???how Many Wands At One Time???

[Paladin]

Wands are activated by the spell trigger method, from the SRD:

"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."

So, to me it sounds like you should be able to point the wands (in the bracer) at a target and blast them. I would say that you could still only use one bracer full of wands in a round, unless you're hasted.

 

[Christian]

Yeah, the limit on one command word item per turn.

This has always struck me as one of the more illogical rules. It's great when all the command words are different, but if you make 6 wands with the *same* (exactly) command word, you *should* be able to use them all at once.

The only problem is you *have* to use them all at once, carrying two, and having the rest in your backpack may be the world's worst idea ever

Plus, if someone else knows the command word, they can set that wand off in your pack, too!

I don't see anything illogical about the rule at all, myself. Obviously, by the fact that only a spellcaster can use them, and that they provoke AoO's to use (when speaking alone doesn't), there's something more than just 'speaking the word' that causes a wand to activate ... and that is definitely for the best, I think.

 

[Benben]

Obviously, by the fact that only a spellcaster can use them, and that they provoke AoO's to use (when speaking alone doesn't), there's something more than just 'speaking the word' that causes a wand to activate ... and that is definitely for the best, I think.

Wands don't provoke attacks of opportunity:

"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.) " --From the SRD.

 

[kreynolds]

So, to me it sounds like you should be able to point the wands (in the bracer) at a target and blast them. I would say that you could still only use one bracer full of wands in a round, unless you're hasted.

Cool! That means I can have a bracer filled with 50 wands of fireball and activate all of them at once! Awesome! Dude! Can I play in your games?

Something tells me there's a bit of a balance issue here.

 

[telepox]

I'm thinking that 4 wands per bracer is reasonable, but definately only one per round under normal circumstances. would these bracers restrict regular spellcasting? a negative to attack roles with a weapon? any other problems?

 

[kreynolds]

I'm thinking that 4 wands per bracer is reasonable, but definately only one per round under normal circumstances. would these bracers restrict regular spellcasting? a negative to attack roles with a weapon? any other problems?

Bracers don't produce penalties under normal circumstances, unless they're specifically cursed or something like that. Bracers fit around your arm, so they don't get in the way of your hands.

 

[FANGO]

Or, you could get a wand bandolier (I think it's from magic of faerun or something) or a heward's Handy Haversack (makes it a move-equivalent to get anything inside) and ask your DM if you could get quickdraw and either extend it to apply to wands or just get it specifically for wands (and not for weapons). Since quickdraw allows someone to pull out a weapon (normally a move-equivalent) as a free action, then it should probably possible to draw a wand (normally a move-equivalent from a bandolier or haversack) as a free action with the same or with a slightly different ("quickdraw: wands" or something) feat. This is a pretty fair way of allowing casters to change wands around, and I think a standard feat spot is a fair tradeoff for this ability. Plus, you don't have to deal with any wand bracer/10 fireballs a round craziness (which doesn't show up anywhere else in the rules except with high costs associated with this ability...haste is low duration and quickened spells are very expensive, and otherwise there are no ways to cast multiple spells a round, and making a feat that lets you do this almost all the time is really a tad bit too powerful)...so I think it's a good solution.

 

[kreynolds]

heward's Handy Haversack (makes it a move-equivalent to get anything inside)...

No. It's a free action. It's in the errata. Pretty cool, huh?

 

[Paladin]

Cool! That means I can have a bracer filled with 50 wands of fireball and activate all of them at once! Awesome! Dude! Can I play in your games?

Something tells me there's a bit of a balance issue here.

I really don't think having three wands fire at the same time is all that unbalancing. After all, Fighters can have four attacks per round, not counting second weapons, haste, weapons of speed, etc. However, the wizard in question would get to do that about one time (two if hasted) before the enemy suddenly had a new favorite target(s) to Sunder.

 

[Mahali]

I really don't think having three wands fire at the same time is all that unbalancing. After all, Fighters can have four attacks per round, not counting second weapons, haste, weapons of speed, etc. However, the wizard in question would get to do that about one time (two if hasted) before the enemy suddenly had a new favorite target(s) to Sunder.

I hope that smiley at the end means your joking because otherwise I'd have to call you names and tell you to pay attention next time you play or run a game. Then every time a fighter attacks or a wizard casts a spell think "What would 3 fireballs have done?".
Because a fighter having to use a full attack action instead of a standard action to get 3 area of effect spells off with range...

It's very unbalancing. So unbalancing that none of the acrobats in cirque de sole' can even begin to handle it. They weeble, they wobble, they plummet to their deaths because even they can't evade 3 a round forever.