Scrolls

A scroll is a spell (or collection of spells) that has been stored in written form. A spell on a scroll can be used only once. The writing vanishes from a scroll when the spell is activated. Using a scroll is basically like casting a spell.

Physical Description: A scroll is a heavy sheet of fine vellum or high-quality paper. An area the size of a piece of modern-day notebook paper (about 8 1/2 inches wide and 11 inches long) is sufficient to hold one spell. The sheet is reinforced at the top and bottom with strips of leather slightly longer than the sheet is wide. A scroll holding more than one spell has the same width (about 8 1/2 inches) but is an extra foot or so long for each extra spell. Scrolls that hold three or more spells are usually fitted with reinforcing rods at each end rather than simple strips of leather. A scroll has AC 9, 1 hit point, hardness 0, and a break DC of 8.

To protect from wrinkling or tearing, a scroll is rolled up from both ends to form a double cylinder. (This also helps the user unroll the scroll quickly.) The scroll is placed in a tube of ivory, jade, leather, metal, or wood. Most scroll cases are inscribed with magic symbols, which often identify the owner or the spells stored on the scroll inside. The symbols often hide magic traps.

Activation: To activate a scroll, a spellcaster must read a spell written on it. Doing so involves several steps and conditions.

Decipher the Writing: The writing on a scroll must be deciphered before a character can use it or know exactly what spell it contains. This requires a read magic spell or a successful Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level).

Deciphering a scroll to determine its contents does not activate its magic unless it is a specially prepared cursed scroll. A character can decipher the writing on a scroll in advance so that he or she can proceed directly to the next step when the time comes to use the scroll.

Activate the Spell: Activating a scroll requires reading the spell from the scroll. The character must be able to see and read the writing form the scroll.

Activating the scroll spell requires no material components or focus. (The creator of the scroll provided these when scribing the scroll.) Note that some spells are effective only when cast on an item or items. In such a case, the scroll user must provide the item when activating the spell. Activating a scroll spell is subject to disruption just as casting a normally prepared spell would be. Using a scroll is like casting a spell for purposes of arcane spell failure chance (such as from armor).

To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.

• The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his or her class.)
• The user must have the spell in his or her class list.
• The user must have the requisite ability score.

If the user meets all the requirements noted above, and her caster level is at least equal to the spell's caster level, she can automatically activate the scroll without a check, If she meets all three requirements but her own caster level is lower than the scroll spell's caster level, then she has to make a caster level check (DC=scroll's caster level+1) to cast the spell successfully. If she fails, she must make a DC 5 Wisdom check to avoid a mishap. A natural roll of 1 always fails, whatever the modifiers.

Determine Effect: A spell successfully activated from a scroll works exactly like a spell prepared and cast the normal way. Assume the scroll spell's caster level is always the minimum level required to cast the spell for the character who scribed the scroll (usually twice the spell's level, minus 1), unless the caster specifically decides otherwise.

The writing for an activated spell disappears from the scroll.

Scroll Mishaps: When a mishap occurs, the spell on the scroll has a reversed or harmful effect.