Certain Equipment, and Classes [Archive] - Wizards Community

Certain Equipment, and Classes [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Shieldhart91
05-07-06, 05:39 PM Now, I'm relatively new to Living Greyhawk and Dungeons & Dragons at the whole. That being said, I was curious to see how certain magical artifacts worked. Let's say this: If I wanted to use a wand of Cure Light Wounds (and I do have AR Access by the way), would I have to roll for Use Magic Device? I'm a Level 3 Fighter currently, but I'm going to be taking a level of Warmage next level for a little edge on my combat. Certain spell the Warmage has gives a +6 Strength- so, I'll have 22 Strength :D Killing fields.

And I'm curious as to how much a Wand of Magic Missile would cast?

How far can the caster level go up for wands? For Cure Light Wounds and Magic Missile in particular?

Would the level of Warmage negate the fact (if applicable) that I had to roll for Use Magic Device? Thanks.
zigspatty
05-07-06, 07:30 PM If I wanted to use a wand of Cure Light Wounds ... would I have to roll for Use Magic Device?
Yup. Any class which has Cure Light Wounds on their spell list could use it (cleric, favored soul, bard, ranger, paladin...) but anyone else would need to have some skill in Use Magic Device (DC 20) to be able to use it. As a fighter or warmage, UMD is a cross-class skill.

And I'm curious as to how much a Wand of Magic Missile would cast?
A Wand of Magic Missile would cast 1 magic missile if it was created at Caster Level 1 (750 gp), 2 magic missiles if it was created at Caster Level 3 (2250 gp), 3 at CL 5 (3750 gp), 4 at CL 7 (5250 gp), and 5 at CL 9 (6750 gp)

How far can the caster level go up for wands? For Cure Light Wounds and Magic Missile in particular?
Theoretically, there is no limit, but there is little point to crafting a wand of cure light wounds at a caster level higher than 5th because even with a 20th caster level, the spell would heal only 1d8+5 hp. And the cost to craft it at 20th level would be rather out of line for its benefit (15,000 gp). Magic Missile is similar because the spell can create a maximum of 5 missiles. It is possible to empower or maximize the spells stored in the wands, of course, so long as the spell's effective level is not higher than 4th. (This does affect the price however...)

Would the level of Warmage negate the fact (if applicable) that I had to roll for Use Magic Device? Thanks.
Because Magic Missile is on the Warmage's spell list, a character with a level of warmage could use a wand of Magic Missile without resorting to the Use Magic Device skill. But even a warmage can't use a CLW wand without some UMD skill.

Patty
Shieldhart91
05-07-06, 09:19 PM What about a wand of all other spells? Is this covered in the Dungeon Master's Guide or what?
kenobi65
05-07-06, 10:10 PM For any wand, it works this way:

- If it's a spell that's on your character's class's spell list, you can use it without having to make any kind of a roll.
- If it's a spell that's not on your character's class's spell list, you have to make a successful Use Magic Device roll to use it.

So, if your character takes a level in Warmage, he can then use wands of any spell on the Warmage spell list without having to make a UMD roll.

A wand is a "spell trigger" item; you can read a little more about how those work on p. 213 of the DMG.

Generally speaking, most wands are found at the minimum caster level to cast the spell (i.e., usually 1st level for 1st level spells, 3rd level for 2nd level spells, etc.). And, the price goes up very quickly as you add caster levels. So, while it's possible to find (or make) wands of Cure Light Wounds at a Caster Level higher than 1, it's very infrequent (and, unless it's explicitly stated otherwise, the wand prices in the DMG are at the minimum caster level, and assuming a cleric created a wand of a divine spell, or a wizard created a wand of an arcane spell).
Shieldhart91
05-08-06, 07:28 PM I meant price-wise. Is there a certain formula for calculating the cost of a wand? There's definetly a warmage spell I want in a wand, but I don't know how much it would cost.
redgamer
05-08-06, 08:12 PM redundant
kenobi65
05-08-06, 08:13 PM I meant price-wise. Is there a certain formula for calculating the cost of a wand? There's definetly a warmage spell I want in a wand, but I don't know how much it would cost.

The formula is in the DMG. The formula for the retail price of a wand is (caster level) x (spell level) x 750gp.

However, in LG, you need access to buy wands. While I suppose it's possible that an AR could give you access to your choice of spells in a wand, I've not seen such. Wand access is generally given for a specific spell, at a specific caster level (e.g., wand of Magic Missile, caster level 3, 2250gp).

Now, if you want to make a wand, you don't need access, but you do need the Craft Wands feat. And, making a wand costs half the retail GP value, plus 1/25 of the retail price in XP.
Casebier
05-09-06, 12:17 PM Of course, keep in mind that making a wand costs money according to the class you are using the spells from.

For example, let's say a PC wants to craft a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds at the minimum caster level. The spell is Clr2/Drd3/etc...
Cleric: 3 * 2 * 750 = 4,500gp, and cures 2d8+3 per use.
Druid: 5 * 3 * 750 = 11,250gp, and cures 2d8+5 per use.

It gets even stranger when you have a class that doesn't gain a caster level for every class level (Paladins, Rangers, etc) or a new level of spells at the same progression as a Wizard/Cleric/Druid (Sorc, Bard, Paladin, Ranger, etc).

John Jr
jokem
05-09-06, 04:20 PM The formula is in the DMG. The formula for the retail price of a wand is (caster level) x (spell level) x 750gp.

However, in LG, you need access to buy wands. While I suppose it's possible that an AR could give you access to your choice of spells in a wand, I've not seen such. Wand access is generally given for a specific spell, at a specific caster level (e.g., wand of Magic Missile, caster level 3, 2250gp).

Now, if you want to make a wand, you don't need access, but you do need the Craft Wands feat. And, making a wand costs half the retail GP value, plus 1/25 of the retail price in XP.

And you need to know (be able to cast) the spell, right. A Wizard without
Magic Missle in the spellbook cannot make that kind of a wand, right?
jokem
05-09-06, 04:21 PM Yup. Any class which has Cure Light Wounds on their spell list could use it (cleric, favored soul, bard, ranger, paladin...) but anyone else would need to have some skill in Use Magic Device (DC 20) to be able to use it. As a fighter or warmage, UMD is a cross-class skill.

A Wand of Magic Missile would cast 1 magic missile if it was created at Caster Level 1 (750 gp), 2 magic missiles if it was created at Caster Level 3 (2250 gp), 3 at CL 5 (3750 gp), 4 at CL 7 (5250 gp), and 5 at CL 9 (6750 gp)

Theoretically, there is no limit, but there is little point to crafting a wand of cure light wounds at a caster level higher than 5th because even with a 20th caster level, the spell would heal only 1d8+5 hp. And the cost to craft it at 20th level would be rather out of line for its benefit (15,000 gp). Magic Missile is similar because the spell can create a maximum of 5 missiles. It is possible to empower or maximize the spells stored in the wands, of course, so long as the spell's effective level is not higher than 4th. (This does affect the price however...)

Because Magic Missile is on the Warmage's spell list, a character with a level of warmage could use a wand of Magic Missile without resorting to the Use Magic Device skill. But even a warmage can't use a CLW wand without some UMD skill.

Patty

Well, if the idea was to be able to cast CLW on an Undead with Spell
Resistance, the extra level would help beat that, right?
Arvagor
05-09-06, 05:24 PM And you need to know (be able to cast) the spell, right. A Wizard without
Magic Missle in the spellbook cannot make that kind of a wand, right?Incorrect; for example, if he didn't "know" the spell, a wizard could use a scroll of magic missile to supply the spell during the creation process...
Sieylianna
05-09-06, 05:54 PM Incorrect; for example, if he didn't "know" the spell, a wizard could use a scroll of magic missile to supply the spell during the creation process...

Unless it's an oppostion school.

Ed
zigspatty
05-11-06, 11:45 AM Well, if the idea was to be able to cast CLW on an Undead with Spell Resistance, the extra level would help beat that, right?

Yes, crafting a wand at a higher caster level would help to overcome spell resistance. But generally, the higher cost for a benefit that could help in a very specific and rare situation, makes it a poor value.

It's often a matter of preference as to how your character spends his gold. For 750 gp and 60 xp, he could create a wand of CLW at caster level 2 that will heal 50 "owies" of 1d8+2 pts of damage. OR for the same 750 gp and 60 xp, he could create TWO wands of CLW at caster level 1 that will heal 100 "owies" of 1d8+1 pts of damage. Some players might feel the extra 1 hp of healing is well worth an extra 375 gp & 30 xp.

A character could buy a wand of CMW for 4,500 gp (or craft it for 2,250 & 180xp) to heal 2d8+3 pts of damage per charge. While he could buy 6 wands of CLW for the same amount of gold, in the middle of a battle, an extra 1d8+2 pts of healing could well mean the difference between living and dying. Some characters have suffered curses that required higher level spells to heal them, too. So it's not unreasonable to invest in the higher level wand.

But none of my characters would buy a wand of CLW at CL20....

Patty
Shieldhart91
05-13-06, 12:45 PM Question...Again. If you wanted a spell that was Level 6 and you were only Level 3, would it work? It's on your spell list, but you don't exactly know it.
kenobi65
05-13-06, 03:46 PM Question...Again. If you wanted a spell that was Level 6 and you were only Level 3, would it work? It's on your spell list, but you don't exactly know it.

Well, since wands can only be of spells of 4th level and below (that's not an LG rule, that's a D&D rule), it's a moot point.

In general, if the wand's of a spell that's on your spell list, even if it's of a level that you cannot yet cast, you can use it with no problem, with no need to make any sort of roll to use the wand.
Samwise
05-13-06, 04:43 PM Actually, barring an unusual wand of cure light wounds, a Bard must use UMD to activate it.
Pretty much all clw wands available in LG have the divine spell in them. Bards use the arcane version of clw, and thus could not use a wand of divine clw.
Namarus
05-13-06, 05:10 PM Actually, barring an unusual wand of cure light wounds, a Bard must use UMD to activate it.
Pretty much all clw wands available in LG have the divine spell in them. Bards use the arcane version of clw, and thus could not use a wand of divine clw.

Actually, unless the AR says divine or arcane, you get to pick. Especially if it refers you to the DMG wand of clw. There is no listing in the DMG wand section for divine or arcane wand of cure light wounds. Just a generic wand of cure light wounds.
Samwise
05-13-06, 05:19 PM Actually, unless the AR says divine or arcane, you get to pick. Especially if it refers you to the DMG wand of clw. There is no listing in the DMG wand section for divine or arcane wand of cure light wounds. Just a generic wand of cure light wounds.

While clw is a 1st level spell for a bard, a bard only gets 1st level spells at 2nd level. That means the wand would cost 1,500 gp for a divine version of the wand.
Unless of course you managed to dig up a wizard with arcane disciple of extra spell.
The thing is, even if you did manage to specify that you had such a wand, it would then be unusuable by all divine casters. That is hardly beneficial in the long run.
Mommy was an Orc
05-13-06, 09:03 PM Actually, barring an unusual wand of cure light wounds, a Bard must use UMD to activate it.
Pretty much all clw wands available in LG have the divine spell in them. Bards use the arcane version of clw, and thus could not use a wand of divine clw.

That's not how it works. Page 213 of DMG under Spell Trigger items:
"Specifically, anyone with a spell on his or spell list knows how to use a spell trigger item that stores that spell. (This is even the case for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin.)"

A Bard has CLW on his spell list, so he can therefore use any wand of CLW. Same goes for a character with Ranger 1 or Paladin 2(not the same question, but it comes up a lot). On the other hand, if a Bard had Craft Wand, he'd have to enchant a Wand of CLW at a minimum of caster level 2, as that's the minimum level he can cast it at.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shieldhart91 05-07-06, 05:39 PM	Now, I'm relatively new to Living Greyhawk and Dungeons & Dragons at the whole. That being said, I was curious to see how certain magical artifacts worked. Let's say this: If I wanted to use a wand of Cure Light Wounds (and I do have AR Access by the way), would I have to roll for Use Magic Device? I'm a Level 3 Fighter currently, but I'm going to be taking a level of Warmage next level for a little edge on my combat. Certain spell the Warmage has gives a +6 Strength- so, I'll have 22 Strength :D Killing fields. And I'm curious as to how much a Wand of Magic Missile would cast? How far can the caster level go up for wands? For Cure Light Wounds and Magic Missile in particular? Would the level of Warmage negate the fact (if applicable) that I had to roll for Use Magic Device? Thanks.
zigspatty 05-07-06, 07:30 PM	If I wanted to use a wand of Cure Light Wounds ... would I have to roll for Use Magic Device? Yup. Any class which has Cure Light Wounds on their spell list could use it (cleric, favored soul, bard, ranger, paladin...) but anyone else would need to have some skill in Use Magic Device (DC 20) to be able to use it. As a fighter or warmage, UMD is a cross-class skill. And I'm curious as to how much a Wand of Magic Missile would cast? A Wand of Magic Missile would cast 1 magic missile if it was created at Caster Level 1 (750 gp), 2 magic missiles if it was created at Caster Level 3 (2250 gp), 3 at CL 5 (3750 gp), 4 at CL 7 (5250 gp), and 5 at CL 9 (6750 gp) How far can the caster level go up for wands? For Cure Light Wounds and Magic Missile in particular? Theoretically, there is no limit, but there is little point to crafting a wand of cure light wounds at a caster level higher than 5th because even with a 20th caster level, the spell would heal only 1d8+5 hp. And the cost to craft it at 20th level would be rather out of line for its benefit (15,000 gp). Magic Missile is similar because the spell can create a maximum of 5 missiles. It is possible to empower or maximize the spells stored in the wands, of course, so long as the spell's effective level is not higher than 4th. (This does affect the price however...) Would the level of Warmage negate the fact (if applicable) that I had to roll for Use Magic Device? Thanks. Because Magic Missile is on the Warmage's spell list, a character with a level of warmage could use a wand of Magic Missile without resorting to the Use Magic Device skill. But even a warmage can't use a CLW wand without some UMD skill. Patty
Shieldhart91 05-07-06, 09:19 PM	What about a wand of all other spells? Is this covered in the Dungeon Master's Guide or what?
kenobi65 05-07-06, 10:10 PM	For any wand, it works this way: - If it's a spell that's on your character's class's spell list, you can use it without having to make any kind of a roll. - If it's a spell that's not on your character's class's spell list, you have to make a successful Use Magic Device roll to use it. So, if your character takes a level in Warmage, he can then use wands of any spell on the Warmage spell list without having to make a UMD roll. A wand is a "spell trigger" item; you can read a little more about how those work on p. 213 of the DMG. Generally speaking, most wands are found at the minimum caster level to cast the spell (i.e., usually 1st level for 1st level spells, 3rd level for 2nd level spells, etc.). And, the price goes up very quickly as you add caster levels. So, while it's possible to find (or make) wands of Cure Light Wounds at a Caster Level higher than 1, it's very infrequent (and, unless it's explicitly stated otherwise, the wand prices in the DMG are at the minimum caster level, and assuming a cleric created a wand of a divine spell, or a wizard created a wand of an arcane spell).
Shieldhart91 05-08-06, 07:28 PM	I meant price-wise. Is there a certain formula for calculating the cost of a wand? There's definetly a warmage spell I want in a wand, but I don't know how much it would cost.
redgamer 05-08-06, 08:12 PM	redundant
kenobi65 05-08-06, 08:13 PM	I meant price-wise. Is there a certain formula for calculating the cost of a wand? There's definetly a warmage spell I want in a wand, but I don't know how much it would cost. The formula is in the DMG. The formula for the retail price of a wand is (caster level) x (spell level) x 750gp. However, in LG, you need access to buy wands. While I suppose it's possible that an AR could give you access to your choice of spells in a wand, I've not seen such. Wand access is generally given for a specific spell, at a specific caster level (e.g., wand of Magic Missile, caster level 3, 2250gp). Now, if you want to make a wand, you don't need access, but you do need the Craft Wands feat. And, making a wand costs half the retail GP value, plus 1/25 of the retail price in XP.
Casebier 05-09-06, 12:17 PM	Of course, keep in mind that making a wand costs money according to the class you are using the spells from. For example, let's say a PC wants to craft a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds at the minimum caster level. The spell is Clr2/Drd3/etc... Cleric: 3 * 2 * 750 = 4,500gp, and cures 2d8+3 per use. Druid: 5 * 3 * 750 = 11,250gp, and cures 2d8+5 per use. It gets even stranger when you have a class that doesn't gain a caster level for every class level (Paladins, Rangers, etc) or a new level of spells at the same progression as a Wizard/Cleric/Druid (Sorc, Bard, Paladin, Ranger, etc). John Jr
jokem 05-09-06, 04:20 PM	The formula is in the DMG. The formula for the retail price of a wand is (caster level) x (spell level) x 750gp. However, in LG, you need access to buy wands. While I suppose it's possible that an AR could give you access to your choice of spells in a wand, I've not seen such. Wand access is generally given for a specific spell, at a specific caster level (e.g., wand of Magic Missile, caster level 3, 2250gp). Now, if you want to make a wand, you don't need access, but you do need the Craft Wands feat. And, making a wand costs half the retail GP value, plus 1/25 of the retail price in XP. And you need to know (be able to cast) the spell, right. A Wizard without Magic Missle in the spellbook cannot make that kind of a wand, right?
jokem 05-09-06, 04:21 PM	Yup. Any class which has Cure Light Wounds on their spell list could use it (cleric, favored soul, bard, ranger, paladin...) but anyone else would need to have some skill in Use Magic Device (DC 20) to be able to use it. As a fighter or warmage, UMD is a cross-class skill. A Wand of Magic Missile would cast 1 magic missile if it was created at Caster Level 1 (750 gp), 2 magic missiles if it was created at Caster Level 3 (2250 gp), 3 at CL 5 (3750 gp), 4 at CL 7 (5250 gp), and 5 at CL 9 (6750 gp) Theoretically, there is no limit, but there is little point to crafting a wand of cure light wounds at a caster level higher than 5th because even with a 20th caster level, the spell would heal only 1d8+5 hp. And the cost to craft it at 20th level would be rather out of line for its benefit (15,000 gp). Magic Missile is similar because the spell can create a maximum of 5 missiles. It is possible to empower or maximize the spells stored in the wands, of course, so long as the spell's effective level is not higher than 4th. (This does affect the price however...) Because Magic Missile is on the Warmage's spell list, a character with a level of warmage could use a wand of Magic Missile without resorting to the Use Magic Device skill. But even a warmage can't use a CLW wand without some UMD skill. Patty Well, if the idea was to be able to cast CLW on an Undead with Spell Resistance, the extra level would help beat that, right?
Arvagor 05-09-06, 05:24 PM	And you need to know (be able to cast) the spell, right. A Wizard without Magic Missle in the spellbook cannot make that kind of a wand, right?Incorrect; for example, if he didn't "know" the spell, a wizard could use a scroll of magic missile to supply the spell during the creation process...
Sieylianna 05-09-06, 05:54 PM	Incorrect; for example, if he didn't "know" the spell, a wizard could use a scroll of magic missile to supply the spell during the creation process... Unless it's an oppostion school. Ed
zigspatty 05-11-06, 11:45 AM	Well, if the idea was to be able to cast CLW on an Undead with Spell Resistance, the extra level would help beat that, right? Yes, crafting a wand at a higher caster level would help to overcome spell resistance. But generally, the higher cost for a benefit that could help in a very specific and rare situation, makes it a poor value. It's often a matter of preference as to how your character spends his gold. For 750 gp and 60 xp, he could create a wand of CLW at caster level 2 that will heal 50 "owies" of 1d8+2 pts of damage. OR for the same 750 gp and 60 xp, he could create TWO wands of CLW at caster level 1 that will heal 100 "owies" of 1d8+1 pts of damage. Some players might feel the extra 1 hp of healing is well worth an extra 375 gp & 30 xp. A character could buy a wand of CMW for 4,500 gp (or craft it for 2,250 & 180xp) to heal 2d8+3 pts of damage per charge. While he could buy 6 wands of CLW for the same amount of gold, in the middle of a battle, an extra 1d8+2 pts of healing could well mean the difference between living and dying. Some characters have suffered curses that required higher level spells to heal them, too. So it's not unreasonable to invest in the higher level wand. But none of my characters would buy a wand of CLW at CL20.... Patty
Shieldhart91 05-13-06, 12:45 PM	Question...Again. If you wanted a spell that was Level 6 and you were only Level 3, would it work? It's on your spell list, but you don't exactly know it.
kenobi65 05-13-06, 03:46 PM	Question...Again. If you wanted a spell that was Level 6 and you were only Level 3, would it work? It's on your spell list, but you don't exactly know it. Well, since wands can only be of spells of 4th level and below (that's not an LG rule, that's a D&D rule), it's a moot point. In general, if the wand's of a spell that's on your spell list, even if it's of a level that you cannot yet cast, you can use it with no problem, with no need to make any sort of roll to use the wand.
Samwise 05-13-06, 04:43 PM	Actually, barring an unusual wand of cure light wounds, a Bard must use UMD to activate it. Pretty much all clw wands available in LG have the divine spell in them. Bards use the arcane version of clw, and thus could not use a wand of divine clw.
Namarus 05-13-06, 05:10 PM	Actually, barring an unusual wand of cure light wounds, a Bard must use UMD to activate it. Pretty much all clw wands available in LG have the divine spell in them. Bards use the arcane version of clw, and thus could not use a wand of divine clw. Actually, unless the AR says divine or arcane, you get to pick. Especially if it refers you to the DMG wand of clw. There is no listing in the DMG wand section for divine or arcane wand of cure light wounds. Just a generic wand of cure light wounds.
Samwise 05-13-06, 05:19 PM	Actually, unless the AR says divine or arcane, you get to pick. Especially if it refers you to the DMG wand of clw. There is no listing in the DMG wand section for divine or arcane wand of cure light wounds. Just a generic wand of cure light wounds. While clw is a 1st level spell for a bard, a bard only gets 1st level spells at 2nd level. That means the wand would cost 1,500 gp for a divine version of the wand. Unless of course you managed to dig up a wizard with arcane disciple of extra spell. The thing is, even if you did manage to specify that you had such a wand, it would then be unusuable by all divine casters. That is hardly beneficial in the long run.
Mommy was an Orc 05-13-06, 09:03 PM	Actually, barring an unusual wand of cure light wounds, a Bard must use UMD to activate it. Pretty much all clw wands available in LG have the divine spell in them. Bards use the arcane version of clw, and thus could not use a wand of divine clw. That's not how it works. Page 213 of DMG under Spell Trigger items: "Specifically, anyone with a spell on his or spell list knows how to use a spell trigger item that stores that spell. (This is even the case for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin.)" A Bard has CLW on his spell list, so he can therefore use any wand of CLW. Same goes for a character with Ranger 1 or Paladin 2(not the same question, but it comes up a lot). On the other hand, if a Bard had Craft Wand, he'd have to enchant a Wand of CLW at a minimum of caster level 2, as that's the minimum level he can cast it at.