Hopefully this is an easy question that I'm just missing the obvious answer to.
I'll use an example to make it easier to follow:
A cleric scribes a scroll of Dispel Evil. This is a 5th level spell, requiring he be 9th level. The caster level of the scroll is therefore 9th.
A 9th level Warpriest goes to use the scroll. He can't cast a 5th level spell himself until 13th, but the spell is on his class spell lists (All cleric spells up to 6th are) and Warpriest's don't seem to take a penalty to their caster level, meaning his caster level is 9 the same as the scroll
Does this mean that despite being four levels away from being able to cast it, is only able to cast 3rd level spells himself, he doesn't need to make a CL check to use the scroll?
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This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The preparation is done for the caster, so no preparation time is needed beforehand as with normal spellcasting. All that's left to do is perform the finishing parts of the spellcasting (the final gestures, words, and so on). To use a spell completion item safely, a character must be of high enough level in the right class to cast the spell already. If he can't already cast the spell, there's a chance he'll make a mistake. Activating a spell completion item is a standard action (or the spell's casting time, whichever is longer) and provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does.
A ninth level warpriest is not high enough level to cast a 5th level spell, so he will still need to make a CL check to cast it.
This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The preparation is done for the caster, so no preparation time is needed beforehand as with normal spellcasting. All that's left to do is perform the finishing parts of the spellcasting (the final gestures, words, and so on). To use a spell completion item safely, a character must be of high enough level in the right class to cast the spell already. If he can't already cast the spell, there's a chance he'll make a mistake. Activating a spell completion item is a standard action (or the spell's casting time, whichever is longer) and provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does.A ninth level warpriest is not high enough level to cast a 5th level spell, so he will still need to make a CL check to cast it.
That's where it struck me odd. So he is a 9th level caster, the scroll has a CL of 9th This means then he just needs to make the check, and not roll a 1, which is an auto failure?
Or would the DC be based off of the minimum level he can cast it (13) meaning the DC should be 14.
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The DC is based on the scroll's caster level. It actually doesn't matter what the class that originally made the scroll was - all that matters is whether the spell is arcane or divine, and the caster level.
Note that the requirement list for scrolls is a little different than for general spell completion items:
To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.
• The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters (wizards, sorcerers, and bards) can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his class.)
• The user must have the spell on her class list.
• The user must have the requisite ability score.If the user meets all the requirements noted above, and her caster level is at least equal to the spell's caster level, she can automatically activate the spell without a check. If she meets all three requirements but her own caster level is lower than the scroll spell's caster level, then she has to make a caster level check (DC = scroll's caster level + 1) to cast the spell successfully. If she fails, she must make a DC 5 Wisdom check to avoid a mishap (see Scroll Mishaps). A natural roll of 1 always fails, whatever the modifiers. Activating a scroll is a standard action (or the spell's casting time, whichever is longer) and it provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does.
So if your warpriest is 9th level and has a 15 Wisdom, he can activate the scroll without a check. This also lets sorcerer and oracle characters use scrolls at odd levels before their delayed casting progression gets new spell levels - a 5th level sorcerer can use a CL5 scroll of haste just fine.
So if your warpriest is 9th level and has a 15 Wisdom, he can activate the scroll without a check. This also lets sorcerer and oracle characters use scrolls at odd levels before their delayed casting progression gets new spell levels - a 5th level sorcerer can use a CL5 scroll of haste just fine.
I had completely forgotten Sorc's get the delayed progression, that is good comparison/point.
