n00bish question about wands

[cupkeyk]

Who is the "caster" of a wand? I need to know for a Lyric Thaumaturge/Bard. Lyric Thaumaturge is from Complete Mage.

If the caster of a wand is the crafting caster, then a bonefiddle wand created by a lyric thumaturge5 deals 5d6 damage initially and 3d6 damage onwards, regardless of who uses it. The additional 2d6 is from the class ability of the lyric thaumaturge that adds 1d6 sonic damage per spell level to any spell with the sonic descriptor.

If the wand user is the caster, than can a Lyric Thaumaturge use his class ability to boost the damage of a wizard crafted sonic orb wand?

Hmmmn, thanks in advance.

[goken04]

The crafter is the caster, always, and no.

[adanedhel9]

Also, remember that increasing the caster level of an item increases its cost. The crafter can voluntarily lower his caster level for a particular wand (which makes the wand cheaper and less effective), to a minimum of the minimum caster level to cast the spell.

[TheOOB]

Like adanedhel9 said, caster level is determined by the item crafter upon creation. Also note that wands always use the lowest possible spell save DC possible (10 for 0 level, 11 for 1st level, 13 for 2nd level and so on).

For the purposes of spell effects that reference the caster, the wielder of the wand is the caster.

[cupkeyk]

Thanks.

I plan on applying heighten spell on the wand during it's creation, maximizing the bonus damage (as the class feature adds per spell level) and the DC of the spell.

[TheOOB]

Why apply heighten spell when you can just make a wand of a higher level spell?

[cupkeyk]

Hmmmn, There are very few spells with the sonic descriptor at level four: sonic orb? which is wizard but the lyric thaumaturge can learn through spell secret. Shatter heightened to four can be a good sundering spell with sonic might. I am still asking the Sonic might damage bonus applies to all rounds that bone fiddle is affecting the creature or just the initial round. Shout is sorta weak at a maximum of 9d6 damage including sonic might. Sound burst is better off heightened. Lesser sonic orb... I think that's all the sonic spells fourth and lower... any other suggestions?

Too bad song of discord is fifth level, since the bard can damage a small group of badguys and force them to beat each other up.

Oh, if a bard uses metamagic spell trigger to heighten spell a wand that was crafted by a lyric thaumaturge up to level nine, so that's a level nine sonic orb cast by an at least level twelve bard, that's 21d6 right?

[TheOOB]

Metamagic spell trigger doesn't increase the CL if I remember correctly.

[cupkeyk]

Yup, sonic might's bonus damage improves with spell level so if the spell has been heightened to level nine then it will add an additional 9d6 damage, considering that the bard who made the wand has sonic might and the bard using the wand has heighten spell and metamagic spell trigger.