Perhaps a really simple question, but I am somewhat confused.
Does a PC need to speak a word / phrase to activate a wand?
From Page 136, Activate Magic Items:
Spell Trigger, Command Word, or Use-Activated Items:
So Spell Trigger and Command Word are different.
and from Page 362, Wands:
Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method <snip>. To activate a wand, a character must hold it in hand and point it in the general direction of the target or area.
No where does it say that you have to say anything, just point. This sorta means that a wand can be used in a silenced area.
So what exactly *is* a Spell Trigger?
Help!!!
-- david
Papa.DRB
Perhaps a really simple question, but I am somewhat confused.
Does a PC need to speak a word / phrase to activate a wand?
From Page 136, Activate Magic Items:
Spell Trigger, Command Word, or Use-Activated Items:So Spell Trigger and Command Word are different.
and from Page 362, Wands:
Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method <snip>. To activate a wand, a character must hold it in hand and point it in the general direction of the target or area.No where does it say that you have to say anything, just point. This sorta means that a wand can be used in a silenced area.
So what exactly *is* a Spell Trigger?
Help!!!
-- david
Papa.DRB
Comparing 3.5 and PFRPG Beta, it seems to me too that PFRPG Beta lacks an explanation about what a “Spell Trigger Activation” is.
In PFRPG Beta, as you say, individual descriptions of wands or staves state “a character must hold it forth in at least one hand”, and these individual statements are almost same in 3.5DMG.
However, in 3.5DMG, it is clearly stated that activating a Spell Trigger Item needs “ a single word that must be spoken”, and that requirement is solidified by official FAQ by WotC. The FAQ even states “they(spell trigger items) don’t work in areas of silence”.
This requirement is omitted with couple of other things about Magic Items in PFRPG Beta.
I can't say for sure if this is intentional or not.
It may appear in final version.
Here is our interpretation of a wand's use:
If you want to use a "normal" wand '(one without a trigger word), you must have the wand's spell on your spell list. Using a Wand of CuMoWo for example requires you to be a Cleric or any other spellcaster with CuMoWo on his spell list.
A wand can also be created with a command word activation (as per the item creation rules, thereby increasing its cost). If so, anybody can activate it (there is no requirement to habe the wand's spell on your spell list).
So, a normal wand does not have a "verbal component" and you just point it toward the target "willing" the wand's spell to take effect. But a command word triggered wand has a "verbal component" which must be spoken (in addition to pointing the wand at the target').
Don't know if this is right or wrong, its just as we played it since 3.x came out.