Use Magic Device: Keep or Kill?

[UngeheuerLich]

no more selling a former talent at the price of a skill!

as with certain feats only beeing appropriate for some classes, this is true for UMD, too. It should have been folded into rogue and bard class like animal empathy was included in the druid and ranger class in 3.5, instead of beeing available for everyone.

 

[I'm A Banana]

For my part, I voted "keep it", mainly because I like the image of a rogue shaking a wand until the magic comes out.

Have Spellcraft or Knowledge (Arcana) kill it and take it's stuff.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I'd keep it but merge it with Spellcraft.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I wouldn't want Spellcraft since that is more to do with the actual act of casting magic and understanding what the magic being cast at you is.

I think Arcana should take it over, since Arcana is more to do with your knowledge of the magical-world. So a rogue may not be able to identify/know the inner-workings of a spell. But he would know that this rod unleashes a fireball.

That being said too, as far as I know Spellcraft may not even be a skill in 4e.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Kill it. Give it to rogues as an at-will power they can select (that involves a roll and the possibility of humorous disaster) IF this kind of item is still a part of the game.

Seconded.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Ehh, I rather it went beyond just rogues and bards. I would like to see it applicable to all/most classes. It doesn't make sense that a highly intelligent and cunning fighter would be useless with dealing with a magic-item.

Now that being said, to keep with tradition though, since rogues and bards will have probably higher skill-points they can put more into Arcana (if it is put into Arcana) then other classes to show their greater expertise in this area.

 

[Generico]

Kill it.

If you're going to make certain items usable by only certain classes, then they should be usable by only certain classes. It doesn't make sense to have that restriction, and then say "Hi, I'm a rogue, I can use more magic items than a wizard who spent his entire life learning to use magic. Apparently, wizard school doesn't include courses like Random Stick Waving 101, or How to Pretend You're Lawful Good. Silly wizards."

If you absolutely have to make quasi-class restricted magic items, just do it with a feat that anyone can take. You take Wizard Training, you can use magic items as if you're a 1st level wizard. You take Cleric Training, you use items as if you're a 1st level cleric.

 

[Jhaelen]

Kill it. It's a relic from way back when there was nothing resembling a skill system in the game.

 

[Wormwood]

Kill it with fire.

 

[Lizard]

UMD exists because Cugel learned a few spells. No other reason.

(Well, it also exists because 3e wanted to get away from the idiotic absolutism of 1/2e, but there were other ways to do it.)