D&D 5E scroll prices
Um, dumb question, but if it costs 50gp plus time per spell level to write down a spell, why would you have the price be less than that?
Or was the cost of writing down a spell still 50gp in 3.5?
mcbobbo
Explorer
Well, first off, that price seems only to cover the cost of recording a spell in your book. That's not equivalent unless you can cast the spell right from the book and then it disappears. Which makes an epic rules mod, but I don't THINK that's in 5e anywhere, yet.
But even basing that as the cost, the price should be at least triple the costs. That's what most service industries charge, anyway.
But even basing that as the cost, the price should be at least triple the costs. That's what most service industries charge, anyway.
Copying into a spellbook is much different than making a scroll. It's like taking the time to hand calligraphy everything vs making a xerox copy.
I actually have no idea what the magic item creation rules are going to be. The preview of the Figurines of Wondrous Power seem to imply that items of a certain power level don't come with price tags attached. Regular merchants do not buy and will not sell them. Even still, I imagine the process to create a scroll of magic power is a simple one.
I actually have no idea what the magic item creation rules are going to be. The preview of the Figurines of Wondrous Power seem to imply that items of a certain power level don't come with price tags attached. Regular merchants do not buy and will not sell them. Even still, I imagine the process to create a scroll of magic power is a simple one.
HD and hp recovery normally require short or long rests, they are not at all substitutes for a potion and I wouldn't expect the pricing of a potion to have anything to do with the cost of rest (other than being much higher). A closer substitute might be bringing a spellcaster along with you; if a real economy is present the potion cost would be compared to how much loot you'd have to share with the new party member per cure wounds casting. Another basis for comparison might be to work out the odds of a potion being the difference between life or death, and multiply by the cost of resurrection.
For both cases, 50 gp doesn't seem an unreasonable ballpark figure. But honestly, it seems that in the default 5e setting there is no magic item economy - everything is rare enough that truly fungible alternatives just don't exist. You either find something yourself or the "price" depends mostly on the individual whim of the seller.
For both cases, 50 gp doesn't seem an unreasonable ballpark figure. But honestly, it seems that in the default 5e setting there is no magic item economy - everything is rare enough that truly fungible alternatives just don't exist. You either find something yourself or the "price" depends mostly on the individual whim of the seller.
evilbob
Explorer
Thanks for the responses. Looks like the answer is: there is no answer, wait for the DMG.
Couple of other issues have been raised. First - which is a tangent to the original question but worth considering - is how much should a scroll cost. 100s of gold for a scroll is a LOT. If you can get a permanent +1 to your AC for a few hundred gold (by buying better armor), that seems like a lot for having just one scroll in your pocket. There's this idea that it costs 50g per spell level to copy a spell into your spellbook, but all that we know is that was written in reference to copying a spell from another spellbook. Nothing about scrolls was in there. It's reasonable to think that creating a scroll would cost the same as a "base" price: 50 x spell level. It's also not unreasonable to think that like most items, double that "base" cost would be the price of a scroll on the market. But these are just assumptions.
There's also the caveat that a scroll might cost 100g but then you'd have to pay 50g to get it into your spellbook - a sort of "double tax." That raises the true cost even higher. Which may or may not be unreasonable to you, depending on the style of campaign you want to play (see below).
Second, we have the idea of whether or not scrolls are even available to buy. And that's really up to each individual GM, honestly. Everyone has their opinion, and the DMG will no doubt have suggestions, but nothing is "right" here - only a preference. So no need to go down that path other than to state what can only be your opinion.
Couple of other issues have been raised. First - which is a tangent to the original question but worth considering - is how much should a scroll cost. 100s of gold for a scroll is a LOT. If you can get a permanent +1 to your AC for a few hundred gold (by buying better armor), that seems like a lot for having just one scroll in your pocket. There's this idea that it costs 50g per spell level to copy a spell into your spellbook, but all that we know is that was written in reference to copying a spell from another spellbook. Nothing about scrolls was in there. It's reasonable to think that creating a scroll would cost the same as a "base" price: 50 x spell level. It's also not unreasonable to think that like most items, double that "base" cost would be the price of a scroll on the market. But these are just assumptions.
There's also the caveat that a scroll might cost 100g but then you'd have to pay 50g to get it into your spellbook - a sort of "double tax." That raises the true cost even higher. Which may or may not be unreasonable to you, depending on the style of campaign you want to play (see below).
Second, we have the idea of whether or not scrolls are even available to buy. And that's really up to each individual GM, honestly. Everyone has their opinion, and the DMG will no doubt have suggestions, but nothing is "right" here - only a preference. So no need to go down that path other than to state what can only be your opinion.
There might have been a tweet that copying a spell from a scroll consumed the scroll. Regardless, that is what I am doing at the moment with the same cost as copying from a spellbook.
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