Use Magic Device -- THE most potent skill?

[Hand of Vecna]

One of my fellow players has a character (a Rogue with levels in other PrC's) who's maxed out his Bluff and Use Magic Device skills, so he can use nearly any magic item he finds, and bluff others into thinking he's a powerful wizard. Now, while this ability has saved our bacon on many occassions, it's made me realize that Use Magic Device is THE most powerful skill in the game, especially if you're high level and have a +15 or higher to the skill roll -- you can use any wand or staff, or a CE Rogue/Necromancer could convince a Holy Sword he's a LG Paladin!

Has anyone else had interesting experiences with this skill?

 

[Li Shenron]

Yes, I have always thought that UMD is one of the greatest abilities of Rogues and Bards. But definitely I wouldn't say it's overpowered.

I don't remember now the various DCs, but IIRC they are almost all high enough so that nobody (non-epic at least) can be 100% sure to succeed, plus you can't take 10 in UMD (I don't remember if in the special case of UMD a natural 1 has always bad consequences).
You may be able to use "forbidden" magic items, but probably they won't be working all the time (which will have IMO a very funny consequence in the game).

For these reasons I don't think it's too powerful: you can use every magic item, but:
1. you still have to buy it
2. sometimes it doesn't work
3. you're still limited in how many items you can wear/use at a time

 

[ruleslawyer]

Actually, you CAN take 10 with UMD, if you have the Skill Mastery (UMD) rogue ability.

I don't think UMD is too powerful, but I dislike the ability of this skill to emulate anything beyond class abilities. It mucks with my campaign ideas of good and evil and strong racial tradition to allow emulation of alignment and race, respectively. The skill's still good if you take those two factors out, but it's potentially a bit less absurd.

 

[Li Shenron]

Actually, you CAN take 10 with UMD, if you have the Skill Mastery (UMD) rogue ability.

I don't think so:

Skill Mastery: The rogue selects a number of skills equal to 3 + Intelligence modifier. When making a skill check with one of these skills, the rogue may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent the rogue from doing so.

...doesn't really say you can take10 on a skill that you usually can't take10 even when there's no distraction. What if the Rogue chooses Knowledge(Arcana), and has a +10 (rank+Int): it would mean he knows EVERYTHING which has DC 20 or less.

Use Magic Device: The character cannot take 10 with this skill. Magic is too unpredictable for the character to use this skill reliably. Retry: Yes, but if the character ever rolls a natural 1 while attempting to activate an item and the character fails, then the character can't try to activate it again for a day.

...and this btw prevents you from taking 20 also

 

[drnuncheon]

Has anyone else had interesting experiences with this skill?

My Ftr/Rog is going to be using it on his true strike bow (from S&F). Not great for the middle of combat, but excellent for setting up those sniping shots.

It also arguably allows for sneak attacks even in darkness or fog, since it negates the miss chance due to concealment. Mmmmm.

J

 

[Petrosian]

In our game, the 12th level rogue is second man for most any magic item consideration, particularly wands and staves and scrolls. using his UMD he serves as a backup mage and a backup cleric. If he can, he sneak attacks. if he cannot, he spell chucks from wand or stave. When anyone gets seriously hurt, he swoops in with curing wands.

The ability to switch hit enables them to adjust their party strength to whatever is most appropriate. if melee is good, he runs around sneaking. if magic is needed, for instance dispel magics, he becomes another mage and so on.

 

[smetzger]

I don't think its all that.

As a Rogue I would rather pick up a level of Ranger and/or Bard. That would allow you to use a great many magic-items and give you some nice special abilities.

 

[Shallown]

I had a Fighter/rogue built around use magic device and scouting ahead. He held his own in a fight becuase of the wands, scrolls he could buff himself with. I bought a Magic item to boost my Use magic device. (Before everyone complains about the low cost of Skill boosters my Gm quadrupeled the price since it was exclusive and also made me be there for the whole enchantment of the item and expend my EP's for the item) But I still wanted it.

I was basically a back up everything though never in anyway a replacement. I was limited in what I could do but I made sure I was ready for most things.

Had a wand bracer (Was in a dragon mag) with a CLW wand, A 10th sonic ball (fireball energy substituted) and a Dispel magic at 10th level. Which in emergencies let me at least try to deal with common situations.

It helped butt his was also my focus sort of a generalist. I also bought Spellcraft cross slass to use the dispel wand with. Not that I actually ever made it work since I had so little skill but still it fit the idea.

It is A powerful skill but remember it ius class exclusive and sucks at lower levels when you put in points that basically are not useful at all till about 7-9th I think.

 

[AGGEMAM]

... or a CE Rogue/Necromancer could convince a Holy Sword he's a LG Paladin!

Actually no. You cannot emulate being another class, sorry!

 

[Arnix]

Actually, you can emulate a class. Emmulate Class Feature PHB p26. DC 20+required level. If its something like a holy sword, you would have to emulate class ability DC 21 (20 + 1 level of paladin) and a second check at DC 30 (emulate alignment).

A rogue with a high charisma, maxed UMD, and ranks in spellcraft is very dangerous.

UMD 10 + 4 (charisma) + 2 (spellcraft synergy bonus) = 16
Most DCs are close to 20. That means a 7th level rogue, with a 4+ can use any wand or misc magic item. A 12th level rogue can by the same math (UMD 15) with the same 4+ can now use any scroll of 5th level or lower (assuming read magic ability).

It gets ugly fast. And one of my players wonders why i refused to give him a +10 UMD skill item...