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So, this happened at the table I play at yesterday: My GM and I got into a heated discussion about items that "treat your level as X higher for the purposes of random class feature" and not having any levels in that class or having that class feature.
He is of the opinion that if it doesn't require you to be a specific class, you can use the item and it would treat you as 4th level for the purposes of that class feature. I've tried explaining to him that RAI doesn't work like that, but it's like explaining logic to a brick wall.
Would it be possible to get some official clarification on this?
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My understanding, without specific references, is that if you do not have the particular class feature (or levels in the class referenced) then the item would essentially be unusable as having the class or class feature would be considered a prerequisite. I look forward to finding out the word from someone in authority but, as a GM, I would rule the item unusable unless that player had a level in the specific class or the class feature (which I think would be one in the same).
I only have one thing to say. Use Magic Device.
It is a GM Fiat thing.
IIRC by Dev Clarification: You don't gain the benefits of the increased class levels if you don't have the class feature. Though it does work if you have a class feature that works like the one the Item Effects.
Such as Sohei with their Weapon Training.
Though it is still unclear if it works with things like the Two-Weapon Warrior's Twin Blades Abilities.
I only have one thing to say. Use Magic Device.
I could at least see this, but using UMD to emulate the class feature doesn't actually give you the feature in question, it simply makes an item think you have it for the purposes of using said item. If you were to, say, trick a Silver Smite Bracelet into thinking you have Smite Evil, you would treat the Smite Evil you don't technically have as four levels higher. This shouldn't automatically give you 2/day Smite Evil as a 4th level paladin. The same goes for tricking a Robe of Arcane Heritage (Bloodline of your choice) into thinking you have a bloodline of the appropriate type via UMD to gain the four level power boost; if this were possible and legal, Eldritch Heritage would have never been conceived as a feat tree.
I've never seen or heard of it run that it gives you the class feature. By the RAW, I would personally say
The wearer of this bracelet (1)treats her paladin level as 4 higher than normal for the purpose of (2)her smite evil class feature.
1. They don't have a Paladin level of 0. There's no such thing. They just don't have a Paladin level, meaning the bracelet can't raise it. Even if one were to UMD it and pretend they did (making the bracelet work its magic), there's still nothing for the Bracelet to raise, and it doesn't have any real effect.
2. They also don't have the Smite Evil class feature to work with. Again, they might pretend to, but the Bracelet isn't actually giving them Smite Evil, it's just improving it. If there's nothing to improve, it does nothing.
That seems almost certainly RAI, and I would personally say RAW too. But, I dunno, I can't think of anything that would explicitly back it up.