Archivist Using Warlock for Scrolls?

[HMS Invincible]

Can someone explain how a warlock making scrolls for an archivist helps? Does it turn everything into divine scrolls? Grant access to warlock spells? Someone noted it in
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?PHPSESSID=67jq61c8do4cmv4aaviohni442&topic=4938.0
under why archivist were awesome.

[Reluctance]

The list of "all divine spells" includes not only the lists for clerics and druids, but every spell listed for any domain. More interesting for an optimizer, it also includes spells from classes like Divine Bard, Paladin, Ranger, and a host of PrCs that have their own advancement that tops out short of 9s. WotC will often throw partial casters a bone, and allow them to have certain useful spells at lower spell levels than a fullcaster would. This not only allows you to pick up many traditionally arcane spells, but also to grab many spells before you should be able to.

The problem is that many DMs will rightly insist that you meet someone with said obscure PrC/domain before you can learn the spell, or at least find a scroll. The solution to that is a Warlock, or more specifically their Imbue Item ability. This allows them to make any magic item, including any scroll of any spell. Artificers would be better for this, except that they were errata'd to specifically prevent these shenanigans.

[Psyren]

Warlocks can create scrolls from any class' list. Some scrolls are extremely obscure (Adept, Paladin, Ranger, Divine Bard etc.) and are not likely to be easily found in any campaign that doesn't have an easy-to-find Magic Mart.

Even better, many of these spells are either not on the Cleric list at all, or they are but at higher levels. Paladins get Lesser Restoration as a first-level spell for instance - in an Archivist's hands, this becomes one of the most powerful level 1 spells in the game, particularly combined with Sanctified Magic.

Finally, unlike Artificers, Warlock scrolls of divine spells are explicitly divine and can therefore be learned by Archivists.

[sreservoir]

Warlocks can create scrolls from any class' list. Some scrolls are extremely obscure (Adept, Paladin, Ranger, Divine Bard etc.) and are not likely to be easily found in any campaign that doesn't have an easy-to-find Magic Mart.

although really, you'd think that there would be more adept scrolls, seeing as they are standard npc divine caster.

[Psyren]

although really, you'd think that there would be more adept scrolls, seeing as they are standard npc divine caster.

Also true, but magic item creation is expensive, and few NPC classes have the gold or XP to spare on such manufacturing.

A Warlock PC or cohort, on the other hand, is well-equipped to obtain these resources - especially with a T1 class for backup.

[Chronos]

Arguably, a warlock could even create a divine scroll of a spell that doesn't even appear on any divine lists, thus giving the archivist access to every single spell in the game. A sane DM is likely to squish that idea, though.

[HMS Invincible]

Doesn't the warlock need the scribe scroll feat as well? Not that it matters quite yet, our warlock is only lvl 9-10,

[Psyren]

Arguably, a warlock could even create a divine scroll of a spell that doesn't even appear on any divine lists, thus giving the archivist access to every single spell in the game. A sane DM is likely to squish that idea, though.

This has come up before, including the idea of an archivist learning arcane spells from a divine scroll that happens to have both.

The problem is that, while the scroll is divine and thus legal to learn from, the Archivist can't actually prepare any of the non-divine spells he learns this way. They would just take up space in his prayerbook.


Doesn't the warlock need the scribe scroll feat as well? Not that it matters quite yet, our warlock is only lvl 9-10,

No, they can co-operate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicItemBasics.htm#magicItemDescriptions), with the Archivist providing the feat and the Warlock providing everything else.

[Telonius]

This has come up before, including the idea of an archivist learning arcane spells from a divine scroll that happens to have both.

The problem is that, while the scroll is divine and thus legal to learn from, the Archivist can't actually prepare any of the non-divine spells he learns this way. They would just take up space in his prayerbook.

The stinky, stinky cheese argument goes as follows. The Warlock can scribe any spell in the game as a Divine spell, thanks to Alternative Source Spell (Dragon 325). If a Theurge can prepare a spell on the Wizard list as a Divine spell, he can Scribe it as a Divine spell. Therefore it's possible for the Archivist to have it in his prayerbook, and it's possible for the Warlock to Scribe it as well. Counter-argument is that the Alternative Source Spell text doesn't actually say that the spell turns into a Divine spell, it's just prepared using a divine slot. (My money's on the counter-argument).

A (very slightly) less cheesy way to accomplish something similar is through Greater Anyspell or Divine Bard. Divine Bard explicitly makes all the Bard's spells Divine. So you not only get a whole bunch of normally arcane-only spells (Haste, Mass Suggestion, Analyze Dweomer, Irresistible Dance, etc) but also some Bard-only spells that even the Wizard doesn't normally have access to without UMD'ing a scroll (Glibness being the biggest one).

Greater Anyspell flat-out gives you every arcane spell up to 5th-level.

[Psyren]

Divine Bard is fine, and indeed gives Archivists the entire bard list.

For the rest... well, once Alternative Source Spell enters the equation all bets are off.

Note that for Anyspell to work for an Archivist you need domain slots.