PFRPG: Wandslinging (Secrets of Wand Combat)

by Tim Wallace

Warning! These rules are highly experimental and have not been playtested.

Wandslinging Rules

When wandslinging, wands work differently—they instead use the following rules.

Wand Proficiency: The Wandslinger feat (see below) allows you to use all wands as weapons without penalty. A nonproficient character takes the standard –4 penalty on attack rolls with wands, and increases all misfire values by 4 for a wand he discharges.

Wands also qualify for combat feats that modify a single type of weapon (such as Weapon Focus), as well as their own weapon group for the purposes of the fighter's weapon training class feature. If you take the Daring Wandslinger feat (see below), you can discharge a wand up to twice in a round (or two wands, once each if you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat).

Attacks of Opportunity: Discharging a wand while threatened by an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity. In addition, you may make attacks of opportunity while only wielding a wand, but doing so consumes 1d4 charges instead of the normal 1. This would be also deemed unwise if wielding a wand of fireball.

Range, Area, Targets, and Penetration: Wands used in wandslinging have specific range increments, based on the ranges of the spell stored in them (see below). Spells that have fixed ranges (such as burning hands) instead use that range. No matter the spell stored, the wielder must make a melee or ranged attack against a target or targets when discharging a wand in wandslinging.

Spell Range	Area/Effect	Targets	Attack	Critical	Range	Special
Touch	—	single	melee	x2	—	—
Touch	—	multiple	melee	x2	—	scatter
Fixed	—	single	ranged	x2	as spell	—
Fixed	—	multiple	ranged	x2	as spell	scatter
Fixed	burst	multiple	ranged	x2	as spell	scatter
Fixed	cone	multiple	ranged	x2	as spell	scatter
Fixed	line	multiple	ranged	x2	as spell	scatter
Close	—	single	ranged	x2	10 ft.	—
Close	—	multiple	ranged	x2	10 ft.	scatter
Close	ray	single	ranged	x2	10 ft.	—
Close	ray	multiple	ranged	x2	10 ft.	scatter
Close	sphere	multiple	ranged	x2	10 ft.	scatter
Medium	—	single	ranged	x2	30 ft.	—
Medium	—	multiple	ranged	x2	30 ft.	scatter
Medium	ray	single	ranged	x2	30 ft.	—
Medium	ray	multiple	ranged	x2	30 ft.	scatter
Medium	sphere	multiple	ranged	x2	30 ft.	scatter
Long	—	single	ranged	x2	120 ft.	—
Long	—	multiple	ranged	x2	120 ft.	scatter
Long	ray	single	ranged	x2	120 ft.	—
Long	ray	multiple	ranged	x2	120 ft.	scatter
Long	sphere	multiple	ranged	x2	120 ft.	scatter

Misfires: All wands have a misfire value equal to the spell stored in them (minimum 1). If the natural result of your attack roll falls within the wand’s misfire value, that attack misses and the spell fails, even if you would have otherwise hit the target. When a wand misfires, it gains the broken condition (it consumes twice as many charges when you discharge it), and its misfire value increases by 4.

Spell Level	Misfire	Reflex DC
Cantrip/Orison	1 (0 ft.)	10
1st	1 (5 ft.)	11
2nd	2 (5 ft.)	12
3rd	3 (5 ft.)	13
4th	4 (10 ft.)	14

If a wand with the broken condition misfires again, it explodes. When a wand explodes, pick one corner of your square—the explosion creates a cone-shaped burst from that point of origin. A wands burst size is equal to 5 feet times 1/2 the level of the spell stored in the wand (round down; minimum 0 feet). Any creature within this burst (including the wand’s wielder) takes 1d6 points of damage  per five charges remaining in the wand (round down; minimum 1d6 points of damage)—a Reflex save (DC 10 plus the level of the spell stored in the wand) halves this damage. If the wand’s burst size is 0 ft. it only affects the wand’s wielder.

Scatter Weapon Property: All wands storing spell which can affect multiple targets are treated as having the scatter weapon property. This means it can either be used to target within range with the spell’s effects or attack all creatures within area of the spell. If the wielder decides to attack all creatures in the area of the spell, he must make a separate attack roll against each creature. Each attack roll takes a –2 penalty and its attack damage cannot be modified by precision damage or damage-increasing feats such as Vital Strike. Effects that grant concealment, such as fog or smoke, or the blur, invisibility, or mirror image spells, do not foil a scatter attack. If any of the attack rolls threaten a critical, confirm the critical for that attack roll alone. A wand that makes a scatter shot misfires only if all of the attack rolls made misfire.

Bucklers: You can use a wand without penalty while carrying a buckler.

Discharge while Prone: Wands, like crossbows and firearms, can be discharged while their wielders are prone.

Masterwork Quality Wands: When crafting a wand, the spellcaster may decide to craft it as a masterwork weapon (granting a +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls with it). Doing so adds the normal 300 gp (150 gp raw materials) to the cost of the wand.

Recharging Wands: A spellcaster may recharge a wand by taking the Harvest Essence feat (see below).

Use Magic Device: You do not have to have ranks in Use Magic Device to discharge a wand.

Wandslinging Feats

Wandslinger (Combat)

You have enough arcane knowledge to discharge wands like firearms.

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1, Knowledge (arcana) 1 rank.

Effect: You can implement wands as weapons following the wandslinging rules (see above).

Normal: Only spellcasters with the appropriate spells can discharge wands.

Daring Wandslinger (Combat)

You can discharge two wands in a round or one wand twice in round.

Prerequisites: Wandslinger, base attack bonus +6 or Two-Weapon Fighting.

Effect: If you have a base attack bonus of +6 or higher, you may discharge a wand twice in one round. The second attack is made at a –5 penalty, as normal.

If you have the Two-Weapon fighting feat, you may wield a wand in each hand and discharge each wand once in a round. Both wands are treated as light weapons, and your attacks incur the normal penalties for two-weapon combat.

When you utilize this ability to discharge one or more wands in a single round, each discharge consumes 1d4 charges, instead of the normal 1.

Normal: You can only discharge

Harvest Essence

You can distill magical items down to their most basic essence and can use it to recharge wands.

Prerequisites: Craft Wands, caster level 5th, see text.

Effect: You gain the ability to salvage magical essence from a magical item and use that essence to recharge wands. You must spend a day with the item and have the appropriate item creation feat. After one day, make a concentration check (DC 15 + the item’s caster level). If you succeed, the item is destroyed and you gain a number of points of magical essence equal to 1/4 the value of magical item. If you fail nothing happens and you may try the concentration check again after spending another day with the item.

You need spend a number of points of magical essence dependant on the level of the spell stored in the wand to recharge one charge of a wand (see below). If the stored spell requires an expensive material component, you must also expend a number of points of magical essence equal to the cost of the material component per charge. You may recharge a number of charges equal to four times your key spellcasting modifier.

Spell Level	Magical Essence Points per Charge
Cantrip/Orison	8
1st	15
2nd	90
3rd	225
4th	420