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MustacheFart
2010-03-19, 07:29 PM
Hey all,

It's been a while since I last posted. Anyway, I am going to be playing in a one-shot coming up real soon and I'm trying to get a character ready.


My character concept, to put it simply, is a robot that has been created/programmed to do anything and everything fairly well. I've never really played a factotum or a chameleon before but since this is going to be a high level game and I've read they both can do A LOT, I figured, "why not?"

Here are the details for the game:

Point Buy: 32 pts.
Starting level: 16
Starting gold: ^ That for a 16th level character
Books allowed: All 3.5ed books
1-shot Theme: Storming a Castle! (Original I know:smallbiggrin:)

Restrictions:
No Leadership feat
Avoid heavy amounts of cheese


I'm going to look over the factotum class and the chameleon prc tonight but I figured I'd post here first to see if I could drum up some advice.

Any and all help is much appreciated!

-Goincommando

JasonP
2010-03-19, 07:38 PM
Chameleon has racial restrictions (human or doppleganger), but from what I understand, these two classes don't work together that well anyway.

T.G. Oskar
2010-03-19, 07:45 PM
Hey all,

It's been a while since I last posted. Anyway, I am going to be playing in a one-shot coming up real soon and I'm trying to get a character ready.


My character concept, to put it simply, is a robot that has been created/programmed to do anything and everything fairly well. I've never really played a factotum or a chameleon before but since this is going to be a high level game and I've read they both can do A LOT, I figured, "why not?"

Here are the details for the game:

Point Buy: 32 pts.
Starting level: 16
Starting gold: ^ That for a 16th level character
Books allowed: All 3.5ed books
1-shot Theme: Storming a Castle! (Original I know:smallbiggrin:)

Restrictions:
No Leadership feat
Avoid heavy amounts of cheese


I'm going to look over the factotum class and the chameleon prc tonight but I figured I'd post here first to see if I could drum up some advice.

Any and all help is much appreciated!

-Goincommando

The biggest problem will be qualifying for Chameleon.

The problem with Chameleon isn't exactly the skills; Factotum has all skills, as well as 6+Int skill points which is excellent since the Factotum is Int-intensive (pun intended). The problem lies in the race AND the feat; Chameleon is reserved only for Humans, Dopplegangers, and if you can stretch it a bit Changelings (since they're descended from human and doppleganger, it makes perfect sense). Unless your DM allows you to ignore that restriction, you can't enter Chameleon; that's alright, since the best entry point is at 9th level for Chameleon, but Factotum is still good regardless of circumstances.

If, as I presume, you aren't allowed to become a Chameleon, you can simply go Factotum all the way, get Spell Compendium for spells of strong utility (for example: Haste, Dispel Magic, Greater Dispel Magic, Disintegrate, perhaps even Tenser's Transformation once your spell-like abilities are almost extinguished), boost your Int, and see if you can get Exotic Weapon Proficiency (gnome quickrazor), Quick Draw and Iaijutsu Focus (Oriental Adventures, a 3.0 book) for dealing loads of damage.

If you do become a Chameleon for some strange and odd reason (redundancy added for oomph), you may limit yourself to choosing either the Arcane or the Divine focus at every moment and prepare spells as if you were a Cleric or Wizard. Choose the best spell for the situation at hand (since you KNOW you'll be storming a castle, you have to know spells that will be good at opening locks, buffing allies, find traps and creating makeshift doors) and prepare accordingly. Get Font of Inspiration (it's from a web article) once or twice and you're ready to go.

Eldariel
2010-03-19, 07:46 PM
Assuming DM handwaves the prerequisites of Able Learner, you should look at Factotum 8/Chameleon 8 going for Factotum 8/Chameleon 10 (or Factotum 8/Chameleon 9/Factotum +3). From there it's really easy; pimp out Int, get lots of Inspiration Points, do everything. Font of Inspiration (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070606) helps with your IP count, especially while multiclassing.

T.G. Oskar
2010-03-19, 07:57 PM
Assuming DM handwaves the prerequisites of Able Learner...

The DM should also handwave the requirement of the actual PrC to have the character be either a human or a doppleganger. Just in case. Able Learner is not enough.

Though, for purposes of qualifying, I'd allow Changeling, Azurin, Silverbrow Human and that evil human race from BoVD. Changeling is already from both human and doppleganger stock, azurin is basically human + incarnum, silverbrow human is basically human + dragonblood (and special spell-like ability) and the evil human race is human but always evil. I'd also flex to allow half-races and human descendants if they also had the Human Heritage feat to acquire human feats (otherwise the feat has absolutely no sense and its perfectly worthless except for 4 skill points which you can get through Nymph's Kiss or Open Minded).

But that's just me. Warforged seems too far from the norm. So...good luck having the Warforged approved for Chameleon duty?

MustacheFart
2010-03-19, 10:45 PM
Well, I got approval to take Chameleon as a Warforged as long as I also take the human heritage feat. Really, Chameleon + warforged was the only way I found to fit the concept of a robot that can do everything.

Back-story for the concept: In a previous life I was a gnome who spent all of his life tinkering around with his contraptions & doodads, trying to come up with the perfect invention. After many many many long years, by combining many many different materials (human "materials" being one, or I guess I should say, "organic" materials), I was able to create the perfect invention―a full-sized mechanized man that could do anything and everything!!! More importantly, one that I could imbue with my own soul to control forever!


So ya, that's the jist of my character.

So far, for feats I have:

Able Learner (Flaw #1)
Human Heritage (Flaw #2)
Font of Inspiration(1st lvl)
Font of Inspiration(3rd lvl)
empty(6th lvl)
empty(9th lvl)
empty(12th lvl)
empty(15th lvl)

What would a good base stat point distribution look like? We're using a 32-point buy.

T.G. Oskar: Since, I've already received approval to use Chameleon as a warforged, I want to avoid using Oriental Adventures(3.0 book) since I'd have to ask to use that too. It just seems like I'd be pushing it...

Eldariel
2010-03-20, 07:10 AM
Good stat distribution? Considering you add Int to just about everything, lots of Int is a good starting point. If you plan on casting Divine Spells, some Wis is needed. Then rest to just Con and Dex. Str too if you feel so inclined, though Int does mostly all Str does for a Factotum.

MustacheFart
2010-03-20, 09:18 AM
Okay, I have some new questions.

I want to make sure I get this right. If go 8 levels in chameleon as suggested and I do a double Aptitude Focus(get at 7th level) in Arcane Focus and Divine Focus, that means I get my spells per day listed for level 8 twice? Once for arcane and once for divine? Both also would be affected by any bonus spells based on stat modifier(s)?


Also at 4th level it states that I get Ability Boon which gives me a +2 bonus to one stat whenever I choose an Aptitude Focus (+4 since level 8). If I do a double Aptitude Focus as mentioned about wouldn't that mean I'd get a +2 bonus to 2 stats?


The way it's looking, I'm thinking I sacrifice some strength, pick up Divine Aptitude Focus, and just cast Divine Power for melee situations. :smallbiggrin:

Eldariel
2010-03-20, 09:24 AM
I want to make sure I get this right. If go 8 levels in chameleon as suggested and I do a double Aptitude Focus(get at 7th level) in Arcane Focus and Divine Focus, that means I get my spells per day listed for level 8 twice? Once for arcane and once for divine? Both also would be affected by any bonus spells based on stat modifier(s)?

Correct.


Also at 4th level it states that I get Ability Boon which gives me a +2 bonus to one stat whenever I choose an Aptitude Focus (+4 since level 8). If I do a double Aptitude Focus as mentioned about wouldn't that mean I'd get a +2 bonus to 2 stats?

Aptitude Focus has nothing to do with Ability Boon. Ability Boon just grants you +4 to ability of your choice. Aptitude Focus doesn't affect it.


The way it's looking, I'm thinking I sacrifice some strength, pick up Divine Aptitude Focus, and just cast Divine Power for melee situations. :smallbiggrin:

Don't sac too much of it if you e.g. plan on Tripping though. But yeah, spells help.