Scrolls

Overview
A scroll contains a single use of one spell. Characters can wield and use a scroll to activate its spell without expending Spell Points or material components and even if they cannot cast that spell themselves.

Scrolls do not benefit from Metamagic feats or from the character's item properties, ability modifiers, and Enhancements that affect spells, although there are separate Enhancements that improve scroll effects. Scrolls with spells that appear on the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list and that need a somatic component are subject to Arcane Spell Failure even if the spell also appears on a divine spell list or the character using the scroll is a divine spellcaster or a Bard in light armor.

Each scroll has a predefined caster level that is used to determine its spell's strength regardless of the character using it.

Wizards can inscribe scrolls to permanently learn their spells.

Using Scrolls
A character cannot use a scroll unless one of the following conditions is met:

1. The character could know the spell himself at his class and level.

2. The spell appears on the character's spell list at a higher level than he can currently cast, and his overall character level meets the scroll's minimum level.


 * This requires a check and may not succeed. The game rolls 1d20 and adds 2x the character's caster level. If the total is at least 2x the level at which he could cast the spell himself, the scroll works. This gives a 95% chance of success if the character is one level short, 85% for two levels, 75% for three, and so on. The scroll is destroyed whether it works or not.

3. The character has a sufficiently high Use magic device skill.


 * This method also requires a skill check, does not always work, and uses up the scroll either way.

If the character meets both the last two cases, the game makes only one check using the method most likely to succeed.

Scroll vendors
Scrolls can be bought from several places in DDO:

Arcane scroll vendors

 * Level 1 and 2 - The Marketplace Bazaar (N on the ground floor), Lorna Wrymtouched
 * Level 3 - House Phiarlan, Object Desire (NW near entrance to Tangleroot), Corual Laoli
 * Level 4 and 5 - House Jorasco House of Wizardry (South end of map), Auromir Palance
 * Level 6 and 7 - House Phiarlan Object Desire (NW near entrance to Tangleroot Gorge), Frederik Star
 * Level 1 to 7 - The Portable Hole (requires Teleport spell)
 * Level 8 and 9 - not available from vendors

Divine scroll vendors

 * Level 1 and 2 - The Marketplace Bazaar (NW corner on the round raised platform) or The Rusty Nail tavern, Jylanni Baum
 * Level 3 to 7 - House Jorasco, House of Wizardry (South end of map), Aulandar Thistlecrown
 * Level 8 and 9 - not available from vendors

Scrolls not available from vendors
Not all scrolls are available from vendors. Several AoE spells and Dimension Door scrolls were removed from vendors in Update 4.1 and are now only available for chests. Additionally, no scrolls were added to vendors' list for many of the new spells added to the game since then. Dimension Door has a unique purpose that can save a quest where otherwise everyone would die; Wall of Fire is used regularly; it would be reasonable to get both leveling up to Level 4.

It might be a good idea for a wizard to learn these spells when leveling up since those scrolls are harder to acquire.