[3.5] Damaging wand

[hymer]

A cloistered cleric12 in my campaign recently paid through the nose for a wand of Searing Light (caster level 10 for full effect and all). He really hates those moments when there is nothing for his little old man (str 5, dex 12 and a librarian) to do without wasting spells, like when the enemy is just about down and they're just waiting for the melee to finish them off. So he bought a wand of searing light, but he's been having the worst luck using it. That -4 to-hit for enemies being in melee kills him.
Anyone know of an item I could point him towards (or place in a hoard somewhere) that will allow him to somewhat reliably deal maybe 15 points of damage to a variety of targets without costing him literally hundreds of gp per application?

[Circle of Life]

Custom item of at-will magic missile should do the trick. Should be 18k for a CL 9 item that can shoot as many pew pew bolts as he wants per day.

There are a dozen other suggestions I'd like to make, but all of them revolve around him using his spell slots for useful things, which I suspect he'd rather not hear.

[Need_A_Life]

A TWELFTH level Cleric (Cloistered, no less) who can't land a ranged touch attack? I'm shocked, shocked I tell ye!

I'd suggest Knowledge Devotion (feat or exchange Knowledge domain) to get his (presumably good) Knowledge skills to do some lifting in combat.
Magic Missile is definitely a decent way to do it, though I'd actually rather suggest something like a de-buff spell.

Custom item of ray of stupidity/clumsiness/enfeeblement at will shouldn't exactly be overpowering if he cannot hit reliably, but he'll actually be useful when he hits.

Also, if he's a librarian... why not Archivist? All Knowledge skills, bardic knowledge (under a different name IIRC), Dark Knowledge to give bonuses to party members and a brilliant synergy with Knowledge Devotion.
That's a librarian to be reckoned with (I should know, I've played just such a one).

[hymer]

Thanks! Umm... Custom items, where do I look? DMG, MIC? I don't recall that at all.

There are a dozen other suggestions I'd like to make, but all of them revolve around him using his spell slots for useful things, which I suspect he'd rather not hear.

I recently talked him into retraining out of the Stealthy feat, which was a major thing that he still talks about, so you're probably right about that.

[IdleMuse]

Holy Smite seems a good spell to put on a wand for this purpose? Depends on the type of enemies you'll be fighting I guess.

Custom items are in the DMG, around p282 iirc?

[Circle of Life]

Thanks! Umm... Custom items, where do I look? DMG, MIC? I don't recall that at all.

You can find the information here or in the DMG. MiC updated some of the rules, namely removing the 1.5x cost stacking modifier for affinity items (irrelevant to suggested item, but informative all the same).

[hymer]

Thanks! Umm... Custom items, where do I look? DMG, MIC? I don't recall that at all.



I recently talked him out of retraining out of the Stealthy feat, which was a major thing that he still talks about, so you're probably right about that.

@ Need_A_Life:
Thanks for answering.

A TWELFTH level Cleric (Cloistered, no less) who can't land a ranged touch attack? I'm shocked, shocked I tell ye!

What can I tell you? He's used four or five charges hitting just once. Okay, those Ascetic Mages have decent touch AC, but still...

I'd suggest Knowledge Devotion (feat or exchange Knowledge domain) to get his (presumably good) Knowledge skills to do some lifting in combat.
Magic Missile is definitely a decent way to do it, though I'd actually rather suggest something like a de-buff spell.

I'd probably be looking into that if it was me, but that's not how he gets his fun. I'm just the GM.

Also, if he's a librarian... why not Archivist? All Knowledge skills, bardic knowledge (under a different name IIRC), Dark Knowledge to give bonuses to party members and a brilliant synergy with Knowledge Devotion.
That's a librarian to be reckoned with (I should know, I've played just such a one).

No archivists in this campaign. The gods aren't exactly flexible with who gets to use the power they grant mortals.

[hymer]

@ Circle of Life: Thanks! That looks like just what I needed.

[Randomguy]

He could swap one of his feats for a reserve feat that lets him spam an attack at will as long as he has a particular spell prepared without actually using up the slot. There are area attack versions, too, if he can't hit with touch attacks.

[Slipperychicken]

No archivists in this campaign. The gods aren't exactly flexible with who gets to use the power they grant mortals.

It seems kind of ambiguous as to whether Archivists even need gods at all. Alternatively, worship an ideal instead.

[Averis Vol]

he could go with zen archery, it says he uses wis for ranged attacks, doesnt say it cant be used for a wand. and hes a (most likely) old aged cleric, his wis should be incredible.

[tyckspoon]

He could swap one of his feats for a reserve feat that lets him spam an attack at will as long as he has a particular spell prepared without actually using up the slot. There are area attack versions, too, if he can't hit with touch attacks.

This was going to be my suggestion, assuming he has at least one other less-than-useful feat laying around to retrain. Memorize Flame Strike, take Fiery Burst, ping stuff with 5d6 Supernatural mini-fireballs all day long as long as you don't cast that Flame Strike.

[hymer]

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys!

It seems kind of ambiguous as to whether Archivists even need gods at all. Alternatively, worship an ideal instead.

Wizards may not believe in gods, but they know that gods believe in gods, quoting Terry Pratchett from memory.
Only the gods dispend godly power in this campaign world, and divine magic flows from them. It's been this way since second edition, and I'm not going to upend the entire cosmology because WotC introduce archivists. Or ur-priests for that matter.