UMD for Rogue??

[TheDearLeader]

If you like playing a rogue that:
has to heal himself through Cure Serious Potions,
cannot heal/raise party members,
cannot use a DDoor or Mass Invisibility in a pinch,
cannot wear items with Race/Class/Alignment restrictions,
and cannot self-buff?

Well then heck, you don't need UMD.

However, if you decide its time to be useful, pick the skill up.

[Draccus]

Being able to no-fail UMD a Heal scroll is the second biggest improvement a rogue gets in his life. The first is making a Radiance weapon but UMDing a heal scroll flips rogues from the least survivable melee class in the game to one of the most survivable...while still dishing out the damage.

Max your UMD skill and sell your soul for +UMD items.

[locus]

Greater Teleport,

Which is totally a lot less useful than Teleport, so don't look forward to this one, as it doesn't go many places that teleport doesn't, or you can't get to easily using teleport. Also only works inside instances, which is baffling.

UMD lets you be more self sufficient, basically, as well as be an offhealer in a pinch, among other things, as mentioned. It's a really BAD skill however if you want to conserve inventory space, as carting around 20 scrolls, a half a dozen wands, etc, on top of trapsmithing items (and like 20 weapons at lower levels) really hurts.

[QuantumFX]

Been looking for scrolls. I assume the portable hole is where to get them? I need to figure out how to get there

You can get Teleport scrolls from the shop in House P.

[justhavinfun]

The biggest reason I can see for UMD from reading a variety of different threads seems to be that the healing classes in this game don't want to be healers. Not all but the majority of the healing classes i've seen threads on makes it look like they want to be fighters and arcane casters instead of healers. Therefore it is up to the "gimps" like the useless rogue(backstab dps, assainate, finding and removing traps, and unlocking doors appear to be useless according to many threads) to pick up the slack and do the healing to become useful.
I don't understand this attitude personally. I have a rogue with no UMD at this time and I do not feel that the character is gimped because of this. Of course I realize I will never be invited to raids or groups since I am a non-healing rogue.

[RJBsComputer]

Here is my two cents-

UMD is what makes a Rogue the Multi-tasker of the game. A rogue can do things the other classes wished they could do. Disarm Traps, Open Locks, Find Hidden Doors, Find Traps, and a smart rogue can bring the roof down with DPS. All of those things a rogue can do by just being a rogue. Add a full UMD skill and a good CHA stat, you get a rogue that can do anything the other classes can do by using a wand or scroll and you can use any weapon, armor or item that tickles your fancy. Granted you won't lay down a 600 hp firewall or heal for over 500 hp at a time, but with some trail and error, you will learn what works good with your playstyle and well be an "UBER-player" by just being a rogue.

[pharky]

The biggest reason I can see for UMD from reading a variety of different threads seems to be that the healing classes in this game don't want to be healers. Not all but the majority of the healing classes i've seen threads on makes it look like they want to be fighters and arcane casters instead of healers. Therefore it is up to the "gimps" like the useless rogue(backstab dps, assainate, finding and removing traps, and unlocking doors appear to be useless according to many threads) to pick up the slack and do the healing to become useful.
I don't understand this attitude personally. I have a rogue with no UMD at this time and I do not feel that the character is gimped because of this. Of course I realize I will never be invited to raids or groups since I am a non-healing rogue.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with you. In newer groups when the healer doesn't have good or rare gear, they might not be that effective and efficient at healing. Hence it is everybody's responsibility to help pick up the slack by being self sufficient. It is not taking over the healing or being useful because of healing. It is about being responsible for your own red bar and keeping yourself alive.

If it so happens in a raid/normal quest that the healers die, and you yourself is dying:

A rogue with UMD can scroll heal himself for 100hp each time, kite/fight the mobs then scroll res the healers.

A rogue with no UMD can drink pots, healing himself for around 30hp each time, use a res clicky for the healers(assuming he has a clicky or made a greensteel clicky).

See for yourself which is more effective and which is more cost efficient.

[JDCrowell]

I love UMD on my Exploiter. 1 level of Rogue allows me full ranks.

Highly convenient and mana saving for the casters as they don't have to buff or heal me as often since I can take care of myself.

I don't know if anyone has answered this since I didn't read the entire thread :-P, but I think what the OP might have been trying to get at was this:

Why do Rogues get UMD as a class skill but no other class does?

My guess is that it just makes sense for the class that gets the most skill points to get one of the most useful skills in the game as a class skill.

[Draccus]

Here is my two cents-

UMD is what makes a Rogue the Multi-tasker of the game. A rogue can do things the other classes wished they could do. Disarm Traps, Open Locks, Find Hidden Doors, Find Traps, and a smart rogue can bring the roof down with DPS. All of those things a rogue can do by just being a rogue.

Well said! +1

Lots of players will splash rogue solely to get UMD as a class skill. It's that good.

[Qezuzu]

Which is totally a lot less useful than Teleport, so don't look forward to this one, as it doesn't go many places that teleport doesn't, or you can't get to easily using teleport. Also only works inside instances, which is baffling.

UMD lets you be more self sufficient, basically, as well as be an offhealer in a pinch, among other things, as mentioned. It's a really BAD skill however if you want to conserve inventory space, as carting around 20 scrolls, a half a dozen wands, etc, on top of trapsmithing items (and like 20 weapons at lower levels) really hurts.

GT can get you to Zawabi's, Titan Raid, Necropolis, and can also teleport your friends. The instance-only doesn't bother me much: just get in the nearest quest and teleport.

And the "conserving inventory space" is a terrible idea to not max UMD.

UMD is an incredibly useful skill. Rogues get so many skills points anyway that there's just no reason to not take it.

[Ssmooth]

I totally disagree. UMD is the worst skill in the game. All it does is give you more responsibility in groups and makes you do MORE than you HAVE to do. I hate being asked to do more than disable the traps that I sometimes find, and hopefully don't blow.

I mean really! I prefer to play my rogue like a barbarian, only I don't attack mobs because I only have 85 hp and at level 12, that doesn't go very far. I trust in my +6 int helm, my trusty repeater and my +15% striders to help me escape any danger if I accidentally attack a monster stronger than me.

As UMD never helps me, it's just a waste of skill points. With 20 base int I get a lot of points to spend and listen, swim and tumble are far too valuable not to keep maxed. With a max spot skill, I still have trouble finding traps, not sure why though, must be a bug.