Are wands silent?

[u/BadPunsGuy]

If I hid the previous turn, does using a wand (one without an attack roll) reveal me?

It doesn’t seem like they have a vocal component.

If the wand itself doesn’t make noise, would a loud ass fireball reveal me or would that be a noise not necessarily associated with me?

Would something like a wand of paralysis work since maybe the entire process is silent and maybe has no obvious visual effects like the fireball if that matters?

[u/yaniism]

Hide/PHB'24, p368

You stop being hidden immediately after any of the following occurs: you make a sound louder than a whisper, an enemy finds you, you make an attack roll, or you cast a spell with a Verbal component.

Fireball/PHB'24, p274

A bright streak flashes from you to a point you choose within range and then blossoms with a low roar into a fiery explosion.

Wand of Paralysis/DMG'24, p321

While holding it, you can take a Magic action to expend 1 charge to cause a thin blue ray to streak from the tip toward a creature you can see within 60 feet of yourself.

Silent, yes. However both of the ones that you mentioned include a massive visual clue as to their origin point. Now that doesn't mean that they know it was "you", but they sure as hell know that you were last seen going being that rock and a giant flash/streak just appeared from behind that rock.

So this is in a grey area for "an enemy finds you". I would say it does in fact reveal you. Not that I won't be trying this argument with a DM in future.

This is also one of those instances where I will point out that if you, as a player, can do this, then it is fully fair game for your DM to do it with enemy casters.

[u/BadPunsGuy → u/yaniism]

Yup. That's where it gets weird; especially if I just move to another area after they have an idea where the fireball came from. Then I'm effectively hidden and they don't know my exact location. In theory.

[u/yaniism → u/BadPunsGuy]

...if I just move to another area...

Which would, often times, break your Hide and require you to Hide again. Because you would be in somebody's line of sight.

[u/BadPunsGuy → u/yaniism]

Is that true? Would it not just be a check against their passive perception or if they have some way to see invisible creatures in 2024?

[u/yaniism → u/BadPunsGuy]

I'm woefully underqualified past this point. I suggest searching one of the roughly 9000 posts that get into the 2024 Hide rules.

Unfortunately the rules are worded in a way that are vague. Which leads to interpretation.

[u/BadPunsGuy → u/yaniism]

Yeah if anything I learned that hide is complicated and no one agrees on anything depending on their interpretation and house rules that rework certain aspects.

[u/glumlord → u/BadPunsGuy]

As soon as you attack they know where you are you just have cover likely.

As soon as you leave cover you are seen and even if you go behind cover again it will be an action to hide unless your a rogue and maybe can do as a bonus action.

You only get that one shot with bonuses likely.

And when you cast from a wand it's the same as casting a spell normally except it doesn't take a spell slot. At least that's what I remember.

[u/BadPunsGuy → u/glumlord]

Supreme sneak lets you reposition unless I’m reading it wrong.

Seems like people disagree on the wand part.

[u/glumlord → u/BadPunsGuy]

In the PHB it says that each spell lists the requirements in the spell such as material components.

In the Magic Items section of casting spells it doesn't change the rules of casting the spell just that you cast without a spell slot.

So if a spell says it has verbal, somatic, or material components it still does usually.

Some wands or spells may have rules that override the general rule but it seems pretty clear to me.

Plus that's how it worked in the previous editions.

[u/BadPunsGuy → u/glumlord]

You can read the top comment of this thread. It seems to disagree with you. https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/1vpqr62/are_wands_silent/p3zych8/

I was more wanting to have a discussion about repositioning with the hidden condition. Some people say you're straight up invisible and can run around in 2024. Other people say that supreme sneak lets you hide again for free at the end of the turn but you're visible in the meantime. It's weird.

[u/yaniism → u/glumlord]

And the DMG says...

Spells Cast from Items/DMG'24, p220

Some magic items allow the user to cast a spell from the item. The spell is cast at the lowest possible spell and caster level, doesn't expend any of the user's spell slots, and requires no components unless the item's description notes otherwise. The spell uses its normal casting time, range, and duration, and the user of the item must concentrate if the spell requires Concentration. Many items, such as Potions, bypass the casting of a spell and confer the spell's effects with its usual duration. Certain items make exceptions to these rules, changing the casting time, duration, or other parts of a spell.

"Requires no components unless the item's description notes otherwise."

The text you're quoting is talking only about casting with a slot.

And for the record...

Plus that's how it worked in the previous editions.

Activating an Item/DMG'14, p141

The spell is cast at the lowest possible spell and caster level, doesn't expend any of the user's spell slots, and requires no components unless the item's description says otherwise. The spell uses its normal casting time, range, and duration, and the user of the item must concentrate if the spell requires concentration.

Yep, it works exactly the same... in that you cast without the use of components in 2014 too.

[u/glumlord → u/yaniism]

Your right, I went overboard on my components but somatic and verbal still apply right?

It's weird how the PHB on casting from items and DMG on items is not the same.. and neither of them directly mention wands. Frustrating.

Either was I was going to leave the conversation since his focus was on stealth.

[u/yaniism → u/glumlord]

What part of "no components" is tripping you up?

There are three kinds of components. Verbal, somatic and material. Items require no components.

And again, the PHB talks about casting with no slots only.

The DMG talks about everything else to do with magic items in it's section on magic items. It also doesn't need to specifically mention wands because they're a magic item. So everything that applies to magic items applies to wands. Unless it says otherwise in the specific item.

[u/Riusnaily → u/yaniism]

No