[3.5] Looking For Item: Re-usable Scroll

[Thurbane]

Hey, so I'm wondering if someone can help me find an item.

I recall a spell scroll that after it is read, renews itself the next day (or maybe even multiple uses per day), rather than being a one-shot item like scroll normally are.

I thought I saw such an item somewhere in 3.0/3.5 with an official write up, but it's possible I'm either thinking of an earlier edition, or it may have been 3rd party or homebrew.

What I am not looking for is ways to re-use regular scrolls using shenanigans/exploits, or any Pathfinder or 3rd party items, or a way to homebrew such an item.

Does anyone know the official item I might be thanking of?

Cheers - T

[Doctor Despair]

Hey, so I'm wondering if someone can help me find an item.

I recall a spell scroll that after it is read, renews itself the next day (or maybe even multiple uses per day), rather than being a one-shot item like scroll normally are.

I thought I saw such an item somewhere in 3.0/3.5 with an official write up, but it's possible I'm either thinking of an earlier edition, or it may have been 3rd party or homebrew.

What I am not looking for is ways to re-use regular scrolls using shenanigans/exploits, or any Pathfinder or 3rd party items, or a way to homebrew such an item.

Does anyone know the official item I might be thanking of?

Cheers - T

Sounds like a worse pearl of power, right? With the upside for prepared casters if they didn't prepare that particular spell, I suppose, or for UMDers.

[Thurbane]

Sounds like a worse pearl of power, right? With the upside for prepared casters if they didn't prepare that particular spell, I suppose, or for UMDers.

True.

Still, I'd really like to know if the item I'm thinking of exists in an official 3.0/3.5 book. More for my own curiosity than for any practical application.

[tyckspoon]

Sounds like the minor schema - Magic of Eberron, 1/day usable 'Spell Completion' item, has very similar usage rules to scrolls.

[Vaern]

I'm not seeing anything matching the description of a self-replenishing scroll. The closest thing I can find is the Book of Infinite Spells. The pages of the book are determined as though they were spell scrolls being rolled off of a loot table. The spell that the book is opened to is castable by its owner once per day (or four times per day, if it's on their class spell list), and each spell cast from the book is treated as though a scroll was being employed.
This can be shoehorned into fitting your description, but I'm guessing that you aren't looking for a minor artifact.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

You could always take Ancestral Relic for something that isn't a scroll but can be written on (like a book), add a scroll effect to it by sacrificing something of equal value, and whenever you use up the scroll, sacrifice something else to replenish it.

You can't use Ancestral Relic for a single-use item, but you can add single-use item effects to a multi-use item. I think.

[Soranar]

there's always eternal wands, they're limited to 1-3 level spells but they have 1 or twice per day casting (I can't remember which)

[Thurbane]

Again, not looking for workarounds or ways to achieve this effect, just trying to see if it's a real existing item or not.


Sounds like the minor schema - Magic of Eberron, 1/day usable 'Spell Completion' item, has very similar usage rules to scrolls.


I'm not seeing anything matching the description of a self-replenishing scroll. The closest thing I can find is the Book of Infinite Spells. The pages of the book are determined as though they were spell scrolls being rolled off of a loot table. The spell that the book is opened to is castable by its owner once per day (or four times per day, if it's on their class spell list), and each spell cast from the book is treated as though a scroll was being employed.
This can be shoehorned into fitting your description, but I'm guessing that you aren't looking for a minor artifact.

Great guesses, but sadly not what I was thinking of. I was aware of both of these items, and I'm confident they are not what I was thinking of.

The more I think, there more I feel like this may have been a 1E or 2E thing. Possibly in a FR splat.

Oh well, thanks for the replies everyone.

[rel]

eternal wands are pretty close. They are obviously wands and not scrolls, but otherwise they get you a few uses per day instead of a limited number of consumable charges.

[ShurikVch]

If you're OK with 3rd-party materials, then Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor (Goodman Games) have Scroll of Many Spells, which can be used up to 20 times before "going blank", and "resets" for each new user. Zaps those who're not arcane casters for 4d6 damage (1-time).

[redking]

Sounds like the minor schema - Magic of Eberron, 1/day usable 'Spell Completion' item, has very similar usage rules to scrolls.

It is likely the minor schema, as you say.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

An arcane caster with Southern Magician or some other way of making his arcane spells count as divine could make minor schema of his wizard/sorcerer/bard/beguiler/whatever spells so long as they're converted to divine spells.

[Gnaeus]

This seems similar to a drow house insignia (1/day casting of a level 1-3 spell). That of course is a slotted item, but otherwise seems very similar.

[YellowJohn]

An arcane caster with Southern Magician or some other way of making his arcane spells count as divine could make minor schema of his wizard/sorcerer/bard/beguiler/whatever spells so long as they're converted to divine spells.

I never noticed minor schemas being restricted to divine spells; are you sure it's necessary to jump through the hoops?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I never noticed minor schemas being restricted to divine spells; are you sure it's necessary to jump through the hoops?Sorry; it wasn't schemas I was thinking of. My computer recently lost a lot of data, including the .pdf copies of all of my books, and I'm away from my actual books.

Isn't there a reusable scroll-like item that only divine casters (and characters with UMD) can utilize? I could've sworn there was.

[Gruftzwerg]

Are you sure that you are talking explicitly about a scroll and not Runes?
Inscribe Runes + Runecaster seems more like what you are looking for.

Inscribe Runes allow any divine spell to be cast into an object and released later upon touching the rune.

Runecaster can craft runes that can be activated when someone else reads it or passes by (anyone: no spellcasting ability needed).
And those runes can also have daily charges or be permanent. It's just that they ain't real scrolls. But that is imho more convenient since anyone can read those runes.

Otherwise if I think of reusable scrolls I think of a caster's shield, but I don't think that it fits your request/intention here.

[Vaern]

Otherwise if I think of reusable scrolls I think of a caster's shield, but I don't think that it fits your request/intention here.

I saw the same thing and almost mentioned it, but decided it didn't fit compared to the next closest thing I found since it doesn't auto-refresh. Also, the description of scrolls says that the writing vanishes from them once they're activated which presumably leaves a blank sheet of vellum behind. The vellum could potentially be reused to scribe a new scroll, making common scrolls just as reusable as caster's shield. Reusing an expended scroll in this way under normal circumstances would offer no discount or benefit compared to simply making a new one from scratch, so this isn't something that would even occur to most people as an option that's available; however, the caster's shield's crafting cost reduction makes it particularly noteworthy when used for this purpose.

[SangoProduction]

Eternal wands sound like what you're looking for.

[Telonius]

The Unbound Scroll prestige class (from Dragonmarked) lets you duplicate a scroll (using one charge of your Dragonmark powers).

"Buy a scroll and copy it into a blank spellbook" would be the only other way I can think of, to make it reusable.

[Chronos]

I'm not sure how a minor schema isn't what you're looking for. The only notable difference between one and a scroll is that it replenishes every day.

Well, that, and unlike scrolls they can also store artificer infusions.

[Thurbane]

I can assure everyone I was not thinking of eternal Wands or Schemas, both of which I am well and truly aware of and used in my games many times.

What I was recalling was a SCROLL.

And like I said, in hindsight, I believe it was pre-3E.

I appreciate those that tried to respond in a helpful manner, but I'm now satisfied that I have my answer.

[Vizzerdrix]

I could see collecting such scrolls and employing them as a deck could make for a fun character.

[aglondier]

I did this with the basic item creation rules.
Requires Scribe Scroll and Craft Wondrous Item.

Command word spell 1800gp x spell level x caster level x 1/5 for one use per day.
Adding to that a 30% discount by making it "spell completion" like a regular scroll. (that is, you must already know and be able to cast the spell in order to use this item).

This leaves you with a "scroll" that can be cast once per day, albeit at a preset caster level. Works really well for little used spells that come in handy once in a blue moon...

...and then we bound a whole heap of these together into a book...a poor man's Book of Infinite Spells...

[loky1109]

I believe I saw something like in Baldurs Gate 2.

[Chronos]

What I was recalling was a SCROLL.
What do you mean by this? If you mean that it has the physical form of a rolled-up piece of parchment, then it's a minor schema. If you mean that it's mechanically used in the same way as a scroll, then that's still a minor schema. If you mean that it's the item type defined as a "scroll" in the game rules, then it definitely doesn't exist, since scrolls are by definition single-use.

[loky1109]

What do you mean by this? If you mean that it has the physical form of a rolled-up piece of parchment, then it's a minor schema. If you mean that it's mechanically used in the same way as a scroll, then that's still a minor schema. If you mean that it's the item type defined as a "scroll" in the game rules, then it definitely doesn't exist, since scrolls are by definition single-use.
Scrolls are up to six-use item.

[Thurbane]

What do you mean by this? If you mean that it has the physical form of a rolled-up piece of parchment, then it's a minor schema. If you mean that it's mechanically used in the same way as a scroll, then that's still a minor schema. If you mean that it's the item type defined as a "scroll" in the game rules, then it definitely doesn't exist, since scrolls are by definition single-use.

*sigh*

I don't know how much clearer I could be. It wasn't a Minor Schema. Period. Does what I'm describing function the same way a minor schema does? Probably. Was it was I was trying to think of? No.


If you mean that it has the physical form of a rolled-up piece of parchment, then it's a minor schema.


Description: A minor schema is usually a flat strip of some durable material (commonly metal or wood) approximately 2 inches wide and a foot or more long, with carved or etched symbols and sigils covering its face.

I don't have the mental stamina or inclination to enter into a protracted debate about what is, and isn't, a scroll.

I just don't get how you trying to get me to say "Oh, you were right, I was thinking of a minor schema!" achieves anything, when it's patently not true. I mean, unless you have better access to my own memories than I do...

I'm considering this done, if you want to keep at it, knock yourself out.

[ShurikVch]

How about a scroll which is possessed by some kind of creature which is replenishing the writing?