UMD and Staves

[Jacob Saltband]

When you use UMD to activate a staff can you imulate a higher level caster or are you stuck with the staves level.

[Harley Quinn X]

When you use a Staff, you use your caster level or the Staff's level, whichever is higher. There isn't a use for UMD to emulate a Caster Level.

[james maissen]

Jacob Saltband wrote:

When you use UMD to activate a staff can you imulate a higher level caster or are you stuck with the staves level.

UMD tricks the staff into activating.. but it doesn't grant the staff a higher than normal caster level or save DC.. that's the wielder's power directly.

And UMD isn't able to deliver that..

-James

[ryric]

I would certainly say that if your personal Int/Wis/Cha is high enough that you could use it for setting the save DC out of a UMD'd staff.

Arguably "having a caster level" is a class feature of spellcasting classes, and might be doable with "emulate a class feature." I don't think I would try it in a PFS game because it's somewhat unclear, but a home game GM might be okay with it.

[Kayerloth]

Quote:

Emulate a Class Feature: Sometimes you need to use a class feature to activate a magic item. In this case, your effective level in the emulated class equals your Use Magic Device check result minus 20. This skill does not let you actually use the class feature of another class. It just lets you activate items as if you had that class feature. If the class whose feature you are emulating has an alignment requirement, you must meet it, either honestly or by emulating an appropriate alignment with a separate Use Magic Device check (see above).

Note the part about figuring your emulated class level equals your UMD check - 20

Does or would this not apply? If not why (what's the reasoning)?

[james maissen]

Kayerloth wrote:

Note the part about figuring your emulated class level equals your UMD check - 20

Does or would this not apply? If not why (what's the reasoning)?

It applies to activating the item, but it does not change the item into something its not, nor does it change you into something that you're not.

The staff activates and the fireball (or whatever) shoots out. A successful use of UMD.

The DC for the staff is either the min (14) or the staff can draw upon you (in reality, not how you've fooled the staff into activating) to increase the DC.

Think of it as casting an illusion of a floor. You've fooled the person, so they walk on it. But that doesn't mean that it supports their weight.

-James