How can a character create a Spell Scroll?

Question

How can a character create a Spell Scroll?

I've read through the DMG, and the section "Creating a Magic Item" on p.284 is about creating the design of a magic item "type", rather than create an actual magic item

Answer 1

Xanathar's Guide to Everything adds optional rules for creating spell scrolls. They can be found on page 133, but I'll highlight the basics here.

A character must have proficiency with the Arcana skill as well as the spell prepared/known and must have the material components required to cast the spell.

The cost to scribe a spell scroll is in gold required and time taken. See chart below, all Cantrips scribed are cast as if the caster were 1st level.

Level	Time Cost	Gold Cost
Cantrip	1 day	15 gp
1st	1 day	25 gp
2nd	3 days	250 gp
3rd	1 week	500 gp
4th	2 weeks	2,500 gp
5th	4 weeks	5,000 gp
6th	8 weeks	15,000 gp
7th	16 weeks	25,000 gp
8th	32 weeks	50,000 gp
9th	48 weeks	250,000 gp

Answer 2

The Create a Magic Item section on page 284 of the Dungeon Master's Guide is for the Dungeon Master not PCs. It's there to help the DM create a homebrew magic item that doesn't already exist in the rules.

PCs have to craft magic items in their downtime (if the DM allows them to), rules for which can be found in the Crafting a Magic Item section on page 128 of the aforementioned DMG, or (for spell scrolls specifically) on page 133 of Xanathar's Guide to Everything.

Answer 3

While this question has been asked and answered: it is completely up to the GM. As a GM I find the guidelines in Xanathar's Guide to be unreachable. The prices provided do not match up with magic item cost guidelines provided in the DMG.

DMG 135

If your campaign allows for trade in magic items, rarity can also help you set prices for them. As the DM, you determine the value of an individual magic item based on its rarity. Suggested values are provided in the Magic Item Rarity table. The value of a consumable item, such as a potion or scroll, is typically half the value of a permanent item of the same rarity.

DMG Page 135

Rarity	Character Level	Value
Common	1st or higher	50-100 gp
Uncommon	1st or higher	101-500 gp
Rare	5th or higher	501 -5,000 gp
Very rare	11th or higher	5,001 - 50,000 gp
Legendary	17th or higher	50,001+ gp

DMG Page 200

Spell Scroll

Spell	Level Rarity	Save DC	Attack Bonus
Cantrip	Common	13	+5
1st	Common	13	+5
2nd	Uncommon	13	+5
3rd	Uncommon	15	+7
4th	Rare	15	+7
5th	Rare	17	+9
6th	Very rare	17	+9
7th	Very rare	18	+10
8th	Very rare	18	+10
9th	Legendary	19	+11

These tables lead you to the "value" of the scroll, not the cost to create. The creation cost would have to be lower than the value, or no one would sell at such low prices. If Xanathar's Guide to pricing of scroll cost was used, the value of the scrolls would be much higher. At 250,000 gp for a 9th level spell keep in mind that you have this from the Player's Handbook.

PHB Page 114

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells o f your choice to your spellbook. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the Wizard table.

The system is giving the player two spells per level, for free. It is assumed that players are researching these spells while they are adventuring. So if you utilize Xanathar's pricing guide, then your wizards are somehow coming across 500,000 gp or each level from 17 to 20th and beyond.

Perhaps utilize Xanathar's Guide for the creation of a new customized spell the player wants, while sticking to the DMG guidelines for the creation of scrolls the player already knows.

If you follow the guideline of previous editions and the crafting of things costs half its value, you would instead get a table that looked like this.

Rarity	Value
Common	5-50 gp
Uncommon	51-250 gp
Rare	251 -2,500 gp
Very rare	2,501 - 25,000 gp
Legendary	25,001+ gp

Be sure to add in the additional cost of material components for a spell without halving that. 100gp of diamond dust is still 100gp of diamond dust... unless you're crafting it (ie mining it from the ground). But let's not go into the outrageous pricing of gems. =)

Answer 4

This is what I was able to figure out for COST to scribe a scroll, comparing the DMG and XGtE methods. The DMG actually has 2 tables for costs: 1 for Crafting Magic Items (p.129) and the one JamesA quotes, called Magic Item Rarity (p.135).

JamesA's table has a column called "Value" and is in the Treasure chapter just above the "Buying and Selling" section, so that seems more like market PRICE (as opposed to cost).

The p.129 table has a column literally labeled "Creation Cost", so that's what I'm using. The DMG also mentions that cost for consumables (scrolls) are halved, but it also says time is based on cost. I am assuming therefore that the time is also halved. In the table below, I have already cut the cost and time in half.

Overall, I think the monetary costs are very similar, but the times vary dramatically.

Level	DMG	XGtE
0	50 gp/2 days	15 gp/1 day
1	50 gp/2 days	25 gp/1 day
2	250 gp/10 days	250 gp/3 days
3	250 gp/10 days	500 gp/1 workweek
4	2500 gp/100 days (3+ mos)	2500 gp/2 workweeks
5	2500 gp/100 days	5000 gp/4 workweeks (1 mo)
6	25k gp/1000 days (3- yrs)	15k gp/8 workweeks (2 mos)
7	25k gp/1000 days	25k gp/16 workweeks (4 mos)
8	25k gp/1000 days	50k gp/32 workweeks (8 mos)
9	250k gp/10k days (27 yrs)	250k gp/48 workweeks (1 yr)