Scroll

Version 0.29: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

A disposable arcane formula inscribed on parchment by a professional scribe or sorcerer. Anyone can evoke the power of the arcane formula by reading it out loud, but the nature of that power is not a priori apparent.

Scrolls are consumable items which, when read (command r), provide a wide variety of magical effects. They can be found as randomly generated loot or bought in certain shops. Unidentified scrolls will have gibberish names until you've identified them, either by reading them or through use of a scroll of identify. These names are randomly generated each game, and provide no clues as to the scroll's effect.

Unlike certain other roguelikes, in Crawl, every character is able to read by default. However, the following status effects disable scroll-reading entirely:

• Brainless
• Berserk
• Confusion
• Silence
• Engulf (unless you are undead or nonliving)
• Certain bad forms
• The -Scroll status (inflicted by the No Unsafe Scrolls mutation when damaged)

Reading an unidentified scroll will destroy it, except for the scroll of acquirement. However, if you read an identified scroll that requires a decision, you can safely change your mind by pressing Escape and without spending any time doing so.

List of Scrolls

Very Common (26.7%)

• Scroll of identify

Common (13.3%)

• Scroll of teleportation

Uncommon (4.8%)

• Scroll of amnesia
• Scroll of blinking
• Scroll of brand weapon
• Scroll of enchant armour
• Scroll of enchant weapon
• Scroll of fear
• Scroll of immolation
• Scroll of magic mapping
• Scroll of noise
• Scroll of vulnerability

Only one of these two scrolls will spawn in a given game:

• Scroll of butterflies
• Scroll of fog

Rare (2.0%)

• Scroll of poison
• Scroll of silence
• Scroll of summoning
• Scroll of torment

Very Rare (1.2%)

• Scroll of acquirement

History

• Prior to 0.28, being brainless only imposed an 80% fail rate to read scrolls (in order to allow removing curse). Also, scroll rarities were made more consistent.
• Prior to 0.27, the Blurry Vision mutation existed; it slowed your reading of scrolls, causing them to take effect later.
• In older versions, scrolls of acquirement had to be used when read (regardless of whether they were identified or not).
• Prior to 0.16, the Blurry Vision mutation imposed a flat failure rate upon attempting to read a scroll that increased per rank.
• Prior to 0.15, any time you suffered fire or hellfire damage, there was a chance your scrolls would be subject to item destruction. The conservation ego reduced the chance of this happening, as did having a high AC.
• Prior to 0.14, reading scrolls at inappropriate times (a scroll of remove curse when you have no cursed items equipped, for example) would waste the scroll without actually identifying it.
• Prior to 0.10, reading scrolls was the only way for a character without magical abilities to gain access to them, allowing you to train Spellcasting.

Obsolete Scrolls

• Scroll of holy word - Removed in 0.29, replaced with the scroll of poison.
• Scroll of remove curse - Removed in 0.27 with the removal of all non-Ashenzari item curses
• Scroll of random uselessness - Removed in 0.27.
• Scroll of recharging - Removed in 0.21 when wand mechanics were overhauled.
• Scroll of curse armour, scroll of curse jewellery, scroll of curse weapon - Removed in 0.18 when Ashenzari began granting the ability to curse items directly
• Scroll of enchant weapon I/II/III - These were merged into the scroll of enchant weapon in 0.15.
• Scroll of vorpalise weapon - Changed to scroll of brand weapon in 0.13.
• Scroll of unholy creation - This briefly replaced the scroll of summoning in 0.11.
• Scroll of detect curse - Removed in 0.11.
• Scroll of paper - Removed in 0.7.
  • Scroll of old paper - Technically never existed in a stable game version, but would replace scrolls of paper if an old game was transferred to a new version.