Simple question about the Use Magic Device skill

[Christian]

You should also be able to increase your check pretty easily. A guidance spell, Eagle's Splendor spell, or skill shards should all help. A +2 bonus means you succeed on DC20 from 16+, which basically halves your chance of a "1."

Yeah! Have the cleric cast ...

Dang!

 

[Deset Gled]

Does that mean that I can't suffer a mishap ?

If that's the case, can I simply try using the item again and again (not with Take 10 or Take 20) until I get a result of 20+ (unless of course I roll a natural 1) ?

Two more things for future reference: 1. You cannot suffer a mishap when using the UMD skill (unless the item has special rules for it). In 3.5, you only suffer a mishap when you fail a caster level check on a scroll. Since activating a scroll with UMD doesn't require a caster level check, you never need to worry about mishaps. 2. You cannot take 10 when using UMD. You can't use the Aid Another action with UMD, either.

 

[Ilium]

Yeah! Have the cleric cast ...

Dang!

Christian is mean.

But if the party's 4th level and you have a wizard/sorcerer with Eagle's Splendor that should be a big help. If you have a bard, he has Inspire Competence at that level, too.

 

[Nifft]

1. You cannot suffer a mishap when using the UMD skill (unless the item has special rules for it).

Wrong.

Activate Blindly

Some magic items are activated by special words, thoughts, or actions. You can activate such an item as if you were using the activation word, thought, or action, even when you’re not and even if you don’t know it. You do have to perform some equivalent activity in order to make the check. That is, you must speak, wave the item around, or otherwise attempt to get it to activate. You get a special +2 bonus on your Use Magic Device check if you’ve activated the item in question at least once before. If you fail by 9 or less, you can’t activate the device. If you fail by 10 or more, you suffer a mishap. A mishap means that magical energy gets released but it doesn’t do what you wanted it to do. The default mishaps are that the item affects the wrong target or that uncontrolled magical energy is released, dealing 2d6 points of damage to you. This mishap is in addition to the chance for a mishap that you normally run when you cast a spell from a scroll that you could not otherwise cast yourself.

You only risk a mishap when Activating Blindly.

Cheers, -- N