[3.5 + PF] Trickery Devotion and Item Use

[Karoht]

I took the feat, haven't used it yet. Yes, the DM is aware I have it, and has warned that he can and will throw a book at me if I abuse it brutally.
I just acquired a Staff of Power. Lots of spells on tap there.
Now, it says at level 15 I can cast spells and have them originate from the Simulacrum the feat creates. Which sounds like it will be fun.
However, at level 10 it says that the Simulacrum can perform skill checks.
UMD is a skill check, which I have ranks in.

So my thought process is to have the Trickery Devotion Simulacrum perform UMD checks using it's copy of my Staff of Power.
Questions:
1-I'm level 12. Will it be able to use the Staff of Power, provided I have a sufficient UMD skill? Or do I have to wait until level 15?
2-When the Simulacrum uses it's copy of my Staff of Power, do the charges come from it's copy or mine? My theory is that if it's making copies of my gear, it's copy has it's own charges so long as the Staff started out with charges to begin with.

The plan next level is pick up Improved Familiar, get something with UMD and hands. Use my Simulacrum, hand the Staff to my Familiar, cast Project Image and Meld into Stone (with some form of telepathy active to monitor the party and my familiar), and proceed to fight encounters from a relative position of safety. And as soon as I can afford to, add a Belt of Battle to the mix.

Thoughts?
Anything I can do to make this even more fun/effective? Or does it flat out not work that way?

[HunterColt22]

You will want to re look at the feat again, specifically about phantom versions of your gear, I can't quote word for word, but anything that leaves the simulacrums hands, I.E. an arrow, and more than likely, a charge from a wand, fizzles out and dies. Yes you can have magic originate from it, but that is part of the major image spell that comes with it. Someone with more knowledge on the rules should be by shortly, but my hunch is that it is not going to work like that, and if it did, I would most certainly make it eat charges from "your" wand.

[Psyren]

1) You don't need to imitate level - staffs use the spell trigger method, which only requires that the spell be on your list. (If the spell in question is not, THAT'S what you'd use UMD to fake.) However, see below.

2) TD does not "copy" your equipment - it has "phantom versions" of your equipment. What this means is up to your DM, but speaking personally I wouldn't allow any magic items to benefit both of you. If you handed him your staff then I would allow UMD-use through it, but it would be really no different than using it yourself.

[BowStreetRunner]

First, the duplicate created by the trickery devotion has the abilities of an unseen servant with the characteristics of a silent image layered on top, plus the abilities of the feat.


A visual illusion (figment) of yourself with no sound, smell, texture or temperature.
Perform simple tasks (skill check DC 10 or less).*
Perform one activity at a time.
Repeast the same activity over and over if desired.
It has a Strength of 2 (lift 20 lbs, drag 100 lbs).
Move at a speed up to 15 feet.
Ignores terrain effects, even walking on open air.
If you have a fly speed it appears to fly when not in contact with the ground.
It cannot attack in any way.
It cannot be killed.
It dissipates if it takes 6 points (+ your class level) of damage from area attacks.
It receives no saves against attacks.
It ceases to exist if it goes beyond the spell's range.


*Suggested activities which are within its power include fetching things, opening normal unstuck doors/drawers/lids, holding chairs, cleaning, mending, triggering traps.

At 5th level you layer on the effects of a Major Image - it gains sound, smell and thermal effects added to the illusion. You can also now perform a bluff check to make your opponent think it is you as long as it is within 5 feet.

At 10th level you can move your perception to the duplicate. You can now perform tasks with a skill check DC over 10. You have phantom versions of your equipment - NOT real versions. In other words, you can still only perform the actions of an unseen servant, but at a higher DC for skill checks. (A phantom +5 keen sword is just a phantom sword and the duplicate still cannot attack.)

At 15th level the Strength score limitation of the duplicate is raised to 1/2 your Strength. It can now perform combat actions using phantom versions (visual, sound, smell and thermal effects) of your gear. (So a +5 keen sword is still just a sword.) You can cast spells originating from the image as with the project image spell, so those spells must have a range of touch or greater (not personal), and no spells can target the image itself except illusions. You still have to cast the spells - neither the image nor any of the phantom versions of your equipment have any such power. A spell cast from a wand or staff is treated as if you cast it, but it has to come from the real wand or staff, not the phantom version.

The key here is you have to go back to the spells mentioned: Unseen Servant, Silent Image, Major Image, and Project Image and layer the rules from those onto the description in the feat entry, otherwise you will miss key info.

[Karoht]

Got it. So I'm better off hanging onto the Staff myself or handing it to a Familiar. Check.

[Talionis]

There is some sort of Astral Projection or dream trick that does allow you to copy items, but I'm not remembering it perfectly right now.

[nedz]

There is some sort of Astral Projection or dream trick that does allow you to copy items, but I'm not remembering it perfectly right now.

Astral Projection will duplicate items, but I don't think TD does.