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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
GM Core / Chapter 5: Treasure Trove / Trappings of Power

Wands

Source GM Core pg. 282 2.0
Short, slender items typically made of wood, wands let you cast a specific spell without expending a spell slot. They can be used once per day, but can be overcharged to attempt to cast them again at great risk. Each wand holds a spell of a certain rank, determined when the wand is created. Cantrips, focus spells, and rituals can't be placed in wands.

If you find a wand, you can try to deduce what spell is in it. If the spell is a common spell from your spell list or is a spell you know, you can use a single Recall Knowledge action and automatically succeed. If it's not, you must Identify Magic.

Casting Spells from a Wand

Source GM Core pg. 282 2.0
A wand contains a spell that can be cast once per day. Casting a spell from a wand requires holding the wand in one hand and activating the item with a Cast a Spell activity using the normal number of actions for the spell.

To cast a spell from a wand, it must be on your spell list. Because you're the one casting the spell, use your spell attack modifier and spell DC. The spell is of your spellcasting tradition.

If a spell requires a locus, you must still have that locus to cast the spell from a wand, and if the spell has a cost, you must still pay that cost to cast the spell from a wand.

Overcharging a Wand

Source GM Core pg. 282 2.0
After the spell is cast from the wand for the day, you can attempt to cast it one more time—overcharging the wand at the risk of destroying it. Cast the Spell again, then roll a DC 10 flat check. On a success, the wand is broken. On a failure, the wand is destroyed. If anyone tries to overcharge a wand when it’s already been overcharged that day, the wand is automatically destroyed (even if it had been repaired) and no spell is cast.

Wand Statistics

Source GM Core pg. 282 2.0
A wand’s base statistics are the same unless noted otherwise in a special wand. It has light Bulk, and must be held in one hand to be activated. Each wand contains a specific rank of the spell, but you can craft a wand with a heightened version of a spell.

Varying Statistics

Source GM Core pg. 282 2.0
Each type of wand has a level and Price determined by the spell's rank. The wand's rarity matches the spell's rarity, and it has its spell's traits. A wand has the normal Hardness, BT, and HP of a thin item of its material (see Materials).

The traits for a wand vary based on the spell it contains. A wand always has the magical and wand traits, plus any traits that might be relevant to identifying the item, such as illusion or fire. The GM determines the extra traits.

Crafting a Wand

Source GM Core pg. 282 2.0
For the most part, the process to Craft a wand is like that to Craft any other magic item. When you begin the crafting process, choose a spell to put into the wand. You have to either cast that spell during the process, or someone else must do so in your presence. That spell doesn't have its normal effects; instead, the magic is captured inside the wand. The caster doesn't need to pay any cost of the spell.

The casting must come from a spellcaster expending a spell slot. You can't make a wand from a spell that comes from another magic item, for example. A wand's rarity is the same as that of the spell it contains.

Magic Wand

Source GM Core pg. 282 2.0
The simplest form of wand contains a spell, with Price and level based on that spell. The name of a magic wand with a spell in it is simply “wand of,” followed by the spell’s name.

Specialty Wands

Source GM Core pg. 282 2.0
Specialty wands can contain only certain kinds of spells, as noted in the stat block, and either alter the spell’s effects or affect how it can be cast. The Craft Requirements entry lists what kinds of spells the wand can hold.

Click here for the Specialty Wands category page.

Example Magic Wand

This example magic wand contains a 1st-rank heal spell.

Wand Of Heal Item 3

Magical Vitality Wand
Price 60 gp
Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk L
The golden caps on the ends of this white wooden wand are adorned with ruby cabochons.
Activate [one-action] to [three-actions] Frequency once per day, plus overcharge; Effect You cast a 1st-rank heal spell.
Craft Requirements Supply one casting of heal.