Faster wand activation?

[Elethiomel]

What, if any, character options are out there to activate a (standard-action-spell containing) wand faster than a standard action? A move action would be fast enough, but faster would be better.

I'm playing with a build idea in my head that uses a Glove of Storing, a wand of True Strike, Quick Draw, a two-handed weapon and Power Attack to deliver a powerful strike every round.
Free action - let go of weapon with left hand
Free action - activate glove of storing
Move action - (XXX ability that lets you activate a wand for a move action)
Free action - store wand in glove of storing
Free action - grip weapon in both hands again (Quick Draw)
Standard action - full power attack

How can I pull this off?

 

[UltimaGabe]

The only thing I can think of offhand is Eberron's Artificer. They get an ability around 7th or 8th level called "Metamagic Spell Trigger"- you can apply a Metamagic Feat that you have to a spell contained within a wand, by using up one extra charge per increased spell level. Therefore, you could Quicken a wand (making it into a swift action) by taking the Quicken Spell feat and using 5 charges per shot from the wand.

A little costly, but it gets the job done.

 

[Machiavelli]

The only way I know of to wave a wand "faster" (except for the Artificer thing that I only JUST heard about... thanks, Gabe!) is the Dual Wand Wielder feat, which allows a character to use 2 wands as a full-round action. The trade-offs, though, are the TWF feat, Craft Wand (caster level 5!) and using 2 charges in the "off-hand" wand. If you used Truestrike and Wraithstrike wands, however, you could have a devastating every-other-round attack, though. Heck you could wand-wave, then charge!

The trouble comes when you realize that qualifying for and taking Double Wand Wielder will require either 5 Wizard levels out of the first 6, or waiting for 9th level. Requiring Craft Wand is what really limits things.

 

[frankthedm]

The only thing I can think of offhand is Eberron's Artificer. They get an ability around 7th or 8th level called "Metamagic Spell Trigger"- you can apply a Metamagic Feat that you have to a spell contained within a wand, by using up one extra charge per increased spell level. Therefore, you could Quicken a wand (making it into a swift action) by taking the Quicken Spell feat and using 5 charges per shot from the wand.

A little costly, but it gets the job done.

Are you sure that even works? The metamagic applies to the spell. The wand itself is what causes the minimum casting time of a standard action. Just like if you have a swift spell stored in a wand, you are SOL.

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 standard action, it takes that long to cast the spell from a wand.)

 

[irdeggman]

It is a class feature (and they can often bypass other requirements). In fact quickening a spell cast by a wand is specifically mentioned.

Metamagic Spell Trigger (Su): At 6th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell trigger item (generally a wand). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell trigger item he is using. Using this ability expends additional charges from the item equal to the number of effective spell levels the metamagic feat would add to a spell.

For example, an artificer can quicken a spell cast from a wand by spending 5 charges (4 additional charges), empower the spell by spending 3 charges, or trigger it silently by spending 2 charges. The Still Spell feat confers no benefit when applied to a spell trigger item. An artificer cannot use this ability when using a spell trigger item that does not have charges, such as prayer beads.

Normallly you can't cast a "quickened" spell via a wand ( since it has a minimum time of 1 standard action) but this appears to be an exception.

 

[frankthedm]

It is a class feature (and they can often bypass other requirements). In fact quickening a spell cast by a wand is specifically mentioned.





Normallly you can't cast a "quickened" spell via a wand ( since it has a minimum time of 1 standard action) but this appears to be an exception.

However, rules text trumps example text, so if needed, this trick can still be shut down.

 

[Hypersmurf]

However, rules text trumps example text, so if needed, this trick can still be shut down.

Well, the ability doesn't say you apply the feat to the spell... it says you apply it to the wand.

Since the normal use of the feat would be to apply it to the spell when crafting the wand, the normal rule doesn't tell us how this application works; the only source we have for explaining what applying the Quicken Spell feat to a wand (rather than a spell in a wand) does... is the example given in the ability text.

-Hyp.

 

[irdeggman]

Yeah, what Hyp said.