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When a bard learns a spell using the Magical Secrets feature, it counts as a bard spell. Of note, should they replace any spell learned via Magical Secrets at a later level, they can only replace it with one from the bard spell list. Rules designer Jeremy Crawford actually did make a ruling on Twitter regarding this, so this is clear: replacing one's Magical Secrets spell is easily done - it is just somewhat unwise to do so.

Say a bard picks find familiar as a spell. Massive boon! For dirt cheap, they can print them off as spell scrolls. Now, who can use that spell scroll?

I see three possibilities:

  1. This is a wizard spell on the wizard list - designed for wizards. Clearly only a wizard can use a wizard spell on the wizard list designed specifically for wizarding ways, right? So obvious: a wizard buying this spell can transcribe it into their book (with a good roll on a good day) - or simply use it and get themselves a familiar.

  2. Any Magical Secrets spell, no matter which spell list it once came from, counts as a bard spell for all intents and purposes (i.e. "learning, casting and recording"). Should a bard make such a spell scroll, any other bard can use it. A "secret" no longer! But to be clear, if it is a bard spell, only bards could use this magic item. A wizard would not ever figure it out. A druid would have no chance. A barbarian would accidentally use this scroll as a fire-starter.

  3. You can use any scroll if the spell is on your class list. So almost anyone can use that charm person scroll. Thus, the bard scribing such a spell scroll cannot even use it themselves. Imagine the ignominy with scribing any spell from Magical Secrets: "I cannot read any of what I just wrote down."

Which interpretation is correct?

(I did search to check whether this was a repeat of a previous question before posting.)

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    \$\begingroup\$ I personally would recommend leaving out potential answers from your question. If you believe those are all reasonable and possible, you can always self-answer, but otherwise I'd not lead the community to an answer but let us figure it out. \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Nov 24, 2020 at 21:37
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    \$\begingroup\$ @NautArch i am mildly addicted (considering therapy) to adding flip and quirky comments to my questions. It is deeply enjoyable & even a bit cathartic to make fun of my own ideas. So sorry / hard to quit. \$\endgroup\$ Nov 24, 2020 at 22:40
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    \$\begingroup\$ I like the flip and quirky comments/scenarios! I just don't like the pseudo answers :( \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Nov 24, 2020 at 23:06
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    \$\begingroup\$ @NautArch I find "Here are several possible answers I'm considering, and the reasons for them" to be a useful addition to a question, as it often spotlights where the confusion lies. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mark Wells
    Nov 25, 2020 at 19:55
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    \$\begingroup\$ @MarkWells I can kind of see that, but usually we like answers in answers. Adding them to questions obscures the question and prompts answer direction when that may not be helpful. However, it's not a huge deal. \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Nov 25, 2020 at 19:58

1 Answer 1

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Spell scrolls don't care who created them.

The rules for using spell scrolls say:

If the spell is on your class’s spell list, you can read the scroll and cast its spell without providing any material components.

The scroll doesn't care about the class of its creator. The only requirement is that the particular spell appears on your class's spell list.

Magical Secrets spells count as Bard spells.

As for your situation where the Bard has a scroll bearing one of their Magical Secrets spells, the Magical Secrets feature description has this to say:

The chosen spells count as bard spells for you.

So a Bard would be able to use a spell scroll bearing one of their spells learned through Magical Secrets. That is, if Jimmy Page (a bard) learns haste through Magical Secrets, he can use a haste spell scroll created by anyone, no matter their class. But if Jimmy Page learns haste through Magical Secrets and creates a haste spell scroll, Robert Plant (another bard) can only use the haste spell scroll if he also learns haste with Magical Secrets.

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    \$\begingroup\$ It's worth explicitly pointing out in the last section that Magical Secrets only count as bard spells for bards that pick them as Magical Secrets - so even if one bard's able to make a scroll of a spell not on the bard spell list that they've learned using Magical Secrets, a different bard won't be able to use that scroll unless it's on their spell list as well (e.g. if they gain it via Magical Secrets themselves). \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Nov 26, 2020 at 0:14
  • \$\begingroup\$ @V2Blast Thank you. Ironically this is exactly the answer i was seeking. 'The best lines are always in the comments' as they say in Reddit. \$\endgroup\$ Dec 11, 2020 at 17:59
  • \$\begingroup\$ @V2Blast I'm trying to figure out how my last sentence doesn't already say that. \$\endgroup\$ Dec 11, 2020 at 18:01
  • \$\begingroup\$ @ThomasMarkov: Your answer certainly implies it (in that scrolls don't care who makes them), but it never explicitly states that a bard can use a scroll of a spell they could learn via Magical Secrets (without multiclassing or whatever) only if that particular bard has chosen that spell with the Magical Secrets feature themselves. It's worth stating that explicitly. You say "Magical Secrets spells count as Bard spells", but the key restriction is that they count as bard spells for only that bard - not all bards. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Dec 11, 2020 at 18:54
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    \$\begingroup\$ Surely Led Zeppelin can help explain this. \$\endgroup\$ Dec 11, 2020 at 19:00

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