Variable spell components and spell completion / trigger items


Rules Questions


1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

How much does a scroll of permanency, or other spell with a variable component, cost? Do you pay the component cost during the creation process, and if so, how much? Or, due to the variable nature of the spell, are you instead forced to pay for it after the item's creation when you make use of it?

I think the latter makes more sense, but there's no support for it whatsoever. There's also no support on what to do in the former scenario. What is the general assumption when an adventurer come across a scroll of permanency, or a wand of restoration, and similar items?

What to do? What to do?


"Extra Costs: Any potion, scroll, or wand that stores a spell with a costly material component also carries a commensurate cost. For potions and scrolls, the creator must expend the material component cost when creating the item. For a wand, the creator must expend 50 units of the material component. Some magic items similarly incur extra costs in material components, as noted in their descriptions. "

So you pay for the extra cost of components at creation.

As for things like finding a Scroll of Permanency during an adventure. Not sure.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

BiaJ, so can I use a scroll of restoration that I bought for 800gp to remove a negative level? Why or why not?

Does one need to pay the minimum investment when crafting, or the maximum, or something in between?


The simplest answer is that the value of the component used during creation sets the limit for what the item can do. An 800 GP Scroll of Restoration won't remove a negative level. If you want to create a scroll that can, you have to use the more valuable component.

Of course, this means that every Scroll of Restoration lying around in all the published modules and APs should be qualified as to how much it can restore. Or the GM is going to have to make a decision on each one. The same holds true for Permanency and whatever other spells have variable components.

Presumably, the guy writing the scroll will indicate somewhere just what components were used, or maybe a Knowledge (Arcane) can look at the ink and figure it out, or a Detect Magic could cover this kind of knowledge. Otherwise, PCs finding a variable scroll would not likely know just how good (or not) it really is.

Alternatively, we could just assume all such scrolls/wands/items are made at max component value and require the same of any PC drafters.


Ravingdork wrote:

BiaJ, so can I use a scroll of restoration that I bought for 800gp to remove a negative level? Why or why not?

Does one need to pay the minimum investment when crafting, or the maximum, or something in between?

Well if it was 800 Gold(700 Gold cost of a 4th scroll +100 gold for diamond dust) it would only function as per lesser restoration and remove temp negative levels. To remove a permanent negative level would need a Scroll of Restoration worth 1,700 Gold.

The cost of components is determined during the creation process.


The rules require that the components be part of the creation. So if you don't have enough component in your item for the effect you want, it won't work.

In our games we have house ruled that variable component spells can be made into scrolls without the component, and that it can be provided separately as part of the casting. The similar question for wands and potions hasn't come up, but I would be inclined to have those be required to be baked in.

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