| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Crafting and Bypassing Requirements: What crafting requirements can you bypass by adding +5 to the DC of your Spellcraft check?
As presented on page 549 of the Core Rulebook, there are no limitations other than (1) you have to have the item creation feat, and (2) you cannot create potions, spell-trigger, or spell-completion magic items without meeting their spell prerequisites. So racial requirements, specific spell requirements, math requirements (such as "caster level must be at least three times the enhancement bonus"), and so on, are all subject to the +5 DC rule.
Kinda. You can't skip the spell prereq, as HH quoted. But you can use existing scrolls/wands to satisfy it... using up one scroll/charge per day of crafting. So you use up your existing scroll in the process of making your first copy. Not the most efficient thing in the world ;)
Sorcerer's cannot truly make the most efficient use of Scribe Scroll, only classes with broad spells known lists can (such as wizards, witches, clerics, druids, and shaman). The only way for you to Scribe a Scroll of Fireball is to be 6th level (because you need to expend a 3rd level spell slot) and either Know Fireball, or possess a Page of Spell Knowledge (or Spell Lattice) of Fireball that lets to fake Knowing Fireball.
OK, so I created a 1st level Gnomish Sorcerer with the Scribe Scroll feat.
I got a 20pt build and end up with a 20 CH, 16 WZ, 14 IN. I pick Mage Armor and Color Spray. If I purchase or acquire Shield and Fireball, can I copy them with the Scribe Scroll feat? Neither are a known spell and the Fireball is not available at my level. Is that just a +5 and +10 to the DC of creating the scroll? and I get 1d20 + Spellcraft? I would still have to do the Caster Level check to cast the fireball - I would get 1d20+1 and the DC would be 7?
The other advice here is good, so I'm not going to weigh in on the creation of high level scrolls at low levels.
I am compelled to address another possible problem I see, though, namely that to get the statistics listed on 20 point buy you must have very significantly dumped your physical stats. To get 20 CHA, 16 WIS and 14 INT, you would have had to spend 17 points on CHA (to get to 18, then another +2 from race), as well as 10 for WIS and another 5 for INT. That gets you to a 32 point buy alone, meaning you'd have to dump STR, CON and DEX down to 7 each (before racial modifiers) to make up the 12 point deficit.
That's *really* rough, so I'm assuming it might have just been an error in your math or point buy understanding. Either way, I expect you might want to revisit that, and felt like it was worth mentioning.
But you can use existing scrolls/wands to satisfy it... using up one scroll/charge per day of crafting.
I don't believe you can use a wand (or staff) to satisfy the spell requirements for crafting a scroll:
The creator must have prepared the spell to be scribed (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material component or focus the spell requires.
There is nothing in there about allowing a wand as a substitute.
But you can use existing scrolls/wands to satisfy it... using up one scroll/charge per day of crafting.I don't believe you can use a wand (or staff) to satisfy the spell requirements for crafting a scroll:
The creator must have prepared the spell to be scribed (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material component or focus the spell requires.There is nothing in there about allowing a wand as a substitute.
Note that all items have prerequisites in their descriptions. These prerequisites must be met for the item to be created. Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item's creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed). The DC to create a magic item increases by +5 for each prerequisite the caster does not meet. The only exception to this is the requisite item creation feat, which is mandatory. In addition, you cannot create potions, spell-trigger, or spell-completion magic items without meeting their spell prerequisites.
As the last sentence indicates, the spell for a scroll (or whatever) is just a spell prerequisite, which can therefore be supplied by him or with a wand, staff, other scroll, or other caster. The last is the only one that commonly occurs AFAIK.
So a first level sorcerer could scribe a scroll of fireball if he had a staff providing him charges every day.
So a first level sorcerer could scribe a scroll of fireball if he had a staff providing him charges every day.
Yes. It's just not going to be worthwhile, especially since he can't recharge the staff. Really I pointed out the possibility only for the sake of a 100% complete answer :-)
Because you level up.
|
So, that makes the Scribe Scroll feat absolutely worthless for a Scorcerer. I am condemned to purchasing scrolls from Wizards to have any useful spells at 1st level. I get two, and to have Mage Armor and Shield just to defend myself, making my character useless to a party. Why would any player roll up a 20pt build Scorcerer then?
Scribe Scroll is mostly useless for Sorcerers.
You need to balance your first level spells a bit: Take one of those defensive spell, and get something offensive for the other slot (Color Spray is a classic powerful spell for low level casters as long as you aren't fighting mindless or sightless opponents).
So, that makes the Scribe Scroll feat absolutely worthless for a Scorcerer. I am condemned to purchasing scrolls from Wizards to have any useful spells at 1st level. I get two, and to have Mage Armor and Shield just to defend myself, making my character useless to a party. Why would any player roll up a 20pt build Scorcerer then?
I think you'll find Sorcerer isn't quite so bad as you're concerned about. As Taja suggests, Scribe Scrill is a bad first level feat for you, and you also need to mix up your spell choices into one defensive (probably Mage armour) and one offensive (Magic Missile is classic, but Color Spray and Sleep have strong early level impact). If your Sorcerer bloodline gives you one of those ranged attacks, you can use those for offence, as well.
The key restriction on spontaneous casters like Sorcerers over prepared casters like Wizards is their restricted spells known. However, you tend to get many more spells slots, so you can spam useful spells more often.
Ask your GM if you can swap Scribe Scroll with some other, more useful, feat.
I second the above posters about spell selection. My favorite level 1 sorcerer spells are magic missile and grease. Grease can be useful both offensively and defensively. You shouldn't be getting into Melee with enemies anyway, and you can use positioning to give yourself cover from enemy ranged fighters (by having allies in the way and being >30 ft away). If that isn't good enough, don't dump dex and con so that you have some AC normally and don't die in one hit.
Also, you can get +3-4 AC by not dumping Dex so hard. Something like Str 5, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 20 is still very specialised but not nearly so vulnerable.