What Wands do I need?

[GutterFace]

So we are starting a very long deeeep delve into an underground cavern to find something (DM hasn't revealed everything)...i need wands for My Factotum we are starting at level 6

we have a Dragon Shaman, Dread Pirate, Paladin of Tyranny, and an Ardent

i was/am allowed to buy lightly 'used' wands so reduce the cost ;)
i will not be buying healing wands and im going to steer clear of buffing.
since im the skill monkey (not the party face), i need utility and attack wands. this is a very low op group but im as optimized as I can be as a Factotum.
I also dont want to outshine our group with damage or shenanigans

thus far i have:

Wand of Mount x 20 charges
Battering Ram x 15 charges
Seeking Ray x 20 charges
Sonic Orb, Lesser x 20 charges
Mirror Image, greater x10 charges

i have enough cash left for another used wand, so whos got some ideas?!

ps i also have a wand bracer before you ask ;)

[Xerlith]

Blockade. if you can't see the use for this, you aren't thinking hard enough. :smalltongue:

[Snowbluff]

Blockade. if you can't see the use for this, you aren't thinking hard enough. :smalltongue:

I thought that was what the mount spells was for.

[Subaru Kujo]

Feather Fall could be useful. Save the poor sod that just fell off the mountain you were scaling.

[Equinox]

Distract Assailant, combos well with your sneak attack dice
Rhino's Rush, maybe not for you, but the Paladin will thank you for it

[Fax Celestis]

Winged watcher, aquatic escape, comprehend languages, disguise self, ebon eyes, benign transposition, and identify (though that last one is expensive).

[John Longarrow]

If you have the money, grab a monicle to do your identifies.

For wands, expeditious Retreat comes to mind...

[GutterFace]

I thought that was what the mount spells was for.

traps :) and a fast escape either or lol

and everyone's suggestions are awesome ill take a look into those spells.

thank you :)

[Darrin]

From an older thread: List of Utility Wands (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15150359&postcount=16).

1st Level Wands

Offense:

Blade of Blood (PHBII, Dsk/Sor/Wiz 1): Swift action, +1d6 damage, or sacrifice 5 HP for +3d6 damage.

Blades of Fire (Spell Compendium, Sor/Wiz 1): Swift action, two weapons touched get +1d8 fire damage for 1 round.

Color Spray (Core, Sor/Wiz 1). At low levels, can end encounters just by itself. At mid- to higher levels, essentially a save vs. stun, but it's a Will save, so occasionally useful even against big ugly nasties (for example: Purple Worm has a Will save +4, so this wand has a 30% chance of stunning it for a round).

Fetid Breath (Ghostwalk Web Enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20030607a), Sor/Wiz 1): This is similar to stinking cloud, but in the form of a 10' cone. Unfortunately, Fort save negates, and the DC 11 means nearly everything and their dog will be able to shrug this off, but if you do manage to run into some cannonfodder that you know has a weak Fort save, this might be worth a try.

Hail of Stone (Spell Compendium, Sor/Wiz 1): 1d4 untyped damage in a 5' radius, no save, no SR. Magic missile does +1 more damage, but is SR: Yes.

Instant of Power (Forge of War, Brd/Dru/Rgr 1): Immediate action, give any ally a +4 enhancement bonus on their next attack, save, or damage roll.

Kaupaer's Quickblast (Kaupaer's Quick Book (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050112a), Sor/Wiz 1): Free/immediate/swift action (not sure which, 3.0 spell), autohits with either cold, electricity, or fire damage. Great way to quickly light something on fire (webs, incendiary slime, oil, etc.).

Rot of Ages (Dragon Magic): Target creature is sickened, although Fort save negates (DC 11). Even if the target saves, however, there's an additional effect: for 2 rounds, anything the target attacks is considered to have concealment (20% miss chance).

Defense:

Feather Fall (Core, Brd/Sor/Wiz 1): Make the monk cry ("Slow fall? You call that a class feature?"). If you want to use this spell immediately, make sure you carry it in a wand chamber.

Instant Diversion (Races of the Dragon, Brd/Sor/Wiz 1): Swift action, lesser version of mirror image, creates only one duplicate but that's still a 50% miss chance in a pinch.

Invisibility, Swift (Spell Compendium, Brd 1): I love that you can use this *after* you attack. Note: costs 1500 GP, not 750 GP, because minimum CL = 2 for 1st level bard spells.

Nerveskitter (Spell Compendium, Sor/Wiz 1): Never get caught flat-footed again. As with feather fall, if you want to activate this immediately, you'll want to carry it in a wand chamber.

Battlefield Control:

Benign Transposition (Spell Compendium, Sor/Wiz 1): Two willing targets swap positions, keep your meatbags up front and your REMFs in the back.

Blockade (Complete Scoundrel, Dru/Rgr/Sor/Wiz 1): Swift action, creates 5' block of wood for creating choke points or blocking narrow passages/doors. Also provides an ample supply of "I've got wood" jokes.

Entangle (Core, Dru/Rgr 1): Bread-and-butter debuffer. If there aren't any plants nearby, cast spore field (Complete Scoundrel) first or switch to impeding stones (Cityscape).

Faerie Fire (Core, Dru 1): Negates invisibility and concealment (but not magical darkness). Great spell to follow up with obscuring mist or the various fog spells: you get concealment, but your target doesn't. If you don't want to buy a whole wand, pick up a few pouches of Torch Bug Paste (25 GP each, Complete Scoundrel) for a similar effect.

Ice Slick (Frostburn, Clr 1): Grease for healbots, but with 4x the area (20' square).

Impeding Stones (Cityscape, Dru/Rgr 1): Better version of entangle, -2 penalty to attack and anyone in a 40' radius must make a Ref save/Balance check or fall prone, which means this is an even bigger version of grease/ice slick. Unlike entangle, you can use it anywhere there's a dirt/earth/stone floor.

Silent Image (Core, Brd/Sor/Wiz 1): Create fake pits/walls, great for messing with mindless creatures.

Spore Field (Complete Scoundrel, Dru 1): Creates difficult terrain, and save vs. sicken. Also, since fungi = plants, you can now cast entangle in places where there wasn't any vegetation before.

Wall of Smoke (Spell Compendium, Dru/Sor/Wiz 1). Provides concealment and Fort save vs. nausea. There's also a 0-level druid spell in Masters of the Wild, fire eyes, which may let you ignore the concealment from smoke (by RAW it doesn't work on magical fog, but smoke isn't the same as fog).

Utility:

Conjure Ice Beast I (Frostburn, Cle/Dru/Rgr 1): This gives you access to both summon monster and summon nature's ally lists. Ice beasts lose all SA/SQs, but they do get a new SA: cold aura, engulf, frigid touch, or frost breath. Only lasts 1 round, but that's long enough to "search for traps".

Ebon Eyes (Spell Compendium, Ass/Cle/Sor/Wiz 1): See normally in natural or magical darkness.

Lessor Vigor (Spell Compendium, Clr/Dru 1): Most effective out-of-combat healing in the game, 11 HP per charge, so 750 GP = 550 HP.

Grave Strike (Spell Compendium, Clr/Pal 1): Swift action, lets you sneak attack undead. Unfortunately, it's Range: Personal, so you can't cast it on the party rogues, they have to activate it themselves. If they don't have Truedeath Crystals, then consider buying a couple of Skull Talismans (Frostburn, similar to potions but no "range" restrictions).

Golem Strike (Spell Compendium, Sor/Wiz 1): Swift action, lets you sneak attack constructs. Same activation issues as grave strike. If the rogues are having trouble with constructs, look for some Golembane Scarabs.

Mount (Core, Sor/Wiz 1): Similar to summon monster/summon nature's ally, but duration is 2 hours. Use as trap testers, "wall of horses", or various horse-trading scams.

Ray of Resurgence (Lost Empires of Faerun, Clr 1): Removes Str damage and fatigue.

Suspend Disease (Book of Vile Darkness, Sor/Wiz 1): Ignore the effects of a disease for 24 hours. Buys you some time for your healbot to refresh spells or find the friendly local neighborhood paladin.

Vine Strike (Spell Compendium, Dru/Rgr 1): Swift action, lets you sneak attack plants. Not really that important, since most plants tend to be slow/immobile and highly flammable. Same activation issues as grave strike.

Alternate Spell Lists

There are a few spells that appear on certain PrC spell lists at a spell level below where you'd normally find them on a cleric/druid/wizard spell list. Archivist or PrC spellcasters may be able to produce 1st level wands with these spells, but most DMs will probably not allow this. Otherwise, haste (from Dungeonscape's Trapsmith) becomes a 1st-level spell. Some examples:

Arcane Sight (Core/Dungeonscape, Trapsmith 1): Detect magic on steroids. As a 1st level spell, lasts 1 minute.

Cure Moderate Wounds (Core/Unapproachable East, Runescarred Berserker 1): Not quite as effective as lesser vigor, but pretty close... cures 10 HP per charge on average.

Darkvision (Core/Unapproachable East, Telflammar Shadowlord 1): Similar to ebon eyes, but lasts much longer (1 hour instead of 10 minutes).

Delay Poison (Core/Champions of Ruin, Shade Hunter 1): Immunity to poison for 1 hour. Ranger 1 offers this, but a 1st level wand crafted by a ranger costs 1500 GP, not 750 GP. Scaled Horror from Savage Species can also craft ranger wands, but can do so with a caster level of 1.

Dispel Magic (Core/Dungeonscape, Trapsmith 1): Yeah, like this spell couldn't ever possibly come in handy.

Gaseous Form (Core/Dungeonscape, Trapsmith 1). Great way to get out of a tight spot, slip under doors, etc. Lasts 2 minutes.

Haste (Core/Dungeonscape, Trapsmith 1). Offense, defense, utility, the whole shebang. Unfortunately, only lasts 1 round.

Invisibility (Core/Unapproachable East, Telflammar Shadowlord 1): Cheaper than swift invisibility, and lasts up to 1 minute.

Knock (Core/Unapproachable East, Telflammar Shadowlord 1): Go ahead, make the rogue feel useless.

See Invisibility (Core/Unapproachable East, Runescarred Berserker): And here we have the counter. Lasts 10 minutes.

Spider Climb (Core/FR Underdark/BoED, Prime Underdark Guide 1/Slayer of Domiel 1): Oh what a feeling... standing on the ceiling. Great for getting around pits/traps/obstacles. Lasts 10 minutes.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Wings of Cover (RotD), especially if you have the Dragonblood subtype.

Benign Transposition (SC).

Protection from Evil or Magic Circle against Evil.

Close Wounds (SC) only if you can get a ruling from the DM that when using it in response to an attack it negates all the damage from that attack.

A Wand of Camouflage (SC) plus a Dorje (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/dorjes.htm) of Chameleon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/chameleon.htm) gives ten minutes of +20 Hide for only 30 gp each time.

Web or Command Undead or other spells for which the DC/CL doesn't matter at all.

[Chambers]

No one's mentioned Grease (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/grease.htm) yet? Great pick for a wand.

[Cybris75]

How about darkvision, identify and most of the detect X spells?

[lsfreak]

Distract Assailant, combos well with your sneak attack dice

But its save blows. DC11 to avoid. Friends don't let friends throw money and actions away with DC-based wands.

Nerveskitter hasn't been mentioned? And neither has silent image or one of its big brothers. Entangle, while it offer a partial save, is still up to 80 feet of half-speed area between you and someone you're trying to stay away from.

For higher-level spells, Dimension Step lets 1/3CL people teleport up to their speed. I'd get it at least CL6, CL9 if you can afford it. Can be used in combat to give your allies full attacks, but can also e.g. get across chasms or up walls. A wand with just a few charges of teleport might be worth it.

[Equinox]

But its save blows. DC11 to avoid. Friends don't let friends throw money and actions away with DC-based wands.
It's a swift action and 750 gp. A big dumb CR 6 monster such as Ettin has Will +5. Which means you have a 25% chance to add your sneak attack damage for a swift action. I could go with that.

[Darrin]

No one's mentioned Grease (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/grease.htm) yet? Great pick for a wand.

Ice slick covers a 20' square. Impeding stones covers a 40' radius and throws in a -2 attack penalty.