[DMG] Fireball Wand Damage? Huh?

[John Crichton]

Stop me if you've heard this one...

I am buying items for my Dwarven Wizard (Abjurer) and I was thinking about picking up either a Wand of Fireball or Lightening Bolt. That is until I saw the 3rd Level Caster damage. I am right in assuming that those things only do 3d6 damage? For the price, that is horrible. Altho I could simply be missing something as I have yet to actually play a 3e wizard.

If this is true (heck, even if not) can anyone recommend any items I should make sure I have so I don't get slammed in game? I already have a pretty cool background story for this guy (youngest of many siblings, generall misunderstood, dwarven battle-mage) and I wanted to try and have a decent spell selection available so the extra firepower from one of the wands would have been nice...

edit: I am creating a 7th Level character, BTW so I have 19000 to spend. Already picked up the headband-o-intellect...

 

[Spatzimaus]

It's been a while since I paid attention to low-level wands and I don't have the books in front of me, but here goes:
In theory you can make a wand/scroll/whatever have any caster level, as long as it's high enough to cast the spell in the first place. For Fireball, that'd mean a minimum caster level of 5, giving a 5d6 damage.

If you don't want a 3d6 wand of Fireballs, buy one with a higher caster level. Of course, cost is proportional to caster level too, so a wand of 10d6 Fireballs costs twice as much as a wand of 5d6 Fireballs. You could even make a caster level 20 wand, but it'd still cap at 10d6 damage (pointless, unless you REALLY have a problem with Spell Resistance or want the extra range).
The downside to item-based spells is their saving throw. It's not based on your INT, it's based on the the absolute minimum INT needed to cast the spell (in the case of Fireball, 13), and you don't get the advantage of things like Spell Focus.

Someone correct me if I'm confusing the wand/staff rules with the "miscellaneous wondrous/weapon-based effect" rules.

 

[John Crichton]

Hmm, thanks for the reply about the pricing.

Actually, I'm wondering if the price in the DNG is even right at this point. Can a caster level of 3 even be used to make a wand of fireballs? I thought it had to be the minimum level of the spell to even make the durn thing...

 

[AuraSeer]

Can a caster level of 3 even be used to make a wand of fireballs?

No. For a 3rd-level spell, the minimum caster level is 5.

On the SRD wands list, the fireball and lightning bolt wands are shown at 5th level. The price is correct for that caster level: (3 x 5 x 750) = 11,250. Is the list in the DMG different?

 

[John Crichton]

My DMG lists a Wand of Fireball as Fireball (3rd-level caster) 11,250 gp.

Well, if it really does cast @ Level 5 (5d6) then that is a much more accurate price.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Don't forget your ring of protection (stacks with mage armor).

 

[John Crichton]

Don't forget your ring of protection (stacks with mage armor).

Good call. I was just looking for things that would stack with the basic wizard spells.

 

[dcollins]

On the SRD wands list, the fireball and lightning bolt wands are shown at 5th level. The price is correct for that caster level: (3 x 5 x 750) = 11,250. Is the list in the DMG different?

John's seeing it correctly, it's a typo in the DMG. The DMG lists supposedly 3rd-caster level wands of fireball and lightning bolt for 11,250 gp. It's obviously a mistake, but I don't think it was ever even errata'd.

 

[Taren Seeker]

Heward's Cheesy Haversack is a must for the wizard on the go.

It's gotten to the point where we refer to them as "Hewey" as a reference to Tommy, as in Tommy Hilfiger.

"Who are you wearing?"

"Well, the boots are by Gwaeron, the robes by the Archmage Mordenkainen, and of course I wouldn't be caught dead without my Hewey"

Other good cheap items for a wizard: +1 or +2 vest of resistance, maybe a 1st level pearl of power. At 1k they're a steal.

 

[Tom Cashel]

The blessed book is a fantastic item for 9,500 gp. Just be sure to work out with your DM what "freely accepts" means before play begins...