[3.5] Arcane/non-caster using Divine scrolls with "Use Magic Device"?

[Jonjonjon4]

Hello adventurer's

Last season my DM claimed that I could not get help from a arcane caster to use a divine scroll because he wasn't a divine caster
(According to scrolls rules)

I told him the idea was to the arcane caster to use his high Use Magic Device skill to activate the scroll.

He told me it was still impossible because there is still the divine requeriment.


My question's:

-Use Magic Device dosen't overcome this? Both from the "using scrolls"(get the proper caster level) and "emulate class feature"(being a divine caster)?
-Rogue's aren't allowed to use scrolls then?

Thx

[Feldar]

UMD overcomes this limitation for rogues. I find it incomprehensible that it would not overcome the limitation for an arcane caster trying to use a divine scroll.

[Thurbane]

UMD is not class dependant (I think it was in 3.0, but not in 3.5).

Anyone who can make the required UMD roll can activate a scroll, arcane or divine, regardless of their class, or ability to cast divine spells.

Unless the DM is running some kind of weird campaign where the gods punish non-believers for using Cleric scrolls?

[nedz]

There are several ways to use a scroll and your DM is confusing them.

Use a Scroll

If you are casting a spell from a scroll, you have to decipher it first. Normally, to cast a spell from a scroll, you must have the scroll’s spell on your class spell list. Use Magic Device allows you to use a scroll as if you had a particular spell on your class spell list. The DC is equal to 20 + the caster level of the spell you are trying to cast from the scroll. In addition, casting a spell from a scroll requires a minimum score (10 + spell level) in the appropriate ability. If you don’t have a sufficient score in that ability, you must emulate the ability score with a separate Use Magic Device check (see above).

This use of the skill also applies to other spell completion magic items.


To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.

The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters (wizards, sorcerers, and bards) can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his or her class.)
The user must have the spell on his or her class list.
The user must have the requisite ability score.

The fact that UMD doesn't mention the Arcane/Divine division is the source of the confusion.

This is probably a rules dysfunction since non-divine/non-arcane classes (e.g. Rogue) can use Scrolls via UMD. UMD clearly doesn't care about this distinction - it just doesn't say so.

[Zanos]

Anyone could use a scroll with UMD assuming they were trained and made the sufficient check, but the 'big' arcane casters(sorcerer and wizard) don't have UMD as a class skill and probably do not have ranks in it. They could tell you what the scroll does, as they likely have ranks in spellcraft, but you're more likely to find UMD on a bard or rogue.

[Zombulian]

It doesn't sound like you're enlisting the aid of a fellow party member, but rather paying an npc arcane caster. In this case, your DM is right that that would not work, though not for the fact that UMD doesn't work that way, but because most casters don't have UMD at all. Maybe hire a rogue?