Y in baldurs gate is this wand worth so much?

But I have still not worked out quite what it is supposed to do?
Is it worth it to use against opponents during combat?
Or on urselves?
Becos it is a RANDOM effect? r there negatives? + positives?

Any1 pls help

THANKS

Let's assume you target the wand an enemy. For the sake of argument, let's say the enemy is a kobold commando, because I hate them so much.

The Wand of Wonder activates a script that comes up with a number between one and a hundred. It's like rolling 1d100. The number that comes up determines the effect. Courtesy of IEEP.

1 to 12 will detonate a fireball on the kobold.

13 to 24 will cast a lightning bolt its way.

25 to 36 will cast Haste on the wand's user.

37 to 48 will petrify whomever uses the wand... making this a bad item for your PC to use.

49 to 60 casts Stinking Cloud.... I'm not sure on whom.

61 to 72 casts Web. Again, I'm unsure where it's targeted.

73 to 86 gives you +4 to Strength for a short time.

87 to 100 will cast Stoneskin, protecting you fron the next six attacks that target you.

Hope this was what you were looking for. It's rather dangerous and should be used with caution.

do you get a save against items that affect you like this? eg. the polymorph for example?

No saving throw, and no resistance, for the petrification. I'm unsure if a Protection from Petrification spell will protect from it. Either way would make sense, in my eyes, so I'm hesitant to advise it without experimenting first.

I think I killed Kangaxx (not sure which form) during one of my early games using the Wand of Wonder. I wish I remembered how. Or maybe it was just coincidental and someone hit him with the MoD at the same time as I clicked the wand on him. Anyway, after that I just got all the random effects and got frustrated with the thing. So now I just sell it to Ribald for the 25,000 so I can buy some good stuff that works.

Are you sure that the 12 effects affect the target of the wand and the wielder? I thought the way the WoW worked was that whoever got targeted got one of the effects.

Are you sure that the 12 effects affect the target of the wand and the wielder? I thought the way the WoW worked was that whoever got targeted got one of the effects. </font>[/QUOTE]that's what i thought too...

i know people have posted that they were able to petrify firky using the wand...then cast stone to flesh, and because he got unpetrifed like with 30 hit points he was easy to kill...

You're right. I just checked now, and yes, the effects target the actual target (rather than arbitrarily harming the user, as I thought)

It would seem that the Wand of Wonder would be the perfect wand to use if you were, say, a Wild Mage. It goes along perfectly with the idea of just focusing some magical energy on a subject and seeing what happens. Hmmm... I think I'll have to try it out a little more.