UMD with Page of Spell Knowledge


Rules Questions

Shadow Lodge

Emulate a Class Feature wrote:
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).
Page of Spell Knowledge wrote:
This page is covered in densely-worded arcane or divine magical runes. It contains the knowledge of a single arcane or divine spell (chosen by the creator when the item is crafted). If the bearer is a spontaneous spellcaster and has that spell on her class spell list, she may use her spell slots to cast that spell as if it were one of her spells known. A page of spell knowledge is priced based on the spell's cleric or sorcerer/wizard spell level, unless the spell doesn't appear on either of those spell lists, in which case it is based on the highest spell level as it appears on any other spell list. For example, a spell that is on the 4th-level inquisitor list and the 2nd-level paladin list is priced as a 4th-level spell.

I think I've bolded the relevant lines.

The Spells class feature covers what each class' spell list contains. If your PC emulate a spontaneous caster class' Spells class feature, you should be able to fulfill the PoSN's bolded conditions (spontaneous caster, spell on your spell list). Now, given the bolded sentence in the UMD, emulating the Spells class feature doesn't actually grant the PC spell slots, so that by itself doesn't let the PC do anything.
The question then becomes: what if the PC is a spell caster herself? How ambiguous is the sentence? Can she then "use her spell slots to cast that spell as if it were one of her spells known"?


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Are you asking if a wizard could make use of these with UMD?

Shadow Lodge

Probably not prepared casters, since they don't actually have a class feature that contains a set of "spells known". Spontaneous casters, on the other hand, would.

Shadow Lodge

On a related note, which spawned this thread in the first place.

If this doesn't stand up to scrutiny, does anyone know of other ways to allow a Sorcerer to cast calm emotions without using wands/scrolls+UMD?

Liberty's Edge

It's a DC 20 Use Magic Device check to use a wand of a spell that is not on your class spell list so using the Page of Spell Knowledge is probably the same DC. If you already have the ability to cast spells, then you don't need to emulate that class feature, just be able to pretend that the spell is on your class spell list.

It seems like this should work for a sorcerer who wants to cast a non-sorcerer spell on a Page of Spell Knowledge. You'd just have to make a successful UMD check every time you wanted to cast that spell. Having to make the UMD check would probably negate the usefulness of any spell that had a casting time shorter than a standard action, though.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Serum wrote:
Probably not prepared casters, since they don't actually have a class feature that contains a set of "spells known". Spontaneous casters, on the other hand, would.

Wizards have spells known (everything in their spellbook is their spells known), but they don't normally cast spontaneously.

If you made an UMD and you used a wizard ability that allowed you to cast any "spell known" spontaneously, then you could use it.

You couldn't use it without casting a spell spontaneously, so you can't swap out a spell slot for that spell. You can't memorize that spell in a slot. You can't leave a slot open and cast it with that slot.


check here

Shadow Lodge Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8

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Hi, I'm Ben Bruck, I wrote the first draft of the Page of Spell Knowledge. They changed a little bit in development, but they basically work the same, so hopefully I can give some insight as to intent.

The idea of using UMD plus PoSK to cast spells that aren't on your spell list has come up before, and my stance has been no, (or more accurately yes, but to no effect).

A sorcerer can mimic having the oracle spell list to meet the items use condition, but to then use the spell they'd need to have oracle spell slots available as well, and UMD can't give them those.

Of course, I'm not your GM, and they may feel differently :)

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Link doesn't work.


Pathfinder Maps Subscriber

I think he means this link ?


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Ben, good to know you!

So, a sorcerer could have a Page of Spell Knowledge (Bull's Strength) and cast it and then an Oracle could grab it from him and use it as well since they both have slots and the spell is on their respective spell lists? That is how we have run with them.

To answer this post, I agree, the wizard could potentially activate it but then would not be able to do anything with it. It my case both of the different spontaneous casters have the spell on their list, it is just not known, and they have slots to utilize in casting the spell.

This would not work if it were a Page of Spell Knowledge (Bless) as the sorcerer usually does not have that spell on his spell list.

Is that how you see it?

Liberty's Edge

Oh well. Good enough for me. Probably better that it doesn't work for spells not on your own class list. If nothing else, I can see Summoners using share spells to abuse the hell out of True Strike, Lead Blades, and Divine Favor if this weren't the case.


Serum wrote:

On a related note, which spawned this thread in the first place.

If this doesn't stand up to scrutiny, does anyone know of other ways to allow a Sorcerer to cast calm emotions without using wands/scrolls+UMD?

You could use the Research a Spell downtime mechanics to research a sorcerer/wizard version of Calm Emotions. It wouldn't be cheap -- research costs would be 200gp/day for 14 days, assuming you pass all the skill checks.

All subject to GM approval, of course. And it's a little sticky when a sorcerer wants to do it, because then you have to figure out if you're 1) replacing an existing spell known, or 2) pre-selecting a spell known for your next level.

Shadow Lodge Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8

Hendelbolaf wrote:

Ben, good to know you!

So, a sorcerer could have a Page of Spell Knowledge (Bull's Strength) and cast it and then an Oracle could grab it from him and use it as well since they both have slots and the spell is on their respective spell lists? That is how we have run with them.

To answer this post, I agree, the wizard could potentially activate it but then would not be able to do anything with it. It my case both of the different spontaneous casters have the spell on their list, it is just not known, and they have slots to utilize in casting the spell.

This would not work if it were a Page of Spell Knowledge (Bless) as the sorcerer usually does not have that spell on his spell list.

Is that how you see it?

Yep, that's how I run it as well.


Well, a celestial sorcerer actually has bless as a bonus spell. So I can infer that you can actually cast spells that are not arcane in nature with arcane spell slots as long as you have a mean to acquire the knowledge of said spell like with a page of spell knowledge.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

That is why I said "usually does not have that spell on his list."

I do not think that it matters whether it is divine or arcane. That was an old 1st edition thing where a spell had a cleric and a magic-user version so the scrolls were called at as being a cleric scroll of this or a magic-user scroll of that. A scroll of Bull's Strength is just that, neither divine or arcane. It is now just a matter of "is it on my list?"

So if Bless is on your particular sorcerer's list, then he could use a Page of Spell Knowledge with it or a scroll or activate a wand, etc.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Hendelbolaf wrote:
A scroll of Bull's Strength is just that, neither divine or arcane.

In Pathfinder they are still a type (arcane or divine), you are thinking of the PFS environment where they have no type.


Since the original author for the item is chiming in here, I do have another question related to the Page of Spell Knowledge (PoSK).

But what was the original intention in ‘using’ the item? Does just possessing the PoSK allow you to add an additional known spell? Or do you actually need to pull out the PoSK to cast the additional known spell?

Liberty's Edge

Hendelbolaf wrote:

That is why I said "usually does not have that spell on his list."

I do not think that it matters whether it is divine or arcane. That was an old 1st edition thing where a spell had a cleric and a magic-user version so the scrolls were called at as being a cleric scroll of this or a magic-user scroll of that. A scroll of Bull's Strength is just that, neither divine or arcane. It is now just a matter of "is it on my list?"

So if Bless is on your particular sorcerer's list, then he could use a Page of Spell Knowledge with it or a scroll or activate a wand, etc.

No. (I am saying that to you frequently in the last days):

In Pathgfinder there is a difference between arcane and divine scrolls.

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.

A scroll written by a sorcerer with the appropriate bloodline is a arcane scroll and can be read without using UMD only by a arcane spellcaster with bless in his spell list.

Same thing with a bard or witch CLW.

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