Good scrolls to carry around

[Qc Storm]

I am currently playing a Factotum5/Chameleon3. We will soon have much downtime at our disposal, and I intend to write down a lot of scrolls for future adventures (and free up spell slots for more commonly used spells.)

What are some good scrolls to scribe? Good spells for wands are cool too. Chameleon bonus feat is credit to team.

[Chilingsworth]

Wands:

Lesser Restoration, Nerveskitter, Omen of Peril, Lesser Restoration ( Best if you can get it as if an archivist cast it after learning it from a paladin, but still useful if you can't.)

Scrolls:

Web, Kelore's Gravemist

[TheRinni]

I always keep a couple scrolls of Feather Fall and Water Breathing in my back pocket... just in case.

[Gildedragon]

Scrolls of restoration, remove poison/disease,
Things that you'll NEED when you need them.

[jmelesky]

I'm a big fan of utility scrolls. Comprehend languages, spider climb, disguise self, for example.

Also, please don't make the mistake of scribing scrolls of daylight...

[Story]

What's the problem? You can't read the scroll if you're in darkness?

[jmelesky]

What's the problem? You can't read the scroll if you're in darkness?

Exactly. Specifically, magical darkness.

If you have darkvision, then you can probably cast it from a scroll (depending on system). Of course, if you have darkvision, you're less likely to need to cast it.

I carry around a potion of daylight for emergencies.

[SiuiS]

Exactly. Specifically, magical darkness.

If you have darkvision, then you can probably cast it from a scroll (depending on system). Of course, if you have darkvision, you're less likely to need to cast it.

I carry around a potion of daylight for emergencies.

Dark vision works only with depth and cannot distinguish colors. You cannot read a scroll unless it's either A) embossed or B) one of those special inks designed to get across this bridge for some reason.

[mattie_p]

I carry around a potion of daylight for emergencies.

You probably mean an oil of daylight. Potions must target the person who consumes them. As the target of daylight is always an object, the spell must be made into an oil.

[ArcturusV]

Like to carry around scrolls for Divination stuff myself. Unless you are in "downtime" mode between adventures you probably have other stuff that you want to carry around that's more action oriented. So scrolls for things like Augury always come across as fairly useful for me. You never know when you're going to want to use Augury, but when you want to use it, you want to use it and you probably can't wait a day on it.

[Tr011]

Detect Magic, Predistigation, Energy Aegis (PHB2), lesser Celerity (PHB2) (the last two are only important when you can draw them as a free action), maybe Blacklight from SpC in that it is a really nice way of a smoke-bomb, maybe even Repair Serious Damage and Analyze Portal. Also, you can never have enough Mount-scrolls. There are so many situations in which an odd use of Mount is funny and maybe useful.

[Story]

Like to carry around scrolls for Divination stuff myself. Unless you are in "downtime" mode between adventures you probably have other stuff that you want to carry around that's more action oriented. So scrolls for things like Augury always come across as fairly useful for me. You never know when you're going to want to use Augury, but when you want to use it, you want to use it and you probably can't wait a day on it.

Assuming you didn't take Spontaneous Divination for some reason.

[Gildedragon]

Dark vision works only with depth and cannot distinguish colors. You cannot read a scroll unless it's either A) embossed or B) one of those special inks designed to get across this bridge for some reason.

I figured it'd be colorblindness, but lightness and saturation could still be perceived.

[Acanous]

I thought people could be the target of Daylight as well.

[Gildedragon]

Summon monster scrolls are also handy; the spell is situational but generally handy.

[ArcturusV]

Don't got a book with it? Not going to end up having it. :smallbiggrin:

As I recall you could target people with Daylight to blind them. But that might also be me remembering an old rule that got done away with.

[Flickerdart]

Scrolls that certify you as an authorized agent of the local king are always nice to have around...remember that Forgery is opposed by Forgery, and nobody takes Forgery.

[Gildedragon]

Done away with or houserule... Or I'd be asking for trades for an Aasimar's sla far less often.

Not "scrolls" but great if you can fake the requirements: martial scripts
There's a feat that allows that, right? Afb but pretty sure there's a way to circumvent item creation prereqs

[mattie_p]

I thought people could be the target of Daylight as well.

My sources say no.


Daylight (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/daylight.htm)
Evocation [Light]
Target: Object touched

[Ravenica]

target the loose eyelash stuck on their eyelid! it isnt a part of them anymore so it is an object!

[mattie_p]

target the loose eyelash stuck on their eyelid! it isnt a part of them anymore so it is an object!

Umm, even if this works, it still counts as an object for the target (which the spell requires) and you still need an oil for the daylight spell. If you doubt me, check the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/potionsAndOils.htm).

(Number 61 on the medium potion list, 29 on the major potions).

[Flickerdart]

Umm, even if this works, it still counts as an object for the target (which the spell requires) and you still need an oil for the daylight spell. If you doubt me, check the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/potionsAndOils.htm).

(Number 61 on the medium potion list, 29 on the major potions).
Just because it can be made as an oil doesn't disqualify scrolls of it from existing.

[nedz]

Things you don't need very often, but are invaluable when you do need them.

Knock, Delay Poison, Neutralise Poison, Teleport, Raise Dead, etc.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Scrolls that certify you as an authorized agent of the local king are always nice to have around...remember that Forgery is opposed by Forgery, and nobody takes Forgery.

Well, you can also oppose it with an Intelligence check, so you'll be running a risk if there's a royal wizard/psion...

[Ravenica]

they could sense motive on the presenter as well...

[Flickerdart]

Well, you can also oppose it with an Intelligence check, so you'll be running a risk if there's a royal wizard/psion...
Even then, by level 8, he's got 11 skill ranks of advantage over the other guy. Unless the person doing the verifying is vastly higher level and has PC WBL, he's not likely to make the check.

they could sense motive on the presenter as well...
That would do a big fat load of nothing - Sense Motive opposes Bluff checks, and when not used in that way, takes a minute or more to activate.

[mattie_p]

Just because it can be made as an oil doesn't disqualify scrolls of it from existing.

I agree. I was responding to the following:


I carry around a potion of daylight for emergencies.


I thought people could be the target of Daylight as well.

This next one seemed to fit with the flow, my apologies to Ravenica if you were not jumping on the potion of daylight bandwagon like I thought.


target the loose eyelash stuck on their eyelid! it isnt a part of them anymore so it is an object!

[Ravenica]

That would do a big fat load of nothing - Sense Motive opposes Bluff checks, and when not used in that way, takes a minute or more to activate.

yeah but you aren't going to get anything out of anyone just by flashing a piece of paper, and certainly not in under a minute

edit: nah I'm not a fan of wagons, if it had been a bandchariot maybe, I just wanted a way to blind someone with a daylight spell :smallbiggrin:

[Flickerdart]

yeah but you aren't going to get anything out of anyone just by flashing a piece of paper, and certainly not in under a minute

You can commandeer a carriage, or get into a restricted area, or enlist some guards to help you do something, and those are just three things I came up with on the spot. You gravely underestimate the usefulness of a piece of paper.

[Story]

At what level do you start carrying around these scrolls? Level 2 scrolls are looking pretty pricey at 200gp each.

[Belril Duskwalk]

Things you don't need very often, but are invaluable when you do need them.

Knock, Delay Poison, Neutralise Poison, Teleport, Raise Dead, etc.

And Remove Curse. Because if you need it, you're liable to need it NOW.

[Flickerdart]

At what level do you start carrying around these scrolls? Level 2 scrolls are looking pretty pricey at 200gp each.
If self-crafted, a level 2 scroll costs 150gp, less if you manage to have a smaller caster level than 3.

[Acanous]

Level 1 scrolls are pretty crazy cheap, too. Level 0 spells clock in at less than some alchemical items that do similar things.

If I'm a Wizard, I start carrying scrolls around at lv 1. The XP cost is 0, and you can cover GP with starting funds.

So long as the DM knows I'm not trying to break the money system that low, they usually OK it.

[ArcturusV]

Yeah. A scroll only costs you 12 GP at first level. As a wizard you tend not to have too much else to spend the coin on. So why not? A cleric the budget tends to get a little tighter, but still a good call. It's usually more a question of when I STOP making scrolls because it's easier to just make wands/rods/staffs of whatever I want.

[Ravenica]

You can commandeer a carriage, or get into a restricted area, or enlist some guards to help you do something, and those are just three things I came up with on the spot. You gravely underestimate the usefulness of a piece of paper.

I think you are gravely overestimating the likely hood that anyone would trust said paper on your simple waving it in their faces. You would still need to lie to their faces and opposing said bluff does not require a minute of study with sense motive

edit: or rather it doesn't start simply when you start lying :smalltongue:

[Flickerdart]

I think you are gravely overestimating the likely hood that anyone would trust said paper on your simple waving it in their faces. You would still need to lie to their faces and opposing said bluff does not require a minute of study with sense motive
Nonsense. If you're looking for something, all you do is show the ID, say "we're going to have a look around as part of an investigation". This is not a lie, so it doesn't need a Bluff check, and they have no reason to believe you're not authorized.

[Ravenica]

Nonsense. If you're looking for something, all you do is show the ID, say "we're going to have a look around as part of an investigation". This is not a lie, so it doesn't need a Bluff check, and they have no reason to believe you're not authorized.

They have no reason to believe you ARE either. Assuming they are literate (seems a fair bet, literacy is abnormally common in fantasy settings, even more common than real life) that still leaves the fact that no one likes answering to someone, at the very least their attitude starts as indifferent and they are going to inspect your credentials as someone they don't recognize. Of course it is DM dependent but Raw to get anyone to co-operate with you will require at least one social check or extenuating circumstance. The paper may cut it if it is an obvious rushed need (bandits ride past, gimme your damn wagon to chase them) but you can get the same effect without the paper as well with nearly any other approach.

Hell even now someone hands you a paper are you going to let them into your home without taking the time to read it and verify who they are?

[Deophaun]

Nonsense. If you're looking for something, all you do is show the ID, say "we're going to have a look around as part of an investigation". This is not a lie, so it doesn't need a Bluff check, and they have no reason to believe you're not authorized.
Not quite.

Yes, Bluff is opposed by Sense Motive. However, you can make a Sense Motive check independent of a target's Bluff check to tell if, as the SRD says, "something is up." It's a flat DC 20 to determine the trustworthiness of an individual. A specific example is determining you're talking to an imposter (e.g. "That's not the king's agent!") So, if you want to hinge your fortune on a single Forgery check, make sure you're in and out of there in under a minute.

[Flickerdart]

Not quite.

Yes, Bluff is opposed by Sense Motive. However, you can make a Sense Motive check independent of a target's Bluff check to tell if, as the SRD says, "something is up." It's a flat DC 20 to determine the trustworthiness of an individual. A specific example is determining you're talking to an imposter (e.g. "That's not the king's agent!") So, if you want to hinge your fortune on a single Forgery check, make sure you're in and out of there in under a minute.
And using the Sense Motive skill in that way takes at least 1 minute. We've already been over this. Plus, just because an individual might not be trustworthy doesn't mean their credentials are false. For all the guy knows (using Forgery to check the docs) they're legit, but the person is such a snake that they won't be especially helpful.

[Deophaun]

And using the Sense Motive skill in that way takes at least 1 minute.
I'm so happy you read my post! That's wonderful! So often, people just skim, and when they do read, they don't even acknowledge the content. But you went the extra mile and repeated my last sentence. You, sir, deserve a Gold Star!

[Kuulvheysoon]

And using the Sense Motive skill in that way takes at least 1 minute. We've already been over this. Plus, just because an individual might not be trustworthy doesn't mean their credentials are false. For all the guy knows (using Forgery to check the docs) they're legit, but the person is such a snake that they won't be especially helpful.

Not if you're a changeling rogue! :smalltongue:

[Flickerdart]

I'm so happy you read my post! That's wonderful! So often, people just skim, and when they do read, they don't even acknowledge the content. But you went the extra mile and repeated my last sentence. You, sir, deserve a Gold Star!
My ranks in Forgery detect that this gold star is a fake! Guards! Seize this man!

[Deophaun]

My ranks in Forgery detect that this gold star is a fake! Guards! Seize this man!

Curses! 1 minute and six seconds!

[Chilingsworth]

One type of scroll I expect to prove very useful:

Ones with

I prepared explosive runes this morning.

Writen on them. :smallamused:

[Amidus Drexel]

@OP - Pretty much any situational scroll, like remove curse/disease, break enchantment, stone to flesh, and almost every divination spell.

It never hurts to have an extra scroll of dispel magic or teleport, either.

[Acanous]

If the Eberron "X Artisan" feats are allowed, I'd take 'em all and keep makin' Scrolls.
Get two or three of every noncombat spell, and when you prepare each day, you can prep for nothing but combat :3

[rot42]

Benign Transposition comes in handy often enough that I try not to leave home without it. CL 1 is plenty.

Enough Protection from Evil to get the whole party out of a nest of vampires. The duration is fairly short at low caster level, but it protects from a pretty remarkable range of effects.

A few scrolls of Magic Weapon can prevent a TPK with low level incorporeal foes. Similar situational spells like Undead Bane or Align Weapon (Cleric, but the principle applies) can see the party through until the relevant weapon enchantments are affordable.

[Story]

I prepared explosive runes this morning.

Why would you do that? Prepare it during downtime. They last forever.



It never hurts to have an extra scroll of dispel magic or teleport, either.

Isn't a scroll of Dispel Magic useless? The CL is too low to have a good chance at dispelling anything.

[Chilingsworth]

Why would you do that? Prepare it during downtime. They last forever.



Isn't a scroll of Dispel Magic useless? The CL is too low to have a good chance at dispelling anything.

Of course I cast it during my down time. I then roll up the papers on which I cast it, turning them into "scrolls."

Oh, and a low dispel check is just what you want for triggering magic traps (like, say, explosive runes) remotely.

So... stack of premade explosive runes "scrolls" + minimum caster level dispel magic scroll (or, better yet, a scroll* of dispel ward, a 1st level spell that can only target abjurations on objects) = remote mine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D0lzEbsq3E). :smallbiggrin:

* a wand would work even better.

[tyckspoon]

Isn't a scroll of Dispel Magic useless? The CL is too low to have a good chance at dispelling anything.

Magic items, some kinds of traps, and certain monsters (dragons, dragons, also dragons..) have abnormally low CLs relative to their power and are pretty good targets for a lower-CL Dispel. Not everything has a CL >= the party... that said, if you want item-based castings of (Greater) Dispel Magic, I'd probably seek to acquire/craft it in a Staff instead.

[Clistenes]

I always keep a couple scrolls of Feather Fall and Water Breathing in my back pocket... just in case.

Wouldn't you splatter before retrieving the scroll and casting the spell? Unless you fall from a really, really great height.