Scrolls
Scrolls are the easiest and among the first magical items created by spellcasters—priests at seventh level, wizards when they attain ninth level. Creating a scroll is mostly a matter of collecting the right materials, carefully working out the transformations needed to transcribe the spell, and then doing the actual writing. Most scrolls require no lengthy research or complicated processes, only a knowledge of the spell to be transcribed.
The character, whether wizard or priest, must be able to cast the spell normally, whether it is an existing spell or one of the character's own devising. For calculating difficulty, spell scrolls are always standard magical items. Protection scrolls can be standard or semistandard, depending on the effect.
No matter what the scroll, three distinct materials are always needed: a quill, paper, and ink. All must be special, as ordinary items will not do. Ideally, each component should reflect the nature of the spell or protection transcribed, although this is not an absolute requirement. Table 7: Scroll Materials indicates the number of unique materials and their complexity.
Common goose quills will never do when writing a scroll. The pen must, at the very least, be exotic, plucked from some rare creature. The chance of success is greater if the quill is gathered by the spellcaster personally. Every spell inscribed requires a new quill. Those already used are tainted by lingering energies that would ruin any later work.
The material written on is the least unusual part of any scroll. Most scrolls are of paper, the best of ordinary surfaces. Papyrus or parchment can also be used, though less successfully. Truly extraordinary scrolls are written on fanciful substances—snake skins, peeled bark, silk cloth, supple leather, even carved into stone tablets!
Blending the ink is the most demanding part of any scroll. Bizarre combinations of ingredients may be needed and everything must be carefully measured, mixed, and filtered. The ink must be brewed in single batches. Each batch takes a day to brew and thereafter remains potent for two weeks.
The task of calculating and inscribing the spell onto a scroll takes one day per spell level. Wizards must have the appropriate spell book at hand, while priests must work before their altar. Otherwise, the process is the same for both. Protection scrolls require 6 days of uninterrupted work. A single scroll holds 1d6 spells and this number varies each time, even if the same spells are inscribed. A failed success check for any spell automatically fills the rest of the sheet— usually with a large ink blot.
When calculating the difficulty of a scroll, each spell inscribed is checked separately. Each spell counts as a standard single-use item. No spells are actually cast to make the scroll, but scrolls have a special modifier of 1 point for every level of the spell inscribed. This difficulty rating is then used to determine the number and types of ingredients needed.
Table 7: Scroll Materials
| Difficulty Rating | Quill | Materials Paper | Ink |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | Any | Any | 1 exotic |
| 5-9 | 1 rare | Any | 1 exotic |
| 10-14 | 1 exotic | Any | 1 rare, 1 exotic |
| 15+ | 1 exotic | 1 rare | 2 exotic |
The base chance of success for inscribing a scroll is 80% plus 1 point per level of the wizard. In addition, using paper gives a 5% bonus unless a special material is required, while papyrus causes a -5% penalty.
If a 96 or greater is rolled when making the success check, the scroll is cursed. No more spells can be inscribed on the scroll. The caster does not know his work is flawed. The curse only takes affect when that spell is read, and any other spells on the scroll remain unaffected.
Wizards. Wizards actually have fewer demands on them than priests when it comes to creating scrolls. The only time the wizard needs a laboratory is when blending the ink for the task. After this, the inscribing can be completed in any quiet place, so long as there is a table (or something that passes for it) and space to lay out a spell book. A few rural-minded types have even gone so far as to do their work outdoors, making a picnic of the whole thing. A wizard can read personally written scrolls without resorting to a read magic spell.
Priests. Although they are freed from the laboratory requirement, priests do not have as much leeway in where they do their work. After they have combined the ingredients for the ink, everything must be placed on the priest's altar. The priest spends a day in prayer to imbue the materials with the power needed to make the scroll, and then must do the inscribing at the same altar.
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