Looking at the "Spell Completion" description makes me wonder -- without counting metamagic feats, do other passive spell modifiers make their way into a spell because a certain caster created the spell?
So....assume im a 4th level wizard with the "Extended Toil" trait (which increases the duration of spells like mount and unseen servant by 50%). I want to make a scroll of "Mount" at CL 4th.
12.5 GP x CL 4 x SL 1 = 50 Gp as my cost to create the scroll.
The spell slot is taken up as though I had casted it....I even went so far as to make it as good as I can (CL 4).
When i read this scroll what happens?
1) Mount (CL 4): 8 hours of mount.
2) Mount (CL 4) (extended toil): 12 hours of mount?
The rules do not (as far as I can tell) really hammer down what happens. If you are making scrolls in order to have access to a spell as though you casted it, because frankly you are better at it than Joe Scroll-Shop Wizard, t would stand to reason that you'd try to impart your talent into the casting.
What do you all think?
I'd say #1.
I would treat a trait as I would a feat that affects your normal spell casting, and metamagic feats do nothing to spells cast from scrolls.
Not sure of the answer, but I have been wondering the same thing about a Gnome with the Pyromaniac alternate racial trait (+1 Caster Level) creating a Wand of Burning Hands. In addition, do such personal benefits increase the cost of making the item, and do they add to the Level Cap on the spell (for example, for Burning Hands 5th Level if Intensify Spell is not used)?
I'd say #1.
I would treat a trait as I would a feat that affects your normal spell casting, and metamagic feats do nothing to spells cast from scrolls.
Yes, but I thought you could build a Metamagic Feat into a Scroll when making it.
Traits would not affect the scroll, but metamagic can be added to scrolls. It will increase the cost however if you choose to use them.
For your question the answer is #1.
I suppose the other possibility, 3) if you will, would be that it is a standard scroll but when activated by this wizard would be treated as if that wizard is casting it.
3) sounds similar to 2) except that rather than the scroll have this effect when read by other people, its boosted effects only occur because this wizard is, in effect, casting it now upon reading the scroll thus triggering his trait.
Glad to know others are thinking about it.
Niche market huh? lol
No. A scroll works the same for everyone, and they are only modified by metamagic feats or some ability which specifically says they affect the scroll.
^I think this last is probably right, since Wands work the same for ALMOST everyone, and the exception is a Wizard Discovery (Staff-Like Wand) that specifically uses the Wizard's Caster Level instead of the Caster Level used in making the Wand.
Hmmm.
So the basic popular understanding is that it wouldn't work? At least by RAW?
Is it something that people would allow? Or is our issue a combination of RAW doesn't allow AND it'd be too powerful?
By RAW no it doesn't work. Traits or other class abilities only affect spells you cast, not spells cast using items like wands or scrolls. Unless you have special abilities that specify that they override this.
You can make scrolls or wands using metamagic but this increases the cost because it increases the spell level. However, traits can never be applied when using these objects to cast spells.
As for too powerful?
This specfic combination of mount and extended toil probably isn't too powerful. But if you allow it, you open the doorway to other things that would be too powerful.
For example, if you allowed the creation of items with traits you would suddenly see magi with wayang spell hunter and magical lineage (which lower metamagic cost by 2 effectively) into wands of shocking grasp so that they have intensified empowered shocking grasp as a 2nd level wand.
Of course that still doesn't work well because you always use minimum caster level unless you pay for more. The additional cost always makes such items less attractive or viable.
The point being that while this combo may not be bad, someone would certainly find one. Best to just leave it as is.
Fair enough.
I figured that there would be expanded uses.
Hmm ill see what the DM says and see if there is a way to limit things. Not that it'd too big a deal anyway ha.