Unseen Servant / Scrollmaster

[SmooshieBanana]

So I am contemplating a Scrollmaster build at level 12. I love the ability to be a primary scroll caster. My problems with it are this: You only get one move action. At 12th level, I can do two standard actions, but only one of them I can use a scroll with as I only have 1 move action to use to pull one forth.

My way around this currently is to use an unseen servant. Have his turn go before mine, and command him to pull whatever two scrolls I want to use for my turn. Have him use his actions to hand them to me, and therefore I have it as a free action, right? Then I could use two scrolls per turn, cast at my level and intelligence mod, plus I still have a move action if needed. Does this work?

I had to go this route because Quick Draw doesn't allow me to pull items such as wands or scrolls quickly, and spring-loaded sheaths would only hold one scroll per arm. While I would still use these, as well as a Handy Haversack, I want a free/swift action to have these scrolls in my hand on my turn to cast.

Are there any downsides to this? Is there a better method?

[zza ni]

don't use spring loaded sheath (that go in the sleeves), use spring loaded scroll cases (hanged from the belt\s) and while they can only hold one scroll remember that more then one spell can be scribed on one scroll:

"A scroll is a heavy sheet of fine vellum or high-quality paper. An area about 8-1/2 inches wide and 11 inches long is sufficient to hold one spell. The sheet is reinforced at the top and bottom with strips of leather slightly longer than the sheet is wide. A scroll holding more than one spell has the same width (about 8-1/2 inches) but is an extra foot or so long for each additional spell... "

also nothing stop you from using more then one spring loaded scroll case. i had characters with 2 or 3 dangling from their belts. (the gm liked to throw pick-pocketing mobs at us, so i made extra just in case)

[SmooshieBanana]

Oops, that's what I meant. Spring-loaded scroll case, not sheath.

So I could have 2-3 dangling from my belt for the many scrolls I would have. For my full-round action, I could pop a scroll out, and use both actions for spells on the same scroll. That makes sense to me.

What I'm struggling with is what if one spell I want to use is on one scroll and the second is on another? If that is the case, I would need to use another swift action to produce the second scroll. I could free action drop the first scroll and have my unseen servant reload it into the scroll case as his full-round action, and then I would read off the second scroll. Would that work?

[zza ni]

(you said one arm each so i thought you meant the sleeve version)

well you'll have to start with the scroll pulled as pulling one is a swift action and you only get one in a turn. on the other hand...the unseen servant can also open up the scrolls for you to read.
you don't have to have him rewind the scrolls if you 'drop them' they are still attached to the scroll case which is strapped to your belt. it will just dangle off of you until re-winded.

what i don't understand is how are you getting 2 standard action in one round to cast twice?
you said : "At 12th level, I can do two standard actions, but only one of them I can use a scroll with as I only have 1 move action to use to pull one forth. "

[SmooshieBanana]

Oh, perhaps I'm mistaken, as I don't often get to play in high-level campaigns, but I thought when--due to your high bab--you got another action per round. Is that only for physical attacks? I thought it applied as well to casting standard action spells. At 12th level, through BAB, my attacks would be +6/+1.

[SmooshieBanana]

I suppose though in reading it again, it only gives another attack, not another action (i.e. standard action). Oh well.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Iterative attacks are only for attacks; you usually only cast one spell/round unless the spell is an Immediate/Swift action to cast, you've used the Quicken Spell metamagic or there is some other ability that allows you to cast 2 spells.

Activating a Scroll is always a Standard action or the action of the spell, whichever is LONGER, so it is always at least a Standard action. Reading 2 scrolls/round I'm pretty sure is functionally impossible unless something specifically grants you an extra Standard action in a round. However...

Familiars

By 12th level, without even doing anything fancier than taking a standard, animal-type familiar, use the Retraining rules to retrain it's 1 feat to Extra Traits, and as one of the traits take Pragmatic Activator on your familiar, along with taking 12 ranks in UMD on your own character, your familiar has a UMD of +12 with their 11 Int. If this basic familiar is able somehow to open/hold a scroll, it has the ability to speak in some capacity by level 12 so if it rolls a 10 on a D20 it can use a CL1 scroll.

That's the bog-standard.

Taking a Sage familiar archetype makes the level 12 familiar's Int a 17, so that's a +3 to UMD to what I said above. Use the other trait in Extra Traits to give the familiar UMD as a Class Skill with a +1 Trait bonus, now it's up to a +19 on the skill. Tack on any Int enhancers, such as an Ioun Stone, a Headband, or just certain spells and you can boost that familiar's UMD higher.

Imagine a Sage archetype familiar, perhaps a monkey, with a UMD +19, putting a cheap +2 Headband of Intellect on it, then casting the level 2 spell Visualization of the Mind on it so it gets a +5 bonus on checks associated with Int, and having it read scrolls with a total of UMD +25. Since it will always fail on a 1 on the D20, that means that the monkey familiar rolling a 2 or higher on a D20 succeeds on using scrolls with a CL of CL5 at least.

A CL5 scroll of Magic Missile costs 125 GP and sends 3 unerring force missiles dealing 1d4+1 Force damage each at up to 150' away. While very expensive, this means you're adding that damage to whatever you choose to do this round, unless somehow the monster is immune to the damage. And that's probably the least of what a CL5 scroll could pull off.

Consider the power of a scroll-reading Familiar to add an action to your one scroll/round.

[SmooshieBanana]

Unfortunately Arcane Bond is replaced 1st level of the Scrollmaster or I definitely would!

Plus, the point of being a scrollmaster would be, I think, to make super cheap lowest level possible scrolls and use my CL to cast them. I may do this on a different wizard build though!

[Mark Hoover 330]

Arcane Heritage feat can get you back to a Familiar, if it's really worth it. Otherwise I can't think of a way to cast two scrolls in a round.