This is kind of vague and I probably would never ask it normally, but seeing how there is not really limitations so I'm looking more for opinions and reasoning. In the rules, there's a good little paragraph about deciphering scrolls and then it proceeds to say that it can be deciphered ahead of time. So the question is, how many scrolls can a character decipher ahead of time? And how long can they have those deciphered. For a hundred gold, a wizard with 11 int can cast a spell for 4 more rounds, just think about what one could do with thousands of gold in a more capable caster. You could have hundreds of scrolls deciphered for just that moment when you need it. It could be something you deciphered years ago.
Why would anyone ever not decipher a scroll ahead of time barring an emergency where the caster just received the scroll and need to use it immediately (from someone else or stealing it) half of those situations mean death if you spend a whole six seconds trying to decipher while not even being able to move but maybe five feet on a chance you could fail.
So yeah, what would be reasonable limits?
EDIT: After re-reading stuff about deciphering magic (in the Arcane Spells section) I notice it says that after deciphering a particular piece of magical writing, the character does not need to decipher it again. So does this mean for eternity? Does it mean that all scrolls of that spell from that caster are deciphered? Is this just a big waste of time and probably be best hand waived?
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There are no limits to the number of scrolls you can have deciphered at one time, and once deciphered the scroll stays that way (for you) forever.
I notice it says that after deciphering a particular piece of magical writing, the character does not need to decipher it again. So does this mean for eternity?
Yes. Once deciphered, that particular scroll stays that way (for you) for eternity. Other casters would have to decipher it for themselves before they could use it.
Does it mean that all scrolls of that spell from that caster are deciphered?
No. It means that specific scroll if deciphered. If you find another scroll of the same spell, you would need to decipher that second scroll before using it.
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how long?
well, it takes a wizard an hour to Prepare all of her spells. and, proportionately, 15 minutes to prepare about a quarter of them.
i would therefore measure how many scrolls are to be deciphered and compare that to how many spells the wizard can prepare per day. then take that as a rate with a minimum of 15 minutes.
unless you decide that deciphering takes twice as long as preparing (or more?). in which case this ratio could be factored in as well.
Copying a spell from a scroll to put in your spellbook is different than deciphering a scroll so you can cast from it.
From the core rulebook:
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.
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The deciphering itself may take a round, but then there's the process of identifying the spell on the scroll. As this is supposed to work in much the same way as spellcraft/identify, that could well take additional time.
The CRB says deciphering allows the reader to identify the spell; it doesn't say whether this identification is provided for free as part of the deciphering, or if the deciphering is a necessary preliminary before identification can be attempted. The description of spellcraft checks to identify items in turn references "detect magic", and this takes multiple rounds to complete the identification process.