D&D 5E (2014) What If Everyone Could Use Scrolls? (House rule)

[Shardstone]

@CleverNickName I would consider saying that the scroll has to be for a spell that is equal to or lower than the character's PB if they don't have spell slots for that level.

Or make it so scrolls of higher level spells then this threshold require difficult checks, with advantage given to spellcasters with spells of the appropriate level.

 

[Shardstone]

in my games I give out single use magic items which have more flavor than a scroll but can cast a single spell one time. I took this idea from Cyphers in Numenera.

Here’s more about it:

Relics: Single-use D&D 5E Magic Items

Compared to previous versions of D&D and other fantasty RPGs, D&D 5th edition is stingy with the magic items. According to the Dungeon Master's Guide, a PC should receive roughly one permanent magic i...

slyflourish.com

These have been great additions to my game. They can be really powerful but won’t break the game because they can only be used once.

I also do this for my game, it's naughty word great. Really makes exploration rewarding.

 

[Baron Opal II]

What level does the spell take effect at? Can it vary by character level? Can the wizard scribe a fireball at 5th spell level of effect?

NB: I think this is a great idea, although the rogue might want a shiny new ribbon for later.

 

[Clint_L]

The barbarian will wind up carrying low level spells the other casters know and don't need a scroll (or won't prep but the barbarian would like it cast on them) or that can't be cast on other people or that might be handy when the barbarian is by himself.

E.g. Longstrider, Expeditious Retreat, Blur and Mirror Image. Longstrider is the only one that can be cast on another person and I imagine most casters are like "you can already run fast enough, if anything I'll cast this on myself".

And then any healing/remove curse/neutralizes poison scrolls will likely be shared around to the people least likely to be afflicted. Barbarians are notoriously difficult to poison.

Maybe? Generally, a barbarian should have much better uses for their action economy than attempting an arcana check to use a scroll, but I suppose having one in their back pocket for a Hail Mary could lead to a fun moment.

In my current campaign, the party doesn't possess a single spell scroll, so I suspect this would be more of a feature in a heavy magic environment.

 

[kigmatzomat]

In my current campaign, the party doesn't possess a single spell scroll, so I suspect this would be more of a feature in a heavy magic environment.

By RAW/XtGE, 1st level spell scrolls are cheap, at least in adventurer terms. 1st level are 25gp of materials and 1 day effort, so guesstimating a 50gp price is worth it for "just in case" spells.

 

[Yaarel]

@CleverNickName

I would recharacterize this as:

Everyone can perform Rituals.

Some spells are also Rituals. But a Ritual might be anything. The Ritual lists a skill to check to determine success, and failure might cause a magical mishap, which the Ritual also describes. Typically a ritual involves special material components and ceremonial requirement, but again a particular ritual might be anything, such as a psionic meditation, or whatever.

 

[nevin]

(I know all character classes can use Protection scrolls; this thread is about spell scrolls.) In my last 5E game, spell scrolls were largely ignored. I'd like to make them more important and useful in my next campaign, and I think this might be a good way to go about it. What do you think?

The General Idea:
All characters (and certain monsters) can cast spells from scrolls, with a successful Intelligence (Arcana) check.
Basically: if you can read and speak, you can cast spells from scrolls.

The Details:

• If the spell on the scroll is a spell you can normally cast, no check is needed.
• Otherwise, the DC is equal to 10 + the spell level.
• The character must be able to see, and have enough light to read by.
• The character must be able to speak.
• The character must be holding the scroll in one hand at the start of their turn.
• The casting time, duration, effect, and concentration is unchanged from the spell description.
• On a success, the scroll is consumed and the spell is cast as normal.
• On a failure, the scroll is consumed and the spell fizzles without effect (or, at the player's discretion, the character may roll on the Spell Mishap table for a random effect.)

Why Am I Doing This?

• I want spell scrolls to be more useful.
• I want spell scrolls to be more interesting (if the player wants).

Potential Consequences:
Bards and Wizards will be better than other non-spellcasters, thanks to their high Intelligence, their broad spell list, and/or their Jack of All Trades class feature. I'm not sure if this is a problem, per se, but it will definitely have an effect on these character classes.

It's ripe for abuse in the hands of certain players. I can see at least one of my players building a "scroll factory" wizard and cheesing the game with scrolls of Haste, for example.

Others?

There were scrolls in 1e that anyone could use. They tended to be very expensive and very powerful. Protection from water created a sphere in which no water could touch you for the duration.

Or do something like churches selling scrolls of Minor miracle that any who read the scripture can call on the power of the god for any spell effect of up to X level (depending on the amount donated to the church). Then you get a good money sink and players get one off generally useful scrolls. I'd add some restrictions or side affects like potential curses if you use them in any way that the church who wrote it would dissaprove of and potential negative affects like say losing x points of constitution if you use them too close together. Or maybe the use of a second scroll causes instant loss of affect for the first. Or even something like the old potion mixing tables for using too many or more than one at a time.

I don't worry too much about abuse by players. If they abuse it then you abuse it against them. Fair is fair. If they can do it then so can every body else in the game world. The consequence of being clever is you teach others great ideas.

 

[Horwath]

IMO, the DC should be tied to multiple options, depending on who scribed the scroll.

A Cleric scroll of cure wounds shouldn't require Arcana (Int). I would expect Religion (Wis). Likewise, a Bard scroll of that spell might require Performance (Cha).

I would say only Arcana,
spell power is already in the scroll, it does not need to be bargained for, you just need to utilize it.

ofc, you can flavor it that the complete spell is NOT in the scroll but just instructions on how to access it, so it might require different checks, but I like to keep this things simple and consistent.

DC 8+2×spell level, seems OK, DC 10 for 1st level spell(DC 8 for cantrips), DC 26 for 9th level spell still falls unto possible failure even for best experts.
if you fail by 5 or more you suffer a mishap.


would be funny to have several scrolls scribed on the back of the shield so you can cast them in combat.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I would say only Arcana,
spell power is already in the scroll, it does not need to be bargained for, you just need to utilize it.

My main thing is, I don't like the idea that all magic is 100% the same. It's too modern-tech-like, too "clean". So I prefer that the game recognize that different traditions are in fact different, not just different methods of accessing the exact same thing.

Of course, in my DW game, only Wizards would create "spell scrolls". Non-Wizard magic isn't formulaic like that and couldn't be expressed in that way. Instead, other means would be used. A Druid's magic might be bound to a seed that naturally splits open when thrown. A Bard's magic might work by an object that produces a particular note or chord when struck, or like a clay flute or chime thrown to produce a sound. A Ceric's (Safiqi priest's, I should say) or Paladin's (Temple Knight's) would be a hand-made scapular of the saint whose magic one is calling upon. A Sorcerer's would be a drop or tiny phial of their own blood (a la St. Januarius' blood, according to the Catholic Church anyway), and thus any given person could only create such "scrolls" of their particular affinity. Each would be consumed upon use.

DC 8+2×spell level, seems OK, DC 10 for 1st level spell(DC 8 for cantrips), DC 26 for 9th level spell still falls unto possible failure even for best experts.
if you fail by 5 or more you suffer a mishap.

Seems reasonable in principle. Testing would be required to see how it works out in practice.

would be funny to have several scrolls scribed on the back of the shield so you can cast them in combat.

I imagine you would need rather more investment if those inscribed spells can be repeatedly used. That is, a shield that can be used as 3-4 different scrolls multiple times without needing other resources to charge it back up would be much more powerful than the three to four scrolls alone.

 

[Bae'zel]

I like the idea, but I'd want to keep it relatively simple, while still providing extra "oomph" or meaning to caster characters.

Something like: if the spell is already part of the character's available list of class spells, they can just cast it. Otherwise it requires a Intelligence (Arcana) check (or Wisdom (Religion) check if it is a divine cleric spell).

If a check is needed, the DC is 12+ the spell's level. Or something like that (I'm not quite good at determining DC).

If they fail, the spell isn't cast, but the scroll is still intact (they just couldn't get it to work). If they roll a 1 maybe the scroll is consumed?