[RPG] Handy spells to have on scrolls for a specific scenario?

pathfinder-1e

My situation:

  • I'm rolling up a 10th level Pathfinder witch, using all Paizo products
  • standard starting wealth (62K GP) plus and the ability to choose Scribe Scroll if it turns out to be worth the cost of a feat
  • a ratling familiar (with the ability to cast any spell of any class/level from a scroll, no UMD needed. Note that this compares reasonably well to a Rod of Quicken Spell since the ratling and the PC can both cast in the same turn. Ill Omen is particularly useful for this sort of role…but there must be more good options (on any class spell list) that folks have thought of and can share.)
  • joining an existing party where the only other casters are a blaster-sorcerer, a master summoner, and some paladins with wands of CLW (no full divine casters).
  • Heading into the Worldwound on a crusade (not based on any published AP) where I expect a broad mix of evil foes including demons, giants, dragons, plus plenty of random others.
  • In terms of quantities, we can expect to be out of town for weeks at a time…though I'll know Teleport if needed.

This is my first time playing a witch, and my first time playing any full caster at this level. I plan to focus on battlefield control and debuffing but want to provide useful general utility as well.

The classes of scrolls I'm considering so far:

  • ones I'd like my ratling familiar using while I'm taking other actions (e.g. I'm considering crafting many Ill Omen scrolls for my familiar to use immediately before I cast a save-or-suck spell.)
  • ones that typically aren't worth preparing but are very handy in niche cases (e.g. maybe something like Neutralize Poison or Dismissal?)
  • important divine spells that the party won't otherwise have access to (but that could be used as scrolls by the ratling).

I'm looking for:

  • specific scroll suggestions (e.g. "one or two of A & B, and ten+ of C & D") and
  • general principles for how to make these decisions (e.g. "In addition to the three reasons for bringing scrolls you mention, I'd also be thinking about X")
  • feel free to suggest ones that are of any level and/or on any class list, since the ratling can use scrolls from any class, and if you believe a single use high level scroll is worth the cost I'd like to know.

Since it seems folks may be put off by the time investment needed to answer this comprehensively, let me add:

  • a brief answer with a few great ideas may be better than a comprehensive one so don't feel that your choices are answer comprehensively or not at all.

Best Answer

Let's start with the easy ones:

  • Protection from Evil (Communal). There is also a "Magic Circle" variant but it's more expensive and it only has a range of 10ft around you. Yes you can definitely memorize this spell, but it's not always easy to memorize "enough".
  • Invisibility Purge is very situational, when you need it, you really need it. If your familiar can be mobile and hide behind the paladins, this may be even more useful on it :) Faerie Fire only works for one Cleric domain and Glitterdust only works for Arcane casters.
  • Death Ward is absolutely huge around evil monsters. It is quite likely that you will memorize one of these, but when you need multiple, it's nice to have extras around.
  • Restoration spells. Again it is quite likely that you will have one or more of these memorized, but it really sucks when you "run out".
  • Take a look at Breath of Life and Raise Dead (note raise dead scroll is +5k gp). Honestly, Breath of Life is pretty good and you may just memorize it anyways. But it is annoying to burn a 5th level slot on Raise Dead that's only useful if somebody dies. At 10th level, the odds are pretty good that somebody is going to die, but you never know if that's going to be today or tomorrow or next week. Because of Raise Dead's cost, it's typically the type of thing where the party pitches in for the scroll, so feel free to ask the party to help fund this scroll.
  • The removes: Remove Disease, Remove Curse, Neutralize Poison. These are all great to have when you really need them, but they are annoying places in which to "burn slots". Again however, these spells are all really to the party's benefit. This is the type of thing that you may want the party to pitch in for. Note that two of these are accessible to the Sorcerer who may want a copy as well, you should coordinate.
  • Delay Poison is handy fail-safe compared to the 4th level spell Neutralize Poison. The Delay is "hours/level". So it's enough to clear a fight or possibly two before getting to safety or casting the full version.
  • Speak with Dead is great way to gather information, but again you're never going to memorize it for that one day the mystery starts.

@Jacob Proffitt has a very extensive list, but that's also a lot of cash on Scrolls. I would start with this smaller list as the odds of using any of these scrolls within a few levels is pretty high.

Related Topic