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Half-elf fighter 1, Int 13, Arcane Training and Favored Class Wizard.
She tries to activate a scroll of Fireball.
1) Does the Arcane Training racial trait let her skip the "Decipher the Writing" step and go directly to the "Activate the Spell" step? Or does she need to decipher the Fireball scroll (with Spellcraft or Read Magic) before activating it?
2) Can she Take 20 on a Spellcraft check to Decipher the Writing?
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Arcane Training
Half-elves occasionally seek tutoring to help them master the magic in their blood. Half-elves with this racial trait have only one favored class, and it must be an arcane spellcasting class. They can use spell trigger and spell completion items for their favored class as if one level higher (or as a 1st-level character if they have no levels in that class). This racial trait replaces the multitalented racial trait.
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Activation: To activate a scroll, a spellcaster must read the spell written on it. This involves several steps and conditions.
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.
Activate the Spell: Activating a scroll requires reading the spell from the scroll. The character must be able to see and read the writing on the scroll. Activating a scroll spell requires no material components or focus. (The creator of the scroll provided these when scribing the scroll.) Note that some spells are effective only when cast on an item or items. In such a case, the scroll user must provide the item when activating the spell. Activating a scroll spell is subject to disruption just as casting a normally prepared spell would be. Using a scroll is like casting a spell for purposes of arcane spell failure chance.
To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.
The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters (wizards, sorcerers, and bards) can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his class.)
The user must have the spell on her class list.
The user must have the requisite ability score.
If the user meets all the requirements noted above, and her caster level is at least equal to the spell's caster level, she can automatically activate the spell without a check. If she meets all three requirements but her own caster level is lower than the scroll spell's caster level, then she has to make a caster level check (DC = scroll's caster level + 1) to cast the spell successfully.
Half-elf fighter 1, Int 13, Arcane Training and Favored Class Wizard.
She tries to activate a scroll of Fireball.
1) Does the Arcane Training racial trait let her skip the "Decipher the Writing" step and go directly to the "Activate the Spell" step? Or does she need to decipher the Fireball scroll (with Spellcraft or Read Magic) before activating it?
2) Can she Take 20 on a Spellcraft check to Decipher the Writing?
1) No, she must still decipher it.
2) I don't see why not.
3) She still has to make a caster level check (with her caster level = 1) against the CL of the scroll + 1 (DC 6, at minimum for fireball). If it fails, then she has to make a DC 5 Wisdom check to avoid a "mishap," as described in the rules for scrolls.
1) No. This part has to be done no matter who is using it. However once identified it wouldn't have to be done again for that scroll.
2) Nothing untoward happens with failure so providing the character has the time, space, and nothing else going on yes.
Once identified the character can use the scroll as a first level caster in the class the half elf has arcane training in, with the appropriate ability score limits as normal, provided the scroll is of the right type (for instance not a divine scroll of cure light wounds to be used by a witch or bard).