D&D 5E 5e CB's Stonefast OOC -- COMPLETE

[Forged Fury]

As far as I can tell based on the Basic DM rules (I don't have a DMG), it works just like any other magic item (save potions). You spend a short rest with it and know what it does, or you cast Identify and immediately know what it does. I guess it could be made more difficult by writing it in a different language; that would certainly make sense in certain situations. It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other, just let me know and I'll attempt a check after we resolve this orc situation.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Looking at the "Spell Scroll" guidelines (p. 60 of 61, of the DM DnD Basic Rules; the free download), we are told:

"A spell scroll bears magical words of a single spell, written in a mystical cipher." It then outlines the Int (Arcana) roll to decipher it if you cannot normally cast the spell.

From this I infer:
1. it's not in any language per se, but something (a cipher) Wizards and those trained in Arcana can know.
2. the type of spell is identifiable with less than a full action, and does not require casting the spell to find out.
3. All spellcasters can read the mystical cipher for spells they are able to cast. Arcana takes you beyond what you already know.
4. A failed arcana check *does* consume the magic (that's also spelled out on p. 60), which I take to be too much time trying to decipher the cipher. (...and I just now see the etymology of the word "decipher".)
5. the cipher is not tied to class (it's not like Druidic or Thieve's cant) but but to the magic -- the cipher is the same for spells in different spell lists.

And, pulling things from elsewhere:
6. cantrips can be scribed onto scrolls but not into spell books. Weird.

Hope this helps?

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Your inferences match mine, gleaned from reading last night. I've seen some people state that any class of character may cast a spell from a spell scroll. If so, that's a distinct departure from 3.x.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Also, I wasn't aware a free .pdf containing DM rules was available. I assume this is a different .pdf than the basic rules .pdf we already had? If so, I'll look for it this evening.

 

[Forged Fury]

Here's a link to the PDF. It has Monsters and Magic Items.

http://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/DMDnDBasicRules_v0.1.pdf

 

[Forged Fury]

I've seen some people state that any class of character may cast a spell from a spell scroll.

I think it comes from the phrasing in the spell scroll description. I think the intent is that you MUST have the spell as part of your spell list. If you can cast that level of spell, you're good to go. If you can't, you have to do the Intelligence (Arcana) check. The way it is written, it could be read to allow the Intelligence (Arcana) check to circumvent both requirements (having the spell on your spell list and being capable of casting that level of spell). I think that's where the argument comes from, I'm not sure if the Devs have tackled that question yet in a Sage Advice yet.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I don't know either, but the general philosophy of the game we've seen (with backgrounds granting skills, including Arcana, etc.) and the absence of any special proviso for scrolls in the rogue's Use Magic device ability (phb 97) suggests to me that if one is not an appropriate-level caster with the spell in one's class spell list, then an arcana check -- from anyone -- is acceptable.

 

[Forged Fury]

In case anyone is interested, here are the relevant Scroll entries from Sage Advice:

http://www.sageadvice.eu/?s=Scroll

From what I gather, the intent is that the spell scroll's class spell list restriction is intended to be absolute, with the Thief's Use Magic Device ability circumventing that requirement. Apparently, a lot of the confusion comes from the fact that there are non-spell scrolls in the DMG that would allow non-spellcasters to use them (like the old 1E Scroll of Protection, etc.).

 

[Kobold Stew]

In case anyone is interested, here are the relevant Scroll entries from Sage Advice:

http://www.sageadvice.eu/?s=Scroll

From what I gather, the intent is that the spell scroll's class spell list restriction is intended to be absolute, with the Thief's Use Magic Device ability circumventing that requirement. Apparently, a lot of the confusion comes from the fact that there are non-spell scrolls in the DMG that would allow non-spellcasters to use them (like the old 1E Scroll of Protection, etc.).

None of those answers actually addresses the issue, though -- UMD removes race, class, and level requirements. Which don't exist for a scroll, since an arcana check is sufficient.

That would be my sense.

 

[Forged Fury]

In the second one, Crawford states: "The intent is that Use Magic Device does allow a rogue to try to use a scroll." With non-spell scrolls, I don't think there are any restrictions (no DMG, so not sure since they don't have any of those in the Basic Rules), so I would deduce that the devs consider there to be a class restriction on the use of spell scrolls.

Additionally, the DMG states on p. 200, per Crawford again: "If the spell is on your class's spell list you can use an action to read the scroll and cast its spell without having to provide any of the spell's components. Otherwise, the scroll is unintelligible." This is different than the Basic rules as they do not include the final sentence. But going with developers intent, I'm going with the ruling that a spell has to appear on one of your classes' spell lists in order to attempt to cast a spell from a spell scroll (or you need the Use Magic Device feature).