Arcane bond

[Brubru]

Hi!

I'm new to this (still). :)

I don't understand the difference between the four arcane bond choices (masterwork dagger, masterwork quarterstaff, ring, or wand).

Why would I take a ring when I could get a free masterwork weapon. Can I even use them as weapons?

And how does the wand work. Does the wand only have 50 charges? And the ring?

Thanks for your patience!

[Ricard the Daring]

The wand doesn't start with any charges of anything. The idea is that it can be enchanted using craft wand. The masterwork weapons can be used as weapons, but if you're not wielding them for whatever reason, you have to make a concentration check whenever you cast a spell. Rings are easier to keep on you, and more difficult to sunder/steal, so are usually a bit safer for a wizard going for arcane bond.

[Mark Garringer]

The main difference between them in style as far as the Beginner Box goes. It is a somewhat inelegant translation from the Core rules, where magic item creation rules could eventually allow a wizard to have a pretty powerful, custom crafted arcane bonded item.

As far as the choice goes, well...a free masterwork weapon is nice, but should your 1st level wizard really be getting into a lot of melee fights? It is usable as a weapon, no problem there. It is my understand that the ring and the wand have no power of their own. So the wand would have no charges or other stored spells inside it, just a visual device to allow you to cast an extra 1 spell a day without having to memorize it.

If you are interested for BB vs Core rules compairson you can read the Arcane Bond section of the Wizard class in the Core rule book.

Since item creation feats do not exist in the BB, it does feel a bit like the arcane bond choices don't make as much sense. Though, if your wizard is captured his weapon would surely be taken away where as a ring might not be?

Hope this helps!

[Brubru]

Thanks for the fast reply!

The player chose the wand so as the GM, I think I'm going to put a wizard in sandpoint that can enchant the wand for a price. I just need to do some more research first.

Awesome game by the way!

[Sean K Reynolds]

{Why would I take a ring when I could get a free masterwork weapon. Can I even use them as weapons?}

Well, one reason to take a ring instead of a weapon is if you suddenly need that hand free; if your arcane bond is with a dagger or staff, that means you have to drop the item, put it away, or move it to your other hand, all of which take an action. If it's a ring, your hand is still free to hold items. Also, once you make the shift to the full Core Rulebook, you can add magic to your ring (like turning it into a ring of protection +1).

True, there's not much reason to take a wand as your bonded item at 1st level, as it doesn't have spells in it like a magic wand from the Game Master's Guide, but (similar to the rings) if you start using the Core Rulebook, you can turn your arcane bond wand into a magic item, like a wand of magic missile or even a wand of fireball. So that's pretty cool. :)