Can a Ranger activate a Bead of Karma?

[Dusk Eclipse]

As the title says, I am wondering since I intend to build a Psy-gish who uses Ranger as the non-manifesting base and as my planned progression is loosing three ML so far, I want to make use of the psi-magic transparency and use the Bead of Karma +4 CML when manifesting metamorphosis to get access to more powerful form.

So what do you think, Rangers are a divine casting class, and therefore qualify for using them, but I want to make sure if they can do it even when they can't cast spells yet.

The planned build is Ranger 2/Psion 2/Ghostbreaker* 1/Slayer 10/Ghostbreaker +4.

Final BAB 18 ML 17 (before boosts) Psion manifesting 17 (and ninth level powers)

*Prestige class from Hyperconcious.

[Lateral]

Rangers can use magic items without needing UMD checks even if they don't have spells yet, so I would assume so.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Ok, this is getting interesting :smallamused: Can you say metamorph into a 14 HD creature at level 10

[Cog]

This item appears to be a normal string of prayer beads until the owner casts a divine spell. Once that occurs, the owner instantly knows the powers of the prayer beads and how to activate them.
So it's not quite the same as a first level Ranger being able to use a Wand of Cure Light Wounds freely. You have to actually cast a divine spell to make use of the strand, so you would need to be Ranger 4 first.

[sreservoir]

you can't use it until you actually cast a divine spell, so no.

incidentally, you'll have to wait until 5 for ghostbreaker, because it requires concentration 8.

[Dusk Eclipse]

This item appears to be a normal string of prayer beads until the owner casts a divine spell. Once that occurs, the owner instantly knows the powers of the prayer beads and how to activate them.
So it's not quite the same as a first level Ranger being able to use a Wand of Cure Light Wounds freely. You have to actually cast a divine spell to make use of the strand, so you would need to be Ranger 4 first.

Emphasis mine, by my reading if I Identified the bead of karma I guess I could activate it


you can't use it until you actually cast a divine spell, so no.

incidentally, you'll have to wait until 5 for ghostbreaker, because it requires concentration 8.

:smallannoyed: That is what I get for working purely on memory... well then my BAB drops to 17 (by getting another psion level prior to ghostbreaker)

[Cog]

Emphasis mine, by my reading if I Identified the bead of karma I guess I could activate it
Perhaps. But then Ranger has nothing to do with it at all, and I wonder why I've never seen it come up outside of divine casting before. (That doesn't prove anything, of course. It would just be surprising to find otherwise.)

[Dusk Eclipse]

The identifying part is just to know it is a bead of Karma, the activation part still needs to be done by a Divine Caster (or someone with UMD), or at least that is how I see it.

[Cog]

Ah, I should have read the whole thing.

...the beads of karma and summons can be activated by any character capable of casting divine spells.
So we're back to requiring Ranger 4. Just having a divine spell list isn't good enough.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Ah, I should have read the whole thing.

So we're back to requiring Ranger 4. Just having a divine spell list isn't good enough.

Crap... I knew I should have read more thoroughly.... well then it is UMD (or UPD)

Edit: Which can be got through Shaper, though I planned on being an Egoist.

[Keld Denar]

Its only a DC20 UMD to emulate the ability to cast Divine spells.

[sreservoir]

I'd assume you'd just have to activate blindly (DC 25).

but really, if you just take mystic ranger (Dragon 336), you'll get all you need, except martial melee proficiencies, which you'll just get from slayer.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Its only a DC20 UMD to emulate the ability to cast Divine spells.

Let's see... 5 Ranks +1 cha*, I need a 14 on the dice to activate it


I'd assume you'd just have to activate blindly (DC 25).

but really, if you just take mystic ranger (Dragon 336), you'll get all you need, except martial melee proficiencies, which you'll just get from slayer.

And... that is an option I completely forgot about... thanks for the idea.


*Since I need cha 11 for Hidden talent I guess I could get a 12 without problem

[Curmudgeon]

Its only a DC20 UMD to emulate the ability to cast Divine spells.
You mean DC 21, right?
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. If you've got a DM who allows you to emulate a feature at class level zero, you can probably just get by with handwaving rather than actual checks. :smallcool:

[Urpriest]

I'm pretty sure Psionics-Magic transparency doesn't work that way. SR maps to PR, dispelling and detection map across, dead magic and dead psionics are equivalent, and spells and psionics share the same stacking rules. None of that lets you use CL boosts to boost ML. Since CL and ML have very different functions, you shouldn't be able to boost one with tools used to boost the other anyway.