obcidian said:
Killing blow with a Silver piece, OTOH, should not be allowed, regardless of precedence. Sometimes, bad calls are made, that doesn't mean we should keep them.
Humor me defending my actions as a PC, just for a moment...
The idea that I can choke a monster immune to normal damage to death by simply having a silver or gold coin in my hand, sure, I can see that being an abuse of intent.
But flexing my brain slightly, I can still slit your throat with one silver, roughed on the ground. (yes, I will kill you with my *tea* cup)
Those kind of calls are snap decisions by staff, made as a quick fix. They represent a one-time modification of the rules (for that particular scene) in the absence of true understanding of the rule's *intent*
The *intent* of those snap decisions is not to circumvent the normal rules process permanently, but to allow the game to continue without needing a half hour hold.
I've used both gold and silver in this fashion to administer a well-reasoned killing blow (in this chapter, as well as others) and I don't think it was a "bad call." I think it was appropriate to the scene... just that once.
That said,
I think you should be able to KB for normal with a wand, just like anything else... unless a charge is expended, generating the elemental carrier for the killing stroke. Generating that elemental carrier should follow all the rules for the *use* of the item, not just its *potential* ability to make fire.
How do High Magic abilities like "Channel Earth/Chaos" factor in? Does a wand count as "those weapons in which the character has skill"? Oak of the arcane and those skills/abilities make much more sense, since it uses a standard weapon skill.
I am an earth templar... compared to how OP golems are, I'm not sweating a wand KB on me with an elemental carrier.
In closing: I think we should all just admit that Hugh and Alavatar win.