Use Magic Device

Use Magic Device (Cha)
The Use Magic Device skill is a class skill for Artificers, Bards and Rogues, and a cross-class skill for all others. It is a trained only skill, meaning its use cannot 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.


 * Class Skill for a Artificer, Bard and Rogue

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. 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 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.

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, or any item with a True Alignment prefix); Enduring Conviction requires a score of 30. Some rare items, such as the Ring of the Ancestors have a UMD of 0 - this means that UMD cannot be used to bypass the alignment requirement.

Benchmarks
Scrolls for Artificer-only spells follow other DC progressions than divine or arcane scrolls do. Namely, they have the following DCs:


 * 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, 5 on epic levels)

Charisma modifier adds to UMD if you have at least 1 trained level of UMD:
 * Enhancement bonus up to +8 (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 +2 / +3: named items; crafted (Greensteel weapons, Tower of Despair Incredible Potential rings, Dragontouched Armor); also on random items (max. +2)
 * Inherent bonus up to +5 (from Tomes)
 * Artifact bonus up to +2 (from Guild Airships)
 * Competence bonus +2 from Inspire Excellence song
 * Yugoloth potion +2 (Essence of Seduction)
 * Profane bonus +1 Litany of the Dead trinket
 * 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):
 * Bard Musical Prodigy/Favored Soul Ascendancy +2 CHA
 * Human Adaptability Charisma I +1 CHA
 * Cleric/Bard/Paladin/Sorcerer Charisma I/II/III (+1/+2/+3 CHA)
 * Epic destiny enhancements

Exceptional Charisma Skills items, up to +6 (e.g. Greensteel accessory or Dragontouched Armor)

Competence bonus to UMD from one of (does not stack):
 * +1 from Runic Gloves (Necromancer's Doom)
 * +1 from Treasure Hunter's Spyglass trinket (level 8-12 versions) from Treasure of Crystal Cove
 * +2 from Command (item enhancement) - random armors, Full Plate of the Ringleader, Ring of the Silver Concord, also craftable via Cannith Crafting
 * +3 from Golden Cartouche necklace (Delera's Tomb, end reward)
 * +3 from Vile Blasphemy gloves (Ascension Chamber)
 * +3 from Circlet of Persuasion helm, can drop in various locations
 * +3 from Persuasion item craftable via Cannith Crafting
 * +3 from Cloak of the Silver Concord from Plane of Night
 * +3 from Coronation 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 Epic Spare Hand (Tier 2) & Epic Spare Hand (Tier 3) belt (Vaults of the Artificers)
 * +3 from Treasure Hunter's Spyglass trinket (level 16+ versions) from Treasure of Crystal Cove
 * +5 from Seven Fingered Gloves (The Titan Awakes)
 * +5 from Stave of the Seer 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):
 * +1 from The Big Top hat (Under the Big Top, end chest)
 * +3 from Epic Big Top hat
 * +3 from Epic Treasure Hunter's Spyglass (Tier 3) trinket - crafted at Treasure of Crystal Cove

Luck bonus to UMD from one of (does not stack):
 * +1: Prayer - Cleric/Favored Soul spell
 * +1: Phiarlan Inspiration - Guild Airship buff
 * Good Luck item enchantment:
 * Voice of the Master - Delera's Tomb, End reward - trinket, +1 luck bonus
 * Rabbit Gloves - The Abandoned Excavation, End reward - gloves, +1 luck bonus
 * Stone of Good Luck - Random Drop - trinket, +1 luck bonus
 * Greater Luck enchantment, +1
 * Good Luck item - craftable via Cannith Crafting, +1/+2 luck bonus
 * Ring of the Buccaneer - Treasure of Crystal Cove - ring, +1 luck bonus (L12 and higher) or +2 luck bonus (Epic Tier 3)
 * Head of Good Fortune - The Reaver's Fate, Warded Chest - trinket, +2 luck bonus
 * Staff of Arcane Power - Zawabi's Revenge, Warded Chest - quarterstaff, +2 luck bonus
 * - The Mindsunder, Disk locked optional end chest - Kama, +2 luck bonus (possible enhancement)
 * Major Luck enchantment, +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
 * Bard Spellsinger I/II enhancements +2 or +4 UMD
 * Artificer Knowledge
 * Artificer enhancements - Improved Use Magic Device I-IV (+1 to +4)
 * Fatesinger enhancements - Lucidity (up to +3), Echoes of the Ancestors: Magister (+1)

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.)

Profane bonus from:
 * Spider Cult Mask - cosmetic helmet grants +1
 * Elite Spider Cult Mask - cosmetic helmet grants +1

Other stacking bonuses:
 * Action boost bonus, up to +5: Human Versatility or Rogue Skill Boost or Ranger Skill Boost
 * Alchemical bonus up to +3 from House Deneith skill potions
 * Circumstance bonus +1 from Focusing Chant, Bard self-only spell
 * Stacking bonus +2 from Inspire Competence (Bard friend-only song)
 * Untyped +2 from Walk of the Sun, Monk finishing move
 * Insight bonus +5 from Moment of Clarity, Monk finishing move