wands,scrolls,staves, and rods

[ivanhoe]

are there any requirements to use wands,scrolls,staves, and rods
i dont quite understand what they are
if you know please respond

 

[Dreaddisease]

Yes, Yes, Yes, No(and yes)

Scrolls, Wands and Staves must have the ability to cast spells or have the Use Magic skill. I think there is a restricition if you are do not cast the spell level. But I'm not sure right now

Rods are trigger activated. Like immovable rods have just a button on the top that you press to place or press to remove. Other have other uses, but as the DMG says the rod use varies.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

To use one of those devices, you must either:

A) have the spel(s) contained in the device on your spell list
or
B) sucessfully use the 'Use Magic Device' skill.

If you can't do one of those two, you can't use the device.

 

[PeterDonis]

To use one of those devices, you must either:

A) have the spel(s) contained in the device on your spell list
or
B) sucessfully use the 'Use Magic Device' skill.

If you can't do one of those two, you can't use the device.

It's a bit more complicated than that. The rules are on pg. 175 of the DMG (my copy, anyway), under "Using Items". Scrolls are spell completion items, so you actually have to be able to cast a spell of the right level and class to use them, and if you don't actually know the specific spell, there's a chance of a mishap. Wands and staves are spell trigger items, which means you can use them if you have the spell(s) in question on your class spell list, whether you can actually cast them (or even cast spells of their level) or not (the DMG example is a 3rd level paladin who can't cast any spells yet, but could still use, say, a wand of cure light wounds). Rods are usually use-activated items, meaning anyone that knows how to activate them can use them. (Further on under "Rods" the DMG says that "anyone can use a rod", but the individual rod descriptions make it clear that you have to know which buttons to push, etc., to get the right functions--but anyone who has that knowledge can do so.)

Peter Donis

 

[Destil]

Just thought I'd chime in one last peice of info not mentioned yet: Scrolls are either Arcane, or Devine, depnding on the scroll's creator. Arcane spell casters can't use divne scrolls, and vise versa (unles the're multiclassed to have acess to both or the Use Magic Device skill, of course). This limitation does not apply to wands or Staves. So Bards can not use clericly scribed scrolls of Cure Light Wounds while, Likewise, Clerics can not use a wizzard's Summon Monster V scroll.

As far as level: for spell completion (scroll) you make a caster level check, 1d20 + your spellcaster level (you need to, of course, use the spell casting class which allows you to activate this spell trigger item. Or use your effective level from your Use Magic Devices check).

Also using a spell trigger item (Wand / Staff) does not provoke an attack of pooertunity, while using a spell completion item (Scroll) does.