Useful stuff to UMD?

[Dictum Mortuum]

So, we have the skill and the modifiers to use it, but what to do with it?. Suggest away items, especially if you can activate them with the emulate feature.

[Akalsaris]

Heh...here's a silly one that might get you slapped.  Play a dwarf, and buy a belt of dwarvenkind, then use racial emulation: elf on the belt to gain the abilities of a non-dwarf while wearing the belt.  For bonus points, take the illiterate trait, since the belt grants you literacy anyhow ;-)

Belt of Dwarvenkind: This belt gives the wearer a +4 competence bonus on Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks as they relate to dealing with dwarves, a +2 competence bonus on similar checks when dealing with gnomes and halflings, and a –2 competence penalty on similar checks when dealing with anyone else. The wearer can understand, speak, and read Dwarven. If the wearer is not a dwarf, he gains 60-foot darkvision, dwarven stonecunning, a +2 enhancement bonus to Constitution, and a +2 resistance bonus on saves against poison, spells, or spell-like effects.
Moderate divination; CL 12th; Craft Wondrous Item, tongues, creator must be a dwarf; Price 14,900 gp;Weight 1 lb.

[SixthDeclension]

I always enjoyed the thought of using runestaves with my UMD slingin' arcane casters.

And that sword that you have to be a paladin or something. whatever its called...

[BowenSilverclaw]

You mean the Holy Avenger?

[Sunic_Flames]

Bonus points if you're an evil Artificer, get attacked by some Paladin, and UMD his own Holy Avenger against him for the win.

[Dictum Mortuum]

I think that's stupid unless you are an artificer badass that doesn't care about his weapon. Doesn't holy avenger only deal extra damage against evil creatures ?

[Sunic_Flames]

Dude. Saying 'Artificer Badass' is like saying 'ATM Machine'.

Meanwhile, Paladins suck.

Why not crush him body, mind, and soul by kicking his ass with his own, so called Holy weapon? It's called Psychological Warfare. Gotta make him wonder if he really is on the right side eh?

It's still a +5 cold iron longsword (and could arguably be other weapon types, most DMs would allow it) that still gives SR of 5 + your level to you and any allies next to you, and still lets you do an area greater dispel at a CL = your class level at will once a round as a standard action. Besides, any half decent damage dealer doesn't need conditional 2d6 bonus damages anyways. They're using multipliers, or are Just That Badass.

[Dictum Mortuum]

Anything else to UMD besides holy avenger ?

I found one in the MIC, amulet of wordtwisting. It's fairly useful to a diplomancer, +4 to bluff, diplomacy, intimidate and sense motive, and use tongues 1/day if you are an orc. 6000 gp.

[Cyrocloud]

I don't know if this works but maybe you could emulate evasion or uncanny dodge so if you get an item that grants it you recieve the improved version instead, and maybe there are some items that expand you blindsight range and you could emulate a class feature that gives blindsight and you would get the blindsight of the increased range.

[Akalsaris]

That's an interesting idea Cyrocloud.  For another example, emulate two-weapon fighting from a ranger, then put on the gloves that give two-weapon fighting, or improved TWF if you already have it.

[Tshern]

We so need to expand that item to somehow get a bunch of spell slots with Rings of Wizardry. Perhaps having a single 3rd level slot and then emulate it to abuse the stupid typo of Vigilante's and get 60 3rd level slots a day to fuel Arcane strike.

I know, the example was crappy and I do not condone the idea, but can't we somehow get spellcasting with UMD along the lines of this idea?

[Akalsaris]

Well, you might be able to use UMD to qualify for a PrC that grants spell-casting, allowing you to cheat your way into a dual-progression deal.  Sort of like a scout taking a regional feat to gain a favored enemy to quality for Swift Hunter without taking levels of ranger.

[PhaedrusXY]

Strand of Prayer Beads (Karma bead). UMD to activate it. The caster level bonus doesn't specify "divine".

[Dictum Mortuum]

Well, you might be able to use UMD to qualify for a PrC that grants spell-casting, allowing you to cheat your way into a dual-progression deal.  Sort of like a scout taking a regional feat to gain a favored enemy to quality for Swift Hunter without taking levels of ranger.

No it doesn't
UMD lets you cheat an item into thinking that you've got the ability to activate it, it doesn't give you x level spells to qualify for a prestige class. Anyway, i don't want to argue about it since a) it's cheesy b) this thread is about magic items that will help you if you have the skill.

[dman11235]

...Can you UMD relics to make it think your a worshiper of the correct deity?

[Dictum Mortuum]

...Can you UMD relics to make it think your a worshiper of the correct deity?

I'd say no. Activate blindly might work, but in the description it says that it works for special words, thoughts or actions. I really don't know. However if you could emulate the true believer feat somehow (as a class feature probably - i don't know of any classes that offer it though) for a certain god, you could probably use relics.

[dman11235]

That's what I was thinking of trying.

EDIT: I know you can emulate alignments, so you can use the base part of relics.  It's that second benefit that's tricky.

[Anders Rasmussen]

Someone ones suggested to emulate a Night Hags to use the Night Hags "Heartstone".


All night hags carry a periapt known as a heartstone, which instantly cures any disease contracted by the holder. In addition, a heartstone provides a +2 resistance bonus on all saving throws (this bonus is included in the statistics block). A night hag that loses this charm can no longer use etherealness until it can manufacture another (which takes one month). Creatures other than the hag can benefit from the heartstone’s powers, but the periapt shatters after ten uses (any disease cured or saving throw affected counts as a use) and it does not bestow etherealness to a bearer that is not a night hag. If sold, an intact heartstone brings 1,800 gp


With an offensive reading this could be the cheapest way to get etherealness at will - but that I don't really believe...
The +2 to saves and instant cure disease is still good for 1800 gp...

There
Anders

[Akalsaris]

Well, you might be able to use UMD to qualify for a PrC that grants spell-casting, allowing you to cheat your way into a dual-progression deal.  Sort of like a scout taking a regional feat to gain a favored enemy to quality for Swift Hunter without taking levels of ranger.

No it doesn't
UMD lets you cheat an item into thinking that you've got the ability to activate it, it doesn't give you x level spells to qualify for a prestige class. Anyway, i don't want to argue about it since a) it's cheesy b) this thread is about magic items that will help you if you have the skill.

Yeah, I know what you're saying, but I was having trouble expressing myself - I was trying to think of prestige classes like Nature's Warrior, where you get bonus spell levels for an existing class, but if you don't have any existing class then the bonus spell levels default to druid - and it doesn't require a caster level to enter.  So a wildshape ranger with the no-spells variant who entered the class would gain a level of druid casting, for example.  And using UMD to gain the class features necessary for a similar prestige class that fits your character progression, and then using the caster levels from that prestige class to go into a dual progression.

To bring us back on-topic, you can Emulate Race: Pit Fiend (or any other 16HD+ outsider) to be able to wield the Wand of Orcus without making a DC 25 save or die.

[Dictum Mortuum]

Yeah, I know what you're saying, but I was having trouble expressing myself - I was trying to think of prestige classes like Nature's Warrior, where you get bonus spell levels for an existing class, but if you don't have any existing class then the bonus spell levels default to druid - and it doesn't require a caster level to enter.  So a wildshape ranger with the no-spells variant who entered the class would gain a level of druid casting, for example.  And using UMD to gain the class features necessary for a similar prestige class that fits your character progression, and then using the caster levels from that prestige class to go into a dual progression.

I don't understand why you say all this, but, again, UMD doesn't give you the ability. It just tricks the item into thinking you have it. You can't use UMD to enter a prestige class, unless that class is considered an item.

//again, i don't want to argue about this. Let's just say that this thread is about items to UMD, no cheesy applications of the skill.