Can a sorcerer use a scroll of a spell not known?

Question

I'm a bit confused because the section on Magic Items that talks about scrolls being Spell Completion items states;

If he can't already cast the spell, there's a chance he'll make a mistake.

Then the Scrolls section states 3 conditions to use scrolls;

To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.

• The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters (wizards, sorcerers, and bards) can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his class.)
• The user must have the spell on her class list.
• The user must have the requisite ability score.

Emphasis mine. So does that mean that a sorcerer can use any scroll as long as the scroll's spell comes from the wizard/sorcerer spell list, or will there be a problem when using a scroll of a spell he does not know.

I would assume the same also applies to a bard?

Answer 1

Sorcerers can use a scroll of a Sorcerer/Wizard spell they do not know.

The "If he can't already cast the spell" line that causes you confusion is more clear in context:

To use a spell completion item safely, a character must be of high enough level in the right class to cast the spell already. If he can't already cast the spell, there's a chance he'll make a mistake.

It refers to the Sorcerer's class level, the character's potential to learn and cast such a spell.

The clause you emphasized in the second quote, "The user must have the spell on her class list", reinforces this. It mentions that the spell must be on the correct list (in this case, the Sor/Wiz) list. It need not be on that Sorcerer's list of spells known - that would be a more stringent condition. Luckily for Sorcerers, that's not the case.

And yes, the same applies to Bards.