Take 10 to add scroll to spellbook?

[Selgard]

Taking 10

Spoiler:

When your character is not in immediate danger or distracted, you may choose to take 10. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, calculate your result as if you had rolled a 10. For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful. Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible for a character to take 10. In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure—you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10). Taking 10 is especially useful in situations where a particularly high roll wouldn't help.

Spells learned from scrolls or other spellbooks

Spoiler:

Spells Copied from Another's Spellbook or a Scroll: A wizard can also add a spell to his book whenever he encounters one on a magic scroll or in another wizard's spellbook. No matter what the spell's source, the wizard must first decipher the magical writing (see Arcane Magical Writings). Next, he must spend 1 hour studying the spell. At the end of the hour, he must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell's level). A wizard who has specialized in a school of spells gains a +2 bonus on the Spellcraft check if the new spell is from his specialty school. If the check succeeds, the wizard understands the spell and can copy it into his spellbook (see Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook). The process leaves a spellbook that was copied from unharmed, but a spell successfully copied from a magic scroll disappears from the parchment.

If the check fails, the wizard cannot understand or copy the spell. He cannot attempt to learn or copy that spell again until he gains another rank in Spellcraft. If the spell was from a scroll, a failed Spellcraft check does not cause the spell to vanish.

So, for 15+spell level as DC, a wizard can add a scroll to their spellbook.

Assuming a wizard started at 1st level with a 16 int (+3 bonus) and 1 rank in Spellcraft (1+ class bonus 3=4) he starts with a +7 to the check.

If you can take 10, this means that a wizard with even a relatively "low" starting Int (most start at 18 if not 20, depending on point buy), never- ever- ever fails the check.

A level 1 wizard putting a level 1 scroll into his book, taking ten, has to roll over a 16. 17 is what they get 'taking 10'. Assuming the character continues to max out their spellcraft every level they will *never, ever* fail a check- even if they never stick a single point into their intelligence for the rest of their careers.

So- can they take 10 and make a potentially costly failure into a problem that doesn't actually exist? If you Can take 10 on it why include the chance of failure at all? Its not like they are going to spend an hour "in combat" doing it, such that the "in combat" restriction on taking 10 comes into play.

Am I missing something?

-S

[sir_shajir]

I do not see a problem with this.

Again, this should be done during downtime.

[LazarX]

Taking 10 on this activity assumes relatively ideal conditions. And that the person you're copying from doesn't have other demands on his time.

[Khuldar]

You can scribe spells higher then you can cast into your book. Also, spells from prohibited schools have a higher check. Combine the two of these and you can get into situations where a 10 won't cut it.

We also assume that the wizard is keeping his spellcraft maxed out. Rules like this one ensure that you do. There may be bad/lazy wizards out there who don't, and this is one of the things that bites them for their laxness.

[IkeDoe]

It's ok for me.

I.e. you can take 10 with Use Magic Device out of combat.. but the skill specifically states you can't; no exception for adding scrolls to the spellbook.

Note that the limit is money, we don't want to loose expensive scrolls. However the DC can be a problem for multiclass characters with low Int and low Spellcraft ranks.
They just don't want to be harsh or slow down the game rolling dices for that kind of things.

[james maissen]

Selgard wrote:

So- can they take 10 and make a potentially costly failure into a problem that doesn't actually exist?

Yep, that's the point of taking 10.

-James