This is (was) nice "feature". Burning your scrolls only to see:
"Your target is out of range."
"You need a deity."
...

Could be easy changed to be a little more intelligent.

apply.c line 1192 ("final" logic now)
if (cast_spell(op, tmp, op->facing ? op->facing : 4, scroll_spell, 0, spellScroll, NULL))
{
 ndi(NDI_WHITE, 0, op, "The scroll of %s turns to dust.", spells[tmp->stats.sp].name);
 tmp=decrease_ob_nr(tmp, 1);
 // THING_IDENTIFY is a worse return scenario, we can't use it, to find out, if we need identify, so we need our checks outside
 // we also produce one extra !QUERY_FLAG(tmp, FLAG_UNIDENTIFIABLE) when using this macro
 // but at least macro is only called when we really need it.
 if (tmp && !QUERY_FLAG(tmp, FLAG_IDENTIFIED) && !QUERY_FLAG(tmp, FLAG_UNIDENTIFIABLE))
 {
  THING_IDENTIFY(tmp);
  OBJECT_UPDATE_UPD(tmp, UPD_FLAGS);
 }
}

Improving this logic leads to next questions. How we handle the auto identify, when using scrolls. Sometimes we can find 3 unidentied scrolls in one loot?

Should auto id only trigger when we have a successfully cast? Or always trigger when we apply? Currently it's very easy for players to id scrolls, which need a target, by only target a distance npc. For sure this is risky for players, if they invoke attack spells. But for this they can go to mage protected zones.

How we handle remove curse scrolls, when we have npc or other players in target? With new range check a level 110 scroll have a range of 8. So players could easy turn their scrolls to dust, when players don't watch their selected target.

Should remove curse scroll only burn, when it removed something? This is more player friendly, but also perhaps to intelligent, if scroll is talking to you: "There is no curse i can remove or unapply!"?

Yes that's also funny, but this cannot more happen with the above check. We can only waste our spells, when they are in other ways useless. Like uncurse without cursed items, or cure poison when not poisened or heal when full hp. One bad "to dust" is still if you want uncurse your inventory items and have mistakely a npc in your target.

That was why i asked. Should we also code against this? Could be easy to send a success from spell back to outside function.

We can also go in wands and build in a mechanic, when they are empty. I also hate to run arround with 30 wands when training md and then find the 0 charge wands later between all the others. Another easy idea could be a simple message on your last shot.

"This wand is empty now." We can also build in a sound on last shot. 

To the scrolls. I thought the same at night before sleeping.

To the wands. We have also the magic flag. Could be an idea to say an empty wand has lost its magic now. So we can clean this flag on last shot. Then we can easy see empty wands in our inventory. We can also change the wand to a wand of nothing. Could be interesting to have this wand of nothing also later for crafting ideas.

Changing grafic is also possible. Our current wands are animated(glowing). We could say an empty wand has no more this glowing. Wow never noticed, that this feature is build in. So our empty wands don't blink.

I remove "is magical" on last shot of wands and also give a text message: "The wand stops glowing."



First is empty wand non magical and no more animated, second is wand with charges magical and animated (we don't see here). We could also change the grafic, or play an extra sound or make a text like the level up big on screen or auto unapply the wand or auto drop it on ground? 

But i think the no animated empty wand is easy to differentiate from an animated full wand also on ground floor and when we come to inventory we have additional the vanished M for empty wands.

Dunno if the message "The wand stops glowing." helps in combat? We can also do a kind of countdown ("You have 3 more shots, till "take off"."

I can do more if we need.
But auto drop on ground i don't like.
An extra sound behind the spell sound could be to much?
Something big on your screen like you are now level x, i think this is also to much. 

Perhaps auto unapply could be an idea?  Hm, or not?

So last could be we change also the grafic? Perhaps like the wand, but without the small yellow tip. But this is "some" work to make the png and build the arc/anim file for this extra look.

I personaly prefer to keep it this way.  Perhaps the countdown for combat log? So you are better prepared for the empty wand situation?

ndi(NDI_UNIQUE, 0, op, "fire wand");
if (cast_spell(op, weap, dir, weap->stats.sp, 0, spellWand, NULL))
{
 // auto id the wand
 if (!QUERY_FLAG(weap, FLAG_IDENTIFIED) && !QUERY_FLAG(weap, FLAG_UNIDENTIFIABLE))
 {
  THING_IDENTIFY(weap);
   OBJECT_UPDATE_UPD(weap, UPD_FLAGS);
 }

 SET_FLAG(op, FLAG_BEEN_APPLIED); /* You now know something about it */ // ?
 if (!(--weap->stats.food)) // last shot
 {
  ndi(NDI_UNIQUE, 0, op, "The wand stops glowing.");
  CLEAR_FLAG(weap, FLAG_IS_MAGICAL);
  CLEAR_FLAG(weap, FLAG_ANIMATE);
  if (weap->arch)
  {
   weap->face = weap->arch->clone.face;
  }
  OBJECT_UPDATE_UPD(weap, UPD_ANIM);
  weap->speed = 0.0f;
  update_ob_speed(weap);
 }
}


I made an error in my thoughts. Our devices are non magical. I think we only use magical für +x items increasing ac, wc? So this removing of the magic flag don't work without changing our definitions, what "is magic" means. I removed this.

Also the auto id option i tried in here is to strong. A player  level 1 could id a level 110 wand with one shot. I removed this too. So we can shoot unidentified wands or devices, if our player level match and see the spell in action and damage, but don't reveal stats, except the curses. For a clean item description and to sell it to shop, we need to id item first.

I let the "The wand stops glowing." message in and the stopping animation of the wand is enough help to identify empty wands in player directory, on floor directory and also on map.

For sure we could still try to change the grafic when wand is empty, but this also need a player watching the tab slot, if grafic changed there. So if we want give a better noticable hint to player, i only see exaggerated visual effects or perhaps try a sound. But then we have 2 sounds at the last shot.

I think a much much better idea could be to increase the charges of wands, to reduce micromanagment, when players train with wands.