The usefulness of scrolls?

[frost890]

I am playing in a game and the other players don’t seem to know/like scrolls. this got me thinking, how useful are scrolls/wands? I have a Paladin so I can use some divine scrolls, but don’t know if it is worthwhile to buy some scrolls. are there any good wands/scrolls I should try and have? I know extra healing is always good but the divine list seems limiting to me.

[Tvtyrant]

Scrolls are for spells you are rarely going to need, but when you do need them they are essential. Delay Poison is a good example of a scroll spell, or Knock.

Wands are for spells you are going to cast daily. A wand of cure light wounds or vigor is one of the games must have items, as they provide all of your out of combat healing.

[ericgrau]

I remember a game where the DM gave us 3000 gp in scrolls. The other players weren't sure what to do with them while I was scribbling madly and had them fleshed out by the end of the session. Pretty soon everybody wasn't sure which spells were on my spell list and which were scrolls; they only saw that I had an answer to everything.

What you do is get a billion level 1 and 2 utility spells so you're ready for every situation. If that situation involves the whole party, then get enough for the whole party. Otherwise you usually need 1 to 3 of each. Don't get spells that you would prepare every day, just things that come up once in a blue moon like comprehend languages. Boom, now you're ready for every strange challenge. Usually you get minimum caster level but with some spells like tenser's floating disk you want it a little higher to increase its capacity to something useful. I do CL 3 for that spell since 300 lbs. can carry a party member or most objects.

On clerics you get scrolls of remove X to be ready for every affliction instead.

Wands are usually only good on spammable spells. Usually things where you hit the whole party or otherwise use it several times at once. Examples are invisibility, augury and cure light wounds (or lesser vigor). If you only use it a few times then it belongs on scrolls. If you use it every day but only once or twice then you should prepare it instead.

Both are also good on non-casters or those with caster dips to get access to pretty much every spell, not only the utility spells. Personal range spells are especially good with this. Usually these are also low level spells that remain useful at high levels, the difference is they are no save low level spells that a high level full caster might put on his prepared list.

[Hopeless]

Under 3.0 rules I had a cleric of Helm converted over from 2e rules and took that particular feat and used that to create healing scrolls before picking up brew potion then started making healing potions AND healing scrolls.

Took a level of sorceror after my character was aged 60 years by the ghost of a black dragon and had my spell list picked by the dm which was a pain since I was paying attention to what the arcane spellcasters were casting and shield was top of that list!

For a long time I thought I was the only one spending xp to make magical items but thats another story!

[frost890]

Thanks, This should help a lot!

[Slipperychicken]

At the right level, Teleport scrolls. Don't want to burn all your 5th level slots on prepping them, but when you need that extra Teleport, you need it. Especially if you fumble your mishap roll on the last one you had prepped and wind up in the desert.

[Who What Now]

One of my favorite characters was a Rogue that pretended to be a Wizard by spending every last GP on scrolls that he bound into a "Spellbook" and specialized in having the best UMD score possible. Plus, having the ability to bast on the fly and with the longevity of a Sorcerer but with the utility of a wizard was awesome. Extremely expensive and at the whim of the die, but very fun.

[Flickerdart]

Buying scrolls isn't a great plan, because it gets expensive. What you want is a party mage or artificer to craft them for you, or just rob some places that are likely to have scrolls on hand.

[Glimbur]

It is also worth considering buying scrolls of spells you can't use yet. The check to use a 7th level scroll (CL 13) as a 5th level wizard (CL 5) is 1d20+5 with a DC of 13, which is better than 50/50. And it is a spell you are not expected to have yet, so you can solve a large problem. The DC won't be that amazing since it comes from a scroll, but the higher level will help there too. It's too expensive and unreliable for regular use, but having a high level scroll as an 'if all else fails' option could pay off.

[ericgrau]

Buying scrolls isn't a great plan, because it gets expensive. What you want is a party mage or artificer to craft them for you, or just rob some places that are likely to have scrolls on hand.

This is why you get level 1 scrolls. They are not expensive. For a few hundred gp the increase in versatility is ridiculous. Because they are once in a blue moon events, you don't burn through them until needed. Once you reach a high enough level where 150 gp is pocket change, then you also get level 2 scrolls. Or before that you might get a couple level 2 scrolls for emergencies. If you expect an invisible assassin one day you get see invisibility, for example. Or spider climb for the low level death trap of doom.

In general expendables tend to be cheaper than permanent items. People are afraid of them because once used they're gone forever so it seems like money thrown away. But in a system with such short fights and fast leveling you need so few uses that they are a far better deal than permanent items overall. Sure if you can get a discount then do so, but being far far more ready for every situations is much better and cheaper than being stingy and having a party member die.