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senrath
2010-03-26, 09:10 AM
Hey, I'm building a Human Duskblade 3//Factotum 3 gestalt character for a Space Opera type game. The OOC thread, complete with some house rules, is located here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146720)

Anyway, I'm trying to decide what feats and such I should give the character. He's supposed to me a slightly eccentric fellow, who yearns for the "good old days" of swordfighting and knights and all that jazz. My difficulties come from the fact that I've never played as a Duskblade, Factotum, or played in a gestalt game before. It also comes from the fact that I have access to all material (including 3rd party), barring excessive cheese.

Oh, and the stats I have are 18, 17, 12, 11, 10, 7. I know the 18 is going in Int, but I'm not sure about the rest.

Anyone have any advice?

Soonerdj
2010-03-26, 09:31 AM
Well if you ask me and you are set on making a fighting type of character I would reccomend Power Attack because it works really well with the Sure Strike that Duskblades get. Additionally Font of Inspiration for more inspiration points and perhaps the feat that lets you trade lower level spells for higher level ones.

You have that and a Ring of Wizardry I or II and you'll be able to pump out higher level spells all day long while being effective in melee, Basically build a melee strong character and you should be golden.

senrath
2010-03-26, 09:34 AM
Hmm. That would require me to put my 17 into Strength, and I'm not sure if I want to do that. Thanks for the ideas, though.

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2010-03-26, 09:52 AM
Switch Duskblade out for Lightning Warrior.
I'd go something like Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 18, leaving the 10 and 7 for Wis and Cha depending on which you think would better suit the character. Definitely get Power Attack, and plan on picking up Arcane Strike (CW). I'd also get Battle Caster (CA) and plan on wearing some sort of powered heavy armor, similar to the various powersuits of Star Wars RPGs. You won't have much to gain from most prestige classes, Abjurant Champion could help but I'd just stay single-classed to 20.

Soonerdj
2010-03-26, 10:07 AM
Grabbing Able Learner at Level 1 and then taking Chameleon (RoD) at 9 would net you some more Arcane spells, potentially Divine if you boost Wis, and a good sized boost to Hitting with weapons if you take the Martial Archetype.

Actually by 10 you get +2 Attack and Damage Rolls if you take Martial Aptitude and a shifting feat that you can change on a day to day basis.

senrath
2010-03-26, 10:28 AM
I think I'll avoid Chameleon, actually. Not only does it not really fit in with what I have in mind for my character, but Able Learner is a dead feat for Factotums.

I'll probably just stay with Duskblade and Factotum for the entirety of the character.

Power Attack and Battle Caster are definitely going to be picked. And I think I'll stick Font of Inspiration in there, too.

As for equipment, well, I'm not even sure how much money I get, since that's dependent on the DM and my background, but a suit of power armor sounds like a good idea. Maybe I can even get some kind of energy sword, too.

Thanks for your help, so far. And if anyone else has any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2010-03-26, 11:23 AM
You won't be able to cast in heavy armor until your next level, so maybe start out with medium armor which can later be converted into heavy armor, such as by adding external plating or upgrading the existing plating to a heavier/stronger material.

I'd go with a Dwarf for this character, since their only drawbacks are movement, which actually makes them better in heavy armor, and the Cha penalty which won't even matter. Use a Dwarven Waraxe or spacefaring equivalent, and take Weapon Focus at 6 to grab one level in Exotic Weapon Master for Uncanny Blow.

deuxhero
2010-03-26, 11:29 AM
Take Arcane Strike, you can blow spell slots to deal extra damage/accuracy (with spell slots being the only limit on the additional damage) and Duskblades have a ton of spell slots...

senrath
2010-03-26, 11:45 AM
I think I'm gonna stick with Human. Mechanically, it's not the best, but I like the extra feat and skill points. Also, I haven't played a human character in a while, so I'd kinda like to.

And deux, I plan on it, but I can't until 9th level.

strider24seven
2010-03-26, 02:35 PM
I think I'll avoid Chameleon, actually. Not only does it not really fit in with what I have in mind for my character, but Able Learner is a dead feat for Factotums.

I'll probably just stay with Duskblade and Factotum for the entirety of the character.

Power Attack and Battle Caster are definitely going to be picked. And I think I'll stick Font of Inspiration in there, too.

As for equipment, well, I'm not even sure how much money I get, since that's dependent on the DM and my background, but a suit of power armor sounds like a good idea. Maybe I can even get some kind of energy sword, too.

Thanks for your help, so far. And if anyone else has any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

First of all, Able Learner is a decent feat for anyone who doesn't take all 20 levels of Factotum, and is the best feat for someone who dips 1-11 levels, simply because you get all skills as class skills forever.

Second, as a Factotum, you are usually feat starved, so Human is the best race choice if you don't play with chaos shuffle madness. Otherwise Gray Elf easily beats Human. Changelings are only good for their Rogue sub level at 1st level.

Third, +1 for Arcane Strike

Fourth, Obtain Familiar+Improved Familiar will make you a beast in combat, because you get a beast in combat:smallbiggrin:. You have the full BAB, decent HD, and skills to make any familiar effective, but I would recommend a Mephit or Imp (or even a wolf). If you can obtain a Psicrystal, more's the merrier.

Fifth, Equips: A Utility Belt (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=4400.40). Pretty much everything there is good for Factota. Scrolls and Wands (and Dorje's, if you play w/Psionics) net you stock spells. I recommend Lesser Vigor (CLW if you can't get LV), Grease, Suggestion, a no-save damage spell, and Prestidigitation. For a weapon, I recommend something with reach to channel spells and do battlefield control (see below). Whips and Whip-daggers, IIRC, get 15-ft reach but don't threaten their areas. Improved Unarmed Strike/Spiked Gauntlet/Armor Spikes takes care of this nicely. Later on, an adamantine cone affixed with Shrink Item can block an Antimagic field if needed. A Belt of Battle will always be your friend.

Sixth, remember that Brains over Brawn applies to -ALL- strength and dex checks. This includes Initiative, and Trip and Bull-rush attempts. You will be a control freak :smallcool: with a high STR/DEX and INT. Many Factota players forget this.

Seventh, a 1-level dip in Master of Masks lets you become Haberdash (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5266526).

Eighth, if you don't want to tank CHA, you can take a 1-2 level dip in Marshall to get CHA to STR/DEX. A 3-level dip in Swashbuckler nets you INT to damage (precision damage though), which you could take on your duskblade side without destroying your BAB. That becomes even better with Abjurant champion. 2 levels of Fighter/Psy Warrior nets you 2 bonus feats, 1-2 levels of Barbarian nets you rage and totem goodies.

Ninth, I highly recommend Chameleon. A floating feat, IMO, should overcome any objections over the crunch, as it can function as a Font of Inspiration, if nothing else. Extra spells to channel (depending on how your DM view channelsing), which may be able to be cast in light armor (again depending on the DM's view of the Duskblade's ability).

Tenth, and finally, find a way to teleport. You will be an action fiend, as you can likely do more with your actions than even the party wizard sometimes. Duskblades get a few spells which can help. 6 levels of Horizon Walker nets you Dimension Door every 1d4 rounds, which lets you be the "taxi cab" of the party. An anklet of translocation helps too.

senrath
2010-03-26, 02:51 PM
I'm actually avoiding Chameleon more for fluff reasons than crunch reasons. MoM similarly doesn't fit with the character. Pretending to be/imitating someone else really doesn't appeal to me.

I'm also not looking for a heavily optimized character.

And I was planning on going straight Factotum, actually. I like what the class gets.

I might take a three level dip in Swashbuckler, though, since it's high int, and it does fit in with my character's fluff.

I'm definitely going for a familiar at some point, although I prefer Pseudodragon myself. Again, for fluff reasons, not because of mechanics.

I'm definitely getting some form of Utility Belt, but there's no way I can afford it as written, right now. We're only level 3.

strider24seven
2010-03-26, 08:57 PM
You can have a utility belt as early as level 1. It just won't be a very magical utility belt.

For all low-level characters, and especially factota, I recommend:
-Bolt Cutters
-Metal Tongs
-Glass Vials or some kind of flask
-Ladder
-11 ft pole
-As much rope as you can carry
-Garlic
-Something Silver (1 sp will do)
-Marbles
-Several daggers/throwing knives
-Some manner of trap (the knives will do in a pinch)
-Wand of CLW/Lesser Vigor if you can afford it
-Eggshell Grenades if OA is allowed

As you acquire more wealth, a Handy Haversack becomes extremely handy.

I find that as a rogue-type character, you can never have enough stuff.

You might also find that a dip in Monk with the feat Kung-Fu Genius or Carmendine Monk can increase your INT SAD. Although, you might not like that for fluff reasons.

Also, I might also recommend Knowledge Devotion. You will probably have Knowledge Checks out the wazoo, and this can help increase your damage output.

For a weapon I would also put out the Spinning Sword from Secrets of Sarlona. It's a longsword... with 10 ft reach. That you can channel through. For equips, Rings of Wizardry will be your friends later on.

Also, for your Factotum SLA's, you can't go wrong with Prestidigitation. If you can't do an Out of Combat activity without Prestidigitation, then it can't be done. Or, at least, it would be much easier with Prestidigitation.

For your duskblade spells, I would point you to the Duskblade's (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=525.0)Handbook

As a final piece of Factotum advice- I would actually avoid taking too many Fonts of Inspiration. They tend to reduce the overall versatility of your character, as your turn in combat is pretty much:
-Cunning Surge: Cast Spell/Channel spell into single attack
-Cunning Surge: Cast Spell/Channel spell into single attack
-Cunning Surge: Cast Spell/Channel spell into single attack
-Full Round Action: Move and Cast/Channel or Channel into full attack.
Very exciting:smallsigh:. Almost like a Fighter with extra actions:smalleek:. Try to use your actions to cripple your opponents. Channeling Chill Touch, Ghoul Touch, (and pretty much X Touch) will disable/kill opponents relatively quickly. If you take Improved Trip, you can trip someone and then whack them with a channeled Shocking Grasp. Ouch.

Anyway, good luck with your character. I love Factota, and I like Duskblades. And I like Gestalt. Your character should (in theory, at least) be made of win.