Reduced Ability Score and Spells

[Hima Flametinker III]

If your classes ability score is reduced below the minimum requirement to cast it off your slots. How does it affect your ability to use Wands and Scrolls?

[David knott 242]

Wands -- no effect.

Scrolls -- You would have to use UMD to emulate the appropriate ability score or forget about using the scroll.

[skizzerz]

For scrolls, you need the requisite ability score. You can make a UMD check to use a scroll without having the needed ability score ("In addition, casting a spell from a scroll requires a minimum score (10 + spell level) in the appropriate ability. If you don't have a sufficient score in that ability, you must emulate the ability score with a separate Use Magic Device check.").

PRD wrote:

To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.

• The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters (wizards, sorcerers, and bards) can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his class.)
  
• The user must have the spell on her class list.
  
• The user must have the requisite ability score.

If the user meets all the requirements noted above, and her caster level is at least equal to the spell's caster level, she can automatically activate the spell without a check. If she meets all three requirements but her own caster level is lower than the scroll spell's caster level, then she has to make a caster level check (DC = scroll's caster level + 1) to cast the spell successfully.

For wands and other spell trigger items, you simply need the spell on your spell list to use it without UMD, so ability scores are not a factor in terms of activating them.