Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds
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So, that means you can activate them to use a spell that is on your spell list. If the spell you want to use isn't on your spell list, then you have to use the UMD skill to activate the staff.
Do I have this correct?
If I do, then this staff is giving me fits: Ember Staff
Produce Flame is not on the spell list of any of the classes that can use Fireball or Scorching Ray. So how would this staff be useful to cast more than two spells (if you're arcane) or one spell (if you're a druid/hunter/shaman)? Would you really have to UMD it to get it to cast the spells that *aren't* on your list in order to get full value out of the staff? Well, that would be kind of odd, as druid, hunter, and shaman don't have UMD on their class skills, and likewise there are only a couple classes that have fireball/scorching ray on their spell list that have UMD as a class skill, so the likelihood that someone finds this item and has UMD all primed and ready to go to make full use of it is slim.
By the way, there are several other staves just like this, utilizing a mix of arcane- and divine-only spells.
Because of this, I feel like I am getting the staff rules wrong.
Please enlighten me.
Stuff
It is my belief that is done on purpose to make the price of the Staff higher.
If you notice no staff has only 1 spells, which would make the price considerably lower.They just pump spells on it, make it look cool, it's a trap, you lose.
You would need to make the UMD check if the spell isn't on your list, yes. However, it is easy to make the UMD check for a spell trigger item, and it's a class skill for any class with a trait.
Yeah, but staves are a particular case because:
they use your feats
CL
So eventually you end up having to roll for:
Use Staff
Emulate Ability Score
Maybe emulate even CL?
You would need to make the UMD check if the spell isn't on your list, yes. However, it is easy to make the UMD check for a spell trigger item, and it's a class skill for any class with a trait.Yeah, but staves are a particular case because:
they use your feats
CLSo eventually you end up having to roll for:
Use Staff
Emulate Ability Score
Maybe emulate even CL?
It uses your CL if it's higher, staves have their own CL. And whatever your stat is (if non-caster - highest mental I guess) will just have to do. The UMD is just an unwritten flat DC 20 (activate wand is the closest to what is wanted).
(Unless I'm missing some ability score requirement to activate a spell trigger).On staves: They are made to be thematic and situational more than powerful(or even generally useful) but there are neat tricks for longer campaigns using custom staves.
I love staves, but I'm also a lot more flexible with them than most. Eg. swords or other items with staff-like usage.
You would need to make the UMD check if the spell isn't on your list, yes. However, it is easy to make the UMD check for a spell trigger item, and it's a class skill for any class with a trait.Yeah, but staves are a particular case because:
they use your feats
CLSo eventually you end up having to roll for:
Use Staff
Emulate Ability Score
Maybe emulate even CL?It uses your CL if it's higher, staves have their own CL. And whatever your stat is (if non-caster - highest mental I guess) will just have to do. The UMD is just an unwritten flat DC 20 (activate wand is the closest to what is wanted).
(Unless I'm missing some ability score requirement to activate a spell trigger).On staves: They are made to be thematic and situational more than powerful(or even generally useful) but there are neat tricks for longer campaigns using custom staves.
I love staves, but I'm also a lot more flexible with them than most. Eg. swords or other items with staff-like usage.
So, I can potentially use a Divine Staff as a Wizard with UMD using my own CL? How about the DC?
Is the minimum necessary to cast the spell? What happens if you have feats that apply to the school of the spell being cast? Do they apply?
You would need to make the UMD check if the spell isn't on your list, yes. However, it is easy to make the UMD check for a spell trigger item, and it's a class skill for any class with a trait.Yeah, but staves are a particular case because:
they use your feats
CLSo eventually you end up having to roll for:
Use Staff
Emulate Ability Score
Maybe emulate even CL?
I don't think Staves use your feats, but they do use your caster level.
*quote stuff*
So, I can potentially use a Divine Staff as a Wizard with UMD using my own CL? How about the DC?
Is the minimum necessary to cast the spell? What happens if you have feats that apply to the school of the spell being cast? Do they apply?
Staves are neither divine nor arcane, but yes - a divine spell in a staff uses your CL if higher than the staff. (this is one of the neat things about staves.)
The DC? I haven't found it explicit anywhere in the rules yet. As I read the rules it's a flat DC 20.
Feats apply; spell focus, spell penetration and similar.
Staves use caster's ability score, feats, and CL. Source; This is in the reminder text to the arcane discovery "staff-like wand" in UM. And elsewhere but I don't recall where.