There are a number of arcane casters in Sandpoint, though none of them are very high level. Still plenty of sources for an arcanist to receive training from, I think.
Area 4. Veznutt Parooh (NG male gnome wizard 2/expoert 4)
Area 13. Risa Magravi (NG female human sorcerer 4)
Area 17. Nisk Tander (NG male half-elf wizard 1/expert 2)
Area 22. Chask Haladan (CG male human bard 3/expert 3)
Area 23. Cyrdak Drokkus (CN male human bard 6)
Area 27. Ilsoari Gandethus (LN male human wizard 4/rogue 2)
Area 28. Niska Mvashti (N female human druid 3/sorcerer 4/mystic thurge 1)
Area 37. Ameiko Kaijitsu (CG female human aristicrat 1/bard 3/rogue 1)
Area 43. Kaye Tesarani (CG female human rogue 3/sorcerer 1)
Area 44. Vorashali Voon (LN male human wizard 2/rogue 2/expert 2)
Keep in mind though, scribing scrolls aren't worth the effort, once you can craft wands.
I fixed your sentence for you.
Well, one thing to remember is that a PC can just copy a spell out of an NPC' spell book, should the NPC let him do so. The PHB recommends the price of this service be equal to 50 gp times the spell's level.
No, I meant what I said, it's not worth the effort. Cost vs market value is prohibiting to scribing scrolls for profit. So you'd have to be a good roleplayer to convince one of the above to go through the effort for you.
Why not profitable? 1st level scroll goes for 25 gp. Half for materials. That leaves 12 gp profit. For the average Joe trying to make a living that's pretty good compared to 3 sp/day for a "trained hireling". Of course it loooks like slim pickings for PCs, but they have bigger expectations.
Don't get started on the XP penalty. That's a meta-game requirement to keep PCs from abusing item creation. As far as I'm concerned it shouldn't come into play for NPCs except maybe if they're making super powerful items. The idea of any decent wizard or cleric scribing himself into lesser ability is ridiculous.
Market price for a scroll: Spell Level x Caster Level x 25 gp
Creation cost for a scroll: Spell Level x Caster Level x 12.5 gp and 1 XP
For a 3rd-4th level character, the cost of scribing a 1st level spell scroll is negligible (12 gp, 5 sp, 1 XP) for a decent profit (sell for 25 gp). Even the cost of a 2nd level spell scroll is pretty meh (75 gp and 6 XP) for the return (sell for 150 gp). Scrolls are the second most cost effective magic items (behind wands) in 3.x D&D.
Cost versus market value is artificially whacked throughout 3rd Edition, specifically to prevent PCs from making a profit on item creation. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and should be rigorously ignored.
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Whenever one of my players comes up with a grand marketing scheme to make alot of gold by scribing scrolls or transporting rare cheese from one end of the planet to the other I remind them we are playing Dungeons and Dragons, not Papers and Paychecks. If they want to be a merchant, they can retire the character and become a merchant. I run DnD for adventurers.
Jeez, I wanna play Paper and Paycheques. Pett can write the installment where the chief accountant is revealed to be aurivoric and Logue can write the one where the party has to rescue the financial records from a burning building full of distractingly screaming victims.
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Whenever one of my players comes up with a grand marketing scheme to make alot of gold by scribing scrolls or transporting rare cheese from one end of the planet to the other I remind them we are playing Dungeons and Dragons, not Papers and Paychecks. If they want to be a merchant, they can retire the character and become a merchant. I run DnD for adventurers.
or they accidentally transport the cheese into the town as it is being attacked by goblins who love to eat.... and that cheese becomes a mighty big target...
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Why not profitable? 1st level scroll goes for 25 gp. Half for materials. That leaves 12 gp profit. For the average Joe trying to make a living that's pretty good compared to 3 sp/day for a "trained hireling". Of course it loooks like slim pickings for PCs, but they have bigger expectations.
And given the size of Sandpoint, how many people do you think can spare 25 gp for a single scroll?
Many adventures don't revolve around going in and out of rich cities where merchants have coin to waste. Small towns want to sell you services so they can buy the things they need from their neighbors, not the other way around.
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Why not profitable? 1st level scroll goes for 25 gp. Half for materials. That leaves 12 gp profit. For the average Joe trying to make a living that's pretty good compared to 3 sp/day for a "trained hireling". Of course it loooks like slim pickings for PCs, but they have bigger expectations.And given the size of Sandpoint, how many people do you think can spare 25 gp for a single scroll?
Many adventures don't revolve around going in and out of rich cities where merchants have coin to waste. Small towns want to sell you services so they can buy the things they need from their neighbors, not the other way around.
Even accepting your point, that doesn't mean you have to "be a good roleplayer" to convince anybody "to go through the work." Because, quite obviously, the PCs have the cash - it's guaranteed profit, at that point. The PCs might well have to get their scrolls on specific commission (though the GP limit of the town sugests otherwise), but doing so should be a straightforward business transaction, no extra effort required.
In general, though, I'm not sure your point holds even so. As was pointed out upthread, there are almost a dozen characters in the town that can use arcane scrolls, some as high as 3rd level without CL checks. So why wouldn't there be a few scrolls available for them, on "special order" if not as standard stock?
And given the size of Sandpoint, how many people do you think can spare 25 gp for a single scroll?Many adventures don't revolve around going in and out of rich cities where merchants have coin to waste. Small towns want to sell you services so they can buy the things they need from their neighbors, not the other way around.
My point exactly. The townies would love to sell scrolls to the PCs.
No, I meant what I said, it's not worth the effort. Cost vs market value is prohibiting to scribing scrolls for profit. So you'd have to be a good roleplayer to convince one of the above to go through the effort for you.
Scrolls are pretty handy in the first place ? Much more so for many things than wands ?
There is a vast number of spells which might just become excessively useful in a pinch, but which no respectable wizard will have booted up for a normal night of "mooking". And that is where your "single use, rainy day" scroll is going to save the bacon. YMMV