Spell Scrolls

[HamsterKun]

How do you guys handle spell scrolls in 5e?

EDIT: Like, how often do you use them and what spells do you have on the scrolls?

[mephiztopheleze]

I try and treat them fairly carefully. Keep them protected rather than simply stuffed into a backpack.

[ImproperJustice]

@OP: Maybe elaborate a little more on what your asking so we can provide more feedback?

[Vekon]

I add them in as loot sometimes. One of my players has a semi-sentient spellbook that consumes magical scrolls and other literature that he places in it. Mechanically, it shortens the time it takes to copy them but still requires gold.

So I use them slightly less than I use any other consumable magical item. I try to make the scroll spells specifically spells that casters might not already have, or high level ones that require a skill check to use.

[Bjarkmundur]

Spell Scrolls (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Spell%20Scroll#content)
In my game, spell scrolls work as normal, except anyone with the spellcasting class feature can cast any scroll. If the spell is not from a character's spell list the DC is increased to 10 + twice the spell’s level.
Crafting a spell scroll requires the Arcana skill as well as having the spell known or prepared, as well as gold for materials.

I distribute my spell scrolls as loot roughly one every other session, and only give out spells of the same level as my players.... usually ;)

[HamsterKun]

Spell Scrolls (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Spell%20Scroll#content)
In my game, spell scrolls work as normal, except anyone with the spellcasting class feature can cast any scroll. If the spell is not from a character's spell list the DC is increased to 10 + twice the spell’s level.
Crafting a spell scroll requires the Arcana skill as well as having the spell known or prepared, as well as gold for materials.

I distribute my spell scrolls as loot roughly one every other session, and only give out spells of the same level as my players.... usually ;)

What about casting spells that are on their class spell list but of a higher level than they have slots?

[Bjarkmundur]

What about casting spells that are on their class spell list but of a higher level than they have slots?

The orange text is a link ;)


If the spell is on your class’s spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make an ability check using your*Spellcasting*ability to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect.

If I'm not wrong, casting a spell scroll does not require using a spell slot. The spell slot has already been provided, when the spell was cast during the crafting of the scroll.

[Seclora]

My players mostly treat them as loot for Wizards, because they are stupidly adverse to using consumables. That said, they also like to take Ritual Casting, and I let them add any ritual spell to those books if they find them on a scroll, regardless of class, so those scrolls are much sought after. Otherwise, they're mostly just bonus spells or single action versions of lengthy cast time spells.

I also allow players to buy them for four times the cost of adding a spell to your book, or make scrolls of known spells for twice the cost and a spell slot for the day but the same amount of time. Hasn't caused any problems yet.

Pretty much any spell can be on a scroll. I'm probably going to put together some sort of table for random scrolls, but as far as I am concerned the only spell that the party will never find as random loot is Wish. I like to make that one special.

Also, Arcana check vs DC 10+spell level. If you fail, there's a table in the DMG for it as I recall.

[Man_Over_Game]

The orange text is a link ;)



If I'm not wrong, casting a spell scroll does not require using a spell slot. The spell slot has already been provided, when the spell was cast during the crafting of the scroll.

What HamsterKun is describing is not spending a spell slot, but that, officially, you have a chance to fail to cast a scroll spell if you can't cast that level of spell slot.

So if you are a level 1 Wizard trying to cast Fireball from a scroll then there is a chance to fail. What do you do in those situations?

[Bjarkmundur]

What HamsterKun is describing is not spending a spell slot, but that, officially, you have a chance to fail to cast a scroll spell if you can't cast that level of spell slot.

So if you are a level 1 Wizard trying to cast Fireball from a scroll then there is a chance to fail. What do you do in those situations?

I did not know that. I just thought the DC scaled :/
What are the rules on that, officially?

[Potato_Priest]

I did not know that. I just thought the DC scaled :/
What are the rules on that, officially?

I believe the rules are that you don't need to make a check if it's on your spell list and of a slot level you can cast.

[Man_Over_Game]

I did not know that. I just thought the DC scaled :/
What are the rules on that, officially?


I believe the rules are that you don't need to make a check if it's on your spell list and of a slot level you can cast.

DMG, p. 200: "If the spell is on your class’s spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make an ability check using your Spellcasting ability to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect."

DMG, p. 140: "A creature who tries and fails to cast a spell from a spell scroll must make a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw. If the saving throw fails, roll on the Scroll Mishap table."

[Bjarkmundur]

DMG, p. 200: "If the spell is on your class’s spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make an ability check using your Spellcasting ability to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect."

DMG, p. 140: "A creature who tries and fails to cast a spell from a spell scroll must make a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw. If the saving throw fails, roll on the Scroll Mishap table."

Oh, I thought that was for just using a spell scroll, not just using an incompatible spell scroll. I guess I have some explaining to do to my players xD

[Dalebert]

Otherwise, they're mostly just bonus spells or single action versions of lengthy cast time spells.
.

Scrolls used to take an action to cast. Now (due to errata) they take the normal casting time for that spell. So that's good for spiritual weapon or feather fall, but not so good for regeneration or simulacrum. Many of my characters keep a scroll of Feather fall strapped to a forearm facing out.

[Bjarkmundur]

Many of my characters keep a scroll of Feather fall strapped to a forearm facing out.

Pure genius XD

[Man_Over_Game]

I know that Wizard spellbooks can be of almost any kind of design (charms, totems, etc). Can scrolls?

Can I make a Pendant of Featherfall that's only usable once?

[mephiztopheleze]

So if you are a level 1 Wizard trying to cast Fireball from a scroll then there is a chance to fail. What do you do in those situations?

As a general rule: you don't; unless it's either an emergency or you have some means of forcing a success on the role (Portent, Guidance, Bardic Inspiration etc).


I know that Wizard spellbooks can be of almost any kind of design (charms, totems, etc). Can scrolls?

Can I make a Pendant of Featherfall that's only usable once?

Ask Your DM(tm)!

[nickl_2000]

I know that Wizard spellbooks can be of almost any kind of design (charms, totems, etc). Can scrolls?

Can I make a Pendant of Featherfall that's only usable once?

So, according to the link to roll20 provided a scroll bears the words to a spell written in a mystical cipher, and I don't have a DMG handy to see if there is anything there. However, I don't see why it would be a problem to make it like that, as long as it's big enough to contain all the necessary words for the spell per the Wizard's Spellbook pages used.

Although there is at least a little bit of danger that someone may steal that fancy looking pendant from you when they wouldn't steal a piece of paper (or the opposite frankly).

EDIT: Pulled up the DMG and looked in the magical items under scrolls

"Whatever its contents, a scroll is a roll of paper, sometimes attached to wooden rods, and typically kept safe in a tube of ivory, jade, leather, metal, or wood."


So, by RAW not you can't do it. It must be a roll of paper. That being said, I would allow it at a home game with the caviots mentioned above.

[Man_Over_Game]

So, according to the link to roll20 provided a scroll bears the words to a spell written in a mystical cipher, and I don't have a DMG handy to see if there is anything there. However, I don't see why it would be a problem to make it like that, as long as it's big enough to contain all the necessary words for the spell per the Wizard's Spellbook pages used.

Although there is at least a little bit of danger that someone may steal that fancy looking pendant from you when they wouldn't steal a piece of paper (or the opposite frankly).

EDIT: Pulled up the DMG and looked in the magical items under scrolls

"Whatever its contents, a scroll is a roll of paper, sometimes attached to wooden rods, and typically kept safe in a tube of ivory, jade, leather, metal, or wood."


So, by RAW not you can't do it. It must be a roll of paper. That being said, I would allow it at a home game with the caviots mentioned above.

Thanks for the clarification. Bit of a shame.

I like the idea of a weighted pendant with a feather as the charm, all which holds a Featherfall spell. The idea is that you buy it, you put it on, and you forget about it, until the feather is tickling your face during freefall and reminding you that you have a solution.

[Segev]

Thanks for the clarification. Bit of a shame.

I like the idea of a weighted pendant with a feather as the charm, all which holds a Featherfall spell. The idea is that you buy it, you put it on, and you forget about it, until the feather is tickling your face during freefall and reminding you that you have a solution.

Nothing stopping you from making that as an Uncommon or Rare item.



In the one session of a 5e game I've run so far (last Friday), I had a sorcerer give a few rewards to some people he was impressed by and is considering testing for invitation to a secret society. One of them was a wizard who, OOC, I knew had traded out magic missile for another spell, but it was a hard choice. So his reward was a scroll of magic missile the sorcerer had created.

[Rukelnikov]

Thanks for the clarification. Bit of a shame.

I like the idea of a weighted pendant with a feather as the charm, all which holds a Featherfall spell. The idea is that you buy it, you put it on, and you forget about it, until the feather is tickling your face during freefall and reminding you that you have a solution.

It's a pretty neat item, you should either make it one category higher (in this case uncommon) or require attunement to compensate for having less restrictions than a scroll.

I'd go for uncommon since attunements are too valuable.

[Man_Over_Game]

It's a pretty neat item, you should either make it one category higher (in this case uncommon) or require attunement to compensate for having less restrictions than a scroll.

I'd go for uncommon since attunements are too valuable.

The question is, why would it be any more valuable than a scroll?

It'd still require the same action it'd take to cast a spell (like a normal scroll). The necklace portion of it is just a narrative choice.

Or is this the same kind of thing why a crystal ball is more expensive than other focuses? Style points?

[MrStabby]

I usually use spell scrolls to add homebrew spells to a game as part of loot. It is a bit more fun than normal scrolls (either you have the spell or you rejected it). If you come across a scroll for your class you can practice it and add it to the list of class spells - then learn it, scribe it, prepare it as your class normally would (although now I do allow a class that learns them to swap out overnight if they want to swap a new one in, rather than waiting for level up).

[Dalebert]

It'd still require the same action it'd take to cast a spell (like a normal scroll). The necklace portion of it is just a narrative choice.


If it mechanically is the same, then sure. A scroll can only be used by someone if Feather Fall is on their spell list. Is that also the case with your pendant? Is it a one-shot that takes your reaction to use? If yes to both then probably the same rarity.

[Rukelnikov]

The question is, why would it be any more valuable than a scroll?

It'd still require the same action it'd take to cast a spell (like a normal scroll). The necklace portion of it is just a narrative choice.

Or is this the same kind of thing why a crystal ball is more expensive than other focuses? Style points?


If it mechanically is the same, then sure. A scroll can only be used by someone if Feather Fall is on their spell list. Is that also the case with your pendant? Is it a one-shot that takes your reaction to use? If yes to both then probably the same rarity.

This is the reason, a scroll of Feather Fall is limited to someone that can cast feather fall, or a high level thief (and maybe there's some other way IDK or IDR right now), but the necklace (as I understood it) can be used by anyone.

[JackPhoenix]

Thanks for the clarification. Bit of a shame.

I like the idea of a weighted pendant with a feather as the charm, all which holds a Featherfall spell. The idea is that you buy it, you put it on, and you forget about it, until the feather is tickling your face during freefall and reminding you that you have a solution.

You mean Feather Token?

Feather Token
Wondrous Item, Common
This small metal disk is inscribed with the image of a feather. While the token is in your possession, you can cast feather fall as a bonus action. A feather token only holds sufficient charge for a single use, after which it loses its power. While it's an expensive form of insurance, frequent airship travelers and citizens of Sharn often appreciate the security it provides.

It's weird it's BA instead of reaction, though.

[TripleD]

Scrolls can be a fun chance to throw in tweaked or homebrewed spells. Throw them for a bit of a loop when they translate the name and it’s a spell they’ve never heard of and can’t get by just leveling up.

[Rukelnikov]

You mean Feather Token?

Feather Token
Wondrous Item, Common
This small metal disk is inscribed with the image of a feather. While the token is in your possession, you can cast feather fall as a bonus action. A feather token only holds sufficient charge for a single use, after which it loses its power. While it's an expensive form of insurance, frequent airship travelers and citizens of Sharn often appreciate the security it provides.

It's weird it's BA instead of reaction, though.

Yup, maybe its an oversight.

[Man_Over_Game]

This is the reason, a scroll of Feather Fall is limited to someone that can cast feather fall, or a high level thief (and maybe there's some other way IDK or IDR right now), but the necklace (as I understood it) can be used by anyone.

Nope, I just meant a Scroll of Featherfall, in necklace form.

[Rukelnikov]

Nope, I just meant a Scroll of Featherfall, in necklace form.

Oh, sorry my bad. In that case, yeah, I'd rather get a cool necklace, especially if comes accompanied with a bit of lore "The dwarven Gryphon riders created them decades ago and would always take to the air wearing them" or something like that.

[Seclora]

Scrolls used to take an action to cast. Now (due to errata) they take the normal casting time for that spell. So that's good for spiritual weapon or feather fall, but not so good for regeneration or simulacrum. Many of my characters keep a scroll of Feather fall strapped to a forearm facing out.

I would worry about the problems always action casting opens up more if I had players who cast Simulacrum, Geas, or Imprisonment. Only person I've ever played with who tried those kinds of shenanigans with scrolls was me, and it was a contingency plan to remove a party member who was being a jerk back in 3.5. Mostly, I get things like Teleportation Circle that they just don't want to risk running out of spells to cast.

Honestly, I usually ignore the Errata. I don't mind just telling my players that things don't work if they're clearly not supposed to, and finding powerful combos is part of the game at our table. We have fun, even if it's not what Wizards intended.

[FrancisBean]

... officially, you have a chance to fail to cast a scroll spell if you can't cast that level of spell slot.

Are you sure about that phrasing? I thought it was tied to your access to spells of that level in that class, not the spell slots. In the case of a multiclass caster, it's realistic to have, e.g., 3rd level slots but no access to 3rd level spells in any of your classes.

Then we have our Fireball scroll show up. In that case, I'd expect there to be an ability check with your spellcasting ability. Although in the case of a spell on more than one list, you might be able to choose which applicable spellcasting ability to use.... a Sorcerer/Wizard could choose between Charisma and Intelligence for the Fireball example.

It still seems weird to me that spell scrolls aren't tied to a class or divine vs. arcane anymore. Older edition hangover.

Have I got all that right, or am I missing something?

[Man_Over_Game]

It's actually really ambiguous as to whether it means "you need this high of.spell slots to use", or if it means "you must have this high of spells you can cast from your class".

On one hand, it says "level spell higher than you can cast", and upcasting a spell is.considered casting a spell of that slot level.

On the other hand, it refers to your class list, and classes track their spells separately.


So.....iunno?

[Dalebert]

This is the reason, a scroll of Feather Fall is limited to someone that can cast feather fall, or a high level thief...

The thief feature won't help with scrolls. All it does is let you attune to many things. Scrolls don't require attunement.

[nickl_2000]

The thief feature won't help with scrolls. All it does is let you attune to many things. Scrolls don't require attunement.

Really, had this been errataed?

Use Magic Device
By 13th level, you have learned enough about the workings of magic that you can improvise the use of items even when they are not intended for you. You ignore all class, race, and level requirements on the use of magic items


A scroll is a magic item.
The ability to cast the spell is a class and level requirement

I'm not sure why scrolls wouldn't apply. What am I missing?

[Man_Over_Game]

Really, had this been errataed?

Use Magic Device
By 13th level, you have learned enough about the workings of magic that you can improvise the use of items even when they are not intended for you. You ignore all class, race, and level requirements on the use of magic items


A scroll is a magic item.
The ability to cast the spell is a class and level requirement

I'm not sure why scrolls wouldn't apply. What am I missing?

It's very ambiguous, but the idea is that the scroll doesn't have a class requirement. It has a spell list requirement.

For example, an Arcane Trickster is not a Wizard, it's a Rogue. Yet, it uses the Wizard's Spell List, and so is eligible to cast a Wizard's scroll. The class itself is irrelevant; the only thing that's important is who has access to what spell list.

So Scrolls do not use a class requirement, and a Thief removes class requirements. They don't interact.

[Segev]

It's very ambiguous, but the idea is that the scroll doesn't have a class requirement. It has a spell list requirement.

For example, an Arcane Trickster is not a Wizard, it's a Rogue. Yet, it uses the Wizard's Spell List, and so is eligible to cast a Wizard's scroll. The class itself is irrelevant; the only thing that's important is who has access to what spell list.

So Scrolls do not use a class requirement, and a Thief removes class requirements. They don't interact.

I see the argument, but it seems specious. On the one hand, UMD and its historical kin has been enabling rogues and thieves to read scrolls since 1e AD&D, at the very least, so the notion that 5e rogues were deliberately designed not to be able to read scrolls is a bit silly. On the other, you must be a wizard or another class with access to the wizard spell list to have access to the wizard spell list. That sounds like a class requirement to me. Rogues get to waive those. Yes, it's a stretch, but so is the logic tortured into not counting it due to spell list access not technically being a class requirement.

[Shuruke]

How do you guys handle spell scrolls in 5e?

EDIT: Like, how often do you use them and what spells do you have on the scrolls?

Consumwables are my main source of loot

Generally by level 5 players will have a magic item that's roughly equivalent to a +1 or +2 weapon (I don't really use pre made items so ill give an example of items im talking about.)

Outside of those items I gice consumables.
I have 2 parties currently level 5
One was given potions of haste slightly modified
The other was given a scroll of favored blessing. (Bless but can end the effect on yourself to instead roll 2d4. Also treated it as a moveable glyph so they just needed a command word no action)

I drop healing potions in flagons rather than in vials (object interaction rule says u can down a flagon of ale so I let players down flag on of healing as object interaction, 4 ounces a vial , 16 ounces a flagon. So I have it heal 8d4+8)

I also like giving upgraded versions of items from phb
Things like a "Slippery Malty" a Maltov cocktail aoe that also works like grease spell
And holy glove shaped water baloons because the person was out of containers so used his medical gloves when undead came.


Generally I'm not as scared to hand out things that are consumable
I can experiment with it and just hand out rewards that sound fun and that generally I steal from silly games like the deadpool ps game or things you'd see in team fortress 2.

Gives a little bit of a break from the dark stories I like having in the game and shows that even in a ****ty world people can still find time to have some fun


(Below are stats if u wanna use any )

Slippery Malty . 30 foot range , 10 foot square , dc 14 dex save when entering the area for the first time on a turn or ending turn in area. On a fail the enemy is prone as they slip on the fiery oil. Starting turn in the area deals 5 damage

Holy water balloon , range 20 feet make an improvised weapon attack. Deals 3d6+dex on a hit or half as much on miss to undead , fiends, demons, and a few other specefic enemies.

Magical cocaine (my players named it)
Snorting this substance from the vial causes a dc 12 con save, on a fail you fall prone stunned till start of your next turn. On a fail or pass on your next turn and for 5 hours afterward you have advantage on all physical stat saves, gain 2 a.c. , gain extra attack (if you already have it add one additional attack) and any cantrips cast are casted as if 11th level. At the end of the duration you make a dc 15 con save gaining 4 levels of exaughstion on a fail and half on a successful save.