Can a multiclass barbarian/magus use a wand while raging?

Question

Exactly as stated, can I cast a spell from a wand while in barbarian rage? The restriction on barbarian rage says:

While in rage, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration (Source).

Based on the description of Spell Trigger items I'm inclined to say yes.

Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken (Source).

My problem is that the wording of the rage ability is somewhat vague "any ability that requires patience or concentration" Because using a wand doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity it doesn't require concentration but I'm not sure if that phrase is a rules statement or just fluff.

Answer 1

Yes, you can use spell-trigger items while raging, assuming you meet the prerequisites to use the item normally. The definition of Spell Trigger items (from your source link) specifies the following limitations:

Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin. The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it.

And that's basically it. Activating a spell-trigger item doesn't require you to concentrate or finish casting the spell. For a wand, all you need to do is point and shoot. It's simple enough to use while grappled, and requires no more patience than a standard action. So by the RAW (rules as written), you can use a wand while raging.

For a magus, the Wand Wielder arcana lets you use a wand with Spell Combat while raging. This also lets you use the wand for Spellstrike, but only in conjunction with Spell Combat. Otherwise you would need to cast the spell yourself, which requires concentration.

One caveat is if the wand's spell is not on a spell list you can access. You would need to roll Use Magic Device to do that, which is forbidden when raging because it's Charisma-based.

This is also not the case for spell-completion items, such as scrolls. In those cases, the spell is prepared but not yet cast. You would need to actually concentrate and/or cast defensively, and therefore it can't be used while raging.