Failed scroll activation roll

[humble minion]

When a character attempts to cast a spell from a scroll and fails the caster level check but avoids a scroll mishap, is the scroll expended? The SRD is a little unclear.

If she meets all three requirements but her own caster level is lower than the scroll spell’s caster level, then she has to make a caster level check (DC = scroll’s caster level + 1) to cast the spell successfully. If she fails, she must make a DC 5 Wisdom check to avoid a mishap (see Scroll Mishaps, below). A natural roll of 1 always fails, whatever the modifiers.

and

A spell successfully activated from a scroll works exactly like a spell prepared and cast the normal way. Assume the scroll spell’s caster level is always the minimum level required to cast the spell for the character who scribed the scroll (usually twice the spell’s level, minus 1), unless the caster specifically desires otherwise.

The writing for an activated spell disappears from the scroll.

I'd always seen this as analagous to a Concentration check - if you fail the roll, the spell fizzles and you lose it. But from the above it could be argued that the spell only disappears from the scroll if the spell has been successfully activated, or if (via mishap) the scroll is activated incorrectly. Opinions?

 

[Kat']

I'd say failing the CL check causes you to activate the scroll incorrectly, resulting in its depletion. The Wisdom roll checks if you do not suffer negative drawbacks from this mistake. My interpretation, though.

 

[irdeggman]

The text does say:

"The writing for an activated spell disappears from the scroll."

It does not say successfully activated, where successfull appears in almost all of the other texts.

So I would say that the scroll is activated, but in order to activate it successfully you must meet the conditions specified and in addition on a failure to be successfull you must meet the other conditions to avoid a "mishap".

 

[Quartz]

Spell failure should be a good excuse for something amusing and possibly embarassing but not significantly detrimental.

 

[timmy]

According to the FAQ entry in the Scrolls section:

"If you do not succeed in activating a scroll spell, the spell is
not used up. If you suffer a mishap when you fail to cast the
spell, however, you activate the scroll after a fashion and the
scroll is wasted."