While a L3 sorcerer cannot cast Scorching Ray, I would think that when fifth level and NOT having it as one of his inherent spell, and while using a scrolls of Scorching Ray (CL3 - from a wizard), that he would or should be able to set the CL of a wand that he creates from it at CL3.
The source of the spell is CL3 (via the scroll) so he shouldn't be able to boost the strength/level of the spell when he can't cast it innately.
Am I correct?
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The rule is that you can use any wand whose spell is on your (actual or potential) spell list. Using a wand whose spell level is higher than your level has rules for that (using Spellcraft), and using wands whose spells are not on your spell list require Use Magic Device. So even if your Sorcerer didn't choose Scorching Ray, they can still use a Wand of Scorching Ray with no trouble.
1.) Wands are typically crafted at the lowest spell caster level, otherwise you start the (level of spell) x (level of caster) x (base) mathematics.
2.) Most GMs will allow you to use a scroll and Read Magic to substitute for actually casting the spell yourself, because that's how it reads in the SRD and the Core book.
3.) The NUMBER of scrolls needed to put the spell into a wand is somewhat subject to interpretation. The GM who says it's 50 spells/scrolls is an idiot in my opinion, and probably either hates magic or crafting (or both) in their campaign. The formula for making magic items comes down to 1,000 gp per day. If you're making a 2nd-level wand at 4th level (the lowest), then as a Sorcerer it's going to cost you 6,000/2 gp, or 3,000 gp in materials, and it's going to take you 6 days to craft. Six days SHOULD mean using 6 scrolls of Scorching Ray at minimum level for 150 gp each (if you buy from a wizard), or 900 gp in addition to the 3,000 gp needed to craft the wand.
So buy 6 scrolls of Scorching Ray to make your minimum-level Wand of Scorching Ray (50 charges) in six days of crafting.
4.) Adding any metamagic feat requires you to boost the level of the spell (level of spell x level of caster x base cost), and then you need to start the Excel spreadsheet. I'm not sure because I have not tried it, but supposedly using rods of metamagic feats may let you increase the level without paying for it. Of course, a Rod of Lesser Still Spell is expensive too (3,000 gp). Somebody confirm this.
The bonus is that if you have an inherent feat that adjusts your damage in a spell, crafting a scroll or wand of that spell SHOULD add the bonus to it for everyone. Like a Cleric with the Good domain (+1 to Good spells) should be able to put that "for free" into a wand of the good descriptor. Conversely, if you use a wand instead of your inherent spell, you can't add your bonus to the wand's effects - they are going to be the textbook description of the spell (as 1D6+1 for Cure Light Wounds).
The obvious thing to do for a Sorcerer who can change out their old spells every even-numbered level after 6th Level is to make a wand or two of the spell they're about to "lose", enabling them to still cast their old spell as well as their new chosen spell.
Creating a wand 'triggers' the spell I believe, so using a wand shouldn't work as it is used when 'casting' the spell.
However, I'm not sure you asnwered clearly the gist of my question: Would the Sorcerer without the spell in his reptoire, be able to craft the wand at CL3 from a CL3 scroll, despite the fact that when he casts it (from his own powers) he'd have to cast it as CL4.
The issue is that without Read Magic, and using UMD to use the scroll, would the sorcerer technically be limited to just CL3. On the other hand, if he had a CL1 Druid scroll and created a wand from it, could he create a CL5 wand (since he himself is CL5).
Creating a wand 'triggers' the spell I believe, so using a wand shouldn't work as it is used when 'casting' the spell.
However, I'm not sure you asnwered clearly the gist of my question: Would the Sorcerer without the spell in his reptoire, be able to craft the wand at CL3 from a CL3 scroll, despite the fact that when he casts it (from his own powers) he'd have to cast it as CL4.
The issue is that without Read Magic, and using UMD to use the scroll, would the sorcerer technically be limited to just CL3. On the other hand, if he had a CL1 Druid scroll and created a wand from it, could he create a CL5 wand (since he himself is CL5).
The Use Magic Device skill allows for "Use a Wand, Staff, or Other Spell Trigger Item", with a DC 20.
Reading a scroll is UMD at DC 20 + the spell level. Scorching Ray is a Sor/Wiz 2 spell, which the Sorcerer can cast at level 4 and the Wizard can cast at level 3. So you would need to roll a 22 or better to read the scroll using UMD. If you don't have a 12 in Int or Cha you have to roll 22 again. If your Sorcerer is level 3 trying to cast a 2nd-level spell, then you require a caster level check (p. 490 of Core) of DC 20 + 4 + 1 = 25.
If you're going to try to make a 1st-level wand at CL5, then instead of (750 x 1 x 1) it's going to be (750 x 1 x 5 = 3,750 gp) for the base price. Divide by two to get the cost price, or 1,875 gp, and it's going to take 4 days to craft instead of one day. You will therefore need four of those CL1 Druid scrolls, not just one scroll.
The Use Magic Device skill allows for "Use a Wand, Staff, or Other Spell Trigger Item", with a DC 20.
Reading a scroll is UMD at DC 20 + the spell level. Scorching Ray is a Sor/Wiz 2 spell, which the Sorcerer can cast at level 4 and the Wizard can cast at level 3. So you would need to roll a 22 or better to read the scroll using UMD. If you don't have a 12 in Int or Cha you have to roll 22 again. If your Sorcerer is level 3 trying to cast a 2nd-level spell, then you require a caster level check (p. 490 of Core) of DC 20 + 4 + 1 = 25.
If you're going to try to make a 1st-level wand at CL5, then instead of (750 x 1 x 1) it's going to be (750 x 1 x 5 = 3,750 gp) for the base price. Divide by two to get the cost price, or 1,875 gp, and it's going to take 4 days to craft instead of one day. You will therefore need four of those CL1 Druid scrolls, not just one scroll.
A sorcerer doesn't need to use UMD to cast a scroll from the sorcerer spell list, even if its a spell the sorcerer doesn't know or is not high enough level to actually cast.
Under the 'scrolls' section of magic items in the CRB, a spellcaster cast cast from a scroll if a) the scroll is the same type (arcane/divine), b) the spell appears on the spellcaster's class spell list, and c) the spellcaster has the requisite ability score.
If those conditions are met, and the spellcaster has a caster level equal or greater to the caster level of the scroll, he can cast the scroll automatically. If his caster level is lower than the scrolls, then he must make a caster level check (DC = scroll's caster level +1).
Thus, a lvl 3 Sorcerer trying to cast a sorcerer spell off a scroll with caster level 4 had a caste level check of d20+3 to beat a DC of 5 (4+1).
(UMD can be used to cast a scroll when any of the three conditions listed above are not met.)
Creating a wand 'triggers' the spell I believe, so using a wand shouldn't work as it is used when 'casting' the spell.
However, I'm not sure you asnwered clearly the gist of my question: Would the Sorcerer without the spell in his reptoire, be able to craft the wand at CL3 from a CL3 scroll, despite the fact that when he casts it (from his own powers) he'd have to cast it as CL4.
The issue is that without Read Magic, and using UMD to use the scroll, would the sorcerer technically be limited to just CL3. On the other hand, if he had a CL1 Druid scroll and created a wand from it, could he create a CL5 wand (since he himself is CL5).
It appears that a CL 5 sorcerer could craft a wand of a second level sorcerer spell at either CL 4 or CL 5. He could not do it at CL 3.
I base this on the chart in the CRB in the section on creating wands. It lists the base cost of a 2nd lvl sorcerer wand at the minimum caster level at 6,000. Since we know that the wand base cost is CL x Spell level x 750, and we know the spell level is 2, we can determine that the CL in that formula is 4. Thus, according to this chart, the minimum caster level for a sorcerer to craft a 2nd lvl spell trigger item is 4.
The fact that the scrolls used are CL 3 should have nothing to do with this. The scrolls simply provide the spell; the crafter creates the power. Likewise, a 10th level sorcerer who does not have fireball on his spell list could create a wand of fireball at 10th level (or any level from 6 to 10) by having his 5th lvl wizard friend supply the fireball spell for him each day. Its the item crafter that sets the caster level limits, not the supplier of the spell.
To create a magic wand, a character needs a small supply of materials, the most obvious being a baton or the pieces of the wand to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the wand: 375 gp × the level of the spell × the level of the caster. Wands are always fully charged (50 charges) when created.The creator must have prepared the spell to be stored (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any focuses the spell requires. Fifty of each needed material component are required (one for each charge). Material components are consumed when work begins, but focuses are not. A focus used in creating a wand can be reused. The act of working on the wand triggers the prepared spell, making it unavailable for casting during each day devoted to the wand's creation. (That is, that spell slot is expended from the caster's currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)
emphasis mine
So, you can't make a wand for a spell you don't know.
Removed inappropriate posts - please keep the discussion civil.
So, you can't make a wand for a spell you don't know.
Yes, you can.
A spell prerequisite may be provided by a character who has prepared the spell (or who knows the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard), or through the use of a spell completion or spell trigger magic item or a spell-like ability that produces the desired spell effect. For each day that passes in the creation process, the creator must expend one spell completion item or one charge from a spell trigger item if either of those objects is used to supply a prerequisite.
So, one scroll, or one wand/staff charge, per day.
A spell prerequisite may be provided by a character who has prepared the spell (or who knows the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard), or through the use of a spell completion or spell trigger magic item or a spell-like ability that produces the desired spell effect. For each day that passes in the creation process, the creator must expend one spell completion item or one charge from a spell trigger item if either of those objects is used to supply a prerequisite.
So, one scroll, or one wand/staff charge, per day.
But it's not 50 scrolls or 50 spells into a wand! The mathematics in the CRB (also SRD and PHB) clearly state you can craft up to 1,000 gp a day. A 1st-level wand is (750 x 1 x 1 = 750), and 750 < 1,000 gp, so you can craft a 1st-level wand in one day with the feat. You're not pumping 50 spells into that wand just to get 50 spells back later, that's ridiculous.