Rogues casting from scrolls

[Dimwhit]

I need help. For the life of me, I can no longer find the rules for using Use Magic Device to cast from a scroll. I know you first have to decipher the scroll (DC25), then do an Emulate Spell Ability check (DC20) - both get a +2 bonus if you have 5 ranks in Decipher Script. But is that it? I didn't see anything in UMD requiring a caster level check, nor rules on doing it. Do you just make those two checks and the spell is cast successfully?

If you can, please quote chapter and verse so I can find it.

Thanks.

 

[AuraSeer]

When you make your UMD check to use the scroll, your effective caster level is the check result -20. This is listed in the skill description, under "Emulate Spell Ability."

You must then make a caster level check to activate the scroll. If your effective CL is at least equal to that of the scroll, you succeed without a roll.

Example:
Bob the Rogue has a scroll of Teleport that he wants to cast. It's written at the minimum caster level of 9. He has already deciphered the spell, so that's not a problem.

To activate the scroll, he makes a Use Magic Device check to Emulate Spell Ability (DC 20). He gets a result of 23, so he succeeds, and emulates knowledge of the spell.

Bob's effective caster level is (23 - 20 = ) 3. This is lower than the scroll's caster level, so he needs to roll a caster level check. If he had gotten a 29 or better on his original UMD check, he would not need to make the additional roll.

 

[Dimwhit]

That makes sense. Thanks for the info.

 

[Mistwell]

I need help. For the life of me, I can no longer find the rules for using Use Magic Device to cast from a scroll. I know you first have to decipher the scroll (DC25), then do an Emulate Spell Ability check (DC20) - both get a +2 bonus if you have 5 ranks in Decipher Script. But is that it? I didn't see anything in UMD requiring a caster level check, nor rules on doing it. Do you just make those two checks and the spell is cast successfully?

If you can, please quote chapter and verse so I can find it.

Thanks.

That's it, I believe. The emulation is what let's you cast the spell. Your effective caster level is your emulation result minus 20, and it is okay to have a 0 effective caster level.

 

[Mistwell]

When you make your UMD check to use the scroll, your effective caster level is the check result -20. This is listed in the skill description, under "Emulate Spell Ability."

You must then make a caster level check to activate the scroll. If your effective CL is at least equal to that of the scroll, you succeed without a roll.

Example:
Bob the Rogue has a scroll of Teleport that he wants to cast. It's written at the minimum caster level of 9. He has already deciphered the spell, so that's not a problem.

To activate the scroll, he makes a Use Magic Device check to Emulate Spell Ability (DC 20). He gets a result of 23, so he succeeds, and emulates knowledge of the spell.

Bob's effective caster level is (23 - 20 = ) 3. This is lower than the scroll's caster level, so he needs to roll a caster level check. If he had gotten a 29 or better on his original UMD check, he would not need to make the additional roll.

Ah, right, I missed the part about effective caster level being lower than the scroll level requiring you to look something up in the DMG about casting from a scroll (presumably about caster level checks).

See, yah learn something new every day. I've never used this skill, but I plan on using it a lot in the future for a Monte Bard I am working on.

 

[Dimwhit]

Let me ask one more question, then. When does the Rogue have to roll to decipher the scroll? If another party member (or even he) casts Read Magic and tells him what's on it, does he still have to make the decipher roll, or can he go straight to the Emulate Spell Ability roll?

 

[Dimwhit]

See, yah learn something new every day. I've never used this skill, but I plan on using it a lot in the future for a Monte Bard I am working on.

It's an awesome skill. Our party lost our only arcane caster. So now my Rogue casts all the arcane scrolls and uses the arcane wands. Very handy.

 

[AuraSeer]

Let me ask one more question, then. When does the Rogue have to roll to decipher the scroll? If another party member (or even he) casts Read Magic and tells him what's on it, does he still have to make the decipher roll, or can he go straight to the Emulate Spell Ability roll?

You can roll to decipher the scroll at any time. This is a separate action from the activation. Usually, you'll do the deciphering as soon as you find or purchase the item.

In order to activate a scroll, a character must have deciphered it for himself, even if he knows what spell it contains. (This is similar to the effect that prevents wizards from easily sharing spellbooks. Magical notation and understanding are unique to each individual.)

If the rogue can cast Read Magic himself-- even from a wand or something-- he can decipher the scroll without a skill check. If not, he needs to make a UMD check, DC 25 + spell level. (On a Spellcraft check the DC is only 20 + spell level, but single-classed rogues probably don't have that skill.)

 

[Dimwhit]

Again, that makes sense. And a Rogue can make a Decipher roll how often? If he fails to decipher a scroll, does he have to wait 1 day, or a level like Wizards do?

Thanks for the info. This is a big help.

 

[Shallown]

Also don't forget that the caster (in this case the rogue) Has to have a minimum score to cast spells equal to spell level above 10 so a 5th arcane spell requires a 15 intelligence. Rogues can also fake this with UMD but it is a seperate roll.

I had a rogue who aquired a device made to help UMD basically gave a skill bonus like a cloak of elvenkind does but to UMD. it did cost a good deal more since the skill is exclusive and potentially powerful but with something like that the rogue becomes the backup caster and becomes very independent of the party. He can't do everything but he can fake it for a while.

Later