Factotum without Iajatsu Focus

[Grod_The_Giant]

As the title suggests, is it possible/practical to build a Factotum who can contribute effectively in combat without making (ab)use of the Iajatsu Focus skill? All the guides I've seen focus on that as a major source of damage.

The campaign I might be using this in has a level of ~10, and no material from ToB, Tome of Magic, Magic of Incarnum allowed. I wouldn't mind hearing about those books as "in most circumstances" suggestions, though.

[Akto]

As the title suggests, is it possible/practical to build a Factotum who can contribute effectively in combat without making (ab)use of the Iajatsu Focus skill? All the guides I've seen focus on that as a major source of damage.

The campaign I might be using this in has a level of ~10, and no material from ToB, Tome of Magic, Magic of Incarnum allowed. I wouldn't mind hearing about those books as "in most circumstances" suggestions, though.

With a focus on str and brains over brawn, they can make quite a nasty tripper playing a lesser tiefling atm level 6 with a spiked chain, improved trip, 18 str and 22 int gives me a nice +14 to trip checks

[Pickford]

Isn't Iaijutsu Focus a 3.0 skill from Oriental Adventures?

Whereas Factotum is a 3.5 class from Dungeonscape...

My understanding is that 3.0 material doesn't apply to 3.5 when not reproduced therein.

So I would say to answer your question:


As the title suggests, is it possible/practical to build a Factotum who can contribute effectively in combat without making (ab)use of the Iajatsu Focus skill?

Yes, because that skill doesn't exist in 3.5 and if you're playing 3.0, factotum doesn't exist.

[Randomguy]

I'm pretty sure that 3.0 material is still valid unless it was updated, actually. It depends on your DM though.


In addition to tripping you can use craft skills and magic to make some poisons, which could help a bit. And if you take Font of Inspiration enough times you can make good use of sneak attack, too.

[Gildedragon]

Sneak-attacking, kn devotion, tripping, disarming, and poison are your friends.
Got a small tactics section for just that in my handbook.
Note that using the factotum's 1d6 sneak attack isn't that worthwhile if you don't have craven when compared to cunning insight.

[Story]

Technically, Iajitsu Focus was updated for 3.5 in Dragon Magazine. But they didn't change anything.

[Slipperychicken]

Human, sink every feat into Font of Inspiration. Sneak Attack the hell out of people. Once you use up most of your IP on dice, contribute with spells and healing. See if your DM will let you qualify for Craven.

Factotum Int to damage is worded to apply to ability damage rolls. This makes things like poisons and Shivering Touch (prepared, plus wands and spell-storing weapons of it) even more hardcore. And you can even ignore the SR on Shivering Touch at level 11.

Prepare/wand Wraithstrike, full power-attack with a Greatsword. Big damage.

Wand-bursting might be good with Cunning Surge. Get several spells off in a round.

[Draz74]

Alternatively, you can go for an archer build. The x3 crit damage is very nice when you boost your damage by +INT (after confirming the critical) with Cunning Insight.

Archery is feat-intensive, so just ignore Font of Inspiration and use your Inspiration points very carefully/creatively. (The way the Factotum was intended. :smalltongue:)

Pick up Knowledge Devotion. If a Splitting bow is going to be available, then it's probably worthwhile to pick up Precise Shot and aim for Splitting. Otherwise, consider being a worshipper of Ehlonna and picking up True Believer and some Raptor Arrows (MIC).

Manyshot is where the real Factotum synergy comes in. Manyshot will allow you to make multiple attacks with one use of Cunning Surge, and allow you to boost the attack rolls of multiple arrows with one use of Cunning Insight.

[Psyren]

Note that using the factotum's 1d6 sneak attack isn't that worthwhile if you don't have craven when compared to cunning insight.

FAQ clarified that you can in fact stack it higher than 1d6 (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20070412a), though often you'll have a better use for your IP anyway.

[Gildedragon]

Still. It is best to have used cunning insight before going for d6s

Alchemical items are a factotum's friends too: smoke bombs, tanglefoot bags, flares... Whatever your team needs to be getting the upper hand.

[Slipperychicken]

FAQ clarified that you can in fact stack it higher than 1d6 (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20070412a), though often you'll have a better use for your IP anyway.

Well, as long as 1 Standard Action is more useful to him than 3d6 added to a single attack (damage-wise, as long as you're dealing on average more than 10.5 per standard action before Cunning Strike), he won't end up using it much :smallbiggrin:

[Pesimismrocks]

I play a factotum who has no points in any obscure skill, no feats spent on Font of inspiration and has only recently aquired the Knowledge devotion feat. Especially passed level 8 and with a powerful magic item, they can be very effective in combat. With more than 1 standard action per turn and perhaps some sneak attack damadge they can be devastating one-round wonders. But their real use is out of combat. With acess to obscure spells that a wizard hasn't learnt, a lot of skill tricks and the trapfinding role, I find them far more effective then rogues as skill monkeys and party faces.

If helpful I would recommend these feats:
-Keen intellect is a must if human or human descended
-Nymphs Kiss if good
-Knowledge Devotion is great for any combat based factotum

Race wise I find that the best three are either Strongheart Halflings (if allowed), Humans (as always) and ilumian. I say illumian because even though they were designed for multiclassing they can be very helpful to a factotum which is basically a multiclass based class on its own.They have a +2 to all skills and checks of two stats, which can be bumped up to +3 with a feat. This can be very useful for skill monkeys and I would recommend Uur for Disable Device and Initiative, Naen for all Int skills like Knowledge and Vaul if you were the party face although from th OP it seem slike this is not what you really want.

Mostly though I recommend intelligent tactics and useful but obscure items. Carry round things like a rubber ball, a flour bag and a holy symbol of a deity of each alignment. These can be lifesavers.

[Lonely Tylenol]

At the beginning of the game (1-3), applying INT to-hit and (when necessary) damage is enough to keep you competitive with the rest of the group's martial characters, who similarly aren't doing anything TOO impressive at this point.

In the middle stages of the game (4-7), you have one big trick: Cunning Strike. No, 1 Inspiration point for 1d6 of damage isn't a great exchange... But, assuming a Whisper Gnome with 2 flaws, 11 Inspiration points for 11d6 can be (the other two being spent on +INT to-hit and damage). At this stage of the game, you initiate: your Hide and Move Silently are through the roof (assuming decent-to-good DEX, superior INT, and ranks), so you can guarantee yourself a surprise round in most typical circumstances... Which you use to take a large chunk out of the biggest, baddest-looking guy around (possibly all of it, even), and leave cleanup to your teammates. Is it glorious? No. Sustainable? Of course not. But when, say, a CR 4 brown bear has 51 hit points, and you do an average of about 46 of that in the surprise round with your crossbow, or thrown flask of acid, even you are capable of fighting that thing off solo from that point (although even an untrained Iaijutsu Focus roll could make your life easier at this point).

In the later stages of the game (8+), you're a Wizard, Harry. Your key trick is going to be abusing those standard actions to do, well, whatever you damn well please. At this point, however, I would be thinking about effective spell combos. Consider the following generic battlefield control options:
8-9: Web + Sleet Storm, Web + Slow
10-12: Slow + Vortex of Teeth, Black Tentacles + Sleet Storm, Solid Fog + Slow, Black Tentacles + Slow
13-14: Solid Fog + Black Tentacles, Solid Fog + Vortex of Teeth

And so on.

Iaijutsu Focus is one of the Factotum's lesser tricks, all told. What makes it good is that it's cost-efficient (only uses skill ranks, which a Factotum may have in abundance).

[Grod_The_Giant]

The issue I have with cunning surge spell combos is that sure, they're really powerful... but you can use, like, one, maybe two a day. It's not sustainable.

Using alchemical items for BFC isn't really a useful strategy either. I mean, it kind of is, but it's also something a commoner could do.


Knowledge Devotion is useful, yeah.
I didn't think about Craven; if I could get that approved it would turn Cunning Strike into a solid source of damage. Good idea!
I was not aware that Cunning Insight could be arguable applied to ability damage. Intriguing... :smallamused:

[Lonely Tylenol]

The issue I have with cunning surge spell combos is that sure, they're really powerful... but you can use, like, one, maybe two a day. It's not sustainable.

How many times per day do you need to absolutely shut down an encounter the same way? :smallconfused:

Seeing as Inspiration points recharge every encounter, even though spells do not, you can simply replace Arcane Dilettante spells with spell trigger items and the like after you've used up your daily uses.

[Gildedragon]

The issue I have with cunning surge spell combos is that sure, they're really powerful... but you can use, like, one, maybe two a day. It's not sustainable.

Using alchemical items for BFC isn't really a useful strategy either. I mean, it kind of is, but it's also something a commoner could do.


Knowledge Devotion is useful, yeah.
I didn't think about Craven; if I could get that approved it would turn Cunning Strike into a solid source of damage. Good idea!
I was not aware that Cunning Insight could be arguable applied to ability damage. Intriguing... :smallamused:


Sure a commoner can do that, same as a commoner can wield a sword. The difference being that a factotum can make more powerful alchemical items quicker and more effectively; ditto for poisons, spell-trigger items, etc. A commoner can use them, but you can do it better.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Thank you all for the help and suggestions, incidentally. I don't mean to come off as in any way ungrateful.


How many times per day do you need to absolutely shut down an encounter the same way? :smallconfused:

Seeing as Inspiration points recharge every encounter, even though spells do not, you can simply replace Arcane Dilettante spells with spell trigger items and the like after you've used up your daily uses.
Not often, but I have to contribute for more than the one encounter a day that I solve. Hence my soliciting suggestions in this thread.

(Incidentally, thanks for the combo suggestions-- those will be useful)


Sure a commoner can do that, same as a commoner can wield a sword. What the factotum has on the commoner is the capacity to make more powerful alchemical items quicker and more effectively; ditto for poisons, spell-trigger items, etc.
Poisons, sure. There aren't really rules for making better tanglefoot bags, though-- the only thing that makes 'em more useful is me as a player using them cleverly. Swords, on the other hand, do have rules for being more dangerous in the hands of an experienced character.

UMD shenanigans works, but I (personally) don't particularly like 'em from a roleplay perspective.

[Slipperychicken]

a CR 4 brown bear has 51 hit points, and you do an average of about 46 of that in the surprise round with your crossbow, or thrown flask of acid, even you are capable of fighting that thing off solo from that point (although even an untrained Iaijutsu Focus roll could make your life easier at this point).

More evil to use Ray of Stupidity (Sorc/Wiz 2, SpC). One ranged touch attack and it's toast. It should be worthwhile to keep a scroll around, or prep it if you know you're going to fight any big non-sentient (Int 2 or less) monsters like Battletitans. Heck, applying Int mod to the 1d4+1 Int damage means you deal enough to bring Trolls into a coma.

[Gildedragon]

actually there are:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm#craft

+20 to the dc so dc 45 for a tanglefoot bag. manageable if one puts a focus on crafting alchemical shindigs.

[Emperor Tippy]

A Factotum doesn't need Iaijutsu Focus to be plenty deadly in combat.

Granted, my personal opinion is that the role of the Factotum on a dungeon crawl is to be the advanced scout and assassin.

Dark Grey Elf Factotum with Darkstalker.

Take Martial Study and then Martial Stance for Assassins Stance, Chaos Shuffle Martial Study away (Assassins Stance meets the Maneuver prerequisite for Martial Stance so Martial Study is no longer necessary), take Shadow Blade for Dex to damage with Daggers.

Take Craven.

Even without spending IP on Cunning Strike you are still throwing down an additional 2d6+13 or so damage at level 10 (and 2d6+25 or so damage at level 20) on every sneak attack.

Absent Celerity+Foresight you should pretty much always act first (Brain over Brawn gives you Int to Initiative in addition to Dex).

That means you get to go first, and thus get SA damage against your flat-footed opponent. Now Cunning Surge three times and spend another 8 IP to make all four of your attacks get Int to attack and damage (at level 20 that should be +18 to both rolls). Now use Anti-Magic Field to drop all of those nifty magical defenses on your opponent.

That should be around +50 damage on each of the four attacks, which should hit on everything but a natural one. That's 200 or so damage. That's more than half the HP of an Old Red Dragon (about the strongest CR 20 core monster). Or about enough to drop a Solar to negatives on that first strike. Oh yes, and it forces four Massive Damage saves (sure, it's unlikely to fail but each one is a 5% chance of death).

So there, an assassin who can drop virtually any individual peer competitor in one round and before said competitor can act.

Sure it might nova you for that combat but so what? If you were only facing one enemy (such as a guard that you stealthily assassinate) then you are fine. If you are facing multiple enemies then you have the rest of your party on hand to fight.

Besides, with Font of Inspiration you can have upwards of 30 IP and can do all of that two or three times per combat without issue.

[Piggy Knowles]

actually there are:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm#craft

+20 to the dc so dc 45 for a tanglefoot bag. manageable if one puts a focus on crafting alchemical shindigs.

Except that you can't use the augmented alchemy rules from the ELH without the Augmented Alchemy feat, which requires 24 ranks in craft (alchemy). And even then, all you end up with is a lousy double-duration tanglefoot bag - not worth an epic feat and a much higher alchemy check.

Alchemist Savant can let you combine alchemical items with other items, poisons, spellvials, etc. You could, for instance, combine a tanglefoot bag with a contact poison that applies the poison on a hit. But that requires casting third level spells or infusions, so unless your DM allows Arcane Dilettante to qualify, it's probably a no-go.

[Gildedragon]

Augmented Alchemy... Damn I had never noticed that caveat. Huh, very much not worth it. Pity really.
Alchemist Savant is an intriguing option. I'll have to check it out

@ Tippy. Interesting build, would you mind if it got added to my handbook?

[Emperor Tippy]

@ Tippy. Interesting build, would you mind if it got added to my handbook?
Feel free.

[dspeyer]

A Factotum 8 / Swordsage 2 (or Warblade 2) can use Insightful Strike and use a concentration check in place of damage.

[Rubik]

If you're a monstrous humanoid and use Alter Self to turn into a marrulurk, you get the following:

Natural Armor +2
Death Attack
Sneak Attack
Poison Use
Point Blank Shot and Rapid shot as Bonus feats
And a +4 racial bonus to hide and move silently check

Useful thing to stick on a wand, yes?