LORE24 ENTRY #11 – Mass-Produced Spell Wands

Category – Magic / Spell

Although not strictly the domain of the DSM Arcane Research & Development department, this group is most often associated with mass-produced spell wands.  Though the creation of true magic wands isn’t a lost art, the craft has become much more rare in modern times as many of the reasons to carry such an item have been supplanted by technological items that replicate the effects of such spells, and for much less investment in time and resources, with the ability to be used by anyone, with or without magical talents.

In the case of a mass-produced wand, however, the costs have been minimized through the use of cheaper materials and the implementation of a single charging; once the power of the wands have been used, the artificially-created crystal holding the spell  charge crumbles, as often does the wand itself as the cheap composite materials break down over the lifespan of the wand.  Each wand is keyed to a single spell, and once crafted, this cannot be changed, whereas with a traditional wand, one of sufficient skill can create them with multiple spells stored within.

The benefits of a mass-produced wand are numerous, however.  Firstly, it allows for the group using them to easily equip their members, even those with minimal magical talents, with extra offensive and defensive options while leaving their personal spellcasting resources open for more powerful magics.  Second, in the event of losing such a wand, the loss is minimal in terms of cost to replace and time invested in its replacement.  Third, having a variety of additional spells available for an arcanist can give them greater advantage against those who oppose them, either in terms of offense and defense, or allowing the arcanist to use magic they normally are not capable of using, simply by uttering the activation phrase assigned to the wand.  In a pinch, those spellcasters who are familiar with the construction of wands can even supplement their own arcane energies by absorbing charges from the wands.

Generally, such wands hold limited charges, much fewer than a traditional spell wand, allowing for perhaps 20-30 castings of a lower powered spell, or as few as 10 or less of a more powerful spell.  As they cannot be recharged, once the power is expended, the wand is rendered useless.  Further, the power of spells from such wands is fixed, meaning that the spells cast from them are usually at a reduced magnitude of effect compared to the user having cast the spell themselves from their own reserves.