Been away for awhile, so be gentle.
Has there been a ruling on whether a Magus using the Wand Wielder Arcana with Spell Combat can also benefit from the Spellstrike ability?
You mean an official ruling? Not that I'm aware of. I personally don't see why you couldn't though.
Thx, V
Always made sense to me as well, but when I checked to be sure, I found that there were several...heated...arguments about it. So I thought I should ask.
Yeah there have been a few arguments. I switch sides on that particular argument all the time =P Right now I'm in the "you should be fine" camp.
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I am in the "No" camp. The ability text say
"Wand Wielder (Su): The magus can activate a wand or staff in place of casting a spell when using spell combat."
Spellstrike say: "whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list" and the FAQ about spell combat explain that a spell "from the magus spell list" is a spell that "has to be a magus spell you know, and it must be a magus spell prepared with one of your magus spell slots."
As Wand wielder don't mention spellstrike it don't affect it. If the text was "(Fake) Wand Wielder (Su): The magus can activate a wand or staff in place of using a spell from the magus spell list" it would work as it would change the list of spell available.
Note that with Wand wielder you can use a wand with spell from any class (if you make your UMD check) as it change how spell combat work.
The argument comes because the language in UMD and wands/staves/scrolls/etc talks about "casting a spell from the wand/etc" (paraphrasing). Spell Combat specifically says one hand has to be empty. The advantage of Wand Wielder is that your hand can be holding a wand instead of holding a spell (empty). Since Spellstrike doesn't have that language it doesn't have the same restrictions. If this interpretation is correct then any magus 2nd level or above could use a wand of Shocking Grasp and deliver the charge using their scimitar. The problem is that this is a standard action, so they don't get their full attack, and the wand will either do 1d6 damage, or be more expensive than it's worth. With Wand Wielder you have more options and don't give up your full-round action.
It is worth noting that even with Wand Wielder you can't deliver touch spells from a wand that aren't on the Magus spell list (no Inflict spells, for example).
As I said I've changed sides on this argument a few times, the wording just isn't as clear as it could be.
Links for your convenience:
WANDS
USE MAGIC DEVICE
MAGUS (SPELLSTRIKE)
EDIT: If you do want to use wands from another class there's the BROAD STUDY arcana. This does require 6 levels of magus, 2 arcana and at least 1 level in another spell-casting class, so it's a lot of effort for what you get.
Thanks, all.
Never thought one could use WW to sneak in spells from different lists, that just seemed ridiculous to me.
Guess I'll check in again, in another couple of years....
This question makes a big difference for a non-Magus with VMC Magus: If you could use Wand Wielder with Spellstrike (which the text doesn't say you can), then the Wand Wielder Magus Arcana would let a non-caster VMC Magus get some use out of Spellstrike by using Wands/Staves. (Alternatively, is this something you can do even without Wand Wielder?)
Actually I just looked at something else fun ...
Use a Wand, Staff, or Other Spell Trigger Item: Normally, to use a wand, you must have the wand’s spell on your class spell list. This use of the skill allows you to use a wand as if you had a particular spell on your class spell list. Failing the roll does not expend a charge.
... so maybe you CAN use other class spells with spell combat and spellstrike?
... aaaand GO GO GADGET RULES LAWYERS!!
... aaaand GO GO GADGET RULES LAWYERS!!
...those guys make my head hurt...
I found that there were several...heated...arguments about it. So I thought I should ask.
Yeah, back when I posted Skald Spell Kenning and Magus Wand Spellstrike in March 2016, I encountered the heat.
The consensus appears to be that wands do not combine with Spellstrike.
But I am the GM, and I houseruled that it would work. One year and ten months--and also 11 levels--later, I think I made the right decision. Being able to spellstrike from a wand lets the magus's spells last all day, because he relies on wands, especially a wand of Snowball created with caster level 5, against minor opponents. The magus believes in intelligent resource management and can last much longer than the stereotypical wizard's 15-minute workday.
However, this magus seldom uses spell combat, because he dislikes the -2 penalty to hit. The player designed a high-intelligence magus, not realizing that he needed high strength or dexterity to hit. He has not taken the Wand Wielder discovery. Hence, I have not observed whether combining wand-based spellstrike with spell combat is abusive or not.
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He can use shocking grasp, +3 to hit against metal wearing opponents.
I did found that the ability to cast shield, mirror image and so on while in combat and attacking was well worth the -2 to hit.
Generally the ability to enhance the weapon (especially with a black blade), was enough to get a good to hit bonus. The problem was more the damage part, when compared with pure melee types and not using damaging spells.
Sure, if he made a strength/dexterity 10 magus the penalty bites.
He can use shocking grasp, +3 to hit against metal wearing opponents.
I did found that the ability to cast shield, mirror image and so on while in combat and attacking was well worth the -2 to hit.
Generally the ability to enhance the weapon (especially with a black blade), was enough to get a good to hit bonus. The problem was more the damage part, when compared with pure melee types and not using damaging spells.
Sure, if he made a strength/dexterity 10 magus the penalty bites.
The magus's current stats at 16th level are Str 14, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 12, and Cha 10, not counting enhancements from magic items. So he probably started with the Str 14. That would have given a +2 bonus to attack against creatures such as a blindheim (AC 16 and no metal armor) at 1st level. His Dexterity probably started lower, because I remember a lot of misses with Ray of Frost.
However, I think the primary reason he avoids spell combat is that that party's mobile fighting style minimizes full-attack actions. The party has no vulnerable characters, such as wizards, to be protected by a tight formation, so they move during battle. Well, the fighter prefers full attacks, but he uses an extendible reach weapon to not have to move beyond a 5-foot step. I also let the characters draw weapon-like item such as wands and flasks during movement.
When my players break standard tactics with interesting character designs, my reaction is to create houserules to let them do so smoothly.
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With a magus Bladed dash and Force hook charge are your friends if you need to move and make a full attack.
My GM prohibited Bladed dash because it is too good for a magus (with spell recall I could have used it several times in a day), but Forced hook charge helped me many times.
Is there a ruling for Organized Play?