Scroll master scroll blade durability question


Rules Questions


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The scroll master wizard archetype gains the scroll blade ability, which reads as follows:

scroll blade:
Scroll Blade (Su) You can wield any paper, parchment, or cloth scroll as if it were a melee weapon. In your hands, the scroll acts as a short sword with an enhancement bonus equal to ½ 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. You are proficient in this weapon, and feats and abilities that affect short swords (such as Weapon Focus) apply to this weapon. You cannot wield two scrollblades at the same time. Activating this ability is a free action. A scroll blade only retains its abilities while in your hands. 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. If a scroll contains a spell with a metamagic feat, this ability uses the original spell level of the spell (a scroll of empowered fireball counts as a 3rd-level spell). When using a 4th-level or higher wizard scroll as a scroll blade, you can choose to reduce its enhancement bonus by 1 (minimum +1 enhancement bonus) to treat it as a reach weapon. When using a 4th-level or higher wizard scroll as a scroll blade, you can choose to reduce its enhancement bonus (to a minimum of a +1 enhancement bonus) to give any of the following weapon properties: defending, frost, icy burst, keen, ki focus, shock, shocking burst, speed. Adding any of these properties consumes an amount of enhancement bonus equal to the property’s cost (see Table 15–9: Melee Weapon Special Abilities in the Core Rulebook). You must know the prerequisite spell or spells to craft the weapon property in question.

What I want to know is what is the hardness and hit points of a scroll blade?

Take a 5th-level scroll blade, for example. Does it have 0 hardness and 5 hit points? Or does it have 4 hardness and 25 hit points (for also being a +2 weapon)?

I'm going to ask my GM later today before our weekend game, but I'm curious to hear what you guys think as well (regardless of how my GM rules).


Hardness 0, 5 hitpoints. However, you would at least need a +2 weapon to damage it (or something equivalent like a sufficiently high-level-spell-based scrollblade).


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Sangalor wrote:
...you would at least need a +2 weapon to damage it (or something equivalent like a sufficiently high-level-spell-based scrollblade).

I think errata and/or FAQ got rid of that rule.


Ravingdork wrote:
Sangalor wrote:
...you would at least need a +2 weapon to damage it (or something equivalent like a sufficiently high-level-spell-based scrollblade).
I think errata and/or FAQ got rid of that rule.

Which one? I have not seen any of that :-/

I wonder how you effectively make use of scrollmaster though:
A) You count the hitpoints on your scrolls and switch before they are destroyed.
B) You cast make whole on A.
C) If you do not do B, you just have a pricy lifestyle?
D) Can you quickdraw your scroll-swords? I assume yes, but am not sure.
E) Is it for epic campaigns where you have lots of 6th+ level scrolls around and do not know what to do with it?
F) I realize the reach weapon and special abilities are cool, but it's still a bit pricey. Or is that supposed to make up for limited wizard proficiency?

What are your thoughts on A-F, and why are you looking at this archetype? I am curious :-)


I know I'm thread necromancing but I'm wondering if there is any way to increase either the hp of the scrollblade or give it hardness so you don't burn through scrolls so quickly.

You cant use Make Whole on the scroll... Not sure if you can use a different material to make the scroll on and it would work either...


The "only +X can harm such-and-such" rule was removed. Instead, each +1 adds 2 hardness and 10 HP, so a 8th-level scroll blade would have 8 hardness and 45 HP.

Liberty's Edge

Ipslore the Red wrote:
The "only +X can harm such-and-such" rule was removed. Instead, each +1 adds 2 hardness and 10 HP, so a 8th-level scroll blade would have 8 hardness and 45 HP.

The scroll blade has a specific rule about its hit point. Usually specific rules supersede generic rules, so a scroll blade has "as hardness 0 and hit points equal to the highest-level wizard spell on the scroll", regardless from the bonus it would have for its enhancement.


The only thing I have found is a fortification stone.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Has there been an answer to this question?
I was wondering the same thing.

My thoughts on this is it can't be just 1 hp per spell level because it talks about "a scroll with only a cantrip or 1st-level spell on it counts as a masterwork short sword."

A cantrip as a 0 level spell would have 0 hp and

"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."

So what as soon as a Scrollmaster touches a cantrip scroll it crumbles to dust. Also there is no way to fix it.

This leads me to think that:
A: It should have a base HP (base + spell level) like 1 + spell level
B: The person who made the archetype never thought about it using really using 0th or 1st level scrolls other then to talk about them being "counts as a masterwork short sword."

This is how I think the archetype is intended to work, use 2nd or higher scrolls to attack with, maybe make AoO with one or more times, so the scroll has 1 hp left then use it as a scroll to cast the spell. Grab new scroll repeat.

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