Identifying a wand

[Hypersmurf]

Let's say someone finds a wand.

Let's say they cast Detect Magic, and with a successful Spellcraft check, they discover it has a Faint aura of Necromancy - hence caster level of less than 6, therefore a spell of level 1 to 3.

Since it's Spell Trigger activation, is it valid to attempt to trigger Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Ray of Enfeeblement, Ghoul Touch, Scare, etc until one of them works? Or should one need to know for certain what spell the wand contains before it can be triggered?

Is someone with ranks in Spellcraft (and therefore able to identify spells being cast, etc) assumed to have general knowledge of all the spells in the PHB, and thus be able to trial-and-error their way through the whole PHB spell list?

-Hyp.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

the command word of wand isn't necessarily the name of the spell, so i'd say no, the PC couldn't activate it that way

 

[Hypersmurf]

Wands are not command-word-activation items, they're spell trigger items.

-Hyp.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

true, but they still require a command word

DMG p175 - "Spell Trigger: No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting and a single word that must be spoken."


(italics are mine, of course)

 

[Hypersmurf]

From that same section, however:

"If a wizard picks up a spell trigger item and the item stores a wizard spell, she knows how to use it."

And "The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it."

If a wizard knows the wand is a wand of ghoul touch, she can activate it. The single word is not a secret word, it's a ghoul touch word that any wizard knows.

-Hyp.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

The single word is not a secret word, it's a ghoul touch word that any wizard knows.

what's a 'ghoul touch word'?

"If a wizard picks up a spell trigger item and the item stores a wizard spell, she knows how to use it."

i've always taken this to mean that the caster knows the spell; the range, duration, effect, etc.

i could be wrong about that...

 

[Hypersmurf]

what's a 'ghoul touch word'?

It's a word that activates a spell trigger item storing a ghoul touch spell, obviously

i've always taken this to mean that the caster knows the spell; the range, duration, effect, etc.

Fine, I'll quote the next sentence as well...

"Specifically, anyone with a spell on his or her spell list knows how to use a spell trigger item that stores that spell."

The "it" doesn't refer to the spell, it refers to the wand.

-Hyp.

 

[Kershek]

You could do a Spellcraft check DC 30 to determine the command word so you don't have to do an Identify. This info is in the DMG, I believe.

 

[Hypersmurf]

You could do a Spellcraft check DC 30 to determine the command word so you don't have to do an Identify. This info is in the DMG, I believe.

It is indeed... under command-word activated items. A command-word activated item is an item where only the command word is needed, and no other special knowledge required, to activate the item.

This is different to a spell-trigger item - like, say, a wand - which requires the spell to be on one's list.

You don't need to determine the command word via Spellcraft for a wand - by virtue of the spell being on your list, you already know what the word is for any given spell.

-Hyp.

 

[kreynolds]

Let's Is someone with ranks in Spellcraft (and therefore able to identify spells being cast, etc) assumed to have general knowledge of all the spells in the PHB, and thus be able to trial-and-error their way through the whole PHB spell list?

Definately not, as far as I'm concerned. I don't think such a thing is implied either. Identify will do the trick (as time consuming as it is).