Battle Host Occultist Battle Skill - How is it supposed to work?

[morbon]

Battle Skill reads:

"At 2nd level, a battle host's magic item skill ability applies only on checks with weapons, armor, and shields.

This ability alters magic item skill."

Magic Item Skill reads:

"At 2nd level, an occultist's knowledge of magic items grants him a bonus when attempting to use them. He gains a bonus on all Use Magic Device checks equal to 1/2 his occultist level."

This is a bit confusing. I can understand how to activate other magic items that you may not have discovered the activation phrase for, like on many rings, amulets, as well as wands. You just apply Use Magic Device, and you're good. As I can't think of a single piece of armor, shield, or weapon that doesn't have powers that are always on, how does this apply to checks to use them. Usually, with weapons, you are just making an attack roll, and with armor you aren't making any checks.

So, what is Battle Skill meant to do?

[Protoman]

Flaming/frost/etc weapons and bunch of other items require a command word to activate.

[FLite]

Also umd can be used to activate a power you don't qualify for. For example an armor that says "if a dwarf uses this, he can..."

[kinevon]

Celestial Armor has a once/day fly ability.
Glamered is definitely a use activated ability on weapons or armor.
Etc.

[Bryce Kineman]

But we're not using Battle skill for UMD anymore, just checks with Armor, Weapons, and shields. I could see this applying to skills affected by ACP but the weapons are a bit more confusing. Maybe Perform combat? Dazzling Display? I was hoping it would apply to attack rolls so they are basically running Full Bab with weapons.

[cavernshark]

morbon wrote:

Battle Skill reads:

"At 2nd level, a battle host's magic item skill ability applies only on checks with weapons, armor, and shields.

This ability alters magic item skill."

Magic Item Skill reads:

"At 2nd level, an occultist's knowledge of magic items grants him a bonus when attempting to use them. He gains a bonus on all Use Magic Device checks equal to 1/2 his occultist level."

This is a bit confusing. I can understand how to activate other magic items that you may not have discovered the activation phrase for, like on many rings, amulets, as well as wands. You just apply Use Magic Device, and you're good. As I can't think of a single piece of armor, shield, or weapon that doesn't have powers that are always on, how does this apply to checks to use them. Usually, with weapons, you are just making an attack roll, and with armor you aren't making any checks.

So, what is Battle Skill meant to do?

I'm fairly certain that it's just meant to allow to give you a bonus to UMD use related to the items mentioned. The thing is that most uses of UMD have nothing to do with weapons, armor or shields. There are no requisite checks required to activate most items in that category.

That said, in the event you find a weapon that requires you to have a certain class feature or stat - you could then get the bonus to UMD to fake it.