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View Full Version : Eternal Wands, Are They Worth It?



AKA_Bait
2007-11-27, 02:52 PM
It seems to me that for some spells they would be, and for others not so much. A wand with more utility spells, like knock, tongues, see invisibility, identify etc. would be wells served to be an eternal wand, since one isn't likley to need them more than twice a day anyway. However wands that contain offensive spells, fireball, or that rely on a high caster level, are better off going with the 50 charges.

Thoughts?

Hazkali
2007-11-27, 02:58 PM
Can you get eternal wands, and if so, where?

Lord Lorac Silvanos
2007-11-27, 03:00 PM
Eberron Campaign setting.

Ryshan Ynrith
2007-11-27, 03:01 PM
Eternal wands are found in the Magic Item compendium, and allow the use of a particular 1st to 3rd-level spell twice per day, with no total limits.

They are quite helpful for things that, as Bait mentioned, do not rely on caster level or save DC. Knock and certain buffs are certainly worth it, but it's a poor choice for boosting damage.

Myself, I like Explosive Runes, because nothing says "I hate you" like two letterbombs a day.

AKA_Bait
2007-11-27, 03:01 PM
Spell Compendium. They only work 2/x a day but never run out of charges. This makes them good, in that they never run out, but bad in that they have a limited daily uses.

Edited for being wrong.

AmberVael
2007-11-27, 03:02 PM
Yes you can get eternal wands.
Magic Item Compendium.
Go look it up.

As for the real topic here...
Yes. For utility spells that you don't need to prepare many of, an eternal wand is a very handy little tool. It can help cut back on spell slot use, and allow you to be more versatile in an instantaneous capacity. (Oh look, a locked door. Lets rest 8 hours so I can cast knock!)

I forget the precise name, but a similar item are the new Staves also introduced in the MIC. You can swap out one spell slot for a spell in the staff... also a good buy, for some spells.

Dode
2007-11-27, 03:25 PM
Perhaps even more importantly, the spell the Eternal Wand casts doesn't have to be on your class's spell list for you to use it, unlike a regular wand. Want to be a Duskblade, Warmage, etc. with access to Alter Self or other great low-level arcane personal-only buffs? Now you can do so without jumping through hoops to get a high UMD score.

Hazkali
2007-11-27, 05:02 PM
Wow, I don't own the Magic Item Compendium but I'll definitely have to read up on these. I am a bit of an all-things-wand-related-phile...

Hunter Noventa
2007-11-27, 05:10 PM
Wow, I don't own the Magic Item Compendium but I'll definitely have to read up on these. I am a bit of an all-things-wand-related-phile...

Would that not be a Wandophile?

Anyway, they are pretty neat items. I once had an idea for a warforged with some kind of gatling arm full of them. Sure he could only do a full barrage twice a day, but it'd be fun dammit!

Kioran
2007-11-27, 05:11 PM
Basically, they´re items created according to nthe creation guidelines in the DMG - you wouldn´t have to go to the MIC for them, unless you´re really craving that "WotC-approved" seal for RAW in more or less obscure Splatbooks.

basically, it´s Spell-lvl*Caster-lvl*360*uses per day = price, which equals 720 for a normal Eternal wand of a lvl 1 spell, 2160 for a second lvl and 5400 for third lvl.
That´s why they don´t behave like wands - they´re actually command-word activated items with daily uses, the one non-broken use for the DMG-guidelines that, I think, the original authors assumed was going to spawn lots of otherwise redundant Wondrous items.

Theli
2007-11-27, 05:20 PM
Hmm, the ECS allowed pretty much any arcane spell from 0eth to 4th at twice per day. Did they really limit it that much?


Eternal wands are found in the Magic Item compendium, and allow the use of a particular 1st to 3rd-level spell twice per day, with no total limits.

Chronos
2007-11-27, 05:22 PM
So, they're the same price as regular wands, then? It wouldn't take too many wands of Prestidigitation to last all day, every day... And for anything with a duration of half a day or longer (Shrink Item and Explosive Runes come to mind), you'd only need one.

John Campbell
2007-11-27, 05:42 PM
Perhaps even more importantly, the spell the Eternal Wand casts doesn't have to be on your class's spell list for you to use it, unlike a regular wand. Want to be a Duskblade, Warmage, etc. with access to Alter Self or other great low-level arcane personal-only buffs? Now you can do so without jumping through hoops to get a high UMD score.

Not just the short-list casters, either... even full wizards can benefit from access to some of the other arcanist lists. The bard list, in particular, has a fair amount of useful stuff on it that wizards can't ordinarily cast, stuff that's either unique to the bard or otherwise restricted to divine casters.


So, they're the same price as regular wands, then?

Not exactly, but close.

Kioran
2007-11-27, 05:53 PM
Not exactly, but close.

Lemme guess: 720 GP/4320 GP/ 10800 GP? (my calculations above were a little off) If so: Bwahahaha.

Eternal Wands were in the DMG all along......

CASTLEMIKE
2007-11-27, 07:09 PM
It depends on the spell. IMO they were mostly nice for some some of the first level spells like Fast Healing 1 (to augment a Belt or Belts of Healing 750 G) in a group without Talismans (Craft Wondrous items feat) in a game, since Two Level 1 Talisman for a first level spell 1/day for 300 GP each is normally cheaper than a level 1 eternal wand usable 2/day.

Bigtuna
2007-12-01, 10:05 AM
Are Eternal wands worth it?
HELL YEAH!

Here is a few suggestions:
Cure light wounds - for when you party cleric don't want to be a heal boot (for after combat healing) (sure normal wands are cheaper, but these ones will last a lifetime)

Heroics - for fighter feats. Any one ever seen White Raven tactics from ToB? With a few cheap wands everyone in the party get's it!

Someone mentioned Duskblade - combust + ring of Theugry - that's let you cast the spell with your own CL. (using on of your own spell slots)

Hario
2007-12-01, 01:06 PM
I like eternal wands, need your rogue to sneak attack grease 2x a day isn't too bad, you can even hand it off to him. The only spell/s I find bad for eternal wand is say lesser restoration (paladin spell) and Identify. Not because they are AWESOME but because they break the idea of the spells the paladin spell since it actually is cheaper than normally and the Identify spell because you aren't using the material component anymore and are getting 2x free Identifies each day. Overall Eternal wands don't generally break a game since if you are going through 50 charges on a spell you're prolly already using it more than 2x a day, and I bearly see players (including myself) go through full wands unless its say a wand of magic missle and that's just to get free hits when they can't really do anything else.

Alex12
2007-12-01, 01:19 PM
get a bunch of paper and an Eternal wand of Explosive Runes. Spend a few days covering every sheet with the runes, and then when your facing the BBEG, toss all of them at his face. Follow it up with a fireball.
"BBEG? What BBEG?"

Chronos
2007-12-01, 01:43 PM
Follow it up with a fireball.Won't work. Assuming you count a Fireball as an attempt to erase them in the first place, destroying the paper would be a successful erasure. You need something which can fail. The standard tactic is Dispel Magic, which will probably hurt the BBEG more than the Fireball, anyway.

Crow
2007-12-01, 03:45 PM
Can't you only put arcane spells into eternal wands?

Dode
2007-12-01, 03:46 PM
That is correct.

TheOOB
2007-12-01, 04:49 PM
Can't you only put arcane spells into eternal wands?

Yes, but many spells that are normally divine can be found on some arcane casters spell lists, thus you can have an arcane cure light wounds because bards have it.

Dode
2007-12-01, 05:06 PM
Interesting, there's also no cost modifier for creating wands of spells with expensive material components. Does that mean I could buy a Eternal Wand of Identify for 820gp?

John Campbell
2007-12-01, 06:24 PM
I like eternal wands, need your rogue to sneak attack grease 2x a day isn't too bad, you can even hand it off to him. The only spell/s I find bad for eternal wand is say lesser restoration (paladin spell) and Identify. Not because they are AWESOME but because they break the idea of the spells the paladin spell since it actually is cheaper than normally and the Identify spell because you aren't using the material component anymore and are getting 2x free Identifies each day.
You can't put lesser restoration into an eternal wand. It's a divine-only spell.

As for identify, just get yourself an artificer's monocle. It's a little more expensive, but you won't get any arguments about expensive material components from your DM, and it's unlimited use. Once you get high enough level, you can even permanancy a detect magic and have it as an always-on.

Hectonkhyres
2007-12-01, 09:10 PM
Would that not be a Wandophile?
Well... the term 'wandmongler' just makes me feel dirty.

Zanatos777
2007-12-01, 10:34 PM
Interesting, there's also no cost modifier for creating wands of spells with expensive material components. Does that mean I could buy a Eternal Wand of Identify for 820gp?

I did this exact thing in my friend's game. He hates the thing so much since it allows us to identify all his treasure eventually without buying the spell.

Draz74
2007-12-02, 01:48 AM
I did this exact thing in my friend's game. He hates the thing so much since it allows us to identify all his treasure eventually without buying the spell.

Bravo! Identify -- especially in a time-consuming, expensive form -- is so on my list of things that had better be gone in 4E.