[RPG] How to find an NPC spellcaster to cast Raise Dead on a person

Single use item

A scroll (6125 gp) or an item with one charge (5675 gp) is probably the cheapest solution to cast Raise Dead.

Also, you can use these items with Use Magic Device. Chances are lower than for a lower-level-than-necessary cleric, but you can retry (with 24h break on natural 1) for sure. (I'd say that - although not very clearly - retries for casting spells from scrolls are possible too). Raise Dead is not a combat spell anyway (casting time 1 minute), so the impact of several retries is not essential.

Ring of Spell Storing

More expensive option, requiring some balancing role-playing, is to give your NPC (or a temple the PCs can visit) a Ring of Spell Storing (50k gp) with Raise Dead. (Imagine a more powerful cleric recharging the ring every time she visits the temple, but not too often). The advantage of the ring - anyone can have it and use it, even if your local temple is run by a Lvl 1 Paladin (here you need the balancing act - 50k gp, powerful item is unusual in the hands of a 1st level character).

Planar Ally (long shot)

Lesser Planar Ally is a 4th level Cleric spell with 100 XP cost. A scroll is 1200 gp, a wand is 920 gp per charge. A summoned planar ally requires a payment of 100gp per HD for quick tasks, half if the task is not hazardous.

And a Hollyphant (Book of Exalted Deeds, p. 176) and a Movanic (Fiend Folio, p. 57) are 6HD, good outsiders (Hollyphant - NG, Movanic - any good) that happen to have Raise Dead as a spell-like ability. You could allow the NPC to be able to call them with Lesser Planar Ally and pay either 300gp (I don't think it's hazardous) or bargain another service for the outsider. With a scroll, the total cost is 1500 gp.

You could assume your (or the NPCs) deity will send one of these outsiders if you request help to bring someone back from the dead.

This looks almost correct. However, I'm almost certain a scroll of permanency must include as part of its creation (therefore adding to its price) expending material components equal to at least the amount it'd cost to have the the spell permanency affect whatever spell will be affected. In addition, the GM may require each scroll of permanency to specify the spell that permanency spell will make permanent.

Option 1: Use scrolls

• arcane scroll of invisibility (2nd-level spell at caster level 3) (150 gp; 0 lbs.).
• arcane scroll of permanency (5th-level spell at caster level 10) (6,250 gp; 0 lbs.)

Option 2: Use services

• 1 casting of the 2nd-level spell invisibility by a level 3 caster (60 gp).
• 1 casting of the 5th-level spell permanency on the spell invisibility by a level 10 caster plus material components (5,450 gp).

Option 3: Do it yourself

• 1 casting of the 2nd-level spell invisibility at any caster level up to your own.
• 1 casting of the 5th-level spell permanency on the spell invisibility at any caster level that's at least 10
• Material components costing 5,000 gp for the spell permanency on the spell invisibility.

Option 1 costs a total of 6,400 gp. Option 2 ideally costs 5,510 gp. (I say ideally because were I a wizard who loves money I wouldn't cast permanency on some low-level punk wizard's invisibility spell; I'd make you pay for one of my far better solid, robust, dependable, level 10 invisibility spells. You don't want to skimp, do you? This will be permanent, after all.) (Tip: In the world of Pathfinder durations, permanent only means permanent until dispelled.) Option 3 costs only 5,000 gp, but you've to be an appropriate level 10 caster (necessary, in all cases, because of the minimum level needed to affect an invisibility spell with a permanency spell).