Making wands of high level spells?

[tuesdayscoming]

Is it possible to make wands of spells higher than level four? I seem to recall a trick or two that pulls it off, but I can't for the life of me remember right now...

[Alleran]

I don't know about wands, but wouldn't it be easier to take the Craft Scepter feat (up to 7th level spells)?

[The Winter King]

Yes you can, but you need another feat and can hold multiple spells. They are called staves, and are priced exactly like wands( normanl wand cost for highest level spell + 1/2 for each other spell).

[Kyrinthic]

And staves are better because you get to use your stat bonus.

-Kyrinthic

[Darrin]

Craft Wondrous Item. 50 charges, spell trigger = spell level x caster level x 750 GP. No level limit. Done.

[Eldan]

Yup. That's the silly thing about Craft Wondrous item, really. As written, it makes every other item crafting feat superfluous.

[Feytalist]

The crafting feats are a bit weird. A staff and a wand is essentially the same type of item, isn't it? Both store spells you can use a certain number of times; staffs are just like uberwands with some extra abilities sometimes.

And then there's rings: why aren't they wondrous items? What exactly is the difference between a ring and, say, an amulet? Granted you can wear two rings at once, but I sincerely doubt that qualifies for a whole different feat.

Oh and rods. What are they exactly? Weapon/staff/wondrous item.

And then arms and armor: why are they blumped together? Surely, according to above logic, they should be split. In fact, the crafting skills used to make weapons and armor are quite different as well (unless you group both of them as "metallurgy" or some similar weirdness).

I'm not even going to talk about poor old Brew Potion all on its lonesome (actually I understand that slightly, you need a whole distillation rig to actually make the darn things, and I don't see the party healer lugging all that into the next dungeon crawl, bag of holding or no).

My house rules? Three crafting feats: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wand/Staff/Potion/Scroll, Craft Wondrous Item (including rings). Easy.

[/rant]

As to my point: single-spell staff, sized as a wand. It doesn't say anywhere that a staff has to be quarterstaff-sized, right?

[mootoall]

Well you could always use the Artificer/Archivist trick to get spells at a lower level than normal from domains and such.

[Eldariel]

Yup. That's the silly thing about Craft Wondrous item, really. As written, it makes every other item crafting feat superfluous.

Well, that's only if you allow free access to custom item creation guidelines, which seems pretty silly. There's a reason Wands and Scrolls can be created of every spell of the appropriate levels, after all, while Staves and Wondrous Items come prepacked with more abilities and less freedom in what kinds of ones you can get.

[Cog]

And then there's rings: why aren't they wondrous items? What exactly is the difference between a ring and, say, an amulet? Granted you can wear two rings at once, but I sincerely doubt that qualifies for a whole different feat.
Sauron wanted to keep a closer eye on those who could make rings. You're free to make just as many Palantirs as you like, though...

[tuesdayscoming]

Well you could always use the Artificer/Archivist trick to get spells at a lower level than normal from domains and such.

Basically what I'm planning on doing. I'm making an npc for my setting, a sort of 'legendary artificer' who is actually a Chameleon (PrC) who has cheesed his way into having level 9 spells. Access to every single spell in the game is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

His signature weapon is going to be a sort of wand pistol whose chamber holds a metric ton of wands. Combined with a Chained Awaken from Afar (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/wn/20011205a) (Spoilered Below) and Chameleon CL goodness, he's got one heck of a boomstick.


Awaken from Afar
Evocation
Level: Sor/Wiz 5, Clr 6, Drd 6
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One spell trigger activation item
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

An awaken from afar spell allows you to use a spell trigger item without actually touching the item. The item to be activated must be within the range of the awaken from afar spell, and it functions as though you yourself were triggering it from its current position. All other conditions, such as the requirement that you have the spell on your spell list or if the item's enchantment restricts its use to a particular race or individual, still apply. Both you and the item to be activated have to be on the same plane. The item cannot be in the possession of another creature at the time of activation, and it must be an item that you have previously triggered normally (in other words, without the aid of an awaken from afar spell.

The staff resizing option is interesting, though I'm somewhat hesitant about it. It seems to me that the size of a staff is really one of the fundamental distinctions between the two item types, and arbitrarily hand waving it is a bit much for my taste. And, unfortunately, given the nature of what I'm trying to do with these items, size is a factor. 20+ staffs bundled together would get pretty bulky. It could make for an entertaining finishing move, though... Relying on the wand 'side-shooter' most of the time, and at moments of peak need, reaching into a bag of holding and whipping out the massive staffzooka :smallbiggrin:

[dextercorvia]

Don't forget that each of the staffs can hold two wand chambers each with a wand in it. That helps efficiency a bit.

[faceroll]

Sanctum Spell decreases the level of spells by 1 when you are not in your sanctum. You could get 5th level spells in your wands that way. Combined with finding lower level spells on other lists, you could probably get level 3 wizard spells as 1st or 2nd level prestige class spells and turn those into zero level spells. Mind the durations, though.

[Tyndmyr]

Is it possible to make wands of spells higher than level four? I seem to recall a trick or two that pulls it off, but I can't for the life of me remember right now...

Well, Sanctum Spell lets you use fifth level spells as if they were 4th level spells. So, enjoy crafting wands with fifth level spells outside your sanctum.

[Jarian]

Well, Sanctum Spell lets you use fifth level spells as if they were 4th level spells. So, enjoy crafting wands with fifth level spells outside your sanctum.

The world would be a better place if Sanctum Spell didn't exist, really.

[Feytalist]

Relying on the wand 'side-shooter' most of the time, and at moments of peak need, reaching into a bag of holding and whipping out the massive staffzooka :smallbiggrin:

You, sir, have just made my day.

Also, if the staff resizing is bending the rules a bit too much, how about shrink object? :D

[CigarPete]

You, sir, have just made my day.

Also, if the staff resizing is bending the rules a bit too much, how about shrink object? :D

Well, there is the whole nonmagical item in the first sentence of the spell description, maybe you should shrink it before you enchant it for extra cheese?