D&D 5E What If Everyone Could Use Scrolls? (House rule)

[CleverNickName]

(I know all character classes can use Protection scrolls; this thread is about spell scrolls.) In my last 5E game, spell scrolls were largely ignored. I'd like to make them more important and useful in my next campaign, and I think this might be a good way to go about it. What do you think?

The General Idea:
All characters (and certain monsters) can cast spells from scrolls, with a successful Intelligence (Arcana) check.
Basically: if you can read and speak, you can cast spells from scrolls.

The Details:

• If the spell on the scroll is a spell you can normally cast, no check is needed.
• Otherwise, the DC is equal to 10 + the spell level.
• The character must be able to see, and have enough light to read by.
• The character must be able to speak.
• The character must be holding the scroll in one hand at the start of their turn.
• The casting time, duration, effect, and concentration is unchanged from the spell description.
• On a success, the scroll is consumed and the spell is cast as normal.
• On a failure, the scroll is consumed and the spell fizzles without effect (or, at the player's discretion, the character may roll on the Spell Mishap table for a random effect.)

Why Am I Doing This?

• I want spell scrolls to be more useful.
• I want spell scrolls to be more interesting (if the player wants).

Potential Consequences:
Bards and Wizards will be better than other non-spellcasters, thanks to their high Intelligence, their broad spell list, and/or their Jack of All Trades class feature. I'm not sure if this is a problem, per se, but it will definitely have an effect on these character classes.

It's ripe for abuse in the hands of certain players. I can see at least one of my players building a "scroll factory" wizard and cheesing the game with scrolls of Haste, for example.

Others?

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

So a 9th level scroll is dc 19?

A first level wizard probably has expertise arcana so, at minimum, +7. (Not that they’d find a 9th level scroll at that level.) but by 5th, they’re probably at +10 to arcana.

I’d definitely make a mishap table and the power of the mishap should reflect the level of the scroll they’re trying to cast.

I don’t see it as a big deal. I thought anyone could use a scroll anyways.

 

[Shardstone]

I think this is great and how it should be by default. Giving martials one-off spell castings is fun IMO.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Barbarian: "Other than as toilet paper, you mean?"

 

[aco175]

I like the idea, but why do they need to be holding it at the start of their turn? Anyone can draw a weapon as part of swinging, and it would make scrolls an option for non-casters in a situation where suddenly the players remembers that they have a scroll. There is already a penalty of making an Int check.

 

[sevenbastard]

I like it. But mishap table has to be a thing for a risk reward trade off.

 

[CleverNickName]

I like the idea, but why do they need to be holding it at the start of their turn? Anyone can draw a weapon as part of swinging, and it would make scrolls an option for non-casters in a situation where suddenly the players remembers that they have a scroll. There is already a penalty of making an Int check.

In my mind, it prevents a bit of the cheese of juggling swords, shields, torches, and now scrolls, when trying to cast spells that have a casting time of "Bonus Action." I'm not married to the idea, it just makes it easier to wrap my head around.

 

[Kobold Stew]

(I know all character classes can use Protection scrolls; this thread is about spell scrolls.) In my last 5E game, spell scrolls were largely ignored. I'd like to make them more important and useful in my next campaign, and I think this might be a good way to go about it. What do you think?

This could be fun, and it would reward investing in Intelligence.

The General Idea:
All characters (and certain monsters) can cast spells from scrolls, with a successful Intelligence (Arcana) check.
Basically: if you can read and speak, you can cast spells from scrolls.

The Details:

• If the spell on the scroll is a spell you can normally cast, no check is needed.
• Otherwise, the DC is equal to 10 + the spell level.
• The character must be able to see, and have enough light to read by.
• The character must be able to speak.
• The character must be holding the scroll in one hand at the start of their turn.

This is one place where people will try to fudge things. I would be strict about this -- one empty hand required to hold the scroll and (RAW, I believe) a separate hand is required for somatic components for many spells.

• The casting time, duration, effect, and concentration is unchanged from the spell description.
• On a success, the scroll is consumed and the spell is cast as normal.
• On a failure, the scroll is consumed and the spell fizzles without effect (or, at the player's discretion, the character may roll on the Spell Mishap table for a random effect.)

So this is almost giving everyone the level 13 feature for the Rogue (Thief). Even with the possibiliy of mishap, you would need to strengthen that ability (no check needed?) if you play at those levels.

I'd be clear that by "Fizzles" you mean that the scroll disintegrates (no re-tries). I'd also consider a baselie penalty for failure to be "the caster gets hit by a magic missile spell at a level equal to the spell being cast". Real consequences. Brooch of Shielding suddenly becomes a favorite magic item.

The question is, does that then punish players for trying what you want to incentivize? I don't know -- it might. But it makes clear that scroll casting has risks. Anything less than that, though, would seem to trivbialize it (for me at least).

Why Am I Doing This?

• I want spell scrolls to be more useful.
• I want spell scrolls to be more interesting (if the player wants).

cool.

Potential Consequences:
Bards and Wizards will be better than other non-spellcasters, thanks to their high Intelligence, their broad spell list, and/or their Jack of All Trades class feature. I'm not sure if this is a problem, per se, but it will definitely have an effect on these character classes.

It's ripe for abuse in the hands of certain players. I can see at least one of my players building a "scroll factory" wizard and cheesing the game with scrolls of Haste, for example.

Others?

I'm not sure it is ripe for abuse -- it requires players investing in Intelligence, and risking real damage. It's only a "factory" if you as DM have given the players so much cash that this is all they can do with it. That's fundamentally a separate problem.

 

[overgeeked]

(I know all character classes can use Protection scrolls; this thread is about spell scrolls.) In my last 5E game, spell scrolls were largely ignored. I'd like to make them more important and useful in my next campaign, and I think this might be a good way to go about it. What do you think?

The General Idea:
All characters (and certain monsters) can cast spells from scrolls, with a successful Intelligence (Arcana) check.
Basically: if you can read and speak, you can cast spells from scrolls.

The Details:

• If the spell on the scroll is a spell you can normally cast, no check is needed.
• Otherwise, the DC is equal to 10 + the spell level.
• The character must be able to see, and have enough light to read by.
• The character must be able to speak.
• The character must be holding the scroll in one hand at the start of their turn.
• The casting time, duration, effect, and concentration is unchanged from the spell description.
• On a success, the scroll is consumed and the spell is cast as normal.
• On a failure, the scroll is consumed and the spell fizzles without effect (or, at the player's discretion, the character may roll on the Spell Mishap table for a random effect.)

Why Am I Doing This?

• I want spell scrolls to be more useful.
• I want spell scrolls to be more interesting (if the player wants).

Potential Consequences:
Bards and Wizards will be better than other non-spellcasters, thanks to their high Intelligence, their broad spell list, and/or their Jack of All Trades class feature. I'm not sure if this is a problem, per se, but it will definitely have an effect on these character classes.

It's ripe for abuse in the hands of certain players. I can see at least one of my players building a "scroll factory" wizard and cheesing the game with scrolls of Haste, for example.

Others?

I like the general idea, but I'd suggest leaving it more open. Like anyone can cast from a scroll as a ritual without a check and everyone can cast from a scroll with a check during combat. Casters already get so much more power than non-casters, there's no need to give them yet another bonus. Maybe consider something like a chaos magic effect on a nat 1 or nat 20.

 

[Tessarael]

One possible nuance on this is to make scrolls language specific. So you either need to be fluent in the language, or use a spell like Comprehend Languages to utilize the scroll. This gives the potential situation where a scroll might be more easily used by some of the non-spell casters in the party, if they know the corresponding language of that scroll.