Use magic device

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[edit] Use Magic Device (Cha)

The Use Magic Device skill is a class skill for Bards and Rogues, and a cross-class skill for all others. It is a trained only skill, meaning its use can not be attempted without training at least one rank.

In DDO, the Use Magic Device skill allows a character to bypass race restrictions and some alignment restrictions and to use wands and scrolls of spells outside the character's own spell list.

[edit] UMD and Wands and Scrolls

If a character cannot naturally use a certain wand or scroll, UMD lets him try anyway. This requires a Use Magical Device skill check (1d20 + UMD modifier) greater than or equal to the Difficulty Class on the item, which is 18 plus twice the item's caster level. Each try, successful or not, uses up the scroll or one charge of the wand.

Scrolls can have less than a 100% chance of working even in normal use. If the character also has UMD trained, the better chance of success is used.

[edit] UMD and Equipment Restrictions

Some items are restricted to a specific race, class, or alignment. These items can be used by a character even if he does not meet the required criteria if the character has a Use Magic Device skill greater than or equal to the UMD Difficulty Class of the item. There is no random roll involved — this is a straight numeric comparison.

An item that has both an alignment and a race restriction will generally use the higher difficulty rating. This means that a +1 Icy Burst light hammer of Pure Good (Dwarf Only, Minimum Level of 4) should have a 20 UMD difficulty from the Pure Good modifier and a 14 from the race restriction, so any character who isn't a Dwarf or isn't Good needs a UMD skill modifier of at least 20 to equip the item.

Since this UMD check is only made when you attempt to equip an item, you can increase UMD temporarily (Eagle's Splendor, Rogue's Action Boost, etc.) to raise it just long enough to put the item on. The item will remain equipped until you remove it deliberately or log out.

Restrictions with an "absolute" clause (i.e. "Race absolutely required:" or "Race absolutely excluded:") cannot be bypassed by UMD. These items will not list a UMD difficulty.

[edit] Race restriction

A race restricted item is an item that can only be used by a character of that race unless the restriction is bypassed by UMD. Generally a race restriction will reduce the item's minimum level requirement by 2 levels (without reducing the base price modifier). Therefore, a race restricted item is potentially more powerful than other items with the same minimum level.

• For jewelery and clothing, Use Magical Device DCs to overcome race restriction are equal to the item's minimum level plus seven.
• For weapons and armors, Use Magical Device DCs to overcome race restriction are equal to the item's minimum level plus ten.

[edit] Alignment restriction

Some items require the wearer to be of a certain alignment. Most of these require a UMD score of 20 (for examples, see the Iron Manacles from Delera's tomb or Retribution from the Ruins of Threnal). The only exception, so far, is Enduring Conviction which requires a score of 30.

[edit] See also

• Race restriction
• Scrolls
• True alignment
• Wands