A Question/Observation re Mana Shield

[Attika]

Was doing some SP ironman and when my character got killed by a particularly vicious fire-arrow trapped chest, I reloaded the game prior to the death and started a small experiment.

Here's the setup:

Level 14 Warrior with Str 88, Mag 10(26), Dex 57(64), Vit 25 (46), Life 148, Mana 44, all resistances zero and using a Claymore of Vitality, a Small Shield of the Mind, a ring of the Moon +7, and Scale Mail AC23 and Helm AC6.

This character knows NO spells.

Caves level 10.

Now I stood adjacent to the trapped chest and cast Mana Shield from a scroll, then touched the chest. BAM! Down to 65 life remaining, so lost 44 mana and 83 life for a total of 127 damage, assuming that

"for slvl 0 there is never any reduction of the damage."

according to Jarulfs 4.1.3

So this slvl 0 Mana Shield absorbed some damage, but stopped none.

Reloaded the game.

Repeated it again; same result. Again; same. Again. Same.

NOW I picked up a MS book from off the ground and READ Mana Shield to get slevel to one. Then stood next to the chest at the same spot, cast MS from a scroll, and touched the chest.

BAM. Exact same result, life down to 65.

Last test. Reloaded, read TWO books of MS so slevel is now 2. Went back to chest and stood in same spot. Cast MS (now should be slvl 2) from a scroll. Touched the chest.

BAM. Exact same result, life down to 65.

It appears that even slvl 0 MS gives you the "reduce damage by 1/3" benefit.

Is this indeed correct?

Attika

[Rhydderch Hael]

I thought a cast from a Scroll guaranteed a minimum of a slvl 1 spell in effect. Higher effects, of course, being dependant on the character's learned spell level for that incantation.

[Phredreeke]

I always thought that scrolls use the spell level of the currently selected spell. So if you use a scroll as an item, with another spell selected in the "spellbox", you'll get the slvl of that spell. I am unsure about how character skills (Repair, Disarm Trap and Recharge) affects, but I recall they count as slvl 15(20?).

[Obi2Kenobi]

They use the skill level of your currently selected skill.