# What is the caster level of a spell effect from a magic item?

I am in the process of creating a custom item and I have hit another snag. This time with the spell I'm putting on it: Divine insight (1/day command word activate).

For reference this is the part I'm having trouble with:

This spell grants you an insight bonus equal to 5 + your caster level (maximum bonus of +15) on any single skill check.

So my question is, when activated from a magical item, does the Bonus applied use my own caster level or the items caster level?

• What system/edition, please? – nitsua60 Jul 10 '16 at 12:18
• Added the 3.5 system tag, sorry, is early. Mind isn't working so well just yet... mmm coffee – Zakier Jul 10 '16 at 12:48

The item’s caster level, which you have to pay for since the formula for a 1/day command-word items is $spell\ level \times caster\ level \times 1,800\text{ gp} \div 5$. The only items that allow you to use your own stats to activate a magical effect are psicrowns, scepters (Lost Empires of Faerûn), and staves.