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View Full Version : Double wand user need a little help.



toddex
2009-03-07, 04:55 PM
3.5 Any book you can think of I have access to (as long as its official) if you reference dragon magazine let me know what exactly the feat / template / whatever it is exactly does because I dont have access to dragon magazine stuff :( and google can only be so helpful.

What im looking to do is create a double wand wielder! Or some sort of staff user. I still havent decided if i'd like to use Wizard, sorc, or rogue.


Level 12 32 point buy

Eldariel
2009-03-07, 05:07 PM
Artificer is awesome for that (see "Metamagic Spell Trigger"). Eberron-books also have "Cannith Wand Wielder". Mostly you should draw upon "Wand Mastery" [ECS], "Double Wand Wielder" [CArc] and some crafting abilities to actually afford the the Wands. With Metamagic Item Trigger, you can apply tons of Metamagic to the Wands burning extra charges. Makes you able to blast really hard when need be, but that means you'll need a lot of Wands so better have the ability to make 'em cheap. Luckily the only class that gets Metamagic Spell Trigger is Artificer which definitely has the ability to make a ton of them for a (relatively) cheap price.

toddex
2009-03-07, 05:24 PM
I'm gonna have to try and convince my group to let me use artificer heh

Keld Denar
2009-03-07, 05:56 PM
For Wands, since you usually run em at minimum CL, Scorching Ray is a good all-purpose blasting wand. At 2x3x750=4500g or 90g per charge (2250g / 45g per charge crafted) it yields 4d6 damage, which is about the best damage/cost ratio you can get. Also, its a ray, so Ranged Touch attack only, no save (cause wand saves are terribad). With Metamagic Spell Trigger (Split Ray) and using a Metamagic Wand Grip (Empower Spell), you burn 3 charges to do 12d6 damage. Thats pretty decent.

Other utility spells require far less optimization. Ray of Enfeeblement (CL1), Benign Transposition (CL1), Enervation (CL7), and Orb of Fire (CL7) are all pretty good. The Orb of Fire and Enervation are gonna be pretty mid-late game, since they are expensive, but they will be very powerful.

Eldariel
2009-03-07, 06:12 PM
CL 7 Orb of Lesser Acid is very solid for a character with Wand Mastery; clocks in at 5250 gp for 5d8 Acid damage as a base. Then Empower Energy Admixture Twin it for an average of 135 damage (costs you 10 charges or 525gp without using the Metamagic Item-infusion or similar trickery to mitigate it though). Then you can repeat that with another Wand and Quicken it once more (albeit at increasing costs). Gets expensive real fast, but at least you're dealing damage.

That said, yea, Lesser Orb of Acid at CL 7 is what I think you should use as a baseline once you have Wand Mastery. Level 1 spell makes CL ups that much cheaper (CL 9 Scorching Ray with Wand Mastery for 12d6 base would be 13500 gp for example, and a worse damage type too; the base damage difference is 42 vs. 22.5).


Later on, Wand of Orb of Force or similar is necessary for long range action, and to blast hard-to-kill targets (there're very few immunities applicable vs. it; unless you expect Force Dragons, it should be fine against everything).

toddex
2009-03-07, 07:23 PM
Thanks for the help! Now I need to study the artificer to find out fun tricks.

Keld Denar
2009-03-07, 07:36 PM
Thanks for the help! Now I need to study the artificer to find out fun tricks.

Biggest things to consider are your Crafting Reserve, which is essentially free xp you get every level to craft stuff, Metamagic Spell Trigger, which allows you to apply MM for free to your wands, and all your bonus X Artisan feats which reduce the cost of making your swag. Oh, and Skill Mastery UMD...thats awesomesause.

Everything else is pretty simple.

Google Blastificer and Buffificer for info on 2 very important incarnations of the artificer.

(Also, kudos if you name 2 of your wands Hurt and Burn)

sonofzeal
2009-03-07, 07:45 PM
For Wands, since you usually run em at minimum CL, Scorching Ray is a good all-purpose blasting wand. At 2x3x750=4500g or 90g per charge (2250g / 45g per charge crafted) it yields 4d6 damage, which is about the best damage/cost ratio you can get. Also, its a ray, so Ranged Touch attack only, no save (cause wand saves are terribad). With Metamagic Spell Trigger (Split Ray) and using a Metamagic Wand Grip (Empower Spell), you burn 3 charges to do 12d6 damage. Thats pretty decent.
No, no, no, and no. CL3 Scorching Ray wands are an enormous ripoff.

No, what you do is you chase down an Artificer (who can all make things with -2 CL from what they normally need to have), and get yourself a CL1 Wand of Seeking Ray. Ignores cover/concealment, same damage as Scorching Ray, better energy type than Scorching Ray, and one third the price of your normal CL3 Wand of Scorching Ray .