Spell Scrolls and Spell Rings

[cynthialee]

The barbarian...'s not stupid

The Wizard thinks everyone, except himself of course, is stupid.

Well they are. The Wizard has an extremely high IQ.

[Lemmeron]

I would allow the spell storing ring to be used to store a spell off a scroll. This is achieved by a wizard / elf reading the spell from the scroll, which then crumples to dust as its magic is spent. The spell storing ring captures the spell, which may now be cast from the ring by any character and it counts only as a minor action rather than the usual spell / combat / search action. This must be done ahead of time for a scroll to be used in this manner and cannot be done during combat.

Normally reading a spell scroll counts as a full casting action, thus cannot be combined with casting a known spell with the wand of recall ect etc

ring = point and shoot = chug a potion
scroll = read, chant, point and shoot
known spell = point and chant and shoot

[slev]

In my HQR build, every card has Keywords. Cards with spells always have a selection relating to the Spell, and a selection relating to the source. Normal Spell Cards have the "Memory" Keyword, Scrolls and items have the "bound" keyword.

The Wand that allows the double cast instead allows an extra cast each turn, in addition to your other actions. This is a lot simpler to parse. It thus allows any card with the "Spell" Keyword to be used, wether a spell card, scroll, artefact, or whatever.

The Ring of Magic allows you to asign it to one card with the "Memory" keyword. Thus, it will work with a basic Spell, but not a scroll.

Similarly, Potions of Magical aptidue add an additional Cast Action.

In my advanced version, some more advanced Scrolls have keywords that limit some Heroes, mostly the Barbarian, from using them.

[Daedalus]

How do you rule the use of spell scrolls when used in combination with items that allow you to recall or store a spell, like potion of recall or the spell ring?

Since a spell scroll functions the same as a spell, (it is "cast," takes an action, is lost once used, etc.) do you allow spell scrolls to be stored in a spell ring or cast again once a potion of recall is used?

While you accurately listed spell scroll functions that work like Game System spell cards, I don't equivicate the two spell mediums in regards to magic interaction. This is because I distinguish spell scrolls as being an external aid to a Hero, while learned spells are internalized as part of a Hero's spell-casting ability through spell selection and learning. I figure a Potion of Recall "regains a spell that was cast earlier" that can later be recalled between Quests anyway through spell selection. I wouldn't choose this kind of recyling to work with an artifact "used just like the spell cards" which was never learned and then crumbles to dust. I'd say the same cast vs. used like difference would also exclude a spell from a spell scroll to be stored and then cast from the Spell Ring.

Also, if a hero had a wand of magic, (cast 2 spells at once), would you allow a spell scroll to be one of those spells that can be cast in combination with either an additional spell scroll, or in combination with a regular spell the hero chose that the start of the quest?

I'm with Count Mohawk's logic, I'd allow a spell scroll or two to work with a Wand of Magic.

Following the pattern of such items, using an item that stores, or recalls a spell in combination with a spell scroll would, at most, would give you only one more use from that scroll, since it is not implied that a spell stored in a spell ring is kept after the quest, or that a recalled spell is kept after the quest. Additionally, even if you ruled that the spell scroll could be fully returned as an artifact item (to be used in a later quest) after drinking a potion of recall, the cost of a potion of recall is expensive enough to prevent any kind of repeat abuse, and more or less could be seen as a clever exploit rather than a cheat or a rule hack.

I say go with it if you think it expands the fun of the game. Your plan doesn't sound broken, but personally I wouldn't allow a scroll spell to be restored by a Potion of Recall--it regains a spell, not a lost artifact. Instead, I'd rely on the potions basic application of regaining a spell to be cast that Quest.

Anyway, I'm curious how you might manage spell scrolls in combination with these items, as that could open up some creative game play, especially for heroes who are not magically-inclined from the start, while not necessarily giving them any advantage over the natural spellcasters.

My house rule is the Wizard and Elf cast spell scrolls normally, but the Barbarian and Dwarf must roll anything but a skull on 1 combat die or fail to cast that turn, with retries allowed. That way any Hero can still use a spell scroll, though only the spell casters may do so reliably.

[Goblin-King]

As a gameplay mechanic there is no reason not to fully allow the dwarf and barbarian to use scrolls.
Think about it... You are sacrificing a free 4AD attack from the barbarian to make him cast a scroll?
The wizard can't fight for *lemony goodness*. Wouldn't you rather have him cast the scroll anyway while the dwarf and barbarian hack away at the monsters?

I guess I don't see why you would make it hard for the two fighters to use scrolls when it's already a bad move for them to begin with.

[Daedalus]

If the Barbarian or Dwarf lost their weapon to a Rust spell or capture scenario, a scroll would be preferable. Also, certain spells do what weapons don't in given situations, such as Pass Through Rock or Tempest. But generally, I like to additionally detail the seperation of Hero types. All of the Heroes in the game I'm working on possess perks and nerfs to differentiate them a bit more.

[Kurgan]

I like the idea of the "shake 'n' bake" instant spell nature of the Scrolls. The scroll itself is magic (that's why it mysteriously crumbles to dust once it is used). It's just like how a potion can be used by anyone, agreed.

The "Spells" I treat as powers that the magic user actually has, inherent abilities. But these have a draining effect and hence need to be recharged (from his inner strength, mana, whatever) between quests.

Now for the Wizard's alternate, the Alchemist, who uses materials, it's a simple matter that he is the only one who knows how to properly prepare and use the materials. His Rocket has a special fuse (instructions in Chinese) and so forth so it's his alone, but it's used up once he fires it off. Between quests, he gathers the necessary materials and (re)builds another one.

Now the "Spell Scroll" equivalent would be a single use rocket that just has a fool proof "pull cord and get away" type cartoon drawing on it for even an illiterate to understand.

He releases an animal that digs its way through walls (equivalent to Pass Through Rock), and between quests the animal finds its way back to his master, gets fed & rested, and ready to be prepped for the next outing.
The "spell scroll" version, well, the animal just does its job and then runs free into the wild, never to be seen again.