Warblade/Factotum build help

[AustontheGreat1]

Got a game coming up and I've not been able to try out the Tome of Battle. My Dm said he doesn't mind so I wanted make a warblade (actually, I wanted to make a swordsage.) However, we've already got a strong melee type and a strong caster type and the caster is a beginner (a.k.a. will only pick the biggest, flashiest, most neat looking spells he can find but will totally over look the basic stuff a party needs) and the melee guy is going to be really focused on combat so I wanted to try and make a guy who can do a little bit of everything. Hold my own in combat, fill in some of the more utility based spells, and fulfill most of the party's skill based needs.

I think I wanna go with a Factotum/Warblade(/maybe chameleon if I can fit it in.)

Can anyone point me to a good warblade/factotum build? or can anyone give me some advice on how to do it myself. These are two classes I've never had any experience with before.

[Urpriest]

Not an expert on either, but Factotum 8 is generally considered the optimal exit point, since that's when you get extra standard actions. ToB classes are best taken later than earlier, since you get higher level maneuvers that way. So Factotum 8/Warblade X would be a good base, though you may want more Warblade earlier for more combat utility.

[T.G. Oskar]

Hmm...Warblade 1/Factotum 8/Warblade 1+/Chameleon X (where Chameleon ends up between 2 and 10)?

It's gonna be a bit hard to determine the first level, though. Warblade 1 grants you BAB +1, proficiency in all martial weapons (which you share with Factotum), and a d12 Hit Dice (which means you start with the highest amount of HP depending on your Con), but fewer skill points (4 + Int, and since you're going Factotum that means the latter will be high, compared to 6 + Int from the Factotum) and fewer skills. The other would be Factotum 1, which would have 6 + Int skill points and all skills as class skills, but fewer hit points and a delayed BAB progression.

In any case, you'll probably be a Human and have Able Learner (from Races of Destiny), so you won't have much trouble with class skills (which supports having 1st level being Factotum, because of all class skills and 6+Int times four for 1st level). So it's mostly a decision of whether you wanna be better in battle first or better in skills first.

If you wanna be better at skills, grab Factotum as your first level and make sure you get UMD, UPD and the skills that your group needs (Disable Device is good if you wanna deal with traps, Tumble is always awesome, Diplomacy is always great, if you can snatch it get Iaijutsu Focus and buy a lot of weapons along with Quick Draw).

If you wanna be better at melee combat from the beginning, choose Warblade. Make sure you get at least Moment of Perfect Mind (Diamond Mind, replaces your Will saves for Concentration) and a stance that you may use more than once (if you're going for crits, Blood in the Water is awesome; if you're going for more damage, Punishing Stance). The rest is up to you, but just remember that while your options are limited, usually you want from Diamond Mind, Iron Heart or Tiger Claw; White Raven you want later for White Raven Hammer. It also depends on what you wanna specialize (see below).

If you're a human (and I suspect you do, otherwise you couldn't be Chameleon), make sure you can do well with your other feat. It all depends; you wanna use two weapons, one big weapon, or something else? If you want to use two weapons, get TWF; if you wanna get a big weapon, then Power Attack. If you wanna go for combat maneuvers, PA and Combat Expertise are required (Bull Rush and Sunder for PA, Disarm, Feint and Trip for CE; Grapple requires Imp. Unarmed Strike and you don't seem to be the kind to want an ubercharger so Mounted Combat is out of the question).

As for Chameleon, you need to determine whether you want it to be a long progression or a small progression. Chameleon 2 is amazing because of the "floating" feat (a bonus feat you can change every day); anything else requires Chameleon 10 because you want at least the 6th level spells on both Arcane and Divine.

And finally: regardless of what you get, make sure that you get your next Warblade level on specific levels for better advancement. Usually, you want your Warblade level when the sum of Factotum levels and Chameleon levels (if any) is even, because that way you get one extra Initiator level.

Perhaps other people here may help, but I'll expect some will decide to decline upon Chameleon and mostly teach you leapfrogging (which is what I did on the first-to-last paragraph) better.

[Greenish]

Warblade 1 grants you BAB +1, proficiency in all martial weapons (which you share with Factotum)Factotum actually has better weapon proficiencies than warblade.