Assay spell resistance and wands?

[jasin]

Does the assay spell resistance spell improve your chances to overcome spell resistance for spells you cast from wands? Does Spell Penetration?

Assay SR came up in a game yesterday, and it was ruled that it helps. The reasoning was that, being a divination, it was somewhat like true strike: you "see the weak points" in the creature's CR.

The counterargument was "if Spell Penetration doesn't help, why should the spell?" But now I notice that I cannot find where it says that Spell Penetration doesn't help, even though I've always assumed it doesn't.

 

[frankthedm]

Depends on the wording but i'd say no. The Spellcaster is not the one trying to overcome the SR, the wand, using it's own caster level is.

 

[jasin]

"This spell gives you a +10 bonus on caster level checks to overcome the spell resistance of a specific creature."

The thing that started the discussion was the fact that the spell is a divination, rather than (as I would have expected) a transmutation, so the interpretation came up that it wouldn't change the way you cast spells (while leaving the wand alone) but you supply some special knowledge (so why not apply it when using a wand too).

 

[frankthedm]

The thing that started the discussion was the fact that the spell is a divination, rather than (as I would have expected) a transmutation, so the interpretation came up that it wouldn't change the way you cast spells (while leaving the wand alone) but you supply some special knowledge (so why not apply it when using a wand too).

Because the wand does not use the knowledge you have of getting through SR. You trigger it, it does the work.

 

[starwed]

Presumably it work's through staves, though, since they use your own CL.