Troll Lord Games

H all - flipping through the PH and M&T I confused myself about saves vs. spells in scrolls.

The rules state that challenge classes for saves vs. spells start at a base of 12 or 18 plus a challenge level equal to the caster's level. The rules also state that magical characters can begin to write scrolls at 7th level. So does that mean that the challenge level for every magic scroll is at least 7, no matter the spell on the scroll?

Its up to the Castle Keeper, technically, though there are some logical places to start with...

In the case of a character reading a scroll to cast a spell they would normally not be able to (such as any level rogue or a wizard casting above spell level): the save should always be the level of the reader / caster - not that of the creator.

In the case of a scroll with a spell above 4th level (the minimum level needed for them): the minimum level needed to ordinarily cast the spell should be used.

For spells between 0 and level 3, either 7 (the minimum needed for the spell to be scribed), or that of the creator of the scroll, whichever the Castle Keeper desires.

The rules as written do not support (that is, it is not stated) a caster casting beneath their own level (for example, a 5th level wizard could not cast a fireball that only inflicted 1 die of damage) so it would be appropriate to apply that to item creation as well, save for the one exception noted as the first case.

So, yes... scrolls are always "level 7 or better" unless the reader is not. Or, unless the Castle Keeper says so.