Pathfinder Question: Does a Wand extend touch spells to 30 ft.?

[Theprettiestorc]

This actually came up between me and my roommate, and I do believe that a touch spell is a touch spell, regardless if it's in a wand or not, so you would still have to poke someone with your Stick of Cure Light Wounds. However, she thought that the advantage of wands was that you could use a touch spell out to about 30 ft. or so, which makes them great to use - but I was wondering why the heck I have to take a Mythic Tier Ability to get that without a wand as a Cleric if that was the case.

The wands page isn't any help, either. Any input?

[Oracle_of_Void]

I believe the wand page on the SRD would specifically mention it if that was true. If its not mentioned, I think its safe to assume that the range is still touch.

[Red Fel]

I believe the wand page on the SRD would specifically mention it if that was true. If its not mentioned, I think its safe to assume that the range is still touch.

This. Nowhere on the Wands page of the PFSRD does it even mention the item's range. It's based on the spell, not on the wand itself.

Your friend is mistaken. A wand's usefulness is not that it allows you to cast any spell at range. Its usefulness is that it allows you to cast a spell 50 times, even if that spell is not one that you know (provided that it is on your class spell list or can make a UMD check), without having to expend material components. That's a pretty substantial advantage, and it's available to virtually anybody. That's the merit of wands.

In 3.5, a wand of Cure Light Wounds or Vigor is considered one of the most cost-effective means of party healing. Not spell slots, not potions, a wand. I wouldn't be surprised if the same is true in PF.

[KillingAScarab]

As far as I am aware a wand is simply a magic item activated by spell trigger (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items#TOC-Spell-Trigger) which holds up to 50 charges for one spell. If you put a spell with touch range in a wand, after you have activated it you have the ability to touch some number of targets (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic#TOC-Range) to cast the spell upon them, or you could attempt to hold the charge (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat#TOC-Cast-a-Spell). The wand doesn't need to be what touches someone/something, the caster is. So, even if your character could activate the wand from 30 feet away, the caster is what the touch spell would flow through.

[Jeff the Green]

What they said.

To be perfectly pedantic, I don't think you can poke people with a wand to affect them; you have to actually touch them with your hand. It's not a particularly important rule, though, and one I generally ignore. It just makes more sense in a number of cases, and I like playing healers who, when annoyed with someone for getting hurt because of their stupidity, whacks them on the head with their staff that has a wand of CLW in a wand chamber.

[Theprettiestorc]

Alright! Good to know, and hear! This answered up pretty well. :smallbiggrin: