Scroll use and the Ready Action

[Breashios]

A character has a scroll and wishes to use it if a certain event occurs in a combat round. Can that character take the Ready Action and state I will read the scroll if…? Or must he begin reading the scroll and say I will complete casting the spell if…, thus being forced to use the spell, but only cast it if the conditions are met?

[BiPolar]

A character has a scroll and wishes to use it if a certain event occurs in a combat round. Can that character take the Ready Action and state I will read the scroll if…? Or must he begin reading the scroll and say I will complete casting the spell if…, thus being forced to use the spell, but only cast it if the conditions are met?

Pretty sure it works just like casting a spell. The scroll has been read is being held in concentration for the trigger. If the trigger doesn't occur, the spell and scroll are used up.

[Breashios]

Pretty sure it works just like casting a spell. The scroll has been read is being held in concentration for the trigger. If the trigger doesn't occur, the spell and scroll are used up.

That seems right, BUT if a spell scroll is cast as its own action, not using the Cast a Spell action, would the scroll using action, then, be the one "you take in response to [your declared] trigger." (PHB p. 193, "Ready") or is there another controlling rule I just can't see that says I must begin using the scroll before taking the "Ready Action"?

I don't think so because that would be doing an action already (reading a scroll), then taking the Ready Action to do another "Cast a Spell". Where I am confused is by what seems right by equivalency (must read scroll before the trigger), seems wrong by RAW.

[blurneko]

I would try not to overthink it and play it out like trying to cast a regular spell. I feel this is how it is intended:

1. You start casting & concentrating the spell (from scroll or normally) while waiting for the trigger
2a. If trigger occurs, you cast the spell with your reaction.
2b. If trigger does not occur, the spell is not cast and the resource (spell slot or scroll) is used up anyway

[Breashios]

I would try not to overthink it and play it out like trying to cast a regular spell. I feel this is how it is intended:

1. You start casting & concentrating the spell (from scroll or normally) while waiting for the trigger
2a. If trigger occurs, you cast the spell with your reaction.
2b. If trigger does not occur, the spell is not cast and the resource (spell slot or scroll) is used up anyway

That is indeed my original thought, BUT by RAW both my feeble understanding and the way my player may interpret it could be the other way. The player is in possession of a 6th level spell scroll (Wall of Ice). It is a rare resource that he may not want to use before reaching a level where he can scribe it into his spell book, but the party may feel they need to use it to survive the next encounter. I'm not sure I have the luxury of not overthinking it.

He may just try to use it, but if he thinks to use the ready action I do not want to unduly penalize him if the conditions are not met. We play by RAW as much as possible in this campaign, so I will tell him the consequences before he takes that step, but I need to be certain of my interpretation or else we could have a reasonable argument. I try to prepare and avoid things like that, thus my question and my hope someone can give me a rules based answer or a stronger one by logic or contradicts my logic given above.

Thanks.

Basically: Why:
1. You start casting & concentrating the spell (from scroll or normally) while waiting for the trigger Where is the rule that states this?

[Mellack]

When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action, and holding onto the spell’s magic requires concentration(Players Basic p. 72)

[Breashios]

When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action, and holding onto the spell’s magic requires concentration(Players Basic p. 72)

Ok, but in the case I am interested in the character has readied the Read a Scroll Action. The scroll in question is for a spell with a casting time of 1 action, therefore according to published errata the Read a Scroll Action takes 1 action. The Ready Action can be used to execute an action when the trigger condition occurs.

1. By RAW it appears you could wait to begin (and finish) reading a scroll after that trigger.
or
A. By logic of equivalency if a spell must be cast and the energy held which you release with your reaction, then a spell on a scroll must be read and the energy held which you release with your reaction.

Which is it? Or is this an area that is clearly up to DM ruling by RAW? (which I am fine with).

[sir_argo]

By RAW it appears you could wait to begin (and finish) reading a scroll after that trigger.

There is no "Read a Scroll" action for you to ready.

Scrolls' description never makes mention of "Use an Object". It repeatedly makes reference to "cast the spell".

You are casting a spell when you use a scroll, therefore, it uses the Cast a Spell action and you are merely interacting with an object (the scroll) as part of that action.

You cannot ready a scroll to be read. You read the scroll, cast the spell, and hold the energy as part of a readied action. If you do not release that energy before the start of your next turn, the energy is lost. The scroll is used up in any case.

If reading a scroll was the Use an Object action, then a person who is Hasted could cast a spell from a scroll as their haste action... and use their regular action to cast another spell, thus giving them the opportunity to cast two 1 action spells in a round. It would also grant thieves with the Fast Hands feature the ability to "use a scroll" as a bonus action. You would be opening the doors to all sorts abuse when it is pretty clear that scrolls use the Cast a Spell action.

[Millstone85]

There are magic scrolls that aren't spell scrolls.

Well, there is Scroll of Protection, but a DM can create others.

I would assume such scrolls do work through the Use an Object action, which can be readied without concentration.

If you think there are already too many differences between scrolls, then maybe spell scrolls should require the Use an Object action as well.

But the intended action is probably Cast a Spell.