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So I have this Wizard1/Artificer3 multiclass character. Can I craft, say, a scroll of Cure Light Wounds taken from the Bard's spell list and then, as it is an arcane scroll, adding it to my spellbook? What I'm saying is, is there anything stopping me from eventually having every spell from every arcane casting class spell list in my spellbook?

(Note that per the SRD there is nothing from stopping you from adding spells to your spellbook even if you're not high enough level to cast them)

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2 Answers 2

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No, a wizard cannot cast a bard spell, even if it is on an arcane scroll that he copies into his spellbook. The first sentence of the Wizard class ability entry for "Spells" is:

A wizard casts arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list.

If the spell isn't on the list or a unique spell you've researched and gained DM permission for, you can't use wizard spell slots to cast it.

By the RAW I can't find anything that would prevent you from learning or scribing a non-wizard spell into your spell book if it's on an arcane scroll, but it would be a waste of gold and time without being able to cast it.

Furthermore, the Eberron Campaign Setting Errata File includes the following:

Page 32: Artificer—Item Creation

Magic items created by an artificer are considered neither arcane nor divine.

As the scrolls he makes using the artificer's Item Creation feature are not arcane, the artificer/wizard cannot scribe them into his spellbook at all.

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    \$\begingroup\$ You may not be able to cast it, but you can now scribe a scroll of it with no UMD check, since SRD says that "You can create a scroll of any spell that you know" \$\endgroup\$
    – Yandros
    May 31, 2012 at 6:15
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    \$\begingroup\$ That's just RAW. If I was DM the answer would be a long stare just before saying, "Rocks fall…" Which is to say: this is shenanigans. Pull them at your own risk. \$\endgroup\$ May 31, 2012 at 6:37
  • \$\begingroup\$ It's probably worth incorporating (or at least mentioning) the rules Yandros quotes, because even if the scroll is of a spell on the wizard's list, he can't learn it if made by an artificer (such as himself). \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Aug 6, 2014 at 19:44
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Yandros Oh, by the way: no, not even strict-RAW could you make that scroll (well, as a wizard; the artificer class feature allows it with UMD), because despite that line, creating any magic item involves preparing and expending the required spell(s). Can’t do that with wizard spell slots and a non-wizard spell. \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Aug 9, 2014 at 1:12
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    \$\begingroup\$ @KRyan Well spotted. "The creator must have prepared the spell to be scribed <...> The act of writing triggers the prepared spell". Since the creation feat lists requirements, I was fooled into thinking that those were the only ones and din't think to check this. \$\endgroup\$
    – Yandros
    Aug 9, 2014 at 5:11
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Ok, I found a negative by RAW. From the Eberron Campaign Setting Errata: "Magic items created by an artificer are considered neither arcane nor divine". Since scrolls are magic items, they won't be arcane scrolls, so a Wizard won't be able to add one to his spellbook.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Technically, even if they were arcane he wouldn't be able to add them to his spellbook if they didn't also appear on the Sor/Wiz list. A wizard can't learn to cast Cure Light Wounds from a scroll even if it's an arcane scroll, as it might be if a bard scribed it. \$\endgroup\$
    – GMJoe
    Jun 4, 2012 at 5:45
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    \$\begingroup\$ @user867 He can't learn to cast, but he can add it to his spellbook, according to SRD, and then he can use it to be able to craft items with it and use scrolls and wands without the UMD check. \$\endgroup\$
    – Yandros
    Jun 4, 2012 at 15:31
  • \$\begingroup\$ +1. This is exactly how I'd rule as DM, so I'm not surprised it was errata'd in. :) \$\endgroup\$ Jun 4, 2012 at 18:26

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