Loot for exotic spell scrolls (3/3.5e/PF)

[RealMarkP]

I'm toying with the idea of making almost every spell known in D&D available in scroll form. Now, I realize that this might be a difficult thing to do, but I'd like to get some ideas thrown out there.

I have a general rule in my campaign. If you want a feat, spell, base/prestige class from any WoTC Non-Core book, you need to either be very lucky or seek out someone to teach you it. It may involve a side quest of sorts. But, if I wanted to include Non-Core spells as scroll loot, how would I fit it into the loot generator?

Consider you have a 1st level arcane scroll. Most are priced at 25gp and there are a few that are priced at 50gp due to rarity. A scroll of Identify is 125gp. All these spells are all core and already they show signs of price variability. If we were to throw, as an example, Discern Bloodline (RoD, p 165) into the mix, where would it sit? Of what if something like Distract (Dragon Mag #314 , p20) came up? How would you price these?

Perhaps you could double the average price of scrolls of that level for anything that is not listed on the SRD but still WoTC published? Perhaps you can triple or quadruple anything from the Dragon/Dungon magazines? Maybe even more expensive for 3rd party published material (Sword & Sorcery, etc)...

What are your thoughts?

 

[the Jester]

If a scroll of a first level spell with CL 1 is more than 25 gp, look at the components and you will usually find out why.

I wouldn't raise the cost to create, but it might be more expensive to purchase rarer spell scrolls. Generally, though, I'd hand wave it; the actual "gear value" is still the same.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I have a general rule in my campaign. If you want a feat, spell, base/prestige class from any WoTC Non-Core book, you need to either be very lucky or seek out someone to teach you it. It may involve a side quest of sorts.

I think that's a nice rule. You can establish what is "core" and still have some wiggle room to add non-core items.

For adding new spells, though, I'm not sure I'd go the scroll way. If there is a scroll of a rare spell available, it means someone penned a very rare spell down. I'm not sure most magic-users would willingly divulge their secret spells. I could see paying a high fee to learn a rare spell from a willing magic-user, but not finding a scroll of it in a random loot pile.

You could nevertheless "hide" some rare spells in various locations: an earth spell carved on a wall in a deep and dark cavern, on the inside of a metal plate covering a dangerous golem, etc.

You could also simply let your magic-users research new spells.

AR