Did I mess up by not putting in UMD?

[Newbie]

I was thinking that since I'm pure sorc, that UMD would gain way too slow for it to be any real use. But I've been reading that UMD is a good skill to have at higher levels.

[FluffyCalico]

I was thinking that since I'm pure sorc, that UMD would gain way too slow for it to be any real use. But I've been reading that UMD is a good skill to have at higher levels.

At level 16 you can get up to 40CHA thats +15 UMD right there +2 command +4 GH+6 green steel+3 delaris item=+30 before you even put ranks into it.

[esoitl]

welll....... for a sorc or any class wih UMD as a CC skill you're looking at needing a few things to get UMD to a good level

you have the CHA to make it useful already which is one prereq - the other would be items/SFUMD to give it another bonus
it basically biols down to this: can you spend the feat and do you have the levels left to make it worth while?

if you're a higher level or have a low INT and less skill points i'd suggets skipping it.... you'll likely not get it to a good level
if you're still around the 4-5 mark you can easily get it useful so go for it from now on

[Samadhi]

that was my biggest regret on my sorc of yesteryear - but even going from lvl 14 to 16 i was able to remedy my earlier mistake reasonably well.

[CSFurious]

but, i am currently not playing any arcane casters at current end-game because the high levels spells right now are worthless & my idea of fun is not running around using heal scrolls in the shroud

anyway, umd is good for the occassional wand-whipping & ability to use a raise dead scroll

[sirgog]

that was my biggest regret on my sorc of yesteryear - but even going from lvl 14 to 16 i was able to remedy my earlier mistake reasonably well.

I realised a little after that :-(

I think even a single half rank in UMD would help my caster a lot, allowing use of Cure Serious wands, any looted Recitation wands, and a 50-50 shot at using Raise scrolls.

[Merkinsal]

At level 16 you can get up to 40CHA thats +15 UMD right there +2 command +4 GH+6 green steel+3 delaris item=+30 before you even put ranks into it.

Where does the +2 command come from?

*edit* if you are talking about robe of command that does not stack w the golden cartouche from delara

[Yvonne_Blacksword]

I got 30.
+13 haggle item
+1 from goggles
+4 gh
+12 cha bonus
0 ranks

26.5 umd and I never use my cartuche

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Personally, I think UMD is only really important if you want to play cleric.

But being self-sufficent is very very nice.

Wands are cheap. Besides healing there is lesser restore, remove blindness.........than there are scrolls. Restoration, raise dead.

But if your Cha is high, you don't need many points in UMD to be effective. Like others have mentioned there are tricks to boost the skill for the times you really need(want) it.

[Desteria]

I want to be self suficent, so i wanted to beably to umd heal scrolls with a low fail rate, now no fail, some times beign able to be half a celric is really usfull like say shroud elite once your out of SP you could wand whip FM or some thign but you better serve the raid helpign to keep a melle dps alive.

Even getting 1 rank woudl eb worth it IF your lowenough level to start dumpign a few extra in it and play a bit of catch up that even better... does nto ahvign umd mean you should reroll NO, you do not have to have it IS it frippen nice to have and can you get it to an amazing level yes.

Heres how i get my UMD
Ranks 9
34 cha +12 (note no including shroud cha item it;s in my main hand so wont work with scrolls)
Titan Gloves +5
G-hero +4
head of godo fortune Luck +2
Shroud SP item +5
Skill focus UMD +3

UMD +40

IF I droped it to having only 1 rank I'd still have +32 fro a min roll of 33

Some key UMD numbers: (from memory dont shoot me if I'm wrong)
Heal scrolls dc40
CSW wands dc28
Raise scroll dc36
Res scroll dc44
Restoration dc32
most RR items you could ever want to equip cap around dc 24.

[Naso24]

Most of my characters that have enough INT to support the skills they need take UMD.

My fighter and ranger have enough to equip almost anything, although buffs are sometimes needed.

My fighter can raise dead 50% of the time (has low charisma, but 2 levels rogue). I only use this if the cleric drops and nobody has a free clickie.

For end game, I plan on taking 1-2 levels of rogue on my wizards, and possibly my new WF sorc. After level 17 wiz or 18 sorc, you do not gain new spell levels, only spell slots. LVL9 is max spell level. It would be better to take the rogue levels at L1, but I prefer to play to the max of my casting ability until that is capped.

I disagree that there are no new good spells. There are good spells. They just are not necessary. Greater Shout - quick crowd control with a little damage. Ottos irresistable dance - no save (only SR). Polar ray - high damage cold spell. Charm Monster II - long lasting charm (should be mass but oh well). Most spells don't show their true usefulness or necessity until the next mod.

[Zenako]

I got 30.
+13 haggle item
+1 from goggles
+4 gh
+12 cha bonus
0 ranks

26.5 umd and I never use my cartuche

Did you have your coffee yet????

Haggle item vis - a -vis UMD????

Best Non Shroud Item for UMD is +5 (and it is two handed so it worthless for using scrolls)

[Merkinsal]

I was thinking that since I'm pure sorc, that UMD would gain way too slow for it to be any real use. But I've been reading that UMD is a good skill to have at higher levels.

You may have already come across this thread.

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=138563

There are quite a few posts in here dealing with umd. I was so moved by this thread that my first 32 point sorc is maxing out umd at every level. I did not go as far as to delete my first build, as some would recommend, because I caught my mistake early enough that he has decent umd and true res clickies in both his green steel items.

No one has asked me to heal during shroud and I hope they never do, no matter what sorc I am using. A secondary healer is last on my list of things I want to do or have time for. For me there were not that many alternatives instead of umd to spend action points on and its nice in a quest when the cleric goes down to prevent a party wipe. After all, usually when a cleric has gone down, something has gone terribly wrong lol. Getting him back up as quickly as possible is generally a good idea. There are other classes of course that can do this too but it just increases the chances that someone can if sorcs can too.

[Merkinsal]

Did you have your coffee yet????

Haggle item vis - a -vis UMD????

Best Non Shroud Item for UMD is +5 (and it is two handed so it worthless for using scrolls)

lol.

btw, I think seven finger gloves from titan have +5 umd.

[Zenako]

lol.

btw, I think seven finger gloves from titan have +5 umd.

ah forgot about those since I don't have a pair.....

[Desteria]

lol.

btw, I think seven finger gloves from titan have +5 umd.

they do see my umd break down above I use em

[Tanka]

Highest possible UMD for a pure Sorc is (assuming all moons aligned, max raid loot, etc etc):

9.5 ranks
+15 (40 Cha)
+5 Competence (Seven Fingered Gloves)
+2 Luck (Head of Good Fortune)
+2 stacking competence bonus (Inspire Competence - Bard Song)
+6 stacking miscellaneous bonus (Shroud item)
+3 Feat (SF: UMD)
+4 (GH)
--
46(.5)

QED

[CrimsonEagle]

that was my biggest regret on my sorc of yesteryear - but even going from lvl 14 to 16 i was able to remedy my earlier mistake reasonably well.

Same here though I didnt realize it until too late.

[Catlyn]

No one has asked me to heal during shroud and I hope they never do, no matter what sorc I am using. A secondary healer is last on my list of things I want to do or have time for. For me there were not that many alternatives instead of umd to spend action points on and its nice in a quest when the cleric goes down to prevent a party wipe. After all, usually when a cleric has gone down, something has gone terribly wrong lol. Getting him back up as quickly as possible is generally a good idea. There are other classes of course that can do this too but it just increases the chances that someone can if sorcs can too.

Our guild quite commonly runs the shroud, and we do not ask sorcs to main heal anything. We do however expect Sorcs to heal themselves so the clerics can concentrate sololy on the tanks.

I recently got to 38 umd on my sorc and love it. I solo quite a bit and have done rainbow on elite by myself. The ability to not onyl heal yourself, but to do it realiabily is great. I highly reccomend any sorc that can work it into the build to do so.

Furthermore, when doing other quests, a high umd (heal scroll using) sorc opens up the party makeup and makes it even easier to run without a cleric.

Breakdown of my 38.5 UMD
13 - 36 Chr (no weapons required for this, but drow with max chr and +3 Tome)
9.5 - Ranks
5 - Titan Gloves
2 - Head of good fortune
4 - Great Heroism (self cast)
5 - Greensteel Item (I went +10 HP Neg at first level, +50SP +2 Chr skill pos at second, +100 SP +3 Chr Pos at third)
----
38.5 UMD

Only fail heal scrolls on 1, and boy, let me tell you, i sure notice those 1's :P

I don't think it worthwhile burning a feat on Skill focus : UMD though with sorcs so tight on feats. You can reliably hit heal scroll levels without it. Perhaps taking it early on before you have all the raid loot and the greensteel items might be worth and then shard it out.

Edit : And I went with hp on tier instead of wiz VI because my sorc is within 2 pages of a Skiver. This is also the reason (Sup Pot VI main hand, skiver off hand) that I do not plan on making a charisma weapon. Also, I went Neg +10 HP/+1 Int skills on my greensteel item because I figured a +3 wis save from stalement was worth more then the extra +1 to chr skills I could get. The true rez clickie is meaningless as I can RD scroll with no probs. Just my reasoning

[Desteria]

Edit : And I went with hp on tier instead of wiz VI because my sorc is within 2 pages of a Skiver. This is also the reason (Sup Pot VI main hand, skiver off hand) that I do not plan on making a charisma weapon. Also, I went Neg +10 HP/+1 Int skills on my greensteel item because I figured a +3 wis save from stalement was worth more then the extra +1 to chr skills I could get. The true rez clickie is meaningless as I can RD scroll with no probs. Just my reasoning

Very similar to my Resoning (I already had skiver), though mine was earth for a Bolas attempt to find the upgrade way before we even knew about combinign 2 shards, and stalmate on items was only a +2 will save the resists item for when fighting beholders noramly it's night sheild, since making my second item a tempered HP goggles to rep titan visor I'm goign to remake my bracers with the neg imunities on tier one then the pos pos/neg sp for a second concordent item ... even though i use Skiver/sup pot I went for the bonus cha item(I don't use the base +6 on it becasue i swap it), becasue if i'm nuking i need Sup Pot but nto save DC's as much where as if i'm Instakillign or CCing I could care less about sup pot and want all the DC I can get ... Still getting used to swaping but getting the hang of it