List of Best Wands

[Gnaeus]

I'm looking for a list of the best wands from any class list for pathfinder. I found http://www.geekindustrialcomplex.com/articles/wands-for-everyone which has some good suggestions, but only for level 1 cheap wands.

If it matters, I will be playing a path of the Crafter Vizier, so can make any wand without prereqs and bump the CL by 1. My party will include a cha focused Unchained Rogue, who will also be able to use any wand. If it matters, Skull and Shackles adventure path, so likely evil, roguish, near water.

So, which wands in PF seem to pack the most bang for the buck? Infernal healing seems like a given. Haste is usually a winner. We will be using the unchained summoner spell list, so that route to underleveled spells is largely out. What are your favorites?

[Elder_Basilisk]

Honestly, I usually stop with level 1 wands. Higher level wands are much more pricey and there aren't many spells that you'll want to use that often.

Lesser restoration may be on the list at level 1 due to paladin spellcasting. If not, it's still a good idea at level 2. If you want to use enervation as primary offense, it's worthwhile in a wand. For the price, I'd rather have a lesser rod of quicken spell or a rod of empower spell, but if you want wands, it's worth considering.

Other than that, I'm not really a fan of any high level spells in wands. Haste is as good as it gets but for me, it's either too expensive or by the time it isn't, the guys who could benefit from it should have boots of speed which frees up your standard action for something else. And if they aren't bothering with boots of speed, quickened haste, weapons of speed, spell combat haste, or any number of other options is still probably better. If your level 10+ character is spending a standard action to cast haste at the start of every combat, something is wrong. And if you aren't doing it every combat, you don't need a wand.

[Gallowglass]

I have three philosophies with wands.

1. keep around a number of situational buff spells such as protection from evil, protection from energy, resist energy, stone skin, etc. That way your casters can concentrate their daily slots on non-buff spells that may or may not come up in the course of a day. Resist energy and Protection from energy especially are nice to have wands around for and worth the cost.

2. if you are going to go wand for offense, go wand for melee offense. Play a magus with wand-wielder or with the spell that lets them merge a wand into their weapon. Or wand slots on weapons. Craft touch spell wands like enervation, frostbite, shocking grasp, or ghoul touch and then find a mechanic that lets you wand-cast it through a melee attack. Wands become "cheap" interchangeable weapon enchantments.

3. I havent' really seen anyone enjoy using wand for missile offense. Sure, if a low level wizard picks up a magic missile or lightning bolt wand in a loot pile, it gives them a 50 shot gun they can use when they don't have another more useful spell to cast on a given round. But most casters seem to always have a more useful spell to cast on a given round. Outside of really long (more than 3 encounters) game day, offense missile wands aren't the most effective strategy.

[Gnaeus]

Well, in my circumstances, I'm looking at some slightly abnormal cost factors.

1. I'll be crafting anything we use, so there is that 50% discount

2. I'm not sure we will have a pure caster, so it will be less "taking weight off our caster" and more "giving us abilities we won't otherwise have".

3. Crafter path viziers can use essence to give free daily charges to wands, and they can transfer charges from one wand to another of the same spell level (so I could take charges from a wand of (any second level spell) and use them to recharge a wand of (any second level spell but at CL 9 or 10)). So even if a wand of (best level 3 or 4 spell) is not normally cost effective, it looks a lot cleaner when we are refueling it from junk drops that would otherwise be sold, or just using it for free until I can make some good staves.

So, assuming that you are a rogue or other non-caster, duplicating casterness through items, what are the gold standard wands to use?

[legomaster00156]

I typically find that a good old Wand of Cure Light Wounds satisfies my wand needs, but good solid spells that don't allow saves (or whose saves don't matter much) are good. For example, my party once got good use out of an Entangle wand, which still created difficult terrain even if the opponents made the pitifully low save.

[Elder_Basilisk]

Well, in my circumstances, I'm looking at some slightly abnormal cost factors.

1. I'll be crafting anything we use, so there is that 50% discount

2. I'm not sure we will have a pure caster, so it will be less "taking weight off our caster" and more "giving us abilities we won't otherwise have".

3. Crafter path viziers can use essence to give free daily charges to wands, and they can transfer charges from one wand to another of the same spell level (so I could take charges from a wand of (any second level spell) and use them to recharge a wand of (any second level spell but at CL 9 or 10)). So even if a wand of (best level 3 or 4 spell) is not normally cost effective, it looks a lot cleaner when we are refueling it from junk drops that would otherwise be sold, or just using it for free until I can make some good staves.

So, assuming that you are a rogue or other non-caster, duplicating casterness through items, what are the gold standard wands to use?

It sounds like you may be in a different situation where the question isn't, "what are the best wands?" but rather "what capabilities do I need to supply?" To use your example, a rogue will typically not be duplicating "casterness" through items. Instead, the rogue will be activating specific abilities that he needs. Maybe he needs invisibility but not fly because he has a cleric friend and he can get by with air walk. Maybe (in 3.5) he's using wracking touch as a backup plan to get sneak attack when it would otherwise be impossible.

In that case, party composition is going to be a big deal. If you tell us the party comp, that will help a lot. A wand of fly is very useful if there's no other way to get fly. Your character's capabilities will also be a big deal. Is being substitute wizard your only schtick or do you have ways to contribute in and out of combat so that you only need wands to fill in necessary capabilities not to give yourself something to do?

Also, how does the recharge thing work? Can you (for example) take a Clvl 9 wand of magic missile and recharge it with a clvl 1 wand of cure light wounds? If you can, that's a big deal and makes a lot of wands that would otherwise not be cost effective (even at half price) strong options.

[Gnaeus]

It sounds like you may be in a different situation where the question isn't, "what are the best wands?" but rather "what capabilities do I need to supply?" To use your example, a rogue will typically not be duplicating "casterness" through items. Instead, the rogue will be activating specific abilities that he needs. Maybe he needs invisibility but not fly because he has a cleric friend and he can get by with air walk. Maybe (in 3.5) he's using wracking touch as a backup plan to get sneak attack when it would otherwise be impossible.

In that case, party composition is going to be a big deal. If you tell us the party comp, that will help a lot. A wand of fly is very useful if there's no other way to get fly. Your character's capabilities will also be a big deal. Is being substitute wizard your only schtick or do you have ways to contribute in and out of combat so that you only need wands to fill in necessary capabilities not to give yourself something to do?

Vizier is an Akashic class, so like 3.5 Incarna. It is closest to 3.5 incarnate. So, a solid T3, with good control, blasting, and self buffs. If you don't use MOI, probably closest to Warlock.

Otherwise, we will have an unchained rogue. And a melee type of some nature. If the 4th player plays, I have no idea what he is playing, he probably won't communicate with us pre game, and even if he is a full caster, in an evil game, he is unlikely to be much of a team player.


Also, how does the recharge thing work? Can you (for example) take a Clvl 9 wand of magic missile and recharge it with a clvl 1 wand of cure light wounds? If you can, that's a big deal and makes a lot of wands that would otherwise not be cost effective (even at half price) strong options.

It looks that way to me, but maybe there is errata. Text of ability reads:
Additionally, the crafter can use this ability to transfer charges between wands or staves whose highest level spells are the same; for example, the crafter could transfer charges from a wand of cure light wounds to recharge a wand of shield. When using transfer the essence in this fashion, the vizier may choose to transfer any number of charges currently held in one target to the other. Neither use of this ability works when attempted on cursed or intelligent items, or on artifacts.

[Elder_Basilisk]

Vizier is an Akashic class, so like 3.5 Incarna. It is closest to 3.5 incarnate. So, a solid T3, with good control, blasting, and self buffs. If you don't use MOI, probably closest to Warlock.

Otherwise, we will have an unchained rogue. And a melee type of some nature. If the 4th player plays, I have no idea what he is playing, he probably won't communicate with us pre game, and even if he is a full caster, in an evil game, he is unlikely to be much of a team player.

Hmmm. Well, charging up high clvl wands with low clvl wands looks viable so offensive/clvl dependent wands are a lot more viable for you than they are for most characters. That opens up things like fireball, empowered scorching ray, dispel magic, and a few others as viable options but there's no point in going that route if you have in-class options that are as good.

In an evil game, you probably need to ask how much of a team player you want to/can afford to be as well. Giving the rogue greater invisibility will help him a lot, but if you don't have see invisibility up, you need some other way to be sure he won't shiv you in the back with it.

Haste is still probably the best team player wand. Invisibility, Fly, Cure Critical Wounds (otherwise, you don't have emergency in combat healing other than potions), lesser restoration, restoration, and dispel magic are probably the "capabilities our group might not otherwise have but could need." Maybe glitterdust and see invisibility too if your party doesn't have another way of dealing with invisibility. Heroism is a strong option too if you take it from the bard list at level 2.

[legomaster00156]

In an evil game, you probably need to ask how much of a team player you want to/can afford to be as well. Giving the rogue greater invisibility will help him a lot, but if you don't have see invisibility up, you need some other way to be sure he won't shiv you in the back with it.
There are two insurances he has against that. First, he is crafting all of their stuff. Second, he is crafting all of their stuff... meaning he can enchant items so that only certain people (i.e. himself) can use them. This will even reduce the cost of crafting as a "mitigating factor".

[Gnaeus]

There are two insurances he has against that. First, he is crafting all of their stuff. Second, he is crafting all of their stuff... meaning he can enchant items so that only certain people (i.e. himself) can use them. This will even reduce the cost of crafting as a "mitigating factor".

Well, and being a member of the same pirate crew will also count a lot in my favor. I'm not worried about them murdering me. But I could see them using the self centered nature of an evil team as a justification to skip on the more team oriented buff and utility spells.