Staff Recharge and UMD

[Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan]

This thread isn't about casting from a Staff with UMD, just about recharging.

Let's say I'm a caster, from a class that doesn't have any of the spells from a staff on my list.

Example: I'm a 10th level Bard, and we're talking about a Staff of Fire.

None of the spells in the staff are on the Bard list, but I DO have 4th level spells. Now, a Wizard would cast that at 7th level, a Sorcerer at 8th, and a Druid at 9th.

Can I make a UMD check in the morning with a DC of 27 in order to "emulate a class feature" and use one of my 4th level castings for today to put a charge into the staff?

It seems pretty clear to me that "fooling" a magic item into thinking you have a spell on your class list is exactly what UMD does. It specifically does this for wands, staffs, and scrolls, albeit slightly differently for each.

Note, I am not trying to argue for emulating a specific caster level, or to fool the staff into thinking I can use a 3rd level spell to do the recharge. I actually want to pump a 4th level spell into the staff as required, because otherwise we'd be violating some law of thermodynamics or something.

Ok folks, so let's discuss.

[Diego Rossi]

PRD wrote:

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).[/quote+

Activating isn't recharging.