Can wands and staffs be used in an area of silence?

[smetzger]

The DMG says spell trigger items use a spoken word.

However, it has another section about specifically activating a wand that uses the same language as the SRD, i.e. no mention of spoken word.

Therefore I have concluded that Spell Trigger items require a spoken word, unless they are Wands. This also makes identification of a wand rather easy.

 

[IceBear]

Is it in the errata somewhere? SRD has been 'updated', the DMG hasn't.... yet....

I checked the DMG errata last night and there wasn't any on this.

IceBear

 

[IceBear]

The DMG says spell trigger items use a spoken word.

However, it has another section about specifically activating a wand that uses the same language as the SRD, i.e. no mention of spoken word.

Therefore I have concluded that Spell Trigger items require a spoken word, unless they are Wands. This also makes identification of a wand rather easy.

I don't agree with that assumption - the generic rules would apply to the specific items as well as the specific rules to the specific item.

It doesn't bother me too much what you do, but it does make Wands much more useful in silence areas. I've just been used to people saying activation words when using a wand that I'll continue to use it.

IceBear

 

[Hypersmurf]

Page number is DMG p175.

Passage is "Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know and a single word that must be spoken."

Wands need to be pointed at the target. Spell trigger items need a single word. Wands are spell trigger items. Therefore, wands need to be pointed at the target, and need a single word.

-Hyp.