Scrolls & UMD


Rules Questions


Seen far too many threads with conflicting answers on this one, and it's 2:30 AM for me and I've been on the forums way too long today so... 2 questions.

1) If a level 10 Ninja wants to cast teleport, via a scroll from a Summoner: How many UMD Checks does she have to make? Best I can figure it's 2. One to add it to her list, another to emulate the appropriate caster level. This is the one I'm most confused about and there seems to be a lot of confusion on.

2) What about if it's a divine caster(such as a level 10 cleric) casting arcane spells? Do they make a single UMD to pretend it's on their list, Or do they do 2 UMD checks also, to mimic casting arcane spell casting in addition to adding it to their list?


If the spell is not on your list, you must make an UMD check to emulate having it on your list.

Since this UMD check contains the scroll's CL already, and since i.e. a UMD'ing rogue has no caster level at all, in my opinion, this makes the caster level check (if the scroll's CL is higher than yours) redundant. In any case, this check was never an UMD check to begin with.

The realm of arcane vs divine only means one thing: A divine caster does not have the arcane version of a spell on his spell list.

Of course, you will still need the prerequisite stat for casting the spell, unless you want to incur yet another UMD check for emulating said stat.

As to what stat you need... well; let's say that this chapter has been copy-pasted from 3.5 (Int/Cha for Wiz/Sor spells, Wis for divine spells)... which leads to some interesting results with some new Pathfinder rules (Paladins and Oracles, being CHA casters, would still need WIS for using their own scrolls).


Looks like a DC 30 to use the scroll is all you require.

The Ability score check would be the secondary one, IF you had an Int lower than 14.


Shifty wrote:
The Ability score check would be the secondary one, IF you had an Int lower than 14.

*innocently* Int, or Cha? Summoners are Charisma-based casters, after all...


d20pfsrd wrote:


Emulate an Ability Score: To cast a spell from a scroll, you need a high score in the appropriate ability (Intelligence for wizard spells, Wisdom for divine spells, or Charisma for sorcerer or bard spells). Your effective ability score (appropriate to the class you're emulating when you try to cast the spell from the scroll) is your Use Magic Device check result minus 15. If you already have a high enough score in the appropriate ability, you don't need to make this check.

Actually I just went down the Arcane=Int default path, however Sorcs and Bards are called out as CHA so Summoners should be too. Or to be RAWpedantjerky we can say that as it names certain classes and not others, those unnamed classes can't be UMD'd :p


Actually, I see three possible traint of thought to get out of this mess:
.
.
.

Version a) Tag all scrolls in the game with a note what kind of spellcaster wrote it. This sets the relevant stat.
(Did I mention I hate bookkeeping?)

Version b) Always use Int for arcane, Wis for divine.
Reasoning: You are already using Cha for UMD; no need to give more SAD to casters.

Version c) Instead of 'adding the spell to my list', you UMD to 'emulate belonging to a class that could legally cast this spell', and use the casting stat of that very class.
(Example: an arcane scroll of Cure Light Wounds could be cast via emulating a Bard (Cha) or a Witch (Int); an arcane scroll of Heal would have to be cast by emulating a Witch only, forcing you to resort to Int)


Don't forget, unless you have read magic, you still need a UMD check to decipher the scroll. So basically it's:

1: Decipher a Written Spell: DC 25 + Spell Level. It would normally be a DC 20 + spell level Spellcraft check, but using UMD bumps it up. I'd suggest using Spellcraft instead. Full round action to read it. Look at more info on page 490 of the Core Rulebook. Best to do this at the beginning of the day as once you read a magic writing, you don't forget it.

2: Emulate the Ability Score: If you don't have a high enough ability score (must equal 10 + spell level), then you have to make the check. Otherwise, you can skip this.

3: Use a Scroll: The caster level in question isn't your caster level, it's the caster level the scroll was created at. This has to be used if you do not have the spell on your list. Which you don't.

Core Rulebook Page 109 wrote:
Use a Scroll: Normally, to cast a spell from a scroll, you must have the scroll's spell on your class spell list. Use Magic Device allows you to use a scroll as if you had a particular spell on your class spell list. The DC is equal to 20 + the caster level of the spell you are trying to cast from the scroll. In addition, casting a spell from a scroll requires a minimum score (10 + spell level) in the appropriate ability. If you don't have a sufficient score in that ability, you must emulate the ability score with a separate Use Magic Device check. This use of the skill also applies to other spell completion magic items.

Hope that helps.


I don't think it should matter who wrote the spell.

A scroll of Teleport should be a scroll of Teleport.

Similar treatment to the PFS mindset.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32

Midnight_Angel wrote:

Actually, I see three possible traint of thought to get out of this mess:

.
.
.

Version a) Tag all scrolls in the game with a note what kind of spellcaster wrote it. This sets the relevant stat.
(Did I mention I hate bookkeeping?)

Version b) Always use Int for arcane, Wis for divine.
Reasoning: You are already using Cha for UMD; no need to give more SAD to casters.

Version c) Instead of 'adding the spell to my list', you UMD to 'emulate belonging to a class that could legally cast this spell', and use the casting stat of that very class.
(Example: an arcane scroll of Cure Light Wounds could be cast via emulating a Bard (Cha) or a Witch (Int); an arcane scroll of Heal would have to be cast by emulating a Witch only, forcing you to resort to Int)

Version c is close. My understanding is that you (the user) can choose the ability score you'd like based on what's possible for the scroll, as you described in your example. The UMD check is "Use a scroll." So for the above mentioned arcane scroll of teleport, the scroll user can select to use Int, Cha, or Wis(there is a way for a sorc to cast using Wis), whichever they prefer. Divine spells would have to be Wis or Cha. The casting class itself doesn't really come into it. I suppose in this example you could get by with a 14 cha as the spell is lower level on the summoner's list. As long as it isn't PFS which changes all these rules anyway.

Less convoluted procedure:
1. check arcane or divine
2. based on the type and spell, find any class you like that could possibly cast it.
3. make sure you have or emulate having sufficient int, wis, or cha to cast it as if you were that class
4. DC 20+CL UMD
5. Profit!

I'm not going to go into the PFS rules for scrolls because I honestly find them more confusing than the CRB stuff. I feel safe neglecting it as the OP's question involved a scroll impossible in PFS anyway.


Thanks everyone for your replies, I was really out of it when I posted. I'm thinking I'm going to make a DC = CL + 20 check to cast, with whatever stat the scroll was made in since, that makes the most sense to me. And as long as I only have to roll once, I'm okay with the extra book keeping lol.

Thought while I'm not a PFS player, I am curious, what's different about scroll usage there?

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