Wands

The most common type of spell trigger item is the wand. A wand is a thin baton that contains a single spell of 4th level or lower. A wand which contains a psionic power is typically constructed of pure crystal and called a dorje.

Wand Basics

Price

The price of a wand is equal to the level of the spell × the creator’s caster level × 750 gp. If the wand has a material component cost, it is added to the base price and cost to create once for each charge (50 × material component cost).

Table: Standard Wand Prices gives sample prices for wands created at the lowest possible caster level for each spellcasting class. Note that some spells appear at different levels for different casters. The level of such spells and the final price of the wand depends on the caster crafting the wand.

Physical Description

A typical wand is 6 inches to 12 inches long, about ¼ inch thick, and often weighs no more than 1 ounce. Most wands are wood or bone though a rare few are composed of metal, glass, ceramic, or crystal. Occasionally, a wand has a gem or some device at its tip, and most are decorated with carvings or runes. A typical wand has AC 7, 8 hit points, hardness 8, and a break DC of 20.

Wand Charges

Each wand has 50 charges when created, and each charge expended allows the user to use the wand’s spell one time. A wand that runs out of charges crumbles into inert dust and is destroyed.

Manually Recharging a Wand

A character with the Craft Wand feat who is able to activate the wand can manually add additional charges to a wand. One charge may be added to a wand by expending a spell or spell slot with a level equal to or higher than the level of the stored spell. (Psionic dorjes can be charged by expending a number of power points equal to the minimum required to manifest the stored power.)

The process of recharging a wand takes 1 minute per charge added.

A wand cannot hold more charges than its maximum. Attempting to add additional charges causes the spell or power points to be wasted with no effect.

Activation

Wands use the spell trigger activation method. Casting a spell from a wand uses the same action as it does to cast the spell normally, but it does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

To activate a wand, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand in the case of nonhumanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area. The user must have the spell, power, or other effect stored in the wand on their class list. Otherwise, they must make a successful skill check with the appropriate skill (usually Arcane Lore, Psi Lore, or Theology).

A wand may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole.

Caster Level

Wands are normally created at the minimum caster level required to cast the stored spell; however, wands can be created at a higher caster level than required to manifest the power. The caster level of the wand determines the effects of the spell when it is cast, not the caster level of the user.

The caster level of a wand cannot be more than five higher than the minimum caster level to use the spell it contains.

Manifester Level

Psionic powers that can be augmented are not typically augmented when stored in a dorje, nor can a dorje’s wielder augment the power contained within the dorje by expending additional power points. If a dorje is created with a higher manifester level than is necessary to manifest the power, then the stored power may be augmented to the limit of the manifester level and the power’s augmentation maximums, if any. All augmentation choices are made when the dorje is created and cannot be changed thereafter.

The manifester level of a dorje cannot be more than five higher than the minimum manifester level to use the power it contains.