Scribe

Scribe — D&D 3.5e

Requirements

• Skills: Decipher Script 5 ranks; Profession (scribe) 5 ranks; any one Knowledge skill 5 ranks; Spellcraft 5 ranks
• Feat: Scribe Scroll
• Spells: Ability to cast 2nd-level arcane or divine spells
• Masterwork of Record: Produce, restore, translate or authenticate a substantial work accepted as authoritative by a recognised institution

There is no alignment, race or arbitrary language-count requirement.

Class Skills

Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int) and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency

A Scribe gains no new weapon, armour or shield proficiencies.

Class Progression

Spellcasting

At 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th level, the Scribe gains new spells per day and increased caster level as if they had also gained a level in one spellcasting class they belonged to before entering this prestige class. No other class features from that class are gained.

Master Copyist (Ex)

A 1st-level Scribe can copy ordinary nonmagical text at four times the normal speed without reducing legibility.

When copying a learned spell into a spellbook or equivalent written repository, the normal transcription time is halved. Material costs and required checks are unchanged.

Master Copyist never reduces the creation time, gold cost or experience-point cost of magic items, including scrolls.

Reference Folio (Ex)

The Scribe gains daily Reference Folio uses equal to 3 + Intelligence modifier, minimum 1.

After rolling a trained Decipher Script, Knowledge, Profession (scribe) or Spellcraft check involving a written source, language, historical record, magical inscription or document, but before the result is announced, spend one use to reroll the check and keep the better result.

Reference Folio cannot be used when the check has no plausible connection to written information.

Archive Seal (Ex)

At 2nd level, the Scribe can authenticate a book, contract, charter, map, scroll or other document after 10 minutes of examination and notation.

The Scribe makes a Profession (scribe) check and records the result privately. Later, the Scribe automatically recognises whether that exact sealed document has been altered, had pages inserted or removed, or been replaced by a different copy.

Forging the authentication requires a Forgery check opposed by the original Profession (scribe) result. Archive Seal does not prevent alteration and is not magical.

Script Sense (Ex)

At 2nd level, the Scribe may use Search to locate traps whose operation depends upon written words, runes, glyphs, sigils or magical inscriptions as though possessing trapfinding for those traps.

When attempting to disarm such a magical trap, the Scribe may use Spellcraft in place of Disable Device and is treated as possessing trapfinding for that attempt.

The Scribe also gains a +2 competence bonus on saving throws against spells or magical effects triggered specifically by reading, speaking or disturbing written material.

Perfect Recall (Ex)

At 3rd level, after studying a written work for at least 10 minutes, the Scribe can later make Knowledge, Decipher Script, Profession (scribe) or Spellcraft checks concerning that work as though the text were physically available for consultation.

The Scribe gains a +4 competence bonus on checks made to recall exact wording, identify discrepancies between versions, detect missing passages or determine whether a quotation accurately reflects a text previously studied.

Perfect Recall does not create knowledge the Scribe never read and does not reproduce hidden or illegible material.

Counter-Script (Su)

At 4th level, once per day, when a magical writing effect within 30 feet activates and allows a saving throw, the Scribe may use an immediate action to call out the critical wording, structure or trigger of the effect.

The Scribe and allies within 30 feet who can hear the warning gain a +4 insight bonus on saving throws against that one activation.

Counter-Script applies to effects such as glyphs, symbols, explosive runes, illusory writing and similar magic whose operation is substantially tied to written signs.

Master Archivist (Su)

At 5th level, the Scribe can understand the literal meaning of any nonmagical written language after 1 minute of study, as though benefiting from comprehend languages for written text only. This does not automatically decipher codes, reveal hidden meanings or overcome magical protection.

Once per day, after 10 minutes consulting notes, books or records, the Scribe may treat the d20 result of one trained Knowledge, Decipher Script, Profession (scribe) or Spellcraft check as a 20. This is not an automatic success.

The Reference Folio pool increases by two daily uses.

Scribe — Pathfinder 1e

Requirements

• Skills: Linguistics 5 ranks; Profession (scribe) 5 ranks; any one Knowledge skill 5 ranks; Spellcraft 5 ranks
• Feat: Scribe Scroll
• Spells: Ability to cast 2nd-level arcane or divine spells
• Masterwork of Record: Produce, restore, translate or authenticate a substantial work accepted by a recognised archive, court, temple, college, guild or similar institution

Class Skills

Appraise (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int) and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency

A Scribe gains no new weapon, armour or shield proficiencies.

Class Progression

Favored Class: Prestige-class levels do not receive favored-class bonuses.

Spellcasting

At 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th level, the Scribe gains new spells per day, spells known where applicable and increased caster level as if they had also gained a level in one spellcasting class they belonged to before entering this prestige class. No other class features from that class are gained.

Master Copyist (Ex)

The Scribe copies ordinary nonmagical text at four times the normal speed without loss of legibility.

When writing a learned spell into a spellbook or equivalent repository, halve Pathfinder’s normal transcription time, to a minimum of 30 minutes. This does not reduce the separate study time required to learn the spell.

Magic-item creation times and costs, including scroll creation, are unchanged.

Reference Folio (Ex)

The Scribe gains daily Reference Folio uses equal to 3 + Intelligence modifier, minimum 1.

After rolling a trained Knowledge, Linguistics, Profession (scribe) or Spellcraft check involving written material, but before the result is announced, spend one use to reroll and keep the better result.

Archive Seal (Ex)

After 10 minutes authenticating a document, the Scribe makes a Profession (scribe) check and records the result. The Scribe later recognises automatically whether that exact sealed document has been altered, had pages added or removed, or been replaced.

An attempt to forge the authentication must meet or exceed the original Profession (scribe) result with Linguistics.

Script Sense (Ex)

The Scribe uses Perception normally to locate magical traps based on writing, runes, glyphs or sigils.

To disarm a magical trap whose operation depends primarily on written words, runes, glyphs or sigils, the Scribe may use Spellcraft in place of Disable Device and is treated as possessing trapfinding for that attempt.

The Scribe gains a +2 competence bonus on saving throws against effects triggered specifically by reading, speaking or disturbing written material.

Perfect Recall (Ex)

After studying a written work for at least 10 minutes, the Scribe may later make Knowledge, Linguistics, Profession (scribe) or Spellcraft checks concerning that work as though the text were physically available.

The Scribe gains a +4 competence bonus on checks to recall exact wording, identify discrepancies between versions, detect missing passages or determine whether a quotation accurately reflects a text previously studied.

Counter-Script (Su)

Once per day, when a magical writing effect within 30 feet activates and allows a saving throw, the Scribe may use an immediate action. The Scribe and allies within 30 feet who can hear the warning gain a +4 insight bonus on saving throws against that one activation.

Master Archivist (Su)

The Scribe can understand the literal meaning of any nonmagical written language after 1 minute of study, as though benefiting from comprehend languages for written text only. Codes, hidden meanings and magical protections remain intact.

Once per day, after 10 minutes consulting written records, the Scribe may treat the d20 result of one trained Knowledge, Linguistics, Profession (scribe) or Spellcraft check as a 20. This is not an automatic success.

The Reference Folio pool increases by two daily uses.

The Working Scribe

This prestige class is not tied to monasteries or one religion. A master Scribe may come from a royal archive, merchant chancery, temple library, wizard college, civic record hall, diplomatic household, military headquarters, guild office or travelling scholarly tradition.

The profession is inherently mobile in an adventuring campaign. A Scribe may recover a lost charter, compare contradictory chronicles, translate ruin inscriptions, authenticate a claimant’s genealogy, copy a dangerous spell before a collapsing library is lost or determine whether a treaty has been altered.

Adventure Hooks

The Missing Clause

Two kingdoms hold apparently identical copies of a treaty, except one contains a sentence that changes the border.

The Dead Language

A newly opened tomb uses a script resembling a known language but contains grammatical forms no living scholar recognises.

The False Chronicle

A respected history has been altered in dozens of archives at once. Only older quotations reveal that anything changed.

The Burning Library

A fire spreads through an archive while enemies search for one particular volume. Saving every book is impossible.

The Impossible Signature

A royal charter bears the authentic hand and seal of a ruler who died before the document’s stated date.

The Spell That Should Not Copy

Every attempt to transcribe a certain ritual creates a different final line.

Related Classes

Scribe centres written knowledge, translation, document authenticity, spell transcription and magical inscriptions.

Loremaster centres broad esoteric knowledge and general magical scholarship.

Cryptographer centres codes, covert messages, ciphers and intelligence work.

Explore More

• Prestige Classes
• Loremaster
• Cryptographer
• Creating Magic Items
• Player Resources

Sources and Rules Provenance

The former version of this page credits Thomas Knauss and Dragonwing Games/Bastion Press. This rebuilt Scribe is original campaign material and does not reproduce that source’s bespoke spell list, distinctive class abilities, church/monastery background assumptions or salary formulas.

D&D 3.5e and Pathfinder 1e terminology is used for rules compatibility. Scribe Scroll, spellbook transcription and scroll-creation mechanics should follow the site’s standing rules attribution and licensing practice.