LE Mage's Guild - How to Balance Scroll Crafting

[Xander9009]

I've decided to put some work into a random idea I had. The Imperial Mage's Guild sets up a branch in Skyrim (Solitude) and hopes to expand with the player's help. Not really, necessary background, but since I may have other questions, it may be useful at some other point.

 

My current question is about a spellbook/scroll crafting station I'm making. I know there are various ones out there, and this is just meant to be my take on it. My question is how should I balance it? Currently, to make a scroll, you use up:

• 1 Paper Roll
• 1/2 Quill
• 1/3 Inkwell

Making a spell book requires the same items, plus:

• 1 Leather
• 1/2 Leather Strip

To craft a spell book, you have to have the spell equipped. You don't have to be able to cast it, but you have to know it.

 

To craft a scroll, I didn't like that same restriction, since scrolls are supposed to be spells you may not know (that's their purpose for player use, I mean, at least mostly). So, I made it so you can craft any scroll, whether you know the spell or not, as long as your related skill level is high enough. So, raise your conjuration to 75, and while you may not yet know the spell Conjure Storm Atronach (and thus can't make the spell book), you'll be able to make a scroll for it. My reasoning was that your skill level is high enough that you can understand the spell, and you understand the basic mechanics (the skill itself) well enough that you can take your time to make a simple one-off. You cannot, however, quickly cast the spell properly, because you don't understand it that well.

 

The problem here is that, while I really like the availability of certain scrolls for which you're a high enough level but haven't yet obtained the spell book, it's easily be abused (especially since I plan to add a vendor to sell these items in the building). I considered adding soul gems as a requirement, with higher level gems being needed for higher level spells. However, I'm not a huge fan of that approach since that could easily make a scroll have more value put into it via supplies than the scroll itself is worth (which would make it very strange that those scrolls exist anywhere).

 

If anyone has any ideas on how I might balance this without making it cumbersome, I'd appreciate hearing them.

 

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Also, unrelated to the scroll balancing question, if you have any ideas for quests (anywhere from simple to full questline ideas) that would make sense for the Mage's Guild newly arrived (and still building) in Skyrim, let me know. I've got a number already, but I'll need plenty more. :smile: