Yeah again not accusing anyone of not reading, just point out that a lot of times the text gets skipped because people thing they know it.
Here's the thing, as those resources get eaten up the average of the party is going to go down. As that average goes down the party will get a bit more loot.
The charges are in place simply to prevent a level "x" from having ability "y" an unlimited number of times when it should be a limited resource still -- after all if they are going to have it all the time why not just remove spell slots and let them cast it when they want?
The limits of the items come from three places: Charges, caster level/save DC, and price.
Sure the mage might be able to afford and use a scroll of wish once... but he'll not buy more than one, and he'll avoid the scroll of dominate monster since it's unlikely to succeed.
The "revolving door" of charged items also helps "phase out" obsolete items without having to resort to magic shops to get rid of them. The GM can comfortably hand out a wand of cure moderate wounds (17 charges) knowing that by the time something else is needed this will be used up and the party won't simply be sitting on a huge back log of +1 long swords for example. With the charged item being used up by the time the GM is ready to give something else out the wealth by level will be balanced in part by the lost of the charged item (and of course the increase in level).
Something I would point out again is the fact that the wealth per encounter in fact already assumes this happens -- if you give the PC's wealth per encounter and they never use that wealth on anything "disposable" (like raise deads, wands of cure light wounds, stoneskin) then by 20th level they are actually likely to be over wealth by level by a huge fraction (probably around 1/4~1/2 again as much) since they didn't burn up the "extra" built into the wealth per encounter chart (which assumes that the extra was burned up on disposable stuff).
Truthfully not having an "organic" view of the wealth by level and wealth by encounter leads to more metagaming since people are much less likely to actually use the stuff they get so they can "save it for the gp" to spend on more gear which then puts them ahead of wealth by level, simply because they didn't want to "eat into their maximum of 880,000 gp" in their character's life time by using disposable items.
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Yeah again not accusing anyone of not reading, just point out that a lot of times the text gets skipped because people thing they know it.
There is another possibility which I don't think you've considered. The rules on that page don't say what you think they say. Consider for a moment that the vast majority of GMs, the designers of the game system and their organized play system don't run things the way you suggest. Don't you think it's possible that you might just be misreading it?
The idea of giving out treasure at the correct pace IS the organic view. Players who buy lots of consumables sacrifice future potential for short term power, that's their call.
You still haven't answered the ultimate issue here though. How does one manage to keep relative power between the players balanced? If you are perpetually throwing more treasure at the party to compensate for characters burning up consumables then your players who don't consume stuff will inevitably wind up way ahead of his fellow players.
Answer: Grease.
First I could be wrong... but then why does pathfinder society use completely different variant rules instead of what's in the book? You don't even get exp in pathfinder society -- it's three adventures you level. Same with the item creation feats -- can't take them in society play -- if society is standard then why aren't the item creation, leadership and exp stuff the variant instead of the core rules?
Beyond that party divide of treasure isn't the GM's area of control, however you can help to "guide" where the treasure goes by what you hand out. If the cleric has almost used up the wand of cure light wounds and the party is hitting level 4~5 put a wand of lesser restoration into the treasure.
If the players instead on an "everyone always only gets and even share of what we find" then I think it is reasonable for the other players to insist that the one hoarding and not contributing to the consumables pay for his own restorations, raise deads, stoneskins, and the like.
If you give out expendables then they'll get used.
However I would like to point out a specific line on page 400:
"It is assumed that some of this treasure is consumed in the course of an adventure (such as potions and scrolls) and that some of the less useful items are sold for half value so more useful gear can be purchased."
The basic assumption is that wealth will be used up in consumables to some degree.
The wealth by level guidelines are per level for a reason -- as long as you are that level you should be (as the book puts it) at roughly that much wealth. IF you are under wealth you are underpowered for that part of the adventure.
If you have them never get back the wealth from consumed items then they will end up much farther behind than they need to be.
However to be clear I'm not advocating that everything should be regained -- just what is needed to keep them roughly at wealth by level and only when it works. Sometimes this means that other consumables are found, sometimes not.
Lets consider the EXP rewards in comparision to the Treasure awards for at CR encounters. At level 1 each encounter of CR 1 will net you (as a character) 100 xp. Each encounter should also give (on the medium exp progression) 260 gp. At this rate of exp gain it's going to take you 20 encounters to hit level 2. 260 gp per encounter means you are going to get 5,200 gp. Divide that among the four members of the party and you end up with 1,300 gp per individual... which is more than the 1,000 gp that you should have for being level 2. So where does the extra treasure go? Into consumables.
It's explicitly built into the system for consumables to be used and replaced with time. Following the charts simply means this happens without the DM's direct interference -- the system in fact does it for him.
Now treasure splitting is up to the party and is not the GM's area to get involved at. Leave that to the players.
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Consumables are part of the game, there is no doubt that total wealth handed out should exceed the suggested wealth per level. The pace which treasure is handed out takes this into account. The question is whether you should accelerate or decelerate treasure dispersion based on player item consumption, your "infinite resources".
"Now treasure splitting is up to the party and is not the GM's area to get involved at. Leave that to the players."
Now we come back to the original point. Unless the party disperses treasure based on total character wealth my character is better off in the long run if I avoid expensive consumables. This is regardless of how the GM decides to disperse treasure.
Example:
If Paul Potion-sipper sucks down his entire wealth per level in potions at first level and Wendy Wondrous-item invests in more durable goods then average party wealth is 1/2 expected party wealth. The GM puts out a cache of items and Paul and Wendy split the items equally. Suddenly Wendy has 1 1/2 times expected wealth and Paul has 1/2 expected wealth.
Your GM could suddenly start dropping more potions or he could drop items which would benefit Paul more but ultimately that takes away some of Wendy's incentive to adventure and in general watching 3 treasure hordes in a row have items for the other guy is just not fun.
As for not using wands of lesser restoration on the rest of the party, in most groups I've been in the party chips in for some healing wands because the effects of the item directly benefit other players. I could see a wand of good hope or haste falling into this list of items but they usually aren't purchased because people would rather buy stuff to make their personal characters stronger.
at lvl seven I plan to get improve familiar and get a pseudodragon and use magic device so he can use some wands too, so some advice along those lines would be greatly appreciated
How does a pseudodragon get the Use Magic Device skill? Familiars don't get the skills of their masters, they only get to use the skill ranks of their masters if both the familiar and the master have that skill (or, assumedly, it's a skill that can be used untrained). So, if you have a +10 to your Diplomacy skill, your Pseudodragon would get +10 to its Diplomacy check (since pseudodragons also have this skill but only at +5), but if you had the Use Magic Device skill, your familiar wouldn't automatically get to use it, because pseudodragons don't have that skill and the skill can't be used untrained.
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How does a pseudodragon get the Use Magic Device skill? Familiars don't get the skills of their masters, they only get to use the skill ranks of their masters if both the familiar and the master have that skill (or, assumedly, it's a skill that can be used untrained). So, if you have a +10 to your Diplomacy skill, your Pseudodragon would get +10 to its Diplomacy check (since pseudodragons also have this skill but only at +5), but if you had the Use Magic Device skill, your familiar wouldn't automatically get to use it, because pseudodragons don't have that skill and the skill can't be used untrained.
at lvl seven I plan to get improve familiar and get a pseudodragon and use magic device so he can use some wands too, so some advice along those lines would be greatly appreciated
Familiars have all the ranks you do. If you have ranks in Use Magic Device than so does your pseudodragon. If we both have ranks, than nobody is using it untrained.
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Wow, this has really gotten off-topic! Perhaps you guys should start a new thread to discuss WBL guidelines? I think there are already one or two floating around... ;)
To the OP's original question, I like the list compiled earlier and would just say that my party uses Glitterdust to great effect -- even if it doesn't blind the target(s), it outlines them and eliminates any chance for them to hide.
Obviously the cure spells are good, and our party sorceror has a wand of magic missile at 3rd level which he uses to great effect. Against some creatures that wand (with a good roll) does as much damage as one attack from the fighter! (I'm thinking of incorporeal undead and creatures with DR. Of course, perhaps the fighter is just not rolling too well. :))
Familiars have all the ranks you do. If you have ranks in Use Magic Device than so does your pseudodragon. If we both have ranks, than nobody is using it untrained.
Ahh, thanks for pointing that out. I wish they had prefaced the familiar's skills description with, "Familiars have all the skills their masters have, as well as their own racial skills", or something.
And my apologies for getting off topic there. To answer the poster's question, any wand that buffs you and/or your group that you wouldn't typically want to prepare yourself (for wizards) or selected as a known spell (for sorcerers) is very handy to have around. Many previous posts mentioned very good wand choices, such as magic missile, protection from evil, identify, shield, expeditious retreat, alarm, false life, alter self, cat's grace, bull's strength, keen edge, etc.
The best wands are those that A)Don't allow a save B)Are of 1st or 2nd level spells that have continued use at high levels C)Have long durations already.
My suggestions:
1)Enlarge Person. Lasts 1 min/level which is more than your average combat already, gives someone a +2 str, reach, and increases their weapon damage.
2)Cure Light Wounds. The most healing per gold you'll get in the game. Not particularly useful in combat, but you'll burn through them after combat rather quickly.
3)Protection from Evil. Very useful for a second save against compulsion effects, even at higher levels.
4)Silent Image. Great utility power, lasts as long as you concentrate. Create a humanoid on the edge of a bandit camp to distract them and slip by unnoticed. Make an image of a huge brute standing in the doorway while your rogue questions the shopkeeper. The uses are infinite.
5)Disguise Self. Use your imagination.
Honorable Mention: Detect Secret Doors, Endure Elements and Comprehend Languages for utility powers.
Very good thread (assuming we can pull it back on topic)
I would like to offer up a Wand of True Strike as a fantastic option. Zap yourself and anyone else in the party who would like a +20 on their next attack roll!
Good idea.
True Strike is rarely very useful, but where it really shines is in preparing an ambush. When you're preparing an ambush, it'd be nice to have True Strike cast on the entire party. So, it'd be a good idea to have it on a wand.
True Strike is personal only, so the person using the wand only would benefit from the spell. Everyone would have to take ranks in UMD, which might not be a bad idea in the end.
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True Strike is personal only, so the person using the wand only would benefit from the spell. Everyone would have to take ranks in UMD, which might not be a bad idea in the end.
And it's duration is the following round...
-James
Both good points - I forgot about that.
OK, so... downgrade such a wand to a pretty good wand to have :)
Offensive wands are kind of blah. SR and increasing saves mean that wands typically don't scale well unless they're tied to caster level. Jacking up the caster level on wands is very expensive. What they do well is provide a battery for an ability that isn't bad by itself.
For instance, remove fear/paralysis/blindness/deafness type spells are good targets for "wanding". They don't care about SR/saves -- and increasing the caster levels doesn't significantly affect them.
I also like buff wands:
- haste
- (greater) invisibility
- blur
- heroism
And the like. The trade-off with "wanding" them is lower duration than your ever-rising caster level -- but duration doesn't matter too significantly in most fights.
Ray of exhaustion is a decent spell to have in a wand. Even if they make the save all you need is two hits and they are exhausted anyways.
It IS however very expensive.
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Some of the basic wands I used to make all the time are no longer viable, since Cantrips are now cast at will, but let's look at some of the more 'utility' spells you may want.
Wand of Mage Armor: In a pinch, this is great for giving everyone a short-term 'boost' to their AC, especially in the inevitable 'caught while sleeping out of our armor' battle most DMs seem to have a raging hardon for.
Wand of Floating Disk: Again, in a pinch this spell can be used for carrying treasure, the occasional dead small person. Limited actual usefulness but when it comes time to pull all the loot out of there at once ... golden.
Wand of Protection from Good/Evil/Chaos/Law/Kittens: Arguably a better one for the lower levels, but much more highly situational. Great for battles against the Undead, Evil Clerics and the average Lemure, but against the scared-witless Knight who thinks that you guys are the ones skinning people alive, a waste of a charge and an action.
Wand of Comprehend Languages: This baby will earn it's gold for levels yet. I've kept one of these through-out my leveling career until such time as I could make Tongues permanent.
Wand of Enlarge Person: Seriously, at lower levels, the Warrior-types will love you forever for this. Say hello to reach, taking up additional squares so everyone else can take cover behind Mr HighACandHitpoints and the nominally important ability scores for the melee types, Strength and Constitution, will go up a great deal. Cast it on a Barbarian just before he rages and take cover from the flying body-parts.
SECOND LEVEL WANDS:
Wand of Resist Energy: Always handy. While the duration might not be so great coming from a Wand, always handy in a pinch so you can save the healing for the big battles, not the annoying fire-burst traps right in front of the dungeon's last door.
Wand of Glitterdust: Golden. Absolutely g$%#*~n golden. This can really ruin most low-level 'swarmers' days.
Wand of Acid Arrow: As has been mentioned, this is a great damaging spell at low levels and it's also great for using against enemy casters. Constant 3-round damage to force them to make checks to avoid losing their spells? Brilliant.
Wand of Gust of Wind: A single target spell, but again, great for pushing around casters or small targets. Can also be useful in non-combat settings like helping the party cross the lake by casting it on the sail of a small boat for a burst of speed. Just make sure somebody has got a good Profession(Sailor) skill or you could blow the sail right off!
Wand of Invisibility: Can you say "Surprise Round" and "Flat Footed"? I think you can. Nothing like pulling one of these on the DM rather than the other way around.
Wand of Command Undead: Handy in a pinch for combat against an Evil Cleric or Necromancer. Make them use up all their Rebuke Undead while you play 'grab the Undead' with them while the rest of the party gets within range to open up on their profane asses.
Wand of Levitate/Spider Climb: Who needs ropes and a grappling hook to climb over walls. Also handy for making daring escapes off cliffs from hordes of pissed off enemies, and it works on just about everything.
Wand of Knock: Sometimes it's too dangerous to send in the Rogue. Use this instead.
I'll add more but Work calls.
First of all, great thread! I've been pitching to my crew that wands are surprisingly useful to have around, and I've yet to be proven wrong in that aspect. Especially useful in 3.5 when you had access to some Eberron feats like Wand Mastery (+2 DC to wand effects), Dual Wand Wielder, and another feat (can't remember name) that allowed you to burn two charges to add two caster levels to the effect. Even without those feats though, wands are a wizard's best friend. Better than scrolls or potions in most cases, because of lower price-per-cast cost and multiple uses, and not nearly as expensive as staffs. Pearls of Power are nice but can only be used to recall spells you already cast that day, so they only give you multiple castings of memorized spells. For sheer versatility, get a quiver of wands!
Because of the low DC that comes with using a wand instead of casting it yourself, the best wands are those where success or failure doesn't hinge on your target failing a saving throw. For that reason, save-or-fail spells are usually very bad ideas for wands: Hold Person, Sleep, Color Spray, Blindness, etc. The target only needs a save of 11 for 1st-lvl spells, 13 for 2nd level, 14 for 3rd, and 16 for 4th. Ouch... you have to assume that any use of a wand that will negate the effect on a successful save is just a bad use of your action and resources. Even partial effect on saves, like half-dmg, aren't necessarily a good idea because the save-for-half-dmg total will be pretty low on a wand.
The thing about being a wizard is that you only get so many spells per day. Having several wands changes that, so you can reserve your daily spell slots for the spells which rely on a high DC or caster level. Save the wands for the small stuff so you never run out of stuff to do in a given round. In my groups' experience, the most useful wands to have around are the following:
Mage Armor: this is just too useful not to have, and isn't even really for you. You can't wear armor but you're not about to get into melee usually, so who cares? Use this wand on the party Monk or the druid's animal companion... heck, put it on both of 'em, wands are cheap! +4 Armor bonus for an hour to anything that wasn't already wearing better armor. That monk just became your best friend.
Enlarge Person: Do not use this on yourself. Why make yourself a better target? Instead use it on the party Fighter and you just became his best friend; now he has a 10-ft reach and slightly better Strength for 10 rounds! Caution: avoid using in cramped corridors and tiny spaces, as the spell makes the recipient easier to hit and you don't want to prevent him getting back-up when he needs it.
Cure Light Wounds: Again, it's not for you, but since you bought it, your friends can use it on you first. Cheap healing, and any ranger, paladin, cleric, druid, witch, or bard can use it without having to worry about UMD.
Grease: don't worry about the save, you just made a small area in front of you difficult terrain; that barbarian gnoll won't be charging you after all. Wands don't require concentration checks, so if you get grappled or entangled, use it on yourself and Escape Artist out of it! Hit the enemy melee'ers with it and force them to check against dropping their weapons every round. With Grease, saving the first round doesn't negate the need to check again next round.
Pyrotechnics: any spell that can do more than one thing is a good thing to have, but since you may not always have an open flame to play with, you probably won't memorize it. Pyrotechnics can make a big LOS-blocking cloud of choking smoke, put out fires, and make big blinding flashes of light. Great to have when the bad guys start using alchemical fire on your party or are carrying torches.
Silent Image: they don't get a save unless they Interact with it, which for most creatures means touching it. Create a wall, a tangle of thorn bushes, a cloud of sickly green gases, or even an image of a gaping pit to keep the enemy from getting too close to you, or even finding you. Literally dozens of applications, and favors the imaginative player.
Obscuring Mist: cheap concealment, shuts down all ranged attacks and forces the enemy to meet you on your terms... assuming they can find you.
Detect Secret Doors: you won't memorize it because by the time you realize you need it, you've already chosen your spells for the day. Pull this out when you're in that kind of a dungeon where it's needed, and you'll be so glad you did. At 1 minute per charge, it's a bargain.
Comprehend Languages: Again, you probably won't memorize this for the same reason you didn't memorize Detect Secret Doors. When you need it, you'll use it often due to the relatively short duration.
Endure Elements: Don't ever memorize this unless you're on your own; use a wand instead. It lasts 24 hours and if you need this then you need to protect everyone in the party, not just one person.
Magic Missile: Crossbows run out of ammo fast, take time to reload, and you still have to roll to hit. Not with this wand. Yes, you do more damage by casting this with your own mystical fingers, but with the wand you have a meaningful contribution to every combat round... and it doesn't miss. Ever. It even affects those pesky incorporate undead like shadows and wraiths, doing full damage... and if you can find or create a Magic Missile wand at 3rd or 5th caster level, that's just gravy.
There are more, but those are the wands that have been most useful in our games. Note that I only included first level spells here(except Pyrotechnics which I included b/c its so underrated), as 750 gold for a full 50 charges is the best bargain in the game, really. You pay nearly 6 times that for a fully charged 2nd level wand, so creative use of a 1st level wand is the best action economy if you can get away with it.
Wouldn't the DC of a 1st level wand be 12?
Page 459 says that the saving throw against a spell or spell-like effect from a magic item the DC is 10 + the level of the spell or effect + the ability modifier of the minimum ability score needed to cast that spell.
Still not a big deal, but for a 4th level spell, doesn't that make it DC 18?
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Wouldn't the DC of a 1st level wand be 12?
Page 459 says that the saving throw against a spell or spell-like effect from a magic item the DC is 10 + the level of the spell or effect + the ability modifier of the minimum ability score needed to cast that spell.
Still not a big deal, but for a 4th level spell, doesn't that make it DC 18?
It's still only 11 for a first level wand. Minimum ability score for it is 11 (+0) and it is 1st (+1) so only 11. 4th level is only 16 for ability score 14 (+2) and the spell level (+4).
It's still only 11 for a first level wand. Minimum ability score for it is 11 (+0) and it is 1st (+1) so only 11. 4th level is only 16 for ability score 14 (+2) and the spell level (+4).Wouldn't the DC of a 1st level wand be 12?
Page 459 says that the saving throw against a spell or spell-like effect from a magic item the DC is 10 + the level of the spell or effect + the ability modifier of the minimum ability score needed to cast that spell.
Still not a big deal, but for a 4th level spell, doesn't that make it DC 18?
Right... duh. Now where did I put those smart pills?
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Right... duh. Now where did I put those smart pills?It's still only 11 for a first level wand. Minimum ability score for it is 11 (+0) and it is 1st (+1) so only 11. 4th level is only 16 for ability score 14 (+2) and the spell level (+4).Wouldn't the DC of a 1st level wand be 12?
Page 459 says that the saving throw against a spell or spell-like effect from a magic item the DC is 10 + the level of the spell or effect + the ability modifier of the minimum ability score needed to cast that spell.
Still not a big deal, but for a 4th level spell, doesn't that make it DC 18?
Don't sweat it. We all have our moment to shine, and our moment to realize we stepped in it. I do that consistently. ;)
By "infinite" I mean that the "lost money" from using the wand will be given back to you in future in the treasure the GM hands out to keep you at wealth by level.
IN Theory:
If you have several permanent magical items you'll only get the little bit you need to keep at wealth by level as you level up.
However lets say you have a charged item (a wand in this case). As you use the wand up you have less wealth since it's value goes down per charge used. Once the wand is used up you are effectively down that much in your wealth by level -- which means the GM now needs to give you another source of wealth in addition to what you would normally get to keep you at "wealth by level".
That's the whole idea behind wealth by level -- that no matter what form or how you use it you'll still end up at the equilibrium point suggested. Yes your magical sword might be broke... but the GM is expected to get you something to keep your wealth where it needs to be -- In fact if you go "over" wealth by level you really shouldn't expect any treasure for a while -- you have to "even out" either by using stuff up, or by gaining exp/levels until you are back at even. This is easily shown in the LoF AP actually in the way it gets you ahead in some places before ditching you in the middle of nowhere so that you can't replenish or immediately use the resources you find in the next adventure.
Now on to the specific wands:
The extended acid arrow is indeed for the concentration checks, however as an on going source of damage it's good for most types of regeneration too (since it will negate it each round)... indeed 2d4 over 10 rounds is 20d4 which isn't bad off a wand that doesn't have to worry about save throws or spell resistance (at 3rd level too). Does it take time? Yes, but that time can be used to your advantage of course (see the concentration checks or hit and run tactics that you referenced).
Pearls of power are nice, but again reference the "in theory" above. That third level pearl is going to be...
That's just plain wrong. As a DM, I'd give out treasure/gold at a reasonable rate and let the chips fall how they may. If a PC spends his money wisely and comes out slightly more powerful than he should be at level, then his job is somewhat easier, and I am ok with that. If the PC makes unwise decisions that's ok by me as well, his life will get more difficult.
While I might make exceptions to that in rare circumstances (say the party is caught in a Morts Disjucntion), in general, no way. I'd be even less likely to do it for just one character who used his money poorly, expecting me to replace the money squandered...
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I don't see why everyone is so hung up about WBL. Life is not fair if
one PC finds Magic items that are better for him/her thats the way the cookie crumbles. A good GM will try to keep his players happey by insuring that they get enough Magic goodies as they progress throughout their career.
As far as attack wands go they will rock for a Magus who takes the Arcana Wand master. Wnads work like staffs.
1st wand IMO Cure Lite Wounds
lesser Restoration
Magic Missle
Bless Weeapon
Shield
Mage Armor
When you get enough money buy
Cure Moderate wounds
If you want to burn a feat take leadership and get a bard as you cohort bards rock for buffs. not my cup of tea to play.
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I don't see why everyone is so hung up about WBL. Life is not fair if
one PC finds Magic items that are better for him/her thats the way the cookie crumbles. A good GM will try to keep his players happey by insuring that they get enough Magic goodies as they progress throughout their career.As far as attack wands go they will rock for a Magus who takes the Arcana Wand master. Wnads work like staffs.
The game is designed with 15-Point Buy and Wealth By Level in mind when it comes to standard Challenge Ratings and Difficulty Classes. Deviate too greatly from this baseline and adjustments need to be made. For example, 5th level fighter with a +1 keen speed falchion will find many of the combat encounters normally faced by a 5th level party to be much less challenging; conversely, the same fighter without a magic weapon may find many combat encounters much more challenging. Wealth By Level already assumes a certain amount of trading in, upgrading, and use of consumables, in addition to finding new, more powerful items.
Wand Mastery is decent arcana for a magus, especially in combination with Wand Wielder. A wizard can (eventually) gain even more benefit with the Staff-Like Wand arcane discovery.
A list of effective spells to place in wands (copied from one of my posts in March, does not include Ultimate Magic spells):
1st level spells-
aspect of the falcon (APG)
bless weapon (only on the paladin list)
cure light wounds
enlarge person
gravity bow (APG)
lead blades (APG; only on the ranger list)
longstrider
mage armor (especially useful in parties with a mounted fury barbarian, cavalier, cleric with Animal domain, druid w/animal companion, monk, paladin w/mount, ranger w/animal companion, and/or summoner)
magic missile (higher CL versions can be cheaper than wands of higher level spells for similar damage)
magic stone
shield
true strike
2nd level spells-
acid arrow (ranged touch, long range, energy damage, no save/SR)
aid
barkskin
darkvision
false life
flame blade
flames of the faithful (APG; only on the inquisitor list)
gallant inspiration (APG; only on the bard list and the bard must already be holding the wand)
heroism (bard version)
honeyed tongue (APG; for serious diplomancers)
lesser restoration
protection from arrows (most useful at lower levels when magic weapons aren't common)
resist energy
scorching ray (a little more damage than acid arrow, but short range and affected by SR)
spectral hand (especially useful for casters with a lot of touch range spells)
spider climb
spiritual weapon
stone call (APG)
summon swarm
weapon of awe (APG)
3rd and 4th level spells tend to be more expensive than they're worth (IMO) when placed in wands, so those I consider on a case-by-case basis. In most circumstances, by the time you can afford a wand of a 3rd or 4th level spell, it's more useful to either cast natively, scribe a small number of scrolls, or have a X times per day or spell storing item.