Quick Artificer Question - The Importance of Wisdom?

[TheLonelyScribe]

I'm making a gnome Artificer with a 32 point buy, with 8 Str, 14 Dex, 12 Con, 18 Int, 8 Wis, 14 Cha. I read that it was important to have a non-negative Wisdom to mimic divine spells. How important have people found this generally in play? I could decrease my Intelligence by one or two points, but it's nice to have the +4 bonus to a few skills. My Charisma is important to my character concept, but I'd grudgingly reduce it to 12 if necessary. I'm looking to play as a Buffificer, if that's relevant.

[RoyVG]

You can actually emulate a high Wisdom score using Use Magic Device (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/useMagicDevice.htm). Use Magic Device is one of your most important skills as an Artificier, so invest in it as much as possible. You only need a high Wisdom for activating scrolls.

As for some additional advice on for Buffificers, at later levels invest some money in some Minor Schema (Magic of Eberon iirc) of some of your infusions that you use often. Minor Schema's are basically the Eternal Wand version of a scroll, spell completion items that are usable 1/day, except you can put infusions in them, something you can't do with scrolls or wands.

One of the 'combos' I used was a Minor Schema of the Metamagic Item infusion and apply Persist Spell on a (Eternal) Wand with a good buff spell on it (like Protection from [alignment] or Magic Circle against [alignment]). Rather than recasting it every few rounds or minutes, you can cast it at the start at the day.

[TheLonelyScribe]

Thanks! So as long as I stick to potions and wands for divine spells, I should be good. And yeah, we're starting out at level 6, so I'm going to put some Schemas on my equipment list. At a middling level like this, where my UMD is +11 (+13 for scrolls) is it still useful having Skill Focus (UMD)?

[Story]

You can increase that bonus further without burning feats, such as through Circlet of Persuasion (stackable with your Headband of Int at no extra cost thanks to MiC).

I've never played an Artificer, but I imagine you always have more desirable feats than you can take, so I wouldn't want to waste one on a Skill Focus.

[TheLonelyScribe]

Thanks all! Very useful.

[RoyVG]

Skill Focus (UMD) is a trap :smalltongue:

Use Shape Soulmeld (Mage's Spectacles) for a +4 insight bonus to Use Magic device, Spellcraft and Decipher Script IIRC. You need 13 Con to take this feat however, and it can be dispelled.