Casting spells while invisible

[rrealm]

I suppose you could deafen your opponent first.

Or perhaps you could use a wand? I'm unclear if you have to speak to use a wand.

You have to.

Bye
Thanee

*Scratches head.* If I need to speak to cast my spell and I need to speak to use the wand.... What good does the wand do me if I'm going to make a sound that my opponent can hear anyway?

 

[rrealm]

Obviously the target would get to make listen checks if the rogue/sorcerer cast the spell normal or whispered but what DC is fair?

Since the DC for hearing people talk is a 0 and a battle is -10, does DC -4 sound right to hear someone boasting loudly while standing a few feet from someone?

 

[Thanee]

A wand doesn't help there, since you have to speak to activate the item.

What you need is a rod of silent spell.

Bye
Thanee

 

[sledged]

Casting a spell without being heard: Silent Spell (Metamagic).

Another option (DM willing) is to research the spell Sound Bubble. I can't remember all the exact details, but the spell prevented any sounds originating from within the sound bubble from being heard outside and vice versa. This spell was originally in the 2E supplement The Complete Bard's Handbook, so it'll require a certain amount tweeking.

 

[Laslo Tremaine]

A wand doesn't help there, since you have to speak to activate the item.

I'm pretty sure that you do not need to speak to use a wand. Here's what the SRD says about wand activation:

Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method, so casting a spell from a wand is usually a standard action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. (If the spell being cast, however, has a longer casting time than 1 action, it takes that long to cast the spell from a wand.) To activate a wand, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand, for nonhumanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area. A wand may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole.

Nothing there about speaking...

 

[Laslo Tremaine]

Damn the SRD! Here's what is says about spell trigger items.

Spell Trigger: 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. Anyone with a spell on his or her spell list knows how to use a spell trigger item that stores that spell. (This is the case even for a character who can’t actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin.) The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

So it looks like you do need to speak a single word to activate a wand. My bad...

 

[Hypersmurf]

I believe that Hypersmurf mentioned at some point that he has a custom feat in his campaign that allows one to mumble spells instead of casting in the "clear, loud voice" and I might allow such a thing, but either way--Silent Spell or something like what Hypersmurf uses--it wouldn't be free.

Yup. Provides a penalty to Spellcraft checks to identify spells, and means you don't have to do the "Look at me! I'm casting a spell!" routine... but it means spells are still stopped by Silence.

No level adjustment, but since it's a Metamagic feat, it still increases casting time for spontanemancers.

-Hyp.

 

[Thanee]

So it looks like you do need to speak a single word to activate a wand. My bad...

Yep, sometimes the stuff you need is a bit hidden within the rules.

Well, an Incantatrix can activate a wand silently with the right feats.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Kealios]

Since the DC for hearing people talk is a 0 and a battle is -10, does DC -4 sound right to hear someone boasting loudly while standing a few feet from someone?

Sounds about right, but remember that Listen has a -1 check per 10 feet, so that same battle at 100 feet is a 0 DC...

Kealios