3 Advantages of Wands in Pathfinder

It's all too easy in Pathfinder to get lost in the raw, reality-warping power of high-level spells, or to focus solely on capstone abilities, and heavy-hitting class features. While most of us use wands in our games, they often fall by the wayside around mid-levels except for specific uses (such as the first aid wands with cure and lesser restoration spells in them) due to reduced effectiveness, spell resistance, short duration, and the fact that wands can only hold spells up to a certain level.

However, with that said, there are a lot of serious advantages that come with wands in Pathfinder. Since they're playing such a big part in my current game, I thought I'd talk about some of them this week.

They are all shapes. All sizes.

What Are Wands?

There's a lot of fine print in Pathfinder, so let's make sure we're all on the same page. A wand is a spell-trigger item that holds a single spell of 4th-level or lower. A wand can be used without a check by any character who has the spell contained on their class's spell list, even if they can't currently cast the spell (such as a 3rd-level paladin being able to use a wand with a paladin spell in it). Those who lack the spell, or who lack spellcasting at all, can make a simple Use Magic Device check to activate the wand. Once activated the spell is cast, and it uses the caster stats of the person who created the wand. If you made the wand, then it uses your stats as the creator at the time you made it. If it's a wand you found or purchased, then it assumes minimum stats to cast the spell, unless you paid for more according to the chart on page 496 of the Core Rulebook.

There now, we all on the same page? Lovely! On to why wands are great.

Advantage #1: Wands Do Not Provoke Attacks of Opportunity

Nice try!

As pointed out on page 184 of the Core Rulebook, wands as a spell trigger item do not provoke attacks of opportunity when used. This means that wands give you the ability to sling all kinds of spells when surrounded by enemies that, under other circumstances, could get you slapped in the head, or which would require a problematic Concentration check.

This is particularly useful if you need to heal yourself from that last smash you took to the head, but it's equally handy if you plan on attacking with a wand. Even small spells like shocking grasp can be devastating if they're in the hands of a rogue or a slayer, who now needs nothing more than a touch attack to get their sneak attack off (though getting through spell resistance with a wand is tricky at the best of times). Activating a wand is a standard action, but it's worth noting you can draw it as a swift action from a spring-loaded wrist sheathe, or as part of a move action if you have a BAB of +1 or higher and you're keeping it in a bandolier. You can't Quick Draw them, generally speaking, but it's possible there's an archetype or feat that I've missed that lets you do so. If there is, toss it in the comments so I can add it in here for people's reference!

Advantage #2: Wands Free Up Spell Slots

Well, guess I don't need to ready that one for today, do I?

Wands only go up to 4th level spells, that's true, but the sheer variety of options they offer means that you can take those situational or in-between fight spells (or the ones that you pre-buff with that last a long time), and store them in your wands. Then the casters can use their actual spell slots to prep spells that don't work so well in wands due to needed higher caster levels, better casting stats, etc.

For example, endure elements is an extremely useful spell if you're going to the tundra, or to the desert. And regardless of the caster's level, it lasts for 24 hours once it's been cast. So rather than eating up a bunch of spell slots with that one, put it in a wand, and bam, you're all safe from environmental penalties for a day. Delay disease is another useful spell to have in a wand, because it provides 24-hour protection from any disease, giving you time to ready a spell to cure it if you didn't have any available at the time. Spells like mage armor and defending bone which last for hours per level benefit from having a higher caster level on the wand, but the caster's stats have no effects on the spell other than the duration, making them two more solid candidates. And, of course, wands of cure spells are always handy for knitting yourself back together after brawls, or in a tight spot where you don't want a poor concentration check to get someone killed.

Most importantly, by not eating up your spell slots by keeping these preparatory spells on-hand (because you won't always need to protect yourself from disease or poison, but when you do it's good to have that spell ready-to-hand in a wand), you can prepare a wider variety of spells overall. And for those you're using your actual spell slots for, you should focus on spells where your caster level and stats make more of a difference (increasing damage, DCs to save against the spell, etc.). Because if being a higher-level caster or having higher casting stats doesn't change the spell in a meaningful way, then a wand should be able to handle it just fine.

Advantage #3: Wands Spread Around The Action Economy

Don't worry, boss, I got this. You get the cleric back up!

Magic is a tool, and that tool can be used to fill a lot of different roles. However, when there's only one party member wielding that tool, it stymies the flow, and makes it hard to use it efficiently. Wands spread out the ability to use magic, and they put more spells in the hands of more party members. And in some cases they put the tools in the hands of party members who can put them to the best possible use.

As an example, say the magus makes a wand of haste. Said magus could use their action to boost the party, but they could also hand the wand over to the monk who's invested in Use Magic Device. This gives the monk the ability to boost themselves, and the rest of the party, freeing up the magus to cast other spells when it's their turn rather than trying to do all of the magic on their own.

Additionally, if more members of the party have the ability to act quickly, or to do damage control, then it provides more options to the group as a whole. If someone is hurt, and the cleric has the chance to either destroy a big threat with a spell that could end the fight, or stopping a compatriot from dying, that's a tough choice. If the magus can step in with a wand to cure the downed party's wounds, bringing them back up to positives and stopping their bleed, now the cleric can apply their action to what's most effective. And gods forbid if the cleric goes down, because that's when the ability for someone else in the party to snatch out a wand and de-fib them back to life comes in quite handy.

Also, as a fun side note, there's a magus arcana that lets you use wands with spell combat, turning you into a dervish of casting and slashing on nearly every turn. And since wands don't provoke, this allows you to get the most out of your turn as long as you've got a full clip of these spell trigger items.

Bonus Advantages!

It seems like I always miss a few things, so I wanted to add these in. Thanks to the readers who brought them to my attention!

- Wands do not require material components. While you pay the cost of components when you make the wand, you don't need to haul those components on the road with you. Everything is in one neat, compact package.

- Wands require no somatic component to use. This makes them ideal for getting out of sticky situations, like being grappled when you could really use a coating of grease on your armor for that +10 to escape. And since they can be wielded one-handed and don't provoke attacks of opportunity, they're a nice trick to keep up your sleeve.

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