You ever have multiple wands you want to use in combat?

[drnuncheon]

You ever have a lot of wands you want to use in combat?

From my understanding, using a wand is a standard action. Now, if you want to switch to another wand, you need to use a move equivalent action to dig that wand out. You have a wand in each hand now.

Now suppose, there is a third or fourth wand you want to use. If I understand the rules correctly, you need to spend a free action to drop one wand, maybe provoking an AoO, then a move action to grab a new one, then finally your standard action to use it.

First, merely dropping an item does not provoke an AoO (see chart on PHB 128). Putting it carefully away does, but that's an MEA in and of itself.

Second, 'wand' is not a slot, so the only limit to how many you can use at once is the physical limit of the fact that you have to be able to hold & point them.

Thus, the best thing to do in your situation is to take some twine, gather your wands into a bundle, and tie them all tightly together. Hold the bundle in your hand and wand away - it will take no time to 'switch' between wands, but you can still only use one per standard action.

J

 

[Li Shenron]

You ever have a lot of wands you want to use in combat?

From my understanding, using a wand is a standard action. Now, if you want to switch to another wand, you need to use a move equivalent action to dig that wand out. You have a wand in each hand now.

Now suppose, there is a third or fourth wand you want to use. If I understand the rules correctly, you need to spend a free action to drop one wand, maybe provoking an AoO, then a move action to grab a new one, then finally your standard action to use it.

Anyone ever encounter such a situation?

- Retrieve a stored wand as a MEA, which may provoke an AoO.

- Keep up to one wand per hand, and on your turn (unless hasted or such) you can activate ONE of the two, as a standard action.

- Drop a wand (free action, no AoO) if you want to retrieve another one. If you sheath it back carefully, you provoke an AoO and it's a MEA; if you drop it, you will provoke an AoO when picking it back from the ground (and it will be a MEA). If you have good reasons to believe you're winning the combat (and won't be fleeing) and nobody can pick it up and use it against you, it is better to drop it.

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I don't like the idea of an item that lets you "keep in the same hand" more wands at the same time. Wands are already good enough for their price. If a PC insisted on having such an item, I'd give him a chance of activating a random wand sometimes.

OTOH, I'd like a similar item to let you DRAW (no AoO) a few wands (up to 4-5) as they were weapons, instead of retrieving them as stored items. I really don't know how a Bandolier works...

 

[wolff96]

There is a bracer of wands in either Tome & Blood or Magic of Faerun that is pretty remarkable...

I believe it is classified as a Wonderous Item. Anyway, for the cost of one charge from the wand, you can "attune yourself" to that wand. The bracer holds up to 6 wands. By gesturing with your arm, you can fire off any of the spells in the bracer as normal for a wand.

Since the bracer specifically only takes up one arm, you can actually wear two of the things and have access to twelve wands at once.

(By the way, Heward's Handy Haversack works really well for this kind of thing, too.)

 

[kreynolds]

No, I was thinking of the special exception noted in the wand desctiption (DMG 206 "If the spell being cast, however, has a casting time longer than 1 action it takes that long to cast the spell from the wand.") and applying it (wrongly) to spells with a casting time less than one action.

Actually, you can have a Wand of Quickened Whatever, and kicking it off will be a free action. It'll be the most expensive ray of frost wand you've ever seen, but it can be done.

 

[AGGEMAM]

Actually, you can have a Wand of Quickened Whatever, and kicking it off will be a free action.

Do you have a reference for that ?

 

[kreynolds]

Do you have a reference for that ?

DMG, page 241, Creating Magic Items...

Using metamagic feats, a caster can place spells in items at a higher level than normal. For example, a caster could heighten a spell's level to increase its effectiveness, or quicken a spell to allow it to be used as a free action, placing it within an item at the higher metamagic level.

...granted, for Wands and Quicken Spell, you're limited to 0-level spells, such as ray of frost, but you can do it.

 

[AGGEMAM]

*smacking my own head* Doh!

Totally OT, have you seen the EN World photos thread ? Try looking at the bottom of page 11 !

 

[kreynolds]

[BTry looking at the bottom of page 11 ! [/B]

Dude...you're sloshed.

 

[AGGEMAM]

Dude...you're sloshed.

.. and then some !

 

[Antikinesis]

Originally posted by kreynolds

Actually, you can have a Wand of Quickened Whatever, and kicking it off will be a free action. It'll be the most expensive ray of frost wand you've ever seen, but it can be done.

So is there anything (besides the wisdom of the DM) to prevent a rogue from using such a wand repeatedly during the surprise round, adding up some serious sneak attack damage?

Don't like it.

-AK