What Would Make You Use Scrolls?

[svartalfimposter]

I did a bit of googling and it seems lots of people never use scrolls, do you? Personally, I'm busy using my other abilities in a fight, so I forget to use scrolls or I don't think their functionality would be beneficial. It doesn't help that the same spell won't reliably be there in any particular scenario.

 

So if you don't use scrolls, what would make you use them? More powerful effects? Effects that might last beyond a single fight - (i'm thinking maybe a protection oriented scroll that might last for an entire dungeon)?

 

 

[HeyYou]

I think being able to pen my own scrolls, with spells/effects that I would find useful in various situations, would make me far more likely to use them. (hence, the ability to pen scrolls showing up in Advanced Magecraft for Oblivion. :) )

[Skagens]

As of right now, the only use I see from scrolls is if you manage to find some decent ones early on. Also, I might be mistaken but if I recall, most scrolls are a one-time use that most often shoots a firebolt or something similar, spells you can easily miss. Once you start collecting levels though, their use start to diminish. That's just my take on it. Stronger versions would certainly be nice.

Edited April 11, 2017 by Skagens

[Surilindur]

Would reducing the chances of a successful cast for non-scroll spells help people favour scrolls? For example, if there would be a master level spell that would be guaranteed to succeed when cast with a scroll, but only have a 40% chance to succeed when cast without a scroll (with the chance being lower with a lower magic skill), some players might be more willing to use the scroll version, considering how it would not cost any magicka and would be guaranteed to be a success instead of a failed cast that just wastes magicka. Something a bit like in Morrowind, where a spell (or even a melee attack) only has a certain chance to succeed (I cannot remember if it also applies to scrolls).

 

But on the other hand, some people might not like nerfing normal spells like that - assuming it would even be possible to implement in a reasonable fashion. It might not be. :ermm:

 

Edit: Typo extermination...

Edited April 11, 2017 by Contrathetix

[Mercury71]

I used one today after reading this thread. Summoned an Atronach for a minute. :)

 

Will prolly not happen again.

[BombBloke]

In my first run of Oblivion, due to OOO reducing skill gains to a crawl and a lack of knowledge about the skeleton key, I treasured Opening scolls.

 

But under normal circumstances, spells are simply too cheap. They consume nothing but mana, which regenerates entirely too quickly to care about. Morrowind would've handled this well if not for its enchantment system, as mana didn't naturally regenerate on its own there.

 

Reagent-based systems encourage scrolls (or things like them - eg enchanted tombs, charged talismans, etc), whereby additional components are needed to cast spells (think "eye of newt", that sort of thing). You either carry all of these around with you all the time, or you pre-cast your spells into single chargeable items and simply carry those. Catch is that TES already has a system like this: Alchemy, but it can work quite well when you need to store spell charges in specific talismans, and their availability is limited. Something like Neloth's Staff Enchanter could be bent towards this sort of purpose if you didn't have access to Soul Trap.

 

Class-based games also encourage them, as a fighter for eg is never going to master the higher level spells on their own, but can buy some scrolls from a mage as an alternative to actually dragging said mage along with them. This works for the economy of at least a few MMOs, but Skyrim isn't at all a class-based game.

 

And there's the thing - a large part of the problem is that players within the game's main demographic expect to be able to go into any combat situation at any time and be able to throw lightning from their fingertips until everything is dead. And they can! Even if they've played through everything thus far sword'n'board style and never cast a spell before! You can't allow that sort of thing and expect them to want to use the likes of scrolls at all. You either make it hard to be able to cast the spells (eg lots of skill points before you can do anything at all useful), or you make it expensive to be able to cast the spells (eg either you deplete your entire mana pool with each cast, or it depletes slower but can't be regenerated without potions / sleeping / whatever). Buffing scrolls themselves instead only risks pushing them from "vendor trash" territory into "too awesome to use, put into long term storage" territory.

Edited April 12, 2017 by Bomb Bloke

[Skagens]

It's a cool idea for it to be somewhat like Morrowind where an attack only has a chance to be successful. However, in all likelihood, most people would not like the nerf of the normal spells. A solution for this might be if every time you leveled up, you'd automatically gain a 1% increase for you to hit your spells, This would mean that scrolls are very useful from both early-game to late-game, and would only make scrolls obsolete once you reached level 75-80. Or again if spells cast from scrolls would have added bonuses, like a chance to summon an extra atronach or chance to knockback/paralyze on hit.

 

Edit for not being able to math :laugh:

Edited April 12, 2017 by Skagens

[Urtho]

The removal of spell failure in the latest entries in the Elder Scrolls series has meant a greatly devalued utility for scrolls. If you can never fail to cast a spell, a one use item that casts a spell you might not be able to cast due to a lack of skill in magic (which never happens of course), what use is there for a scroll? Bring back spell failure and cast-on-use magical items other than staffs for offensive magic and scrolls suddenly gain a great deal of utility. Lucky drops of leveled loot for magically disinclined characters is one of the few situations I can see for scrolls still having some use.

 

The general reduction in base magical spell effects in the latest games also has had a great impact on reducing scroll usage. There's no longer a need for teleport scrolls (Intervention and the like) as you can open up the map and teleport anywhere you want from level one with no skill involved - this is map-based fast travel of course. Have a fighter with no skill in magically opening locks? Well use a scroll of Open - except you can't as Open spells no longer exist in Skyrim, if you want to open locked items you must be a thief with skill in Lockpicking, warriors and mages need not apply.

 

These were all present in Morrowind and were very useful options to have if your character was a warrior type with limited or no magical talent but things have changed since then, in many ways for the worse I would argue. The reduction in options as the series has progressed has had many ancillary effects beyond scrolls of course but it has affected them to large degree. Bring back options and features as mentioned above and scrolls suddenly become a lot more useful.

[ScrollThief84]

Yes indeed! I miss the systems of old that were present in Morrowind. I usually played a thief with high damage output, so I rarely invested in magic... But, I have moved on and excepted the new systems and learned to stockpile lock picks! Lol

 

But the OP wanted to know what would make me use scrolls more? POWER!!! Unrivalled power. I would love to see scrolls overhauled to have massive destructive power, buffed beneficial and negative player, ally and enemy effects. Have a scroll of mass fear or turn undead? Cast it and watch the waves of enemies flee in terror! Summon a Storm Atronach... Why not 3 or 5!!!??? And of course, the beloved open lock scroll's. Nine Divines I miss those!

 

At the end of the day, I just want more power, but not something I can spam 10 times a second. Something that might have a cool down or some kind of system similar to the way shouts work. The more powerful the scroll, the longer the cooldown or whatever is put in place to limit usage. But there could also be rare (ish) scrolls that have awesome power, which are not effected by and have no cool down or penalty. Making them your last line of defence or your weapon of first strike.

 

-Edit: Another mechanic that would be fun is multiple cast. Say you have 3 different (for example) and want to fire them off one after another, but don't want to ruin immersion buy stopping to open your inventory 3 separate times. You could set it up like: Cast scroll 1 to buff you and your company. Cast scroll 2 for a huge, destructive hit! Cast scroll 3 that might slow enemy speed and recovery.

 

K, done for now...

 

;)

[Ceasirius]

To be honest, I don't particularly agree with what many of you say regarding Morrowind - personally I hated the system there - mayhaps because I enjoy playing spell-swords and vampires, which rely heavily on magic. Anyway what many people say - I would never use a scroll for a spell I can cast - as its much better to sell that scroll.

 

BUT, the main reason I dont use scrolls is the extremely inconvenient item selection during fights - as any extensive scroll use has the player spending more time in inventory then in the fight, totally breaking the immersion for me personally.

 

On the other hand, I still use the extremely powerful "master level" scrolls a lot, as I rarely get my magic that advanced, and they can pull you out of deadly scenarios with ease...

 

To summarise - I'd use scrolls more if they were more powerful, currently they are too much hassle for very little effect.