Wand, uncommon
This wand has 3 charges and regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. While holding it, you can take a Magic action to expend 1 charge, and if a secret door or trap is within 60 feet of you, the wand pulses and points at the one nearest to you.
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Posted Mar 2, 2025Legacy: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4797-wand-of-secrets
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Posted Mar 2, 2025I don't know if is intentional or not, but RAW this item is weak sauce due to the use of the narrow definition, ie, "secret door",.
For example, an obscured passage would not be found if it has no "door". Examples: An illusory wall hiding an open passageway. A sand-covered floor with a sand-filled pit with sand that has a tunnel at the bottom leading to the blue-dragons treasure vault. None of these are doors. All are passageways. Some are even doorways. All are secret. All are intentionally hidden.
RAW, the Wand of Secrets finds none of that.
Furthermore, if a roof partially collapses and obscures a door, is that door "secret"? It's not visible. There's no indication it is there. It was also not deliberately hidden by anybody. So, is it a "secret door"? Some players this yes. Some think no.
The term "secret door" is loaded with historical weight. Some will adjudicate that it literally needs to be a physical door that is standing in plain sight but doesn't look like a door. Others may agree that it can be a real door hidden by a bookcase. But few would say that a collapsed roof that hides a door is a "secret door".
This item should be clearly written so that it is obvious which of those 3 cases are found, and which are not.
Another example: natural quicksand in the jungle is a Hazard, not a Trap, and wouldn't be found, as we have definitions for Hazards. If created by a druid with the intention of killing you, then it's clearly also a Trap. But, in both cases, it's a Hazard. So, does the Wand find either? Both? And if not both, why? I'd say No for the first case, but Yes for the second. But, I'm using MY definition of the wand, and if I don't explain MY definition of the wand before a session where this WILL be relevant, there can be hurt feelings.
I know it's good to keep so items loosey-goosey so that DM has room to play, but this just begs for fights and hurt feelings at the table. I've seen it happen. I was really hoping this would be improved for 2024.
It needs to be more definitive IMO.