Casting Spells from a Scroll

[Larcen]

Some people (myself included) enjoy the tactical combat aspects of D&D, regardless of how well they simulate anything. You could as well ask why use a board in monopoly

If someone came out with a monopoly board that had full round actions, and free actions, and partial actions, and move actions, and attack actions, etc, etc....then yes, I would start to question the monopoly board too.

But I do agree, to each his own...

 

[Infiniti2000]

Should it really be this complicated to take a scroll out of a case?

Is it really that complicated, though?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Exactly!!!

Sweet. I wanna play in your games.

"I draw my sword, and kill the opposing army! Then, I cleave the earth beneath my feet, causing a massive earthquake which reduces the enemy city to rubble."

Or, are you saying that you do use rules for what's allowable in a single turn?

 

[Larcen]

Since I realize I am in a losing position because I am in the Rules forum, I wasn't planning on continuing this. But since you both asked direct questions, I feel it only polite to respond.

Is it really that complicated, though?

Did you do what I suggested? That is, take a step WAY back from the rules you know and love so dear and reread this thread from the top? By that I mean, pretend you don't know the rules at all and just wanted to roleplay for the first time and then you ever so innocently told your DM the following:

"Ok, hmmmm, I pull my scroll from its case and read it." Can you see the response then?

"Hold on there, thats going to provoke a attack of opportunity. Did you read it defensively? Retrieving a Stored Item is a Move action. Reading it will be a separate action. That's a Standard action that provokes AoOs, unless...."

"I just want to read the scroll man. Tell me when I can go then. I will be over here playing monopoly."

Sweet. I wanna play in your games.

"I draw my sword, and kill the opposing army! Then, I cleave the earth beneath my feet, causing a massive earthquake which reduces the enemy city to rubble."

Or, are you saying that you do use rules for what's allowable in a single turn?

Come on now...simpler rules does not mean no rules at all. Let's not exaggerate things.

Look seriously, I know I am not in the right place to get into this and I certainly don't want to rile anyone. You guys like the tactical aspects of the rules. That's good enough for me. I was merely saying:

It's a scroll. In a case.

(Sorry. Please take all this in the lighthearted manner its intended.)

 

[Vorput]

I can see both sides, but one should consider that in real life- if someone in front of my is reaching behind him to grab a piece of paper, and then taking his eyes off me to look down and read it- odds are pretty good, if i wanted to, i could punch him in the face

Ergo, what the rules address.

I'm playing in a rules-light system now, after years of D&D- and I can't stand it... I miss having rules for things I want to do, and not being at the mercy of what the DM deems appropriate.

just my two cents.

Vorp

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

"Ok, hmmmm, I pull my scroll from its case and read it." Can you see the response then?

For a new player?

"Okay, the orc standing in front of you, menacing you with that big spikey axe, is going to get a couple free shots at you if you do it while standing next to him. Do you want to back up a bit, first? If you don't, he might ruin your spell."

As the DM, I know the rules. The new player doesn't need to. When the player does know the rules, then I expect him to be able to tell me, "I take a 5' step back, pull the scroll from its case, and cast magic missile at the orc. He takes ... 7 points of force damage."

Come on now...simpler rules does not mean no rules at all. Let's not exaggerate things.

But exaggeration is fun!

It's a scroll. In a case.

Yeah. And if you weren't trying to read what amounts to a book in combat, none of this would be important.

Even then, it's not important unless there's a badguy standing right over you.

Even then, it's not all that much different than just casting a normal spell when there's a badguy standing right over you.

Our point is that, for a scroll in a case, the rules aren't all that complicated or situation-specific.

Pulling the scroll from the case is no different than retrieving a potion, or pulling a coil of rope off your shoulders, and is only marginally different from pulling a sword from its scabbard or a wand from its sheath.

Casting the spell from the scroll is no different* than casting a normal spell in the same situation.

* - At least, so long as its a scroll you made, or is a scroll made for a wizard of your power. Otherwise, there's a very, very small chance something could go wrong.

And, don't worry, I've taken no offense at any of your posts. Mine should be taken to be just as lighthearted as yours - I didn't think there was any way someone could consider a sword-caused earthquake to be completely serious, but just to make sure, add " " above.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Since I realize I am in a losing position because I am in the Rules forum, I wasn't planning on continuing this. But since you both asked direct questions, I feel it only polite to respond.

Not a problem.

Did you do what I suggested?

I did and instead of your example, I came up with this, which I think is more reasonable:

"Ok, hmmmm, I pull my scroll from its case and read it."

"Wait a minute, Slick, you want to reach into your backpack and pull out some reading material while a 7ft-tall orc swings a bloody axe at your head?"

"Whoa, good point. That would be pretty stupid. I guess I better back away from him first."

So, I'm not exaggerating anything and I think the rules on this are pretty simple and absolutely sensible.

 

[frankthedm]

Can you cast on the defensive by reading from a scroll?

Are there any other rules that I should be aware of regarding casting spells from scroll in combat?

Olaf the Stout

Spell Completion: This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The preparation is done for the caster, so no preparation time is needed beforehand as with normal spellcasting. All that’s left to do is perform the finishing parts of the spellcasting (the final gestures, words, and so on). To use a spell completion item safely, a character must be of high enough level in the right class to cast the spell already. If he can’t already cast the spell, there’s a chance he’ll make a mistake. Activating a spell completion item is a standard action and provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does.

It works 'exactly as casting a spell does' so casting defensivly should work. It also looks like reading the scroll takes two hands. One to hold the scroll to read it, the other to perform the somatic components.

Activate the Spell: Activating a scroll requires reading the spell from the scroll. The character must be able to see and read the writing on the scroll.

Activating a scroll spell requires no material components or focus. (The creator of the scroll provided these when scribing the scroll.) Note that some spells are effective only when cast on an item or items. In such a case, the scroll user must provide the item when activating the spell. Activating a scroll spell is subject to disruption just as casting a normally prepared spell would be. Using a scroll is like casting a spell for purposes of arcane spell failure chance.