Magic items can do a lot for a campaign. They can invigorate a character in ways previously unknown, endow a character with abilities beyond their expectation, carry curses of varying natures (both hilarious and severe), or simply enable players to make creative use of them to overcome a difficult situation.
Out of the various categories of magic items, I think scrolls are probably the most complex for most DMs to run properly. I say this as someone who’s had to look up the rules concerning scrolls a few times myself.
Here’s a breakdown to try and help.
Who Can Use a Scroll?
At times, in older versions of the game, a player character needed to be of a proper class to use a scroll: typically limiting scroll use to classes who have access to the spell. Not so anymore.
“Any creature that can understand a written language can read the arcane script on a scroll and attempt to activate it.”
Dungeon Master’s Guide p. 139
Note that the creature needs to “understand a written language”, not simply a verbal one, so unless you’ve cast awaken on your beast companion and taught them to read, they can’t cast from a scroll.
Identifying a Scroll
Scrolls can be identified in the usual way, but you may want to use a variation of your own. I allow characters who have the spell on their class’s spell list to recognize the nature of the spell on it immediately, while others must succeed on an arcana check (see my scale for using arcana or other intelligence based skills here).
Alternatively, you may decide to let all players automatically understand the nature of a spell scroll, regardless of their class or background.
Whichever option you choose, try to be consistent in your application of the rules.
The level of the spell on a scroll affects its rarity. That and other information is as follows (DMG p. 200):
| Spell Level | Rarity | Spell Save DC | Attack Bonus |
| Cantrip | Common | 13 | +5 |
| Level 1 | Common | 13 | +5 |
| Level 2 | Uncommon | 13 | +5 |
| Level 3 | Uncommon | 15 | +7 |
| Level 4 | Rare | 15 | +7 |
| Level 5 | Rare | 17 | +9 |
| Level 6 | Very Rare | 17 | +9 |
| Level 7 | Very Rare | 18 | +10 |
| Level 8 | Very Rare | 18 | +10 |
| Level 9 | Legendary | 19 | +11 |
Using a Scroll
Casting
Casting from a scroll produces the effect of the spell at the level specified on the scroll. The efficacy of the scroll is not based on the abilities of the creature who reads the scroll, but the one who created the scroll. Typically this will be at the default level of the spell, but it could be higher.
Using a scroll to cast a spell requires an action, regardless of the casting time of the spell itself (DMG p. 139. This represents a character needing to unfurl the scroll and read it aloud.
For example, a spell scroll of fireball would normally cast as a 3rd level fireball spell, and would have a spell save DC of 15; however, a spell scroll could also contain fireball as a 6th level spell, in which case the scroll would be very rare and the spell itself would cast as a 6th level spell (including modified damage), and the spell save DC would be 17, not 15.
Variant Rule for Casting Scrolls
The Dungeon Master’s Guide includes the following optional rule for casting spells from scrolls:
A creature who tries and fails to cast a spell from a spell scroll must make a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw. If the saving throw fails, roll on the Scroll Mishap table (DMG p. 140).
| d6 | Result |
| 1 | A surge of magical energy deals the caster 1d6 force damage per level of the spell. |
| 2 | The spell affects the caster or an ally (determined randomly) instead of the intended target, or it affects a random target nearby if the caster was the intended target. |
| 3 | The spell affects a random location within the spell’s range. |
| 4 | The spell’s effect is contrary to its normal one, but neither harmful nor beneficial. For instance, a fireball might produce an area of harmless cold. |
| 5 | The caster suffers a minor but bizarre effect related to the spell. Such effects last only as long as the original spell’s duration, or 1d10 minutes for spells that take effect instantaneously. For example, a fireball might cause smoke to billow from the caster’s ears for 1d10 minutes. |
| 6 | The spell activates after 1d12 hours. If the caster was the intended target, the spell takes effect normally. If the caster was not the intended target, the spell goes off in the general direction of the intended target, up to the spell ‘s maximum range, if the target has moved away. |
These optional rules obviously make the casual use of scrolls, especially by characters with low intelligence and poor arcana scores, much more interesting. A DM could have a lot of fun homebrewing effects for specific spells.
Copying
Wizards can copy spells from scrolls into their spellbook, IF the spell is on the wizard list. Doing this requires 2 hours and 50 gp for each level of the spell (Player’s Handbook p. 114). So a level one spell would cost 50 gp and take 2 hours, while a level nine spell would cost 450 gp and take 18 hours.
This time is reduced if the wizard is of one of the eight schools of magic (abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation), in which case the time and cost are reduced by half if the spell is of the wizard’s school of magic.
Hidden in the DM’s Guide is an additional rule for wizard’s copying spells from scrolls that requires an Intelligence (Arcana) check with a DC equal to 10 + the spell level. Succeeding means the spell is copied, failure means the spell is wasted, in which case the scroll is destroyed and the components used to copy it (the gold value) is wasted (Dungeon Master’s Guide p.200).
Warlocks who have the Book of Ancient Secrets invocation, or characters with the Ritual Caster feat, can add rituals to their respective books for the same cost of 50 gp and 2 hours per spell level.
However a scroll is used, and whether or not the attempt is successful, the scroll is destroyed after one use.
Buying and Selling Scrolls
Whether you allow players to purchase or sell scrolls is entirely up to you, depending on your campaign, setting, reasonable opportunities an availability, and power level for the campaign.
If you do allow for trading to occur, consult the Magic Item Rarity table on page 135 of the DMG, and price accordingly.
Typically, the rule for consumable items is half of the regular price, but also remember that a 1st level spell scroll would cost 50 gp and take 2 hours for a caster to create, so logically the least that a spell scroll would sell for is double its creation cost.
Selling scrolls may be complicated, due to both the cost involved, as well as the practicality of a vendor selling them to someone else.
A large city may have many adventurers passing through, as well as various wealthy and powerful individuals who may desire to add spell scrolls to their assets, whereas a small farming village will probably not have anyone who has practical use for such things, much less the gold required to purchase them.
That should cover all the essentials regarding spell scrolls. If you’ve been using them wrong (as I know I have at times), apologize to your players and go have fun with dropping spell scrolls (and their potential random effects) into your game.