This scroll is made from thinly tanned serpent hide, etched with spiraling glyphs that writhe when viewed in peripheral vision. Exuding an acrid scent of incense and venom, the scroll bears a fragment of yuan-ti terror magic—an echo of rituals used to cow and command lesser beings. A spellcaster who studies this scroll for 1 hour gains access to the fear spell, written in a mystical cipher of ophidian origin.

The spell does not count against your known or prepared spells. You may cast it only as a ritual (if you have the Ritual Caster trait) or using a spell slot at its base level and normal casting time. When cast using this knowledge, it requires no material components.

If the fear spell is on your spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make a spellcasting ability check (DC = 13). On a failed check, the glyphs recoil with a silent scream—the spell becomes unreadable and the scroll cannot be used for 1 minute, as the fear magic coils inward, punishing your hubris.

If the spell requires a saving throw or attack roll, use a spell save DC of 15 and a +7 spell attack bonus.

Wizards may attempt to transcribe the spell into their spellbook. Doing so requires a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) check. On a success, the magic is transferred as normal.

The spell knowledge lingers for 7 days before it fades from your mind, unless refreshed by studying the scroll again.

Notes: Control, Debuff, Utility