Identifying Spells Scrolls
I use the following house rule modifying how spell scrolls may be identified:
- During a short rest, only characters who have the scroll’s spell on their class or subclass spell list and are of a high enough level to have spell slots for that spell can identify it.
- If the spell appears on their spell list but the character is not of high enough level to have spell slots to cast it, then the character learns that the spell is on their spell list but character is not yet of high enough level to have spell slots to cast it.
- Any character who can cast the Identify spell may use it to identify a scroll, regardless of whether the scroll’s spell appears on their spell list.
References
- “[C]onsider removing the ability to identify the properties of a magic item during a short rest, and require the identify spell, experimentation, or both to reveal what a magic item does.”
Dungeon Master's Guide (2014), page 135
* "A spell scroll bears the words of a single spell, written as a mystical cipher. If the spell is on your class's spell list you can use an action to read the scroll and cast its spell without having to provide any of the spell's components. Otherwise, the scroll is unintelligible."Dungeon Master's Guide (2014), page 200