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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
GM Core / Chapter 5: Treasure Trove

Activating Items

Source GM Core pg. 220 2.0
Some items produce their effects only when used properly in the moment. Others always offer the same benefits as their mundane counterparts when worn but have magical abilities that can only be gained by further spending actions. An activation lists the number of actions it takes and any traits of the activation and its effect. This information appears in the item's Activate entry.

If an item is used up when activated, as is the case for consumable items, its Activate entry appears toward the top of the stat block. For permanent items with activated abilities, the Activate entry is a paragraph in the description. This description usually has a name to indicate what's happening when you activate it. Activations are not necessarily magical—for instance, drinking an alchemical elixir isn't normally a magical effect.

Activating Invested Items

Source GM Core pg. 220 2.0
You can Activate an Item with the invested trait only if it’s invested by you.

Manipulate Activations

Source GM Core pg. 220 2.0
If an activation has the manipulate trait, you can activate it only if you’re wielding the item (if it’s a held item) or touching it with a free hand (if it’s another type of item).

Long Activation Times

Source GM Core pg. 220 2.0
Some items take minutes or hours to activate. You can’t use other actions or reactions while activating such an item, though at the GM’s discretion, you might be able to speak a few sentences. As with other activities that take a long time, these activations have the exploration trait, and you can’t activate them in an encounter. If combat breaks out while you’re activating one, your activation is disrupted (see the Disrupting Activations sidebar).

Disrupting Activations

Some abilities and effects can disrupt the process of Activating an Item. If something disrupts your item activation, you fail to Activate the Item and lose the actions you committed. If the item can be activated only a certain number of times per day, the failed activation still counts against that limit. If an item requires you to spend actions to Sustain an Activation, and one of those actions is disrupted, the item’s effect ends.

Limited Activations

Source GM Core pg. 220 2.0
Some items can be activated only a limited number of times per day, as described in the item’s entry. This limit is independent of any costs for activating the item. The limit resets during your daily preparations. The limit is inherent to the item, so if an ability that can be used only once per day is used, it doesn’t refresh if another creature later invests or tries to activate the item.

Cast a Spell

Source GM Core pg. 220 2.0
If an item lists “Cast a Spell” after “Activate,” you have to use the same actions as casting the spell to Activate the Item, unless noted otherwise. This happens when the item replicates a spell. You must have a spellcasting class feature to Activate an Item with this activation. Refer to the spell’s stat block to determine which actions you must spend to Activate the Item to cast the spell. You essentially go through the same process you normally do to cast the spell but draw the energy for the spell from the magic item. All the normal traits of the spell apply when you cast it by Activating an Item.

Sustaining Activations

Source GM Core pg. 220 2.0
Some items, once activated, have effects that can be sustained if you concentrate on them. Sustaining an effect requires using the Sustain action. If an item’s description states that you can sustain the effect, that effect lasts until the end of your turn in the round after you Activated the Item. You can use a Sustain action on that turn to extend the duration.

Dismissing Activations

Source GM Core pg. 221 2.0
Some item effects can be dismissed, ending the duration early due to you or the target taking action. Dismissing an activation requires using the Dismiss action.