D&D 5E Perfect scribe?

[WilliamCQ]

I was playing a few hours ago and the Wizard of our group found a bunch of parchment. The player mentioned to be using them. Wondering if that could be a missed opportunity of copying them into a spell-book, I made such mention to be told they're not on the class spell-list. That got me thinking about using UMD (Use Magic Device) to copy other classes in the book, even if the Wizard couldn't memorize those not on his/her spell-list. Would a Thief (Rogue) 13 / Wizard (any school) 1 be able to copy all spells into a spell-book?

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

No. The spellbook rules specify "wizard spell" as the type of spells that can be added, which is not within the type of requirements that Use Magic Device states you can bypass (it's not a class, race, or level requirement).

However, a case can be made that a thief 13/wizard 1 can scribe wizard spells into their spellbook while ignoring the requirement of having spell slots of the appropriate spell level (a DM might consider scribing the spell from a scroll to be using the item, thus bringing Use Magic Device into question, and might consider what spell slots you have available as being a level requirement since they are a directly level-based detail of the character).

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Even if they could, wouldn't that just be a rather expensive way of wasting a spell scroll. The Rogue/Wizard might be able to use a spell scroll to copy a Druidic for example spell into her spellbook, but she still couldn't memorise or cast it, since it isn't a Wizard spell.

 

[mellored]

Even if they could, wouldn't that just be a rather expensive way of wasting a spell scroll. The Rogue/Wizard might be able to use a spell scroll to copy a Druidic for example spell into her spellbook, but she still couldn't memorise or cast it, since it isn't a Wizard spell.

Yes, you could not prepare the spell.

However, a case could be made that the rogue/wizard could still use it as a ritual. Since wizards do not need to prepare it to cast it as a ritual. Though it seems easier to get the ritual caster feat.