Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Deset Gled" data-source="post: 1375875" data-attributes="member: 7808">Fairly recently, I was shown that in 3.5, Use Magic Device is avaliable to all classes as a cross-class skill.  At first, this seemed like something that I didn't like, but could learn to live with.  The group that I play with has not yet noticed this, either, so I can't say I've experienced anything bad from it personally.  The more I think about it, though, the more problems I see.From a power analysis perspective, UMD seems outrageous.  Since there are spells that help add to just about every skill, it is by far the most powerful skill in the game.  In combat, it allows any character to overcome the limits of restricted items, allows anyone to use offensive spells, allows anyone to heal up afterwards, and allows anyone to buff themselves.  Arcane casters can now cast divine spells, and vice versa.On this same bent, UMD as a cross class skill just seems wrong.  It should not be possible for all people to mimic the class abilities of any other class just by spending skill points and money.  Aside from power problems, it will stop the party from working as a group (since all warriors can buff themselves and heal themselves), and makes a character more defined by the goods they own (since they can use any item) than by their class.Now don't get me wrong, I love UMD as an exclusive skill.  It's excellent as a class ability for bards and rogues, as it gives them power where they otherwise lacked and made them unique.  But for anyone to be able to get it as a cross class skill just plain seems like too little sacrifice for too much gain (especially for paladins, clerics, and sorcerers, who would already have decent charisma).It possible though, that I am overreacting to something that's not really all that broken.  What do all you people think?  Has anyone out there seen this abused?  Does anyone else see ethical issues with it?</blockquote>

Verification