question about the heal skill

[adm5893]

I understand the need to increase physical skills. IE jump, balance, swim, etc

I also understand the need to increase ones Diplomacy, intimidate, bluff...

But, I want to know why one would increase the skill Heal. I understand one can gain more HP at rest shrines but what other benefits does one gain with a high Heal skill.

[Arianrhod]

Heal skill is used for only 2 things. The first you already know - gaining more HP at shrines (though this only affects fleshies - it won't do anything for any WF in the group).

The other is using healing kits to stabilize incapacitated characters so they don't bleed to death. It works only on fleshies (need repair skill/repair kits for WF), and brings the incapacitated character to 1 hp (no longer incapped). However, it's a skill roll - there is an animation involved, so it takes time, and the target number is fairly high, so unless you have really good healing kits or high skill ranks/wisdom modifier/+heal item, you'll tend to fail a few times (with the incapped person losing more HP with each attempt, if they haven't stabilized already on their own).

In general, it's not worth putting skill points into, as cure wands, innate abilities (spells, dragonmarks, LOH), clickies (CLW, Aid, Rage, GH, etc.) are more reliable, and have other uses, so you don't have to take up a pack space with healing kits that have no other use.

[adm5893]

At level 16, what target number should I be shooting for UMD skill?

[Zenako]

Depends on what you want to be doing with the UMD.

If it is just eqiupping items, something around 24 will let you use pretty much any item in the game.

If it is for casting spells, you get a roll on those. UMD skill + d20 = UMD level of the scroll for example, so something like a HEAL Scroll has a UMD of 40 IIRC, while a Raise Dead is only something like 36 (Formula is 18 + 2* the min caster level). So to even have a chance, you need to have a 16 UMD to succeed on a 20 for a Raise Dead. Keep in mind that spells like Greater Heroism Help with skill checks, as will skill boosts if you have them, and luck items, etc.

more details here..

http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Skill:Use_Magic_Device

Most CHA based bards doing this end up with UMD levels so high they pretty much autosucceed on scrolls.