Wands and Mage Hand - Your opinion...

[Beastman]

hi folk, since i can find nothing official, i have a question for you...

our sorcerer has aquired the mage hand spell. now, he ties a cure light wounds spell to a piece of clothes and has the habit to activate the wand, then uses mage hand to move the cloth (since he cannot move the wand directly because of the spell's limitation of not functioning with magic items) to his target where the charge of the wand is released...
(the wand is activation-word triggered if this is important)

is this possible? on one hand i find it clever, on the other hand it is a little bit "confusing" and i don't like it. are wands subject to "holding the charge" ? is the sorcerer using the mage hand spell able to direct it in such a precise way? some rules against this tactic or some rules bolstering it?

Thanx
Beast

 

[Pyrex]

No. It won't work. You can't activate a wand of Cure Light Wounds and then throw it at someone else either. The Caster has to touch the target.

If your Sorcerer wants to use Touch spells at range tell him to learn Spectral Hand.

And while we're at it, just how is a Sorcerer activating a wand of CLW anyway?

 

[Aust Diamondew]

While I don't think this would work it does give me the idea of giving a cleric a ludicrously long 10-15ft wand to heal allies from a distance. Hmm. Perhaps a chain and wand device would work too?

 

[Ilium]

I don't think you can do this according to the RAW.
1) A wand lets you effectively cast the spell.
2) The cure spells require touch.
3) Touch is defined as touching with your hand or other body part, not a wand or other object. If you could deliver a touch spell through an object, the duskblade and Spellsword ability to channel spells would be unnecessary.

Plus, it's clearly an attempt to get around the intended limitation of mage hand to prevent just this sort of thing.

Having said all that, I'd allow it, since the major effect is to let the sorcerer spend actions healing his comrades without getting killed. Plus you can have a bad guy snatch the wand out of the air, shout "Thanks" and run off with it.

 

[Beastman]

No. It won't work. You can't activate a wand of Cure Light Wounds and then throw it at someone else either.

Any RAW-reference so i can show the player...?

The Caster has to touch the target.

I thought (in the case of CLW wand) the wand has to touch the target - I always imagined a character activating the wand which will "glow" and when the target is touched with the wand the "glow fades" and the charge is used...

And while we're at it, just how is a Sorcerer activating a wand of CLW anyway?

Well, its a wand activated by command word and the sorcerer knows this command word. If I have understood the ruling of command word items correctly, a command word replaces any other requirements for activating a magical item (such as the spell being a class's spell list)

 

[Ilium]

Since wands are normally Spell Trigger items, this is clearly not a typical wand. So it's entirely up to you whether you want to let this work, as you have already left RAW-land.

 

[nittanytbone]

Wands are Spell Trigger items, which means you must know the command word and have the spell on your class spell list, or use the UMD skill. A "wand" that just required a command word would be a misc. magic item (like a Healing Belt or Elixir of Sneaking or something) and thus cost more.

You could use a spell-storing whip (or other reach weapon) to deliver a touch spell such as a Cure.

 

[irdeggman]

Well, its a wand activated by command word and the sorcerer knows this command word. If I have understood the ruling of command word items correctly, a command word replaces any other requirements for activating a magical item (such as the spell being a class's spell list)

Not even close. a wand is a spell trigger activation item.


From SRD:

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 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. A wand may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole.

Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it’s even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Anyone with a spell on his or her spell list knows how to use a spell trigger item that stores that spell. (This is the case even for a character who can’t actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin.) The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.


Command Word: If no activation method is suggested either in the magic item description or by the nature of the item, assume that a command word is needed to activate it. Command word activation means that a character speaks the word and the item activates. No other special knowledge is needed.

A command word can be a real word, but when this is the case, the holder of the item runs the risk of activating the item accidentally by speaking the word in normal conversation. More often, the command word is some seemingly nonsensical word, or a word or phrase from an ancient language no longer in common use. Activating a command word magic item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Sometimes the command word to activate an item is written right on the item. Occasionally, it might be hidden within a pattern or design engraved on, carved into, or built into the item, or the item might bear a clue to the command word.

The Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (history) skills might be useful in helping to identify command words or deciphering clues regarding them. A successful check against DC 30 is needed to come up with the word itself. If that check is failed, succeeding on a second check (DC 25) might provide some insight into a clue.

The spells identify and analyze dweomer both reveal command words.

 

[Darklone]

No, a sorcerer would usually not be able to activate a wand of Cure Light Wounds.

Let him learn the spell.

 

[Beastman]

Wands are Spell Trigger items, which means you must know the command word and have the spell on your class spell list, or use the UMD skill. A "wand" that just required a command word would be a misc. magic item (like a Healing Belt or Elixir of Sneaking or something) and thus cost more.

You could use a spell-storing whip (or other reach weapon) to deliver a touch spell such as a Cure.

Have it. DMG 218 command word activation: can be used for items which activation method is not suggested. since wands have spell trigger activation suggested - no command words...
so it was my fault, to introduce a wand with command word...