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I'm making a wand specialist who can cast most any spell from any class from his assortment of wands.
But which wands to get?
Assuming your every day wand (no abilities to up the DC or caster level or whatever), what spells make the best wands in your opinion?
For combat?
For utility?
Something else?
The only requirement, is that it must be something worth spamming (since that's kind of the point of wands), but finding something that doesn't rely on saves or caster level is also good too.
My personal favorite is Wand of infernal healing: Effects independent of caster level. Heals a total of 10 hp per 15 gp.
Wand of endure elements: Again, effects independent of caster level. Good as long as GM plays with environment and weather. Our old party bought one when we were going to a desert to supplememnt daily spell slots and spammed endure elements on everyone in the party, including horses.
Wand of true strike: Caster level irrelevant. Good option for casters focusing on rays. (I haven't found a rule limiting it to non-self spells, like it is for potions - if anyone found one notify me, and direct me to the section containing that rule, please).
Wand of sleep: On early levels. Duration is based on CL but one minute should be enough.
Wand of silent image: Five 10-ft. cubes should be enough for simple images when you are interested with showing something and not fooling the viewers.
Wand of erase: As long as you are working in intelligence agency and need to get rid of non-magical writings quickly.
Cure Light Wounds. Cheapest out of combat heal. Great if no cleric is at hand, even then the cleric can spend his precious spell slots for something mor useful than being the party Band-Aid.
I am running a group through Rise Of The Runelords and they have no divine caster with them, except a ranger. Wand of CLW was the best buy they made and it saved their a... lives pretty often.
Out of combat and exploring the wilderness Alarm is a good wand at all levels, as is Purify Food and Drink and Create Water if you are short of 0 level slots. Create Food and Water is always useful in an emergency.
I like Mages Secure Shelter when exploring, and though I've no personal experience with it yet Web Shelter seems like a good low-level camping spell, one that can be stuck anywhere to boot (up a tree, under a bridge, or in a ships rigging for example).
In combat I had great fun with Web many characters ago.
fireball, lightning bolt and dispel magic are highly CL dependent and thus wand of those spells are quickly becoming obsolete as party grows in level. Personally, I will gladly use such wands if I get my hands on them but I won't go buying or crafting them. wand of create food and water is level dependent as well, but its effects at the base CL of 5th are great enough for most purposes (except feeding an army) to use such wand, and even consider buying/making one.
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Ah, I am thinking of Caster Level and PCs crafting them.
I still think that's where a Wizard's money should go, like a Fighter and his sword.
But they are certainly Caster Level dependent so not as useful for the OP like a Happy Stick, Haste, Enlarge Person, True Strike or the Bear's/Bull's/Cats/... bumper spells.
Are you planning for him not to be wizard I guess? Staff-like wand discovery would be pretty handy.
offensive:
another vote for enervation
ray of exhaustion
terrible remorse
cure light wounds gets its own category:
cure light wounds
buffs:
lead blades/gravity bow
expeditious retreat
mirror image
enlarge person
invisibility
possibly vanish, 1 round duration kinda sucks but 1/6 the price of invisibility.
Things that maybe don't meet the spamability requirement but make good backup plans anyway:
versatile weapon
bless weapon
glitterdust if they have SR
faerie fire if they don't
remove fear - suppress any dc fear effect for 10 minutes no check
protection from * - immunity to mind control effects or a new save no check
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Lesser Restoration, as a paladin spell.
I'd agree with Lesser Restoration, but how the heck do you find a Paladin with Craft Wand? :D
I also like ill omen. It can be combined with another wand wielder to great effect. For example, forcing someone to roll saving throws twice and take the worse vs color spray or charm person or any other weak save or suck spell, like grease or entangle.
Faerie Fire can make a lot of fights a lot easier too.
Protection from Evil makes an amazing wand. It has 3 great effects, none of which are level-dependent.
1) +2 deflection to AC, +2 Resistance to saves
2) Immunity to possession/mental influence
3) Second saving throw against ongoing mental influenceHaving a couple of those spread around the party makes you a LOT more resilient to mind control.
Note that, in Pathfinder, all three of these effects are alignment dependent. PfEvil does not give blanket protection from possession/compulsions - and etcetera.
The list of things of non-evil things that compulse or possess PCs is a very short one. Or, at least, much, much shorter than the list of evil things that do it. You're basically looking at neutral NPCs and some fey.Protection from Evil makes an amazing wand. It has 3 great effects, none of which are level-dependent.
1) +2 deflection to AC, +2 Resistance to saves
2) Immunity to possession/mental influence
3) Second saving throw against ongoing mental influenceHaving a couple of those spread around the party makes you a LOT more resilient to mind control.
Note that, in Pathfinder, all three of these effects are alignment dependent. PfEvil does not give blanket protection from possession/compulsions - and etcetera.
True, but the etcetera applies too. PfE isn't the spell it used to be, back in its glory days (at which point it nerfed significant tracts of both the conjuration summoning and enchantment compulsion subschools)
PfE still protects from evil summoned creatures. So we still have that going for us. Which is nice.
Cure Light Wounds. The Happy Stick is the most essential crutch for any group.
Heh, fixed it for you. Wands of Cure Wounds feel like video game 1-up's to me. We've ruled that there are no scrolls, wands or potions for divine spells. Never liked the idea of storing divine power in a bottle, stoppering it and selling it to random folks to use however they wish.
I second the Silent Image suggestion for utility - ditto Alarm - Hasten for combat, Protection vs. Evil for defense and Magic Missile or Scorching Ray for damage.
Edit: Nevermind, found the answer I was looking for.
Permissive GM who has all the NPC's in the world work at Walmart. :)Lesser Restoration, as a paladin spell.I'd agree with Lesser Restoration, but how the heck do you find a Paladin with Craft Wand? :D
Or a Paladin who has started a joint venture with his Wizard buddy.
Besides of a Wand of PoE, what are the best wands for a Two Weapon Warrior. (With 3 skill points from 7 Int, but 15 Cha. See Avatar for build.
He's gonna go for Orc bloodline via Elderitch Heritage so eventually he'll be able to self buff for +10 Attack/Damage/Will for 1d4+1 rounds as a swift action. He doesn't get the Touch of Ragepower till level 9, and then it will only be worth +3 to hit/damage/will.
He has Imp Iron will-(a Vastly Overrated feat IMHO, when your save blows, that 2nd roll doesn't help much) but PoE is number 1 item to buy ASAP. 2nd is Infernal Healing.
Other Ideas?
I'm making a wand specialist who can cast most any spell from any class from his assortment of wands.
But which wands to get?
Assuming your every day wand (no abilities to up the DC or caster level or whatever), what spells make the best wands in your opinion?
For combat?
For utility?
Something else?The only requirement, is that it must be something worth spamming (since that's kind of the point of wands), but finding something that doesn't rely on saves or caster level is also good too.
Sleep
Detect MagicMagic Missle(Even lvl 1 is good for pinging)
Enervation... and done.
Whoa, why didn't I think of that?
That is SO something you should give your familiar.
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Permissive GM who has all the NPC's in the world work at Walmart. :)Lesser Restoration, as a paladin spell.I'd agree with Lesser Restoration, but how the heck do you find a Paladin with Craft Wand? :DI'll disagree here.. I can easily see a Paladin when looking to retire elect to take a feat to ease the suffering in the world in a way that only they could. And when you can churn out one each day even while adventuring, I'm sure you won't run out of people willing to donate to your widow's and orphan's fund.
I'm thinking that you wouldn't have batted an eye at a wand of bless weapon, so it's really a double standard imho. (If I've misjudged mea culpa, but regardless I can see it happening and being reasonable in character to 'sacrifice' one feat this way).
-James
I didn't look it up, so I assumed they were trying to game a cheaper wand by using the paladin spell rather than cleric or someone else.
Since it is 4th level for everyone, and therefore much more expensive for a paladin to make (since they have to be a higher caster level to get it) more power to them unless I am missing something.
EDIT: Now I did look it up, and they are trying to game the system to get a cheaper wand, so I stand by what I said.
EDIT: Actually, since you have to be a 5th level caster to take Craft wands...screw it, I don't feel like doing the math and I am generally annoyed I have to because someone wants to find a clever way to get a discount wand through a rules exploit.
I wish they would just publish prices somewhere. Maybe this will happen with ultimate equipment so we can get all this fixed once and for all.
Permissive GM who has all the NPC's in the world work at Walmart. :)Lesser Restoration, as a paladin spell.I'd agree with Lesser Restoration, but how the heck do you find a Paladin with Craft Wand? :DI'll disagree here.. I can easily see a Paladin when looking to retire elect to take a feat to ease the suffering in the world in a way that only they could. And when you can churn out one each day even while adventuring, I'm sure you won't run out of people willing to donate to your widow's and orphan's fund.
I'm thinking that you wouldn't have batted an eye at a wand of bless weapon, so it's really a double standard imho. (If I've misjudged mea culpa, but regardless I can see it happening and being reasonable in character to 'sacrifice' one feat this way).
-James
Let's just say I don't see a lot of Paladin taking Craft Wand. Though it was pointed out that it could be done collaboratively, so, possible - though harder to find than a Cleric/Druid version.
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Ciretose, the "grab a wand of XXXX made by a paladin or ranger to save teh bux!" exploit is one of the most common techniques mentioned on these boards.
As a GM I price all wands at the lowest caster level that a full caster can make them.
Now we'll hear the howls of protest and "badwrongfun!" from those who want teh cheep wandz.
If a player who plays a ranger or paladin wants to invest in craft wand, then fine, but you're not going to find one at the local Magic Mart in my worlds. And even then, I'm contemplating a house rule that wands and potions are priced at full caster level no matter who makes them. It simply makes zero sense that a ranger or paladin is better at making magic stuff than wizards and clerics.
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Ciretose, the "grab a wand of XXXX made by a paladin or ranger to save teh bux!" exploit is one of the most common techniques mentioned on these boards.
As a GM I price all wands at the lowest caster level that a full caster can make them.
Now we'll hear the howls of protest and "badwrongfun!" from those who want teh cheep wandz.
I just want consistency. I just came from a thread where someone way trying to buy partially filled wands to get under WBL and threw a tantrum (their word) when they got called on it being cheese.
If the Devs want the wands to be a price, just name the price. Keep it simple.
See, I told you.
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See, I told you.
James isn't bad about this. He is an honest broker IMHO. I think what he is saying, fairly, is that you could theoretically have a Paladin who made wands.
Which is true.
But to have the market set at a price that would come from an unusual circumstance is a problem.
The crafting price and the market price don't need to mesh perfectly in my opinion. I like your idea of the market price being double to price of a full caster making it.
I think conceptually the system was designed for spells to have a level and that the price would be the same for the "lesser" casters since they would need to be a higher caster level to produce the items. '
Then when they were messing around with caster levels this all got blown up.
I look forward to a revised core rule book that either removes item creation rules and puts them in a separate book that can delve into the nuances. They belong in the Gamemastery Guide where they are clearly the realm of DM descretion.
Ultimate equipment is right around the corner, what better place to put a detailed item creation system, as opposed to what was clearly an add on to an overly large core rule book.
I applaud the effort to make the Core Rulebook a one stop shop. I don't think unique item creation rules needed to be in "core". But hindsight is easy, since at the time they didn't know if their was going to be more publications after Core, given how risky the venture want.
One of the many reasons I think the time has come for a revision (Not a new edition, just an update).
If your wand spammer happens to also be an Intimidate-based build, you may find a wand of blistering invective worth the price. I've seen a thug archetype rogue use one to good effect to gain a radius demoralize without wasting feat resources.
Lighting people on fire if they fail the mediocre save is just bonus.
Cure Light Wounds. Cheapest out of combat heal. Great if no cleric is at hand, even then the cleric can spend his precious spell slots for something mor useful than being the party Band-Aid.
I am running a group through Rise Of The Runelords and they have no divine caster with them, except a ranger. Wand of CLW was the best buy they made and it saved their a... lives pretty often.
See coct of wands
My personal favorite is Wand of infernal healing: Effects independent of caster level. Heals a total of 10 hp per 15 gp.http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/magicItems/wands.html
Yes 750 gp for Paladin made wand lessor resitoration... Great now find one...
How any Paladin PC do you know that would take this feat? Pretty Rare huh. Nice reward form paladin order if you do some side quest.
Same thing with ranger only spells on wands good luck finding one.
Yes arcane wand of cure light wounds... made by bard or wiitch ...
again find one. Not as hard as paladian but hard to find.
Bottom line if you are the GM you say what can be found in you world.
If PC send feat, has the spell, has the caster level to make the spell, then let them make the wand cheaper, not that big of deal.
Do wands have an arcane/divine split?
Do wands have an arcane/divine split?
Good question. I thought that the spell just had to be on your class's spell list.
Also, I can imagine some of those Eldritch Knight paladin/sorcerers taking Craft Wand. Or a dwarven paladin or ranger master craftsman, that builds the tools needed to defend his clan from their enemies and other calamities.