Can A Wand Be Rigged to Self-Destruct?

[Palanan]

More precisely, is there a spell, feat or skill check that allows you to release all of a wand’s charges at once?

I’ve never heard of such a thing, and I know it’s not a default aspect of an ordinary wand. I'm not looking to spam fifteen magic missiles in a single burst; but I’m wondering if there’s a way to convert the latent spell energy of a wand’s remaining charges into a blast of raw magical energy. Or something along those lines.

[ATHATH]

Dispel Magic+Necklace of Fireballs?

Dispel Magic+Book Full of Explosive Runes?

[Venger]

unfortunately, no such mechanic exists.

[Afgncaap5]

Well... theoretically, if you intentionally fail a UMD check on a wand you could cause a mishap of some sort, which could include a 2d6 explosion of energy. I'm not sure of any decent way to by RAW attempt that on a wand someone else is holding or to get them to do so apart from, say, the Suggestion spell. It'd be a weird suggestion, though. "Hey buddy, instead of using your wand, why don't you try to emulate yourself using it? But also fail at that. It could be fun!"

It's not RAW, but as a DM I'd allow someone to use a combination of Disable Device and Spellcraft to rig a wand like this.

[mattie_p]

It sounds like you would like a wand capable of a "retributive strike." But off hand I'm not sure of a RAW way to pull it off.


A staff of power can be used for a retributive strike, requiring it to be broken by its wielder. (If this breaking of the staff is purposeful and declared by the wielder, it can be performed as a standard action that does not require the wielder to make a Strength check.) All charges currently in the staff are instantly released in a 30-foot radius. All within 2 squares of the broken staff take points of damage equal to 8 × the number of charges in the staff, those 3 or 4 squares away take 6 × the number of charges in damage, and those 5 or 6 squares distant take 4 × the number of charges in damage. All those affected can make DC 17 Reflex saves to reduce the damage by half.

The character breaking the staff has a 50% chance of traveling to another plane of existence, but if he does not, the explosive release of spell energy destroys him. Only certain items, including the staff of the magi and the staff of power, are capable of being used for a retributive strike.

I'm thinking that Cannith Wand Adept can do some funky wand stuff but not exactly that, and I'm away from books at the moment.

[Anxe]

If you want to come up with something on your own you could use the Scroll Mishap rules as a guideline.

[TheIronGolem]

Casting Explosive Runes on the wand is the best solution I can think of without going for homebrew.

[denthor]

Somewhere in the distant past 2e if you could break a staff . The result was all charges are expelled. Did this by falling from a height of 200 feet with the staff of the magi.

I of course was in the middle.