Pure Paladin and UMD

[Khayvan]

I have a few question regarding use of this skill:

With UMD as a cross-class skill, is it ever going to get to useful levels?

Are there some specific items I need to be looking for to boost the skill? Is the skill focus feat worth it for a paladin?

What UMD-able gear do I need to carry to be of most benefit to the party? Heal and Raise Scrolls? Anything else?

Thanks in advance for answering my questions, guys.

[Gercho]

I have a few question regarding use of this skill:

With UMD as a cross-class skill, is it ever going to get to useful levels?

Are there some specific items I need to be looking for to boost the skill? Is the skill focus feat worth it for a paladin?

What UMD-able gear do I need to carry to be of most benefit to the party? Heal and Raise Scrolls? Anything else?

Thanks in advance for answering my questions, guys.

Yes, paladin have high charisma so they get to use umd even with half ranks. Items you should look for are, golden cartouche, semi static end reward from Delera's tomb gives +3 to umd. Items with the Command suffix +2 to all cha based skills, you can craft a green steel item that gives a good bonus to all charisma skills aswell (not sure the bonus cause i didnt got to those levels yet). I think i have seen another items that give bonus to all charisma skills.
About the feat sf:umd, depends, pure paladins that use 2 weapons are in general pretty stretched on feats, if you are human you will usually pick EWP:khopesh with your extra feat. If you are THF and are human, then most probably you will want to pick sf:umd at some point.

A lot of things you can use with umd, heal scrolls are one of the most popular... raise dead aswell, you wont see the benefit at low levels being pure paladin though.

[KKDragonLord]

Yep
with all the right boosts you can even get it up to the 40s and use heal/reconstruct scrolls
the equip switching, and the Huge grind is a pain though.

But theres a whole lot more you can do with less.

[Kaervas]

Golden Cartouche from Deleras is +3 competence to UMD
"of Command" gives +2 competence to all Charisma based skills
Seven Fingered Gloves from Titan are +5 competence to UMD
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Voice of the Master from Deleras gives +1 luck to all skills
Head of Good Fortune from Stormreaver gives +2 luck to all skills
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A Shroud Charisma Skills item grants +1, +2, and +3 Exceptional Charisma Skills bonus (they stack if they have different magnitudes) for total +6
Dragontouched armor can have +3 Exceptional Charisma Skills on the Eldritch rune property
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Greater Heroism grants +4 morale to all skills

There are also Deneith consumables granting special stacking Cha and Cha skills but grinding the collectibles for those sucks so I never rely on them

With those and the innate paladin Charisma you can get pretty high up.

Edit:
I don't think this needs to be said, but like bonuses won't stack, so from the above categories only one of each applies (do take note of the special stacking for exceptional skills though).

[Josh]

34 is pretty easy to achieve on a Paladin

14 Ranks
4 Greater Heroism
2 Head of Good Fortune
6 Shroud Crafted Item
8 Chr bonus

=34 with no item switching really needed.

[rimble]

34 Is Pretty Easy To Achieve On A Paladin

14 Ranks

11

[Josh]

11

Yah my bad 31, not 34. Thinking about tacos for lunch instead of maths.

[Khayvan]

Great answers, pretty much everything I wanted to know. Thanks again.