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Hi folks, first time poster. I'm actually thinking about playing a scrollmaster from Ultimate Magic for my next PFS character because I want to trick myself into actually using consumables (and the archetype is silly fun). I want to be sure I have the rules right first. Here's part of the text of one of the class's key abilities, Scroll Blade:
"A scrollmaster can wield any paper, parchment, or cloth scroll as if it were a melee weapon. In the hands of the Wizard, the scroll acts as a short sword with an enhancement bonus equal to 1/2 the level of the highest-level Wizard spell on the scroll; a scroll with only a cantrip or 1st-level spell on it counts as a masterwork short sword.
Activating this ability is a free action. A scroll blade only retains its abilities in the hands of the scrollmaster. The scroll blade has hardness 0 and hit points equal to the highest-level Wizard spell on the scroll. Each successful hit by the scroll blade reduces its hit points by 1; this damage cannot be repaired, but does not affect casting from the scroll. When its hit points reach 0, the scroll is destroyed."
Normally:
"A scroll has AC 9, 1 hit point, hardness 0, and a break DC of 8."
So, if scrollmeister had a sixth level scroll and whacked something with it, it would lose an unrepairable hitpoint, and have five hit points left. Then scrollmeister puts it down/back in the case/gives it to his sorcerer friend. What happens?
Does it turn back into a regular scroll and vaporize because it lost its only HP? That seems too harsh.
Does it turn back into a regular scroll, and is suddenly fully healed, no longer a scroll blade, no longer damaged? That seems too generous.
Does it not turn back into a regular scroll? Like, scroll blade for life, but only scrollbladey when in the scrollmaster's hands? That'd be weird.
Does it do something else?
Thanks in advance!
It turns back into a regular scroll, but with subtle damage. If any scrollblade picks it up it is in its damaged state.
Correct. putting the scrollblade down doesn't insta-heal it from the damage it's taken.
Wizard meleers need to remember that a scrollmaster wizard still is a pretty incompetent fighter. and that the best aspects of this class come later with the ability to use scrolls that much better.
"Subtle damage," that's a cool solution. So it has one set of hit points when it is a scroll blade, and one set (of, usually, one hp) when it is not, by that system--and it "remembers" the subtle damage when it turns back into a scroll blade. Seems weird, but I'd take it, and that's kind of what I had in mind with the third option in my post.
Drahiliana Moonrunner--I'm definitely not planning to use a scrollblade regularly, and I probably should have used scrollshield as my example. I'm more into having a reason to have a scroll in hand most of the time. Thanks for the warning, though!
Having two sets of hp makes sense for me.
I played a scrollmaster once, but the situation never came up. She also only ever used the scrollblade against some ghosts (playing a support/control role so nothing good was prepared to deal with ghosts, and scrollblade is magical), and scrollshield only a few times.