Wand Questions...

[Usher of Agony]

Hello, I am still kinda new to D&D and I have a few ideas that I want to throw out there and see what people think.

I am in a new game right now, just turned lvl 6 and I want to start using wands... that being said I am a rogue 4/ swashbuckler 2... and I want to know of which wands would you recommend to use and any tricks to help me UMD quicker/easier.

I don't have much gold just yet but I am working on it and I also want to know is it possible to make a weapons sheath/scabbard into a wand or vice versa make a wand to be a sheath/scabbard?

so far here is my plan..
wand of cure light wounds (will improve when/if I can)
wand of scorching ray
wand of invisibility
wand of fireball
wand of frost

been looking into weapons with wands in them from dungeonscape and also bracer of wands... any other ideas?

[Zherog]

The best wands are ones that don't allow/need a saving throw, because the DC from the wand assumes the lowest possible stat necessary to cast the spell. For example, a wand of fireball has a save DC of 14 -- 10 + 3 (spell level) + 1 (Int mod of a 13 Intelligence, the minimum needed to cast the spell).

Cure light wounds is often a good choice, but dependent on your group. invisibility is another good choice.

[Ernir]

I want to know of which wands would you recommend to use and any tricks to help me UMD quicker/easier.

The cheapest and most basic way is to find a way to justify a masterwork tool (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#toolMasterwork) of UMD to your DM. :smalltongue:

How big is your UMD bonus now, and how much bigger do you need it?


I don't have much gold just yet but I am working on it and I also want to know is it possible to make a weapons sheath/scabbard into a wand or vice versa make a wand to be a sheath/scabbard?
No, there's just the wand chamber you're already aware of. There's not much support for scabbards in general in D&D.


so far here is my plan..
wand of cure light wounds (will improve when/if I can)
wand of scorching ray
wand of invisibility
wand of fireball
wand of frost

Wand of Lesser Vigor (Spell Compendium) is a bit more efficient than Wand of Cure Light Wounds.
A Wand of Scorching Ray is kind of lame (low caster level, so no extra rays), IMO. If you really want that particular kind of utility, Seeking Ray (Player's Handbook 2) is strictly better for stock wands.
Wand of Invisibility is a good choice, I like it.
Wand of Fireball is way too expensive for the kind of damage it does.
What's a wand of frost?

Some additional suggestions:
Enlarge Person remains relevant for a while if the beatsticks don't have other sources of magical enlargement. Wraithstrike (Spell Compendium) is a bit of a cheat, it's that good. Swift Fly (Spell Compendium) is really useful.
Benign Transposition (Spell Compendium) has great tactical potential. Sign (Spell Compendium), because you like going first.
In general, you want very low level spells that do not offer saving throws or spell resistance and function well at low caster levels.

[Eric Scott]

A Wand of Shivering Touch is always nice, especially if you are worried that you might face dragons... and lets face it, Dungeons & Dragons, its right there in the name...

[HalfQuart]

Sign (Spell Compendium), because you like going first.
I think Nerveskitter is probably better than Sign... assuming the DM lets it work.


A Wand of Shivering Touch is always nice, especially if you are worried that you might face dragons...
There's some debate about whether that works, since dragons are immune to paralysis and in some places (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm) the effect of 0 dex is paralysis... but on page 289 of the DMG it says "Dexterity 0 means that the character cannot move at all. He stands motionless, rigid, and helpless." -- no mention of paralysis. So I don't want to rehash this argument here... just you might want to check with your DM before buying a rather expensive Shivering Touch wand.

You might want to think about getting some Eternal Wands (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=226514), too. (That link has lots of good ideas for normal wands, also.)

[HalfQuart]

and any tricks to help me UMD quicker/easier.
You could dip a level in Marshal (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20030906b) to get an aura that adds Cha to Cha skills again. 2 good saves are nice, but it is +0 BAB which is annoying. There are a few other perks. I'm not sure I'd really recommend this route, unless you've got a really good Charisma, but it is an option.