How useful is 22 UMD?

[Gedov]

Newbish player here with a skills question.

I'm working out the details of a F2P 15 Ranger / 5 Rogue and could use some input on the UMD skill.

(I realize that 15/5 is not an optimal build. I'm looking for something that looks fun to play, not necessarily the most powerful build I can find.)

Working with the character planner I've managed to get most of my skills where I want them, and still had enough skill points for 22 UMD. However, I had to drop a considerable amount of Bluff and Open Locks to do it. I've still got 15 Open Locks which I think should be enough for what I want to be able to do. However, I like the Bluff skill for pulling and for getting a chance at sneak attacks when solo so I'm a bit concerned about having had to drop so many points from that skill.

So I suppose the question is... is 22 UMD even high enough to be of any real use, or would I be better served by reclaiming those points into other skills?

Thanks for any and all useful input.

[Dwarfo]

22 UMD allows you to bypass alignment and race restrictions. Thats nice, but the good spot for UMD is around 39 so you can use raise dead/heal scrolls.

[varusso]

Newbish player here with a skills question.

I'm working out the details of a F2P 15 Ranger / 5 Rogue and could use some input on the UMD skill.

(I realize that 15/5 is not an optimal build. I'm looking for something that looks fun to play, not necessarily the most powerful build I can find.)

Working with the character planner I've managed to get most of my skills where I want them, and still had enough skill points for 22 UMD. However, I had to drop a considerable amount of Bluff and Open Locks to do it. I've still got 15 Open Locks which I think should be enough for what I want to be able to do. However, I like the Bluff skill for pulling and for getting a chance at sneak attacks when solo so I'm a bit concerned about having had to drop so many points from that skill.

So I suppose the question is... is 22 UMD even high enough to be of any real use, or would I be better served by reclaiming those points into other skills?

Thanks for any and all useful input.

That depends if your numbers listed are base or if they include gear and buffs.
You have enough to use most racial and aligned gear (20+)
To use a Raise Dead scroll no-fail you need a minimum of 35 (+1 minimum die roll on the skill check gives you the 36 req)
To use Heal/Recon/GH scrolls no-fail you need a minimum of 39 (+1 minimum die roll on the skill check gives you the 36 req) NOTE: using GH will give you +4 to your UMD among other things, making subsequent UMD checks easier by 20%.

On scrolls you can have less UMD and still have a chance to use them (with fails). For every 1 pt you are below the minimum to no-fail, you suffer a 5% penalty to the success rate. There are a number of ways to raise your UMD score beyond the base stats spit out by the character generator. On racial/aligned UMD checks you MUSt meet the minimum, no fudging it with lower scores.

This is a good source for UMD benchmarks and ways to raise it: http://ddowiki.com/page/Use_Magic_Device

[phillymiket]

Take UMD.

22 is just the starting point.

You will find items that boost your CHA, CHA skills, UMD and add Luck to that number.

Many things are easy to change as you get more gear and more powerful.

Skills are not one of them.
You would have to TR, GR or LR to get UMD later so might as well take it now. You won't be sorry.
.

[Mastikator]

22 UMD is very useful. Assuming you're not taking green steel, persuading item and greater heroism into account you may find yourself at 22+6+3+4 = 35 UMD, only 20% fail rate to use heal scroll, less if you can use a skill booster.

[Gedov]

Thank you, all, for the fast and thorough replies.

That 22 UMD was base, without any gear and with a Charisma of 8. It sounds like with the right gear it could be quite useful so I suppose UMD it is. Thank you again for all of the information and the links.

[Gremmlynn]

22 UMD is very useful. Assuming you're not taking green steel, persuading item and greater heroism into account you may find yourself at 22+6+3+4 = 35 UMD, only 20% fail rate to use heal scroll, less if you can use a skill booster.Add to that a +6 cha item and a +2 cha tome for another +4 and you're golden.

[FranOhmsford]

Don't forget Rogue {or Ranger} Skill Boost enhancements.

[pharky]

since 22 was base and i am sure you can equip a +6 cha item somewhere, you could easily bring it up

22 base
+3 (+6 cha item)
+4 gh
+3 (persuading/umd competence)
+6 skills (GS/dragontouched)
+2 luck(recitation or green slot or head of good fortune or +1 from voice of master)
_______
40 easily with simple to get items

not to mention the new expansion limited mask gives +1 psionic to skills, ship buffs give +1 skills (untyped) and +1 (+2 cha shrine).

which means you can umd heal scrolls easily. dont forget the important lv 10 shield wands(umd 38) that prevent magic missiles, which are quite painful in epics (100-200 dmg). if you can get it up more, using True res scrolls will be nice too

[SirValentine]

+2 luck(recitation or green slot or head of good fortune or +1 from voice of master)
_______
40 easily with simple to get items

not to mention the new expansion limited mask gives +1 psionic to skills, ship buffs give +1 skills (untyped) and +1 (+2 cha shrine).


I think the ship buff +1 to skills is a Luck bonus, and so doesn't stack with any other Luck bonus.

[Jay203]

since 22 was base and i am sure you can equip a +6 cha item somewhere, you could easily bring it up

22 base
+3 (+6 cha item)
+4 gh
+3 (persuading/umd competence)
+6 skills (GS/dragontouched)
+2 luck(recitation or green slot or head of good fortune or +1 from voice of master)
_______
40 easily with simple to get items

not to mention the new expansion limited mask gives +1 psionic to skills, ship buffs give +1 skills (untyped) and +1 (+2 cha shrine).

which means you can umd heal scrolls easily. dont forget the important lv 10 shield wands(umd 38) that prevent magic missiles, which are quite painful in epics (100-200 dmg). if you can get it up more, using True res scrolls will be nice too
the mask is a +1 profane bonus to skills

[pharky]

ahh my bad, always thought it was untyped. well, i always figured that its bonus above what we can easily get so i dont usually factor it in.

teleport and greater teleport is also nice to have if you have the umd for it. makes travelling around much faster.

[redspecter23]

Some of the more useful level 2 spell scrolls with 24 UMD (meaning you only fail on a 1) are Invisibility and Knock. Knock scrolls are amazingly useful even late game for spots like Amrath and Enter the Kobold end chest among others. Invisibility is always useful.

[Hobgoblin]

Don't forget Rogue {or Ranger} Skill Boost enhancements.

or human versiatilty

hob

[Terebinthia]

Also, when the Cove comes back, the Tier III epic spyglass gives a stacking +3 bonus to UMD. As does the Epic Big Top (think that's a plus 5, but it's more of a pain to get). Even the vanilla Big Top I think may be a stacking bonus, but the head slot is a pain to have as a UMD slot. I usually have a ring of persuasion as a swap in, although the Golden Cartouche from Delera's might also be a contender.

Not as relevant to you, but might be for someone reading the thread, I use UMD to Master's Touch paired weapons (such as the Cove Scimmies, which will also now be used to bypass their alignment restrictions) on my FvS. It's always useful for Pure Good weaponry if you are neutral as many are.

A +6 charisma skills greensteel item is relatively cheap as a 3 shard 3 LDS item (mine is my SP item, and comes free with a haste clicky and an air guard).

[shadowowl]

grab a golden cartouche from delera's chain if you haven't already it's easy to get as end reward and gives a +3 which you can just equip when needed. I use this and the head of good luck to boost my umd on my pure fighter up high enough to at least have 60% chance at using teleport scrolls lol pure fighters with umd are tough since it's only .5 per level max skill points on umd but I still think umd is usefull enough to get mine to 21 i think it is and that's with items lol
course my fighter is also half elf with dilitent fvs so can use rez and heal scrolls regardless of my umd it is strickly for bypassing alignment and race items and using a few things like teleport scrolls or even gh scrolls which I think I only have a 30% chance with

[UltraMonk2]

The Wand of Cure Minor Wounds from the Catacombs chain is also handy and easily usable with a UMD of 22.