Scroll Templates

[Alcamtar]

Here are three methods for creating scrolls as templates. That is, you take one of these templates and apply it to any spell you know in order to create a one-use scroll of that spell.

I think I am going to allow all of these as options.

METHOD I: Naked Trigger

This is a new "create scroll" power, purchased as a naked advantage that can be applied to any known spell up to 40 active points. It requires one day and expensive ink, and produces a scroll. Creating a scroll also requires a skill roll against PS:Scribe. Skill rolls for scribing and spellcasting (if any) are made at -6.

The spell on the scroll is triggered by reading. Reading a scroll requires concentration at half DCV, light to read by, and a loud incantation; a scroll cannot be triggered in darkness or silence.

Naked Advantages (up to 45 AP): Trigger (+1/4) and Usable simultaneously by others as attack (+1), Universal OAF Fragile Very Difficult scroll (-1 3/4), Extra Time: 1 day (-4), Incantation (-1/2), Concentration 1/2 DCV (-1/4), RSR (-1/4), Restrainable by darkness or silence (-1/4); LIMS -7, ACTIVE 56, REAL 7

Variants
15 AP spell: create scroll is 19 AP, 2 real
30 AP spell: create scroll is 37 AP, 5 real
45 AP spell: create scroll is 56 AP, 7 real
60 AP spell: create scroll is 75 AP, 9 real

This is not an independent item, it is a power, which is why Usable By Others is necessary.

Campaign Rules: This ability must be purchased outside any power framework, although it can be applied to spells within a power framework. Scrolls may be freely scribed and sold (subject to focus cost and availability), but the limit on scrolls scribed and retained for personal use is INT/5, same as for Delayed Effect.

METHOD II: Independent Naked Trigger

This method is also a naked advantage; what it does is create an independent Trigger for a character power. Since it is Independent, the Usable by Others is unnecessary. Since the character already paid for the power itself and can use it any time he wants, paying only 1 CP for an independent trigger seems fair and balanced.

As with method I, the spell on the scroll is triggered by reading. Reading a scroll requires concentration at half DCV, light to read by, and a loud incantation; a scroll cannot be triggered in darkness or silence.

This method does not require a scribing skill roll. It is very cheap if you only rarely need to make a scroll, or need to create scrolls for really huge powers.

Naked Advantage (up to 80 AP): Trigger (+1/4), Independent (-2), One nonrecoverable charge (-4), Universal OAF Fragile Very Difficult scroll (-1 3/4), Extra Time: 1 Day (-4), Incantation (-1/2), Concentration 1/2 DCV (-1/4), Restrainable by darkness or silence (-1/4); LIMS -12 3/4, ACTIVE 20, REAL 1

For 1 CP you can write a scroll for an 81 AP spell
For 2 CP you can write a scroll for a 136 AP spell
For 3 CP you can write a scroll for a 191 AP spell

The key of course is that the character must have already purchased the spell as a power (or part of a framework), which puts an effective limit on the size of the scroll.

METHOD III: Independent power template

This follows the standard method for creating an Independent one-use item, provided for comparison. The advantage here is that you don't have to buy the spell separately; you can use this to create scrolls of spells you don't even know.

Any power up to 16 AP: Delayed Effect (+1/4), Independent (-2), One nonrecoverable charge (-4), Universal OAF Fragile Very Difficult scroll (-1 3/4), Extra Time: 1 Day (-4), Incantation (-1/2), Concentration 1/2 DCV (-1/4), Restrainable by darkness or silence (-1/4); LIMS -12 3/4, ACTIVE 20, REAL 1

Creation costs (not including the Delayed Effect advantage):
For 1 CP you can write a scroll for a 16 AP spell
For 2 CP you can write a scroll for a 27 AP spell
For 3 CP you can write a scroll for a 38 AP spell
For 4 CP you can write a scroll for a 49 AP spell
For 5 CP you can write a scroll for a 60 AP spell
For 6 CP you can write a scroll for a 71 AP spell
For 7 CP you can write a scroll for a 82 AP spell

Mike

[zarglif69]

hmmm... I like methods 1 and two, 2 being better if you want to restrict scroll usage... better than having to pay full real cost EVERY SINGLE FRICKEN time.

[feywulf]

Since method 1 uses a universal focus, i think it doesn't need usable by others.

[Alcamtar]

Originally posted by feywulf
Since method 1 uses a universal focus, i think it doesn't need usable by others.

Good call, I missed that. But I think that makes it awfully cheap... the costs would be:

up to 44 AP spell: "Scribe Scroll" is 11 AP, 1 real
up to 76 AP spell: "Scribe Scroll" is 19 AP, 2 real
up to 108 AP spell: "Scribe Scroll" is 27 AP, 3 real

For 1 CP, a typical heroic wizard with a 40 AP limit could make scrolls of any spell he knows! If you want scrolls to be commonplace and cheap so that every wizard keeps a few on hand, this would do it. (I'd enforce the INT/5 limit though; so you can trade scrolls with another wizard to obtain spells you don't have access to, but you can't collect and carry around a truckload of them.) But if scrolls are to be uncommon and valuable, then I think I'd have to disallow this method and stick to method II, so that each one costs CP.

Mike

[Jeff]

Originally posted by Alcamtar
Good call, I missed that. But I think that makes it awfully cheap... the costs would be:

up to 44 AP spell: "Scribe Scroll" is 11 AP, 1 real
up to 76 AP spell: "Scribe Scroll" is 19 AP, 2 real
up to 108 AP spell: "Scribe Scroll" is 27 AP, 3 real

For 1 CP, a typical heroic wizard with a 40 AP limit could make scrolls of any spell he knows! If you want scrolls to be commonplace and cheap so that every wizard keeps a few on hand, this would do it. (I'd enforce the INT/5 limit though; so you can trade scrolls with another wizard to obtain spells you don't have access to, but you can't collect and carry around a truckload of them.) But if scrolls are to be uncommon and valuable, then I think I'd have to disallow this method and stick to method II, so that each one costs CP.

Mike
It takes one day and it's Very Difficult to obtain inks. A guideline for that amount of difficulty is 100 times an average daily wage, comparable danger, or maybe a skill roll at -4. I think that secures you against scrolls coming out by the cartload pretty well if enforced already.

Also, the Incantation value will be -1/4, unless these are constant spells with incantations required throughout; I suspect they're not. That might have a minute effect on the round-off points.