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Hey guys,
I just stumbled across this in another thread:
Scroll:
step "decipher": if you fail, you must wait 1 day for next try. So you cannot take 20.
Of course, you may use spell read magic...
Can someone tell me where this rule can be found? It's not said in "Magic Items":
Decipher the Writing: The writing on a scroll must be deciphered before a character can use it or know exactly what spell it contains. This requires a read magic spell or a successful Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level). Deciphering a scroll is a full-round action.Deciphering a scroll to determine its contents does not activate its magic unless it is a specially prepared cursed scroll. A character can decipher the writing on a scroll in advance so that she can proceed directly to the next step when the time comes to use the scroll.
The entry for Spellcraft also states that most of the uses cannot be repeated until a day has passed (or in some cases ever), but doesn't say anything about deciphering a scroll.
So...was Defraeter mistaken? Am I just not seeing something? In my mind, the wizard/sorcerer/whatever just sat down after the crawl, took 20 on deciphering every scroll and just sat around for one or two hours, carefulle deciphering the scrolls step by step.
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Can someone tell me where this rule can be found?
Core Rulebook, Magic Chapter, Arcane Magical Writings: "To decipher an arcane magical writing (such as a single spell in another's spellbook or on a scroll), a character must make a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the spell's level). If the skill check fails, the character cannot attempt to read that particular spell again until the next day."
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You're right of course - but that's still *slightly* more downtime than I imagined. ;) I didn't mean "downtime between two adventures where the whole party kinda just sits around" but more "downtime after a successful dungon crawl and before the next battle some days from then" - so a *little* less time.
Take 20 can be used. The time required, though, is 20 days. Take 20 can't be used when there is a penalty for failure; the simple failure of the skill check in itself is not a penalty for failure and the 1 day wait in itself isn't a penalty.
Technically true.
Penalty: "Penalties are numerical values that are subtracted from a check or statistical score. Penalties do not have a type and most penalties stack with one another."
The condition of failure (being unable to attempt to read that particular spell again until the next day) is not a numerical value subtracted from a check or statistical score.
The question is whether "and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure" is referring specifically to the defined game-term 'Penalty' or if it's using the English word meaning a negative consequence of failure.
The former reading means you can also take-20 on Use Magic Device checks, because the condition of failure (you can't try to activate that item again for 24 hours) is not a numerical value subtracted from a check or statistical score.
It's easier to simply know read magic or have 1 read magic prepared; each scroll will take 1 minute to decipher (unless you rule that scrolls have multiple pages), so a downtime of a few minutes should be sufficient to decipher scrolls in most cases :)
