A Spell Scroll bears the words of a single spell, written in a mystical cipher. If the spell is on your spell list, you can read the scroll and cast its spell without Material components. Otherwise, the scroll is unintelligible. Casting the spell by reading the scroll requires the spell’s normal casting time. Once the spell is cast, the scroll crumbles to dust. If the casting is interrupted, the scroll isn’t lost.
If the spell is on your spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you make an ability check using your spellcasting ability to determine whether you cast the spell. The DC equals 10 plus the spell’s level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect.
The level of the spell on the scroll determines the spell’s saving throw DC and attack bonus, as well as the scroll’s rarity, as shown in the following table.
Spell Scroll
| Spell Level | Rarity | Save DC | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cantrip | Common | 13 | +5 |
| 1st | Common | 13 | +5 |
| 2nd | Uncommon | 13 | +5 |
| 3rd | Uncommon | 15 | +7 |
| 4th | Rare | 15 | +7 |
| 5th | Rare | 17 | +9 |
| 6th | Very rare | 17 | +9 |
| 7th | Very rare | 18 | +10 |
| 8th | Very rare | 18 | +10 |
| 9th | Legendary | 19 | +11 |
Copying a Scroll into a Spellbook. A Wizard spell on a Spell Scroll can be copied into a spellbook. When a spell is copied in this way, the copier must succeed on an Intelligence (Arcana) check with a DC equal to 10 plus the spell’s level. On a successful check, the spell is copied. Whether the check succeeds or fails, the Spell Scroll is destroyed.
VARIANT: SCROLL MISHAPS
A creature who tries and fails to cast a spell from a spell scroll must make a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw. If the saving throw fails, roll on the Scroll Mishap table.
Scroll Mishap
d6 Result 1 A surge of magical energy deals the caster 1d6 force damage per level of the spell. 2 The spell affects the caster or an ally (determined randomly) instead of the intended target, or it affects a rando m target nearby if the caster was the intended target. 3 The spell affects a random location within the spell’s range. 4 The spell’s effect is contrary to its normal one, but neither harmful nor beneficial. For instance, a fireball might produce an area of harmless cold. 5 The caster suffers a minor but bizarre effect related to the spell. Such effects last only as long as the original spell’s duration, or 1d10 minutes for spells that take effect instantaneously. For example, a fireball might cause smoke to billow from the caster’s ears for 1d10 minutes. 6 The spell activates after 1d12 hours. If the caster was the intended target, the spell takes effect normally. If the caster was not the intended target, the spell goes off in the general direction of the intended target, up to the spell’s maximum range, if the target has moved away.
Notes: Utility, Consumable
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Posted Jul 7, 2018Does anyone know if this info is in the DMG, and if so, what page?
Edit* Nevermind. I found it. It's in the magic items chapter under spell scroll. LOL! Duh.
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Posted Nov 5, 2018Here's a quality of life link to the Downtime Revisited on D&D Beyond, detailing the scribing of Spell Scrolls:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/xgte/downtime-revisited#ScribingaSpellScroll
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Posted Feb 3, 2019Why isn't this part about making an ability check to learn from a spell in the PHB? Pretty crucial information for a wizard to be blindsded by
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Posted Feb 6, 2019Below, I have a link and description of where to find this info in the player's handbook. The only real difference is that the player's handbook it is more generic about the rules and doesn't mention the spell scroll specifically, just that if you happen to find a wizard spell you can copy it into your spellbook. As such, it also leaves out the part about the spell scroll being consumed by the process. I don't have my physical copy of the player's handbook, but I would assume that it's there as well. I don't like rules or abilities relegated to sidebars because they become very easy for people to pass over; people like myself.
Wizard Class
Section: Spellcasting
Subsection: Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher
“Your Spellbook” sidebar
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Posted Feb 6, 2019Oh I read that I was talking about how it fails to mention in there that you have to make an arcana check to copy a spell from a scroll into your book.
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Posted Apr 5, 2019Because that's not a property of the Spell Scroll, but part of the Spellcasting ability for Wizards. You wouldn't search for the Cleric's Divine Smite extra damage in the Weapons section of the Equipment chapter either, would you? :)
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Posted Apr 26, 2019ok there seems to be a contradiction, the DMG in the section "Magic Items Categories" it says that
"Unless a scroll's description says otherwise, any creature that can understand a written language can read the script on a scroll and attempt to activate it."
But this page says
"A spell scroll bears the words of a single spell, written in a mystical cipher. If the spell is on your class’s spell list, you can read the scroll and cast its spell without providing any material components. Otherwise, the scroll is unintelligible."
So which is it? Seems to unnecessarily kneecap scrolls if only people who know the spell already can use them.
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Posted May 7, 2019I have the same question also...
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Posted May 10, 2019My understanding of it is that scrolls are essentially a way to bank or store magic, in such a way that a spell can be used some time in the future with out having to expend magical energy (spell Slot) or expensive / seasonal or hard to get components. As such the user of the scroll would still have to understand magic and be skilled an particular domain, but all the work of preparing spell has already been done for them.
Essentially scrolls are a freebee spell slot but only for a particular spell. Now where spell scrolls get interesting is if player characters have the opportunity to be able to craft them themselves during there downtime using appropriate craft skills / tools / materials. A half dozen hours spent ornately drawing a ‘Prayer of Healing’ Scroll when the player has time and materials to burn might just be the thing that saves the party’s skin a couple of sessions down the line.
‘If you just want to give a non magic user access to a particular spell, knock up a wand or ring/magical item that has something like 1d4 +1 charges every 24 hours. Cantrip rings are a particular favorite of mine.
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Posted May 15, 2019general rule: scrolls can be used by anyone.
special rule: SPELL scrolls can only be used by people that have the spell on their class list.
there are other scrolls than spell scrolls. for example Scroll of Protection which can be used by anyone.
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Posted May 15, 2019yeah but are there other non-spell scrolls than the scroll of protection. seems like a huge commitment of pages in the DMG for a niche circumstance
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Posted Aug 16, 2019Yea, this just blindsided my Wizard, too.
The class just says "You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in an evil wizard’s chest, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient library."
Then when I go to actually scribe a scroll in my spellbook I find out I am going to need Arcana for these. It feels kind of like a bait and switch.
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Posted Aug 30, 2019What's the possibility of a cleric casting spells from other classes by using a scroll?
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Posted Aug 31, 2019Rules As Written: No possibility, unless that spell is also on the Cleric list.
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Posted Sep 4, 2019So... The idea behind costs on copying spells is for the paper and ink needed to study it. Does that still apply when a wizard is learning a new spell from a spell scroll? Or is a scroll easier to learn from and you ignore the gold cost?
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Posted Sep 7, 2019I would say no you wouldn't ignore gold cost unless your dm says it's fine because at the very least you still need ink to copy it into your spell book.
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Posted Sep 15, 2019When a cleric casts a spell, which requires concentration - like bless, from a scroll, does the cleric still need to maintain the concentration for it, or has that been taken care of by the scroll.
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Posted Sep 16, 2019Yes. The spell scroll lets the bearer cast the spell without providing any material components, but doesn't otherwise change how the spell works.
Since the bearer is the one casting the spell, concentrating on it is their responsibility as well. You can check the general magic item rules on DMG p.141 for the rest of the details, but it explicitly mentions this requirement.
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Posted Sep 16, 2019scroll of 9th level fireball
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Posted Sep 25, 2019Home brew idea for scroll copying: Can make check to copy scroll quickly (1d4 hours) but if fail scroll is destroyed, materials used are lost, and spell is not copied. Otherwise can take 1d4 hours per spell level of scroll to auto successfully copy scroll to spellbook. Hours can be broken up into sessions of copying till completion.