If my cleric casts Flame Strike by using a scroll, is the spell’s power equal to that of a Flame Strike she casts as a regular memorized spell? In general, is any spell cast by a scroll, potion, wand, or rod equal in power to a memorized spell? When a magical device is used, are factors such as the user’s level and ability scores taken into consideration? :blank:
Scrolls in ToEE are cast at the level of the Scriber; scrolls you find are scribed at the minimum level to cast the spell. Feats and stats do count. Scribed Scrolls are too cheap in ToEE according to the standard 3.5 rules (it should cost more to scribe a scroll of 5 magic missiles than of 1; it doesn't), but fixing the problem is a huge pain in the arse. Wands seem to cast at the minimum level to cast the spell, but I haven't tested it much. Until/Unless the scroll prices are adjusted, there's very little reason to use Craft Wands; you still save XP and cash on wands of Identify, and cash on all wands if you sell them after using them 19 times, but really you're better off with scrolls. Potions I haven't tested; scribed scrolls are much cheaper.
Thanks for your excellent reply, Old Book. Indeed it seems the Scribe Spell feat may imbalance the game a bit on the side of too easy. In fact the reason I posted this question was that I'm thinking of having my cleric scribe a bunch of Flame Strike scrolls. One costs 562 gold and 45 XP. I can easily afford the gold for ten such scrolls, and I can recoup the XP with a few random encounters. On the other hand, a Raise Dead scroll costs 2500 gold and 200 XP. This makes me much more moderate and careful in the usage of the feat. (I might scribe just one Raise Dead and give it to my rogue, so he can use it on my cleric if she gets whacked.) :yes:
Sounds like a good plan. Don't forget to have your cleric scribe high level self-buffing scrolls. Not only are they always useful for the Cleric, but your Rogue or Bard can also use them, becoming a much more effective HtH fighter. A Fighter/Rogue with Divine Power and Righteous Might = Hapy Fun Killing Things Time. Also note that you can sell scrolls (and other crafted items) for at least 50% more than it costs to craft them, more again with a high Appraise skill to the right merchant. Random encounters are an infinite money pump.
