Using a staff with UMD

[Shin Okada]

PHB says that to use spell-trigger item with UMD, use the same method as using a wand.

But when using a staff in this monner, can a user somehow use one's mental ability score, feats, special abilities, caster level and such? Or the user must treat a staff just like ordinary spell trigger item (caster level = staff's level, spell DC = 1.5 x spell level)?

I am wondering if staves are just like higher-level wands for a warlock. Or he can use it more efficiently.

 

[moritheil]

There was a HUGE argument a while ago in the charOp community over the validity of emulating caster level for ridiculously high caster levels (given that there is a trick to getting a skill check of over 1 million). There were some wild builds centered around high caster level (I think exploiting consumptive field was one of them.)

Here's a quote from over a year ago when I was discussing it with some players:

For the record . . . there have been serious arguments in the past over whether or not the ability to modulate CL was an intended use of UMD (as it isn't specified explicitly, but rather inferred from the "emulate a class feature" text.) We will hopefully avoid rehashing that argument here.

http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=3053125&postcount=228