Use Magic Device

Use Magic Device

Description
Use Magic Device (UMD) is a trained only skill, meaning its use cannot be attempted without training at least one rank. It 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.


 * Class Skill for an Artificer, Bard, Rogue, Warlock and Alchemist.

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 typically 18 plus twice the item's caster level. So, for a Heal scroll (caster level 11, spell level 6), the DC is 40, but you only need a UMD skill level of 39 to never fail because the lowest you can roll is a 1.

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.

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 Skill 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.

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

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 from Delera's Tomb or  from the Ruins of Threnal, or any item with a True Alignment prefix);  requires a score of 30. Some rare items, such as the have a UMD of 0 - this means that UMD cannot be used to bypass the alignment requirement.

Artificer-only
Scrolls for Artificer-only spells (i.e., spells not shared by other caster classes) follow a different DC progressions than divine or arcane scrolls do. Namely, they have the following UMD benchmarks:


 * Note that Insightful Damage and Insightful Strikes are available from the Artificer Scroll Vendor, but are useless for anything but inscribing by an Artificer, since they are self-only and only apply to the equipped main-hand weapon (which is busy being occupied by the scroll at the time).

Sources of UMD
Ranks in the UMD skill (up to 11 or 23 on heroic levels, 10 on epic levels)

Charisma modifier adds to UMD if you have at least 1 trained level of UMD:
 * Enhancement bonus up to +22 (Charisma items or Eagle's Splendor spell/clickie for +4 CHA if you don't have a static item)
 * Exceptional bonus +1: named items; Greensteel weapons; Epic augment; also on random items
 * Insight bonus up to +10 named items;, +2 / +3 available from: crafted (Greensteel weapons, Tower of Despair Incredible Potential rings, Dragontouched Armor); also on random items (max. +2)
 * Quality bonus up to +5: named items
 * Inherent bonus up to +8 (from Tomes)
 * Guild bonus +2 from Guild Airships
 * Competence bonus +2 from Inspire Excellence song
 * Yugoloth potion +2 (Essence of Seduction)
 * Profane bonus up to +2 ( / )
 * Alchemical bonus up to +3 (from House Deneith skill potions)
 * DDO Store stacking +2 (from Lasting Eagle's Majesty)
 * +1 per Great Charisma epic feat


 * CHA enhancements (these stack):
 * Heroic enhancements
 * Epic Destiny enhancements

Exceptional Charisma Skills items,
 * up to +6 (e.g. Greensteel accessory or Dragontouched Armor)
 * +2 from Unsuppressed (The Dreaming Dark)

Competence bonus to UMD from one of (does not stack):

(See also Use Magic Device items for updated list of items with competence and enhancement bonus to UMD)
 * +1 from (Necromancer's Doom)
 * +1 from hat (Under the Big Top, end chest)
 * +1 from trinket (level 8-12 versions) from Treasure of Crystal Cove
 * +2 from Command (enchantment) - random armors,, , , also craftable via Cannith Crafting
 * +3 from gloves (Ascension Chamber)
 * +3 from helm, can drop in various locations
 * +3 from Persuasion item craftable via Cannith Crafting
 * +3 from from Plane of Night
 * +3 from morningstar (Tome of Untold Legends turn-in)
 * +3 from Bunny Hat - DDO Store purchase - cosmetic hat (doesn't use the hat slot), +3 competence bonus when wielding a scroll/wand
 * +3 from club (Servants of the Overlord, optional Fire Reaver lord chest)
 * +3 from (Tiers 2 & 3) belt (Vaults of the Artificers)
 * +3 from trinket (level 16+ versions) from Treasure of Crystal Cove
 * +5 from (The Titan Awakes)
 * +5 from quarterstaff (Bring Me the Head of Ghola-Fan!, Ur-Keshik the Seer Chest) - two-handed weapon, you cannot use scrolls or wands while wielding it
 * +5 from club Epic Crafting

Enhancement bonus to UMD from one of (does not stack):
 * +3 from hat
 * +3 from (Tier 3) trinket - crafted at Treasure of Crystal Cove

Luck bonus to UMD from one of (does not stack):
 * up to +5: Prayer - Cleric/Paladin/Favored Soul spell
 * Good Luck item enchantment:
 * Named items: up to +3
 * Random loot: Greater Luck +1, Major Luck +2
 * Cannith Crafting: +1 or +2
 * Augments: +1 or +2

Feat bonus (these stack):
 * Skill Focus UMD feat +3
 * Rogue Skill Mastery feat +1, can be taken multiple times
 * Rogue Sneak of Shadows active past-life feat +1
 * Bard Bardic Dilettante active past-life feat +1
 * Past Life: Artificer feat: passive, stacks 3 times
 * Bard Spellsinger enhancements - +1 per core ability after the first one
 * Artificer Knowledge
 * Fatesinger enhancements - Lucidity (up to +3), Echoes of the Ancestors: Magister (+1)
 * Least Dragonmark of Scribing: +2
 * Warlock - Deceive Item +[5/10]

Morale bonus from one of (does not stack):
 * Good Hope - Bard spell - +2 morale bonus
 * Heroism - Bard/Sorcerer/Wizard spell, sold on scrolls, potions (Portable Hole), clickie on random and some named items - +2 morale bonus
 * Greater Heroism - Bard/Sorcerer/Wizard spell, sold on scrolls, clickie on some named items - +4 morale bonus
 * Shavarath Environmental Effects +4 morale bonus for being on the Shavarath plane (can't cast GH? Just visit Amrath for the +4 UMD you need to equip your weapon, etc.)
 * +1: Phiarlan Inspiration - Guild Airship buff (old style)

Profane bonus from:
 * - cosmetic helmet grants +1
 * - cosmetic helmet grants +1

Quality bonus to UMD from one of (does not stack):
 * +1 from necklace (Delera's Tomb, end reward)

Other stacking bonuses:
 * Action boost bonus, up to +6: +4 on Human Skill Boost or +6 on Rogue Mechanic Skill Boost and Ranger Deepwood Stalker Skill Boost
 * Alchemical bonus up to +3 from House Deneith skill potions
 * Circumstance bonus +1 from Focusing Chant, Bard self-only spell
 * Inherent bonus up to +3 from Tome of Skill
 * Music bonus +4 from Inspire Competence (Bard friend-only song)
 * Untyped +2 from Walk of the Sun, Monk finishing move
 * Untyped +5 from Moment of Clarity, Monk finishing move
 * Guild bonus +[1/2/3] from Forbidden Library - Guild Airship buff