Animal friendship scrolls

[JRRNeiklot]

If a character with one level of ranger were to purchase a scroll of animal friendship at, say, caster level 6, could he then have a 6 hd animal companion permenantly?

Thanks.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

At first, I wanted to say "yes," since the spell specifically says that, once befriended, the relationship is non-magical and permanent.

But then I thought of the Ring of Animal Friendship. If this scroll trick is viable, then a party of adventurers could buy 1 Ring of Animal Friendship, pass it around, and each get a Dire Bear companion for 12,000gp. They could even sell the ring afterward for 6,000gp!

Something has to be wrong with that. Somewhere, somehow, there has to be a rule that prevents this from happening...

 

[Mahali]

No. The limit is on the HD of druid/ranger not the level of the spell.

 

[AuraSeer]

From the spell description in the SRD:

The character can have animal friends whose Hit Dice total no more than twice the character's caster level.

(emphasis mine)

That line states that the number of animal friends is based on the caster level of the character they're befriending. It has nothing to do with the caster level of the spell itself. Your first-level ranger still cannot have an animal companion.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Auraseer, I'd say that in your quote, the character mentioned is the one casting the spell, which in the case of a scroll would be the one who scribed the scroll, not the one who uses it. Of course, YMMV.

 

[Archer]

The ring only lets you control 12 HD worth of animals while you wear it. It is not the same as casting the spell.

Casting the spell from a scroll is the same as casting it yourself. You can only use a scroll with use magic device or having the spell on your spell list.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

The ring only lets you control 12 HD worth of animals while you wear it. It is not the same as casting the spell.

From the SRD:

Animal Friendship

On command, this ring affects an animal as if the wearer had cast animal friendship. The ring wearer can befriend 12 HD worth of animals (see the spell description). If animal friendship is already on the character’s spell list, this ring allows the character to befriend additional animals.

I don't see any mention of the effect being dependent on wearing the ring at all. In fact, it specifically says it affects an animal as if the wearer had cast the spell Animal Friendship, the effects of which are instantaneous, and lasting.

Casting the spell from a scroll is the same as casting it yourself. You can only use a scroll with use magic device or having the spell on your spell list.

Actually, no. Again from the SRD:

For potions, scrolls, and wands, the creator can set the caster level of the item at any number high enough to cast the stored spell and not higher than her own caster level.

A wizard can choose to lower the caster level on a scroll he scribes (so long as the caster level is at least as high as the minimum required to cast the spell) to reduce the cost. In such a case, the effects of the spell, when activated from the scroll, would be less than had he cast the spell himself (since his actual caster level would be higher than the scroll's.)

For example, a 10th-level wizard could scribe a scroll of Fireball at caster level 5. The scroll, when activated, would discharge a 5d6 fireball, even though the wizard himself is capable of casting Fireball and dealing 10d6 damage.

Likewise, a low-level wizard can buy a scroll of a spell he has access to, only at a higher caster level than himself. He'd have to succeed at a caster level check to activate the scroll without a mishap, but the effect would be greater.

For example, a 5th-level wizard could purchase a scroll of Fireball at caster level 10. The scroll, when activated, would discharge a 10d6 fireball (if he succeeds at his caster level check,) even though the wizard himself is only capable of casting Fireball and dealing 5d6 damage.

The question about Animal Friendship is a tricky one. The Ranger ability list clearly defines the limits of the class ability, but it doesn't address what happens if the ranger casts the spell from a scroll scribed by a higher level ranger or druid.

Consider also the rogue. He can use the Use Magic Device skill to activate a scroll of Animal Friendship as well and, from a rules standpoint, gain as many HD of animal companions as the caster level (if a druid scroll) or half the caster level (if a ranger scroll) of the scroll.

 

[Xahn'Tyr]

You could befriend a number of HD dependent upon the scroll. But you can only maintain your (actual) level so they are not going to stick around very long. The spell make them like you, but they will not continue to like you if you cannot care for them properly. That caring is based on character level, not spell level.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

Now that sounds like an intelligent comment! What are you doing on the ENBoards, Xahn'Tyr?

Seriously, why not just accept that the ring of animal friendship gives a bonus 12 caster levels for the purpose of animal friendship. End of problem there.

 

[Archer]

Xahn'Tyr's solution is best, with the clarification that the level of caring is the character's caster level of the class that has the animal friendship spell. If you posses 0 caster levels you can control 0x2 HD of animals in the long term, 0x1 if you plan to take them out of their natural habitat. The animal is permanently friendly to you unless you mistreat it but 0 HD of friendly animals will stay with you as soon as you start to walk away.