I've got two rules questions, which are both worth solving on their own for upcoming game adjudication.
The Lore Needle (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/h-l/lore-needle/) has a d20 roll for the heal skill check to use it.
Is this roll
1) Abstracting the mundane skill of a heal check needed to position the needle
Or is this
2) Activation of a magic item, where the use activation is a heal skill check
Related, but also worth discussing on it's own. Anyone want to share their clarification on what kind of actions you can aid another with? The core rule book mentions "In many cases, a character’s help won’t be beneficial, or only a limited number of characters can help at once." But there's really no list of examples, and I can't find lists of skill uses including (Aid another? y/n) categories to learn from. There are plenty of things that describe how people can help with this exact situation. For example, how many characters fit to overcome the DC to open a door in an AP, how multiple casters contribute in ritual magic, or aid another for attack or AC in combat. Do we assume if there aren't rules for how it is actively allowed, then the answer is no, no aid another is allowed here?
Let's go back to our lore needle and think about how aid another is impacted by the type of action it needs. If it's a mundane heal check, you could start with Aid Another being allowed, because characters can aid with heal checks in general. Or you could argue that the needle is so small that the 'limited number of characters can help at once' factors in and you can't use aid another. After that it's just GM fiat, and I'd like to build up a library of things you can and can't aid another on for examples if there's no rules here.
If the Lore Needle is a magic item that you activate with your heal check, then the core rule book clearly states that you can't use aid another. Only the character activating a magic device can make the check to activate it.
the lore needle explicitly state how it is implanted and how long it takes:
"Implanting a lore needle takes 10 minutes and requires a successful DC 15 Heal check. A user can insert the needle into her own head with a successful DC 25 Heal check."
if you use it on some1 else who is helpless or willing it takes 10 minutes and a dc 15 heal check (which has dire results if you fail, so one can't take 20 on this check).
if you try it on yourself the dc goes up to 25 but it still take 10 minutes. (as it should be harder to pierce your own brain safely compared to some1 else's.)
do notice, all this is just about implanting the needle to make it useable. using it is something else that is done as part of a knowledge check. this check might take different amounts of time depending on the nature of the check. (there are knowledge checks to identify creatures which are rather fast and sometimes automatic, and knowledge checks to learn something using a library which might take hours. etc)
"A creature with an implanted lore needle can, up to three times per day when attempting a Knowledge check, apply to that check its bonus on any other single Knowledge skill in which it is trained."
Action types are only for when you are in combat. Inserting a lore needle takes 10 minutes so cannot be done in combat. 10 turns works out to be 100 turns.
Aid another is a generic way to allow a character to help another. Trying to list every way someone can help another person is impossible because it would be an infinite list. It can be used on any skill and most actions. Common sense will limit what it can be used on, and how many people can give aid. This is something that requires the GM’s judgment.
Is this roll
1) Abstracting the mundane skill of a heal check needed to position the needle
Or is this
2) Activation of a magic item, where the use activation is a heal skill check
Thank you for taking the time to respond so far zza ni and Mysterious Stranger. I haven't received an answer to my question yet. I've highlighted what I was asking about using the lore needle, which is not about actions in combat.
If someone out there could clarify if installing the Lore Needle is using a magic device, that's the meat of what needs more detail.
The lore needle is a magic item to start with. And with a 4,000 gp price tag, it's a magic item with the use-activated discount. Is making the lore needle function for your willing or helpless target over 10 minutes activating a magic device?
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Is this roll
1) Abstracting the mundane skill of a heal check needed to position the needle
Or is this
2) Activation of a magic item, where the use activation is a heal skill check
Neither of the two. Installing the Lore Needle is installing it. A surgical operation to have it in place.
You activate it when you use it to try a lore check.
To put it another way, if you have a full plate that cast Fly 3/day, UMD will help on learning temporarily the Heavy armor proficiency feat? No.
Similarly, UMD doesn't help you with implanting the needle. You need the actual heal skill or a lot of luck.
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Putting a nitro system in a muscle car is something that takes a full night’s work for a pair of experienced mechanics. (At least according to the montage in the movie I just watched). Activating the nitro is done later, while driving, by pressing the big red button on top of the gear shift to get the boost.
Same general idea with the lore needle. It’s a non-magical surgical procedure to install it (Heal check), and takes 10 minutes. Once it is installed, the bearer can use it as part of making a knowledge check. No additional actions or skills checks required to use the needle.
Installing the Lore Needle is preparing a magic item. It is the same thing as putting a magic ring on your finger except it requires DC 15 heal check and take 10 minutes.