcaster" is not a specific class.

As you said, though, play how you want to play.

Click to expand...

Gradine said:

There's a few things wrong here with this interpretation. First, this isn't 3rd edition, and monsters and PCs follow different rules. Most monsters don't pick up PC levels, but a lich should probably be able to use a wand that requires attunement by a wizard, so there needs to be a rule for that. This is that rule.

But here's the other, more important thing. "Spellcaster" is not a class. It is legally someone who can cast spells. Nothing more, nothing less. So that includes any class with full, half or even third spellcasting. It includes any monsters with the ability to cast spells. It includes the barbarian that took Magic Initiate or Spell Sniper or Ritual Caster.

Interestingly enough, it includes High Elves and Forest Gnomes and Tieflings too, which I think is pretty interesting commentary on the inherent magic of these races.

Click to expand...

Staffan said:

If you're a PC, you count as a cleric if you have cleric levels. But monsters don't have class levels, not even humanoid monsters. An Orc Eye of Gruumsh is not a cleric, it's a monster. But since it has the Spellcasting trait and casts spells from the cleric list, it can attune to magic items as if it were a cleric.

Similarly, an Eldritch Knight fighter is not a wizard, so they can't use a staff of frost. They cast (a subset of) wizard spells, but that doesn't make them a wizard. They are, however, spellcasters, so they can use a wand of fireballs.

If the designers had intended that a wand of fireballs could only be used by sorcerers, wizards, and fiend-pact warlocks, they would have said so in the attunement requirement, much like on the staff of frost​.


Rangers are already spellcasters (from 2nd level on), so there's pretty much no interpretation of the rules in which they can't attune to an item requiring a "spellcaster."

Click to expand...

BrockBallingdark said:

Granted I played a tons of 3rd edition and that may have corrupted my mind through the years.

Click to expand...

Staffan said:

If you're a PC, you count as a cleric if you have cleric levels. But monsters don't have class levels, not even humanoid monsters. An Orc Eye of Gruumsh is not a cleric, it's a monster. But since it has the Spellcasting trait and casts spells from the cleric list, it can attune to magic items as if it were a cleric.

Similarly, an Eldritch Knight fighter is not a wizard, so they can't use a staff of frost. They cast (a subset of) wizard spells, but that doesn't make them a wizard. They are, however, spellcasters, so they can use a wand of fireballs.

If the designers had intended that a wand of fireballs could only be used by sorcerers, wizards, and fiend-pact warlocks, they would have said so in the attunement requirement, much like on the staff of frost​.


Rangers are already spellcasters (from 2nd level on), so there's pretty much no interpretation of the rules in which they can't attune to an item requiring a "spellcaster."

Click to expand...