Use Magic Device
Full rules text, use cases, and edge-case handling for this skill.
Description
Use Magic Device lets you activate magical items that your character would normally be unable to use — wands of spells you don't know, staves requiring a different class, scrolls written for another tradition, and items with alignment or race prerequisites. It represents raw talent for channeling magic through sheer force of will and understanding of magical resonance.
Check
The DC depends on what you are trying to do with the item.
| Task | DC |
|---|---|
| Activate a blindly (use a magic item without knowing its function) | 25 |
| Emulate an alignment component | 30 |
| Emulate a class feature (e.g., turn undead) | 20 |
| Emulate a race | 25 |
| Use a scroll (arcane or divine) | 20 + caster level |
| Use a wand | 20 |
| Use a wand / staff spell you don't know | 20 |
Scrolls: If you beat the DC, you cast the spell from the scroll. If you fail by 9 or less, you don't activate the scroll but nothing bad happens. If you fail by 10 or more, you trigger a mishap — the spell goes off but you are the target, or a random nearby creature is, determined by the GM.
Wands: Failure by any amount simply means the wand does not activate. No mishap on wands.
Emulating class features / race / alignment: The emulation lasts only for the purpose of the single item activation. Emulating an alignment you don't have may still call for a check against alignment-locked items each round.
Action
Activating a magic item using Use Magic Device takes the same action as using the item normally (usually a standard action). The UMD check is part of that activation — not a separate action.
Try Again
Yes, but if you fail to activate an item with Use Magic Device, you cannot try that particular item again until the next day. Each day you may make one attempt per item.
Critical rule: If you ever roll a 1 on a Use Magic Device check, you cannot use that item again for 24 hours — regardless of your total result. This applies even if your modifier would have succeeded.
Special
- Rogue: Use Magic Device is a class skill exclusively for rogues (and a handful of archetypes). No other base class lists it, making high-UMD rogues uniquely versatile.
- Magical Aptitude (feat): +2 on Spellcraft and Use Magic Device; increases to +4 with 10 or more ranks.
- Taking 10: You cannot take 10 on a Use Magic Device check — the magic is unpredictable enough that a minimum of luck is always required.
- Magic item prerequisites ignored: Once you beat the UMD DC, you treat yourself as having the prerequisite for that item for the duration of the activation only. This does not grant you the actual ability, just permission to use the item.
- Caster level check: Using a scroll still requires a caster level check (DC = caster level of the spell + 1) if your effective caster level is lower than required. UMD does not bypass this — you need both checks.