D&D 5E So how does 5e treat Staffs and Wands?

[Plane Sailing]

I'm very curious to hear how Staffs and Wands are treated in 5e.

I'm not likely to see a DMG for several weeks yet, so I'd love to hear from people who have it, how they are handling these classic items this time round.

Thanks!

 

[The Crimson Binome]

There are some wands in the basic document, from what I recall. A wand has a fixed number of charges (around 7), each of which can be spent to cast a single spell (such as Magic Missile). Every day, the wand regains some of its charges (on the order of 1d4+1).

And, unless I'm remembering incorrectly, staffs work similarly but with more options of what to spend the charges on. A staff might have ten charges, recover 1d4+1 per day, and allow you to spend one charge to cast Mage Armor or two charges to cast Shield.

At least, that's what I recall on the topic.

 

[guachi]

There is an optional rule to give wands finite charges and make 'em old school.

 

[Mouseferatu]

[MENTION=6775031]Saelorn[/MENTION] got the gist right, but omitted one detail: When you use the last charge of most wands or staves, there's a random chance (I don't recall what off the top of my head, but it's really small) that the item loses its magic for good.

 

[Lidgar]

In the basic document, the wands regain charges at dawn. Only some have a chance of being destroyed if totally expended.

 

[SilverfireSage]

Wands typically have a certain amount of charges, usually 7, and regain a certain amount per day, usually 1d6+1. Each type of use has a specific amount of charges they use up, such as a Wand of Fear with Command (1 charge) and Cone of Fear (2 charges). On a wand's last charge, a d20 is rolled and on a 1 the wand crumbles to dust. Most of the wands require attunement to use, although some like the Wand of Magic Detection do not and do not have a chance to crumble.

Staffs are similar in that some have charges, but some do not. All require attunement, and have varying effects. Similar to 3.5 in their usage. One might have a certain amount of charges and give a bonus to attack rolls, another might transform into a snake. Very variable. Edit: Some of them can only be attuned by certain classes. A staff of Power for example, can only be attuned by a sorcerer, warlock, or wizard.

 

[rjfTrebor]

[MENTION=6775031]Saelorn[/MENTION] got the gist right, but omitted one detail: When you use the last charge of most wands or staves, there's a random chance (I don't recall what off the top of my head, but it's really small) that the item loses its magic for good.

i believe it's a roll of a 1 on a d20.

i'd personally make that number cumulative with the number of times the item has been dropped to 0 charges.

 

[Dragonblade]

In addition to 5e wands and staves having their own powers and regenerating charges, they can also be used as a spell focus ala 4e. Using them as a spell focus allows a caster to cast a spell through them and forgo the need for material components that don't have a monetary cost. 5e casters can use non-magical wands, staves, symbols, etc. for this purpose as well.

In 3e terms, they provide the equivalent of the Eschew Material feat.

The 5e DMG even has 4e-style "Wands of the War Mage" that provide a caster with a bonus to hit and damage for spell attacks when used as a spell focus.

 

[Psikerlord#]

In addition to 5e wands and staves having their own powers and regenerating charges, they can also be used as a spell focus ala 4e. Using them as a spell focus allows a caster to cast a spell through them and forgo the need for material components that don't have a monetary cost. 5e casters can use non-magical wands, staves, symbols, etc. for this purpose as well.

In 3e terms, they provide the equivalent of the Eschew Material feat.

The 5e DMG even has 4e-style "Wands of the War Mage" that provide a caster with a bonus to hit and damage for spell attacks when used as a spell focus.

Thank you for noting this - i was wondering if there were focuses or something that added to a casters cantrip attack rolls. Cheers!

 

[Plane Sailing]

Thank you everyone for the comprehensive information!

Do we still have a staff of power and staff of the magi with retributive strike?