If there's one categoary of magic item I'd really like to see revamped, it's the magic wand.
D&D spellcasting uses the so-called "vancian" system that is intended primarily to introduce an element of resource management; a caster has to use the right-sized tool for the right job. Of course, one of the fun things about magic items is that they provide a way to skirt the normal rules. Scrolls can provide a little extra utility, but as one-shot items they basically become another resource to manage.
With high number of charges, wands all too often throw the concept of resource management into the crapper. A caster can always have that spell for artillery or healing on-hand. Indeed, at a certain level it can be commonplace for a caster's spells to become a secondary resource, with wand-slinging becaming the primary magic outlet. I might feel a little differently if I saw wands actually run out of charges regularly, but that only seems to happen with wands of CLW (and they're so economical that their expenditure isn't even given a second thought). Fifty charges is so many that it often seem pointless to even keep track of them--many players just regard them as virtually inexhaustible, if only at an unconscious level.
If this all works for you, then that's fine--I'm just saying it doesn't work for me and I was wondering if perhaps there are others who feel the same. Personally, I'd like wands to be an extension of the mage, the same way a weapon is for a fighter. I've been thinking of various ways to go about it, including:
Hass anyone gone beyond the theoretical level with this? Maybe some product support?
D&D spellcasting uses the so-called "vancian" system that is intended primarily to introduce an element of resource management; a caster has to use the right-sized tool for the right job. Of course, one of the fun things about magic items is that they provide a way to skirt the normal rules. Scrolls can provide a little extra utility, but as one-shot items they basically become another resource to manage.
With high number of charges, wands all too often throw the concept of resource management into the crapper. A caster can always have that spell for artillery or healing on-hand. Indeed, at a certain level it can be commonplace for a caster's spells to become a secondary resource, with wand-slinging becaming the primary magic outlet. I might feel a little differently if I saw wands actually run out of charges regularly, but that only seems to happen with wands of CLW (and they're so economical that their expenditure isn't even given a second thought). Fifty charges is so many that it often seem pointless to even keep track of them--many players just regard them as virtually inexhaustible, if only at an unconscious level.
If this all works for you, then that's fine--I'm just saying it doesn't work for me and I was wondering if perhaps there are others who feel the same. Personally, I'd like wands to be an extension of the mage, the same way a weapon is for a fighter. I've been thinking of various ways to go about it, including:
- Increasing effective caster level with certain subschools of spells.
- Acting as items of spell-storing.
- Allowing lower-level spells to be cast as spell-like abilities.
- Providing spell penetration bonuses.
- Making metamagic easier.
Hass anyone gone beyond the theoretical level with this? Maybe some product support?
