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<blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 1369931" data-attributes="member: 2629">UMD is poorly written. I've seen players argue that they can use three UMD checks when activating a staff: The first (activate a wand) determines whether the staff operates (DC20). The second (emulate class ability) determines their caster level (UMD check - 20). The third (emulate an ability score) determines their effective ability score (UMD - 15). So, a 20th level rogue with a UMD of 23 ranks, a 26 charisma (+8), skill focus: UMD (+3) and Magical Aptitude (+2) has a total UMD of 36. When activating a staff, he automatically makes the initial check, has an average caster level of 26.5 and an effective attribute of 31.5 - Or +10 to the DC of the spell and an effective caster level 6 or 7 higher than the party wizard or cleric. If you start going into epic levels (with epic skill focus), you can get ridiculous effective caster levels 15 to 20 levels above the caster levels of other PCs of equivalent level and DCs for spells that leap up into the 40s at level 21. A 21st level rogue with a UMD of +47 could hit a foe with a hold monster with a caster level of roughly 38 (negating SR less than 39) and a DC of roughly 31.I urge DMs to use a restrained view of UMD if you have a PC trying to max it out - at the minimum, limit caster levels created by UMD to the PC's total character level and limit the effective ability score to something like (15 + 1 per 3 character levels). In some eyes, this will take house rules.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="jgsugden, post: 1369931, member: 2629"] UMD is poorly written. I've seen players argue that they can use three UMD checks when activating a staff: The first (activate a wand) determines whether the staff operates (DC20). The second (emulate class ability) determines their caster level (UMD check - 20). The third (emulate an ability score) determines their effective ability score (UMD - 15). So, a 20th level rogue with a UMD of 23 ranks, a 26 charisma (+8), skill focus: UMD (+3) and Magical Aptitude (+2) has a total UMD of 36. When activating a staff, he automatically makes the initial check, has an average caster level of 26.5 and an effective attribute of 31.5 - Or +10 to the DC of the spell and an effective caster level 6 or 7 higher than the party wizard or cleric. If you start going into epic levels (with epic skill focus), you can get ridiculous effective caster levels 15 to 20 levels above the caster levels of other PCs of equivalent level and DCs for spells that leap up into the 40s at level 21. A 21st level rogue with a UMD of +47 could hit a foe with a hold monster with a caster level of roughly 38 (negating SR less than 39) and a DC of roughly 31. I urge DMs to use a restrained view of UMD if you have a PC trying to max it out - at the minimum, limit caster levels created by UMD to the PC's total character level and limit the effective ability score to something like (15 + 1 per 3 character levels). In some eyes, this will take [b]house rules[/b]. [/QUOTE]

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