Factotum paladin

[TheFallenSon]

So my gaming group has a new player, and he has thrown us this idea....factotum/paladin.

The playground helped me with a Druid build recently. So bring it to you all, how can this character be effective?

Books available are the completes: warrior, scoundrel, divine, arcane, and Mage. The group is allowed dungeonscape, stormwrack, races of destiny, and races of the wild. His stats will likely end up with nothing below a 13, the DM is a generous sort when it comes to rolling at generation.

The player wants a tank with factotum goodness, and has been kill aloes into paladin by the DM. Any help would be appreciated.

[DeAnno]

I can think of two basic paths here.

1) Paladin 2/Factotum 18 if you have very good stats and just want to abuse Divine Grace while being a Factotum

2) Factotum 8/Paladin X/Maybe some dips or PRCs would get you Cunning Surge, which you could probably use to support any number of things, though setting up supercharges comes to mind especially.

[Prime32]

There are some variant factotums here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204698) which could be of interest.
EDIT: Which rely on ability scores other than Int.

[Person_Man]

That's a terrible idea. Factotum abilities run on Intelligence. Paladin abilities run on Charisma. And both want high Str, Dex, and Con for melee. Even if all of his abilities start at 16, as he gains levels he'll only have enough gp to improve 1 or 2 stats. So you'd be better off as playing a strait Paladin who boosted Cha and Str, or as a strait Factotum who boosted Int and Str.

[Fouredged Sword]

You would be better off with Factotum x / Chemelion x / Prc Paladin x / Chemelion x.

Prc Paladin will advance chemelion casting, and posibly add all the nice paladin spells to it, depending on DM reading of the suggestion on the SRD.

[Devmaar]

Chameleon casting can't be used to qualify for PrCs and, iirc, cannot be advanced either

[Metahuman1]

That's a terrible idea. Factotum abilities run on Intelligence. Paladin abilities run on Charisma. And both want high Str, Dex, and Con for melee. Even if all of his abilities start at 16, as he gains levels he'll only have enough gp to improve 1 or 2 stats. So you'd be better off as playing a strait Paladin who boosted Cha and Str, or as a strait Factotum who boosted Int and Str.

I hate to say this, but I'm forced to disagree.

With enough inspiration points, the right couple of feats, and enough Factotum levels in the build, this would actually reduce Paladin MAD.

Take Faerie Mystery's Initiate, and don't let any None Cha and Int stats go below 10. Now, use an affiliation too load up on Inspiration points, maybe have it give you automatic access too Font of Inspiration every-time you do a mission for them as a bonus feat for your reward, and just do lot's of small missions for them or something. Now you should be able to have Int+Cha to all saves, Int to attack, Int to damage, Int to AC, and Int too HP, and maybe a couple of the other Factotem Tricks. You've got Turn undead too fuel devotion feats, and if you set that affiliation up right you'll have made sure that Smite Evil, Turn undead, Paladin Mount and inspiration point progress stack for the two classes.

Your now down too needing 2 stats to function, and being able to make yourself tank reasonably effectively with a couple of trip build feats and hit damn hard on mounted combat charges when it's applicable, get good mileage out of any devotion feats you grab, and still pull a few tricks out of your selve, depending on the breakdown of pally v. factotum levels in the build.

[Morph Bark]

Chameleon casting can't be used to qualify for PrCs and, iirc, cannot be advanced either

Yes it can, but you only benefit from the PrCs you've taken for it while using your Arcane or Divine Aptitude Focus. Heck, you can use items to qualify for feats and PrCs. However, as soon as you lose that which you used to qualify for a feat or PrC, you lose the benefits of the feat or PrC as well.

[Draz74]

There are some variant factotums here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204698) which could be of interest.
EDIT: Which rely on ability scores other than Int.

Also here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums//archive/index.php?t-150664.html).

[Fouredged Sword]

I would think that chemelion would qualify as able to cast spells the same way a wizard who qualifies for a PRC requireing you to be able to cast spell X even when he has not prepared that particular spell this day. You can still cast those spells, maybe not right now or this particular day, but you can cast those spells eventualy, and thus qualify for PRC paladin.

I could see an argument that has PRC paladin ONLY advance the divine casting abilities of the class and not the arcane, but I would think that you could keep your PRC paladin abilites even useing another focus.

[Urpriest]

I would think that chemelion would qualify as able to cast spells the same way a wizard who qualifies for a PRC requireing you to be able to cast spell X even when he has not prepared that particular spell this day. You can still cast those spells, maybe not right now or this particular day, but you can cast those spells eventualy, and thus qualify for PRC paladin.

I could see an argument that has PRC paladin ONLY advance the divine casting abilities of the class and not the arcane, but I would think that you could keep your PRC paladin abilites even useing another focus.

Chameleon casting and bonus feat explicitly can't qualify for prerequisites. It's right there in the description.

[Fouredged Sword]

Darn. That is what I get for posting while being AFB.

a level or three of favored soul maybe?

Hrmmm.

It looks like you are better off going shadowbane with a rogue paladin then, or a rogue / factotum / paladin / shadowbane. font of insperation would be a needed to supply enough insperation points.