Post/Author/DateTime	Post
technodemon 11-08-04, 11:36 AM	I have a question that I can not an answer too here on the boards. What is the best way for artificer to use wands and staves with out useing the skill use magic devices or is there better to uses the wands and staves better in combat for the Artificer (without rolling for the skill during in combat)? I have a character that his concept is using wands and staves in combat just like firearms. Out of combat, he is in antiquities or antiquarians of all magic items. I am starting to think that Artificer may not be right class for this concept. Please advise me that is a good class or what?
superdeadsmurf 11-08-04, 12:44 PM	Use Magic Device allows you do this fairly easily in itself. Assuming a human with 18 Cha, you can easily have +13 to your UMD check at first level (Skill Focus (Use Magic Device), Magical Aptitude for feats) That means you'll be able to do the UMD check on a wand of magic missiles at level 3 (when you'll actually be able to afford wands and have a +15 to UMD) 3/4's of the time and the chance the wand won't activate goes down by 5% each level until at level 7 it reaches it's minimum fail chance of 5% (a automatic fail on the check) which could be considered the same approximate chance of a firearm misfiring (though renaissance weaponry actually had a slightly higher misfire rate than that) Artificer is definitely the right class to use as a wand-slinger unless you feel the need to also be slinging normal spells, but where's the fun in that. With a Artificer you can also apply metamagic to the wands, which is fun. Also you can make yourself the wands (and eventually staves) that you'll want to use without the looking around for the spell scrolls you need to learn to make them.
Geoff Watson 11-08-04, 05:53 PM	One reliable way is to take a a level of Cleric with the Magic domain. Gives you access to all the Cleric and Wizard spells. Geoff.
Argonel 11-08-04, 07:46 PM	Actually with skill checks such as use magic device a '1' is not an automatic failure and a '20' is not an automatic success. So when you have a high enough use magic device skill success is automatic. There is no minimum failure chance. Geoff's idea also work quite well. although you may need to make caster level checks when activating some items such as scrolls.
kevmarq 11-09-04, 10:35 AM	UMD is different it specifically says that a roll of a 1 is failure. You have to wait till 13th level when you get skill mastery to be assured of success.
Angelion 11-09-04, 10:49 AM	UMD becoems sick at higher levels. *Artificer pats book of Viel darkness safely*
Pinky's brain 11-09-04, 11:02 AM	Maybe in the DMG, in the SRD all it says is this : Yes, but if you ever roll a natural 1 while attempting to activate an item and you fail, then you can’t try to activate that item again for 24 hours. It does not say a natural 1 is a failure, a natural 1 just makes a failure hurt more (a lot more if you are relying on the wand ... but you might be allowed an AP for this).
kevmarq 11-09-04, 11:15 AM	Maybe in the DMG, in the SRD all it says is this : It does not say a natural 1 is a failure, a natural 1 just makes a failure hurt more (a lot more if you are relying on the wand ... but you might be allowed an AP for this). I've been reading that wrong for so long, would have saved me lots of failures :(
Gurv 11-09-04, 11:19 AM	One reliable way is to take a a level of Cleric with the Magic domain. Gives you access to all the Cleric and Wizard spells. Geoff. Not a bad idea. <Steals it for his BBEG>. But in Eberron, only two gods grant the Magic domain: Aureon and his Shadow. Neither of which seems a perfect fit to a wand-slinger type, IHO. But I suppose you could get away with worshipping a pantheon and picking the domain as one of your choices. I'd grab either the Artifice domain (+4 craft checks; +1 caster level on creation spells) or the Charm domain (+4 Cha for 1 round/cleric level).
Pinky's brain 11-09-04, 11:27 AM	UMD becoems sick at higher levels. Yep, with staffs you get almost all the fun of critical hits ... and no chance of critical failure.
technodemon 11-13-04, 11:53 AM	Been rethinking things and was wandering if the Artficers can emulate any spell and linked to magic in a special, should there be a way for them not to use UMD in combat?
Pinky's brain 11-13-04, 11:58 AM	To emulate spells in combat all they need is 2 rounds, an action point and successfull UMD checks at rather high DC.
Ormazd 11-14-04, 09:18 AM	Thye don't even need 2 rounds, do they? The PHB says that UMD is part of the action used activating the magic item in questions, and therefore does not require an action for the skill. What is the second round for? O
Pinky's brain 11-14-04, 11:57 AM	Well he said emulate a spell, so I assumed he meant with spellstoring item.
technodemon 11-14-04, 01:12 PM	Opps! Dang my typing spell. What I meant was, if the Artificer was still consider spellcaster (even though they do magic in a special way by emulating any spell from any spell llist) shoul they still be able activate magic items with the skill roll? I am thinking a feat would work. Plus if they can make items themselves and still use it why need the roll?
Pinky's brain 11-14-04, 01:26 PM	The Artificer isnt considered a spellcaster, the infusions he has on his list dont even qualify him to use a wand of the same. You could try to let your DM give you the +2 bonus usually reserved for magic items you activated blindly for items you crafted yourself. Really though, the artificer is powerfull enough as is ... just survive till level 6 and you will see. At that time you should be able to pump UMD up high enough (with the help of a skill bonus item) to use wands without fail, and with metamagic spell trigger even a wand of daze becomes a useable weapon. In the meantime just live with the occasional fails.
technodemon 11-25-04, 11:40 AM	Ok I beginging to understand again with this...
DBlizzard 11-25-04, 11:46 AM	Not a bad idea. <Steals it for his BBEG>. But in Eberron, only two gods grant the Magic domain: Aureon and his Shadow. Of course, you can worship their pantheons and get those domains (The Sovereign Host & the Dark Six).
technodemon 11-25-04, 12:42 PM	Really though, the artificer is powerfull enough as is ... just survive till level 6 and you will see. At that time you should be able to pump UMD up high enough (with the help of a skill bonus item) to use wands without fail, and with metamagic spell trigger even a wand of daze becomes a useable weapon. In the meantime just live with the occasional fails. What happens at 6th level?
xrp3_robot 11-25-04, 06:32 PM	What happens at 6th level? Metamagic Spell Trigger :D