Gestalt Changeling Factotum for solo airship campaign

[Notalion]

Hi there all!

I'm playing a Changeling Factotum 20//?? in a Solo game. He's a dashing and deceptive airship captain/treasure hunter, starting at Level 5. I've read the (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=2720.0) main (http://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/11873/how-can-i-optimize-a-factotum) Factotum (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=272130) resources (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88633), and I'll be taking a lot of tips from Haberdash the Masked (only minus the masks for RP reasons). I'm looking for suggestions on what to fill the non-Factotum side of his build with. Anything goes and there are no Multiclass restrictions or penalties, but I'm not looking to break the action economy or one-shot Tiamat; Just something fun and flavourful.

That was the Edited TL;DR version. The full, overly verbose original post is below. Please don't feel obligated to read it.
I'm here for build advice, I'm afraid. See, I've always wanted to do: Play a Changeling, and play a Factotum. Enter a DM who likes running gestalt solo campaigns, and has always wanted to run a game featuring airships.

As a result, the character I'm making will be an airship captain contracted out to the Morgrave University to do semi-moral artifact collection and the like. I'm looking to push the Changeling's social skills and the Factotum's ability to shine if not excel in every situation, so he'll be a fast-talking, fast-shooting (or stabbing) rogue with enough personal charisma to keep a ragtag band of misfits in line under fire. Sort of Indiana Jones mixed with Han Solo, if you will. Let's just hope he doesn't have to also be Dr. Richard Kimble or President Marshall.

I've read the (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=2720.0) main (http://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/11873/how-can-i-optimize-a-factotum) Factotum (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=272130) resources (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88633), but now I'm looking for info on how to build it as a Gestalt that fits my character concept and the tone of the game. It should be 50/50 social and physical combat, and I'm far more interested here in exploring being a Changeling and a Factotum than I am in finding ways to break the action economy or cheese my way into being a Warshaper. As such and as it's a solo game, I can afford to make suboptimal choices as long as they're fun.

The DM's pretty easygoing, and has waived the Multiclass XP penalty and says pretty much anything is okay as long as I can pass it by him first, so the sky's pretty much the limit- or at least as much the limit as you can get when you're starting at Level 5!
Right now I'm leaning towards running Factotum all the way to 20 on one side, but I'm not sure what to put on the other side. I see 1-20 on the Artificer, Incarnate and Warblade have been recommended, but I'm not sure about any of them. The Artificer is very topical but I've heard he's a tough class to play, the Incarnate just plain puzzles me and the Warblade seems a little too combat focused for what I'm looking to do, if I'm reading the class right.

Right now I'm leaning towards starting the non-Factotum side of the build with the Daring Outlaw Rogue/Swashbuckler combo and going I-don't-know where from there, or perhaps running 1-20 with the Beguiler, who looks like a very Changelingy class, if a bit off message for a ship captain. Still, the ship is supposed to be the setting and part of the plot, but it's not supposed to dominate the plot, so I don't think PRCs like the Dread Pirate or Legendary Captain will be necessary.

Can anyone help? Thanks!

[Draz74]

Warblade is great for dipping, if you feel like taking it all the way would be too combat-focused.

Factotum on one side, with 3-4 Rogue levels, 1-4 Warblade levels (taken later on, when your initiator level is high enough to grab cool stuff), X Swashbuckler levels, and Daring Outlaw is not going to break any power records, but it should work fine and be fun if it fits your character concept.

[Fouredged Sword]

I am a fan of duskblade 5 / chameleon 10 / Abjurant Champion 5

Changling is normally accepted as a entry option for chameleon, if not there is a feat that lets you act as a race for entry requirements.

Duskblade gives a nice BAB boost, Chameleon will leave you feeling like a changeling factotum's squared. The abilities are complementary, with enough options opened up to allow you to fill any needed party rolls.

At low levels (1-5) you are a very skilled duskblade. You get a lot of millage out of Int. Duskblade is your active combat side with kelgor's fireball killing targets with your great sword. You wear light armor. Get combat expertise and improved trip + improved Feint. Feint -> Trip -> Stab or Feint -> Spellstrike.

At 10th level you can fill in any basics you need. Run around in light armor with the divine focus. You get arcane spell like abilities from factotum and duskblade, so pair this off with divine spells to fill in the gaps.

At 15th level you are hard to catch without an answer. You have 1-5th level arcane and divine spells, plus +6 to a stat of your choice. Your floating feat lets you make any items you need.

At 20th level you get some more toughness through abjurant champion. Advance duskblade casting with it, but the focus is on iproving the low level abjurations you get from chameleon.

Another options is Rogue 1 / wizard 4 / Unseen seer 5 / Arcane Trickster X / wizard X.

Or

Scout 5 / Trapsmith 5 / Swiftblade 10.

Lots of good options.

[mangosta71]

The warblade is very combat-focused, but it synergizes nicely with a high INT. Bear in mind that the factotum's focus is anything you want it to be. You can do a 50/50 combat/social focus with warblade//factotum quite easily, so that combo would be viable with your concept as presented.

[Gildedragon]

Hey. My stuff's a main factotum resource. Cool.

Dabbling in artificer is cool
Check if you can use the pathfinder bard [archaeologist] archetype.
It gets you to take 10 on kn skills and some amount of fancies.

[Notalion]

Wow! That's a lot of options. Thanks!

Draz: How many Swashbuckler levels would you have to take to make Daring Outlaw worth the Feat, and the Warblade dip viable? I wouldn't want to buy it only to build in a way that made the scaling/initiator level features pointless.
If I could get the DM to accept a 'Carmendine Swordsage' Feat that made the stats synergize with the Factotum, would that be viable? I know it loses the BAB and Int Mod to X bonuses, but it's a sneakier character type, as I understand it.

Fouredged Sword: Interesting. I've been wavering on Chameleon for a while now, mainly because of Able Learner. As long as I'm running Factotum 20 on the other side, it's only there as an entry tax. Also, I've never made an item-crafting character, so I wouldn't know how to best abuse the Floating Feat for that purpose.

Hypothetically, how viable would swapping out the 5 Levels of Duskblade for 5 of Beguiler? I think the DM would allow me to swap out the redundant Trapfinding for something else, like the Changeling ACL Rogue's social bonuses. I fear it'd crew over the build though.

mangosta71: Thanks. What if I ran Rogue 1/Swashbucker 3/Warblade 16? The Rogue would have the Changeling and Martial ACLs, to get the aforementioned social bonuses and the Fighter feat. It'd also dilute the Warblade a little, which in this case I actually like the sound of.

Guigarci: Ooh, nice catch! If I could wrangle this, how many (or how few) levels would you suggest? I'm not sure about how useful the Level 5 feature is, as I was already planning to put 1 point into as many skills as I could, but it seems most of the other class bonuses are designed to scale.

Hmm. I briefly thought about asking if I could import the Sorcerer Sage bloodline, which switches the Sorc's main casting stat to Int, but that would just be downright inferior to Beguiler and Duskblade anyway, wouldn't it? I know Wizard is superior as an Int caster, but as I said I'm not looking to be the most powerful person in the world, and spontaneous casting seems more appropriate for the character concept to me.

Plus I'm not sure about putting a full Caster opposite Factotum. Doesn't that dilute the importance of Arcane Dilettante?

I've been talking a lot about Feats. I am worried about starvation here, given the Factotum's 'invisible tax' in the form of FoI and EWP: Gnomish Quickrazor, the latter to a lesser degree. Do these builds obviate the need to take them, or have the non-Factotum side of the Gestalt not need Feats themselves? Because as it is, even with Flaws and a Fighter Bonus Feat at first, I don't have room to take any Feats I'm actually interested in, like the Changeling-specific ones.

[Fouredged Sword]

The main advantage of duskblade is that you can get the third level ability to channel your arcane spells through a weapon strike. This is a very powerful ability as it does not specify duskblade, only arcane. This opens up applying lost of interesting spells by powering it with your chameleon casting.

Beguiler is mostly useful for the spellcasting and skill points. This build can replace duskblade 5 with beguiler 5, but you are going to loose 10 levels of spellcasting to chameleon and the skill points overlap, not ideal.

If you wanted another layer of trapfinding I would instead go duskblade 4 / spellthief 1. This opens up the master spellthief feat, allowing higher chameleon caster level and chameleon casting in light armor and 1d6 sneak attack.

The reason I suggest chameleon is that there are three major hurdles to a one man party. First is versatility, second is MAD, the third if feat focus.

You need to be able to do everything. Factotum is a great way to be adaptable, but it fails if you try to be a one man party. It is a face, a skill monkey, and a melee fighter without much problem.

Becoming a Spellcaster is harder. Make no illusions, you need to be a spellcaster. There are things in DND that can only be fixed with spells. You can do some with your factotum abilities, but you run out quickly. Battle field control will be a struggle. You have no divine casting from factotum, and will suffer an inability to heal many conditions that will become more hazardous as the levels pile on. Chameleon fills both rolls well. Your factotum abilities become the ability to pull just the right spell out of your hat at just the right moment. Leave the spells you know you will use as spell slots.

The second issue is MAD. You need good strength for melee as you can't rely on hiding behind a frontliner. You need dex to not die while in melee. You need Con. You need good Int for class features. Wis can be somewhat ignored, but not totally, and finally you need cha for social skills.

Really, I would go Int > Con > Str/Dex > Wis/Cha, likely

Str 12
Dex 12
Con 13
Int 15
Wis 10
Cha 10

Advancements are +1con at 4th, +1 int at 8th, +1wis at 12th, +1int at 16th, +1int at 20th

You need a wisdom of 15 by 15th level, so get a item to boost it and put an advancement point in it. Charisma just boosts some skills, so ignore it. Your stats are stretched very thin as is, and a skill boost is better handled with skill points/items. You get a floating +6 to a stat from chameleon that is a great way to shore up a stat. Put it in int, con, or cha as needed

Then the floating feat. You are feat starved. You must pick and choose what to invest feats in very carefully. That floating feat opens up a lot of doors.

Craft scrolls to fill in for all those spells you can't do without. Use it to pick of skill focus for a skill you are going to do a lot of that day. Use it for a reserve casting feat. Use it to make a belt of magnificence +6! Make wands and staves. Take open minded to get 4 skill points you can use to factotum your way into a trained only skill! Chameleon burns a feat for entry, but gives it right back in the form of ANY feat you want, changing daily. Freedom devotion! Knowledge devotion!

You can even burn the day taking that feat that lets you know spells without them being in your spellbook to scribe spells into it that you don't know!

[mangosta71]

mangosta71: Thanks. What if I ran Rogue 1/Swashbucker 3/Warblade 16? The Rogue would have the Changeling and Martial ACLs, to get the aforementioned social bonuses and the Fighter feat. It'd also dilute the Warblade a little, which in this case I actually like the sound of.
What would you get out of a rogue dip that you aren't already getting from factotum?

If I could get the DM to accept a 'Carmendine Swordsage' Feat that made the stats synergize with the Factotum, would that be viable? I know it loses the BAB and Int Mod to X bonuses, but it's a sneakier character type, as I understand it.
There's also a warblade variant (in ToB) that trades the medium armor proficiency for access to Shadow Hand maneuvers. This allows you to get a warblade with a sneakier feel without sacrificing BAB or spending one of your precious feats. Also of possible interest is that this route brings you up to 6 schools available, which opens up the Master of Nine PrC (again, without having to spend a feat on Martial Study) with all of its assorted goodies.

All that said, you're probably better off overall with the duskblade/chameleon route anyway.

[Draz74]

Draz: How many Swashbuckler levels would you have to take to make Daring Outlaw worth the Feat, and the Warblade dip viable? I wouldn't want to buy it only to build in a way that made the scaling/initiator level features pointless.
Tough question, since it comes down to "how valuable is a feat? how many Sneak Attack dice does it need to add to be worthwhile?"

Dipping initiator classes is better to do spread out, anyway. So you could wait until Level 5-9 to take your first Warblade level, then from Level 8-12 to take your second Warblade level ... leaving you with plenty of opportunities to take Swashbuckler levels in between, along the way.


If I could get the DM to accept a 'Carmendine Swordsage' Feat that made the stats synergize with the Factotum, would that be viable? I know it loses the BAB and Int Mod to X bonuses, but it's a sneakier character type, as I understand it.
Viable? Sure. But keep in mind, you already get the skill points and class skills to be sneaky from Factotum (plus Brains over Brawn!). So all the Swordsage would really be adding is access to Cloak of Deception and the teleports from Shadow Hand. Which, honestly, didn't sound like it was your character's thing. But it's up to you.

[Gildedragon]

Gnomish quickrazor is cute, but not the best. Go for it only if you love the flavor.
If PF material is allowed check the iounstones.
Taking 10 on ALL kn skills is great. Reducing randomness is excellent for factotums.
Taking Cham 2 is perhaps the best feat source.
As between sorc and wiz: int based sorc might be better, lots of slots and you use your factotum slots for the utility spells.
Though going wizard lets you be combat wizard: fighter feats and casting.

Changeling Rogue is a good lvl 1 side. 40+4xInt skills is great

[Waker]

If you want a super sneaky, fast talking adventurer without going too high in the power, you could try something odd like Changeling Rogue 1/Warblade4/Cabinet Trickster 5/Mindspy 5/Warblade 5. That would give you a big boost to your shape-changing, detection and still maintaining a fairly decent attack routine.

If you go the Incarnate route, that can give you a huge shot in the arm for your skill usage and give you more magical options to augment your somewhat limited Arcane Dilettante ability. Silvertongue Mask for instance gives you a +2 to Bluff/Diplomacy and an additional +2 per point of essentia invested. If you bind it to your Crown Chakra, you apply this bonus to Sense Motive as well. Worried about magic items? Mage's Spectacles grants a +4 bonus to Decipher Script, Spellcraft and Use Magic Device, plus an additional +2 per point of essentia. DM hitting you with too many Fortitude saves? Pauldrons of Health make you immune to Disease as well as effects that make you sickened/nauseated, plus you get +1 on Fortitude saves for each point of essentia invested. Bind it to your Shoulder Chakra and you are immune to Energy Drain as well.
There are tons of options available for the class. It just depends on what you want. Not to mention that an Incarnate/Warblade makes an very competent and flexible combatant.

[Pally din]

If flavor is all that you want, why not windwright captain 5 on 1 side?

[Fyermind]

I am a big fan of artificer. If you are conservative, it just means that you have the gear you wanted and can upgrade your own airship with a few decent buffs. If you want to cheese it you can have a scroll/wand for every situation.

Either way you will be a much more independent self sufficient character, and you won't have to worry about a feat tax. There is good int and cha synergy too.

Archivist also works well as a hunter of artifacts and information. It also gives you a reason to go scroll hunting. Your dark knowledge meshes beautifully with a Factotum adventurer.

They are both tier 1 classes, but if you don't work too hard on them, they make great support classes for your factotum abilities.

[Lazers etcetera]

If flavor is all that you want, why not windwright captain 5 on 1 side?

Yes, do that, you can get round the half elf restriction with the DM.

Wizard/Windwright Captain/Elemental Savant (air)

You will be thematic, and truly the master of the skies and your blimp.

Get air elementals to power your ship in slack winds, there's all sorts of fun.

It is not super powered, but you are not bothered by that.

I don't know why you need war blade aside from it being traditionally 'good' and int based - you dont seem to want to be a fighty type. is it just to make swashbuckler better? I'd pick a caster, if you are playing solo, summoning monsters may be more useful.

Artificer - well, yes I suppose you could make the ultimate airship of doom. If that appeals, go ahead. Too much book-keeping for me, and that seems like a flying mecha type game at this point rather than D&D. But y'know, knock yourself out, it seems like a pretty odd game. :)

[Lazers etcetera]

Another options is Rogue 1 / wizard 4 / Unseen seer 5 / Arcane Trickster X / wizard X.
.

That gestalted with Factotum cannot fail to be fun. And you may as well be playing solo, you can do everyone else's stuff anyway

[Notalion]

Hey guys. I'm sorry for the delay in replying, I'm not feeling very well. This might not be as comprehensive as I'd hoped.

Fouredged Sword: Wow, that is a very comprehensive build! If I didn't run it now, I'd feel guilty. :tongue: Thanks!

I have a question, not about the build so much as something you said that confused me: About how I need to have certain abilities. In short, I'm not sure why I would. Sure, this is a solo game, but it's going to be one tailored to whatever I can do, surely. If I choose a non-spellcaster I won't be gimped by something only a caster could defeat because I won't face it. Right?

mangosta71: The advantages to taking the Changeling & Martial Subbed Rogue at level 1 are 16 extra Skill Points, a gaggle of Changeling-themed bonuses, and a Bonus Fighter Feat.

I've scoured the ToB and checked the ACL master list (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7908), but I can't find any variants for the ToB classes. Were you talking about a Homebrew?

I guess it doesn't matter, if you think I should go with Fouredged Sword's build.

Draz74: You're right, the Swordsage isn't really a good idea. I'm not very comfortable with making a Homebrew Feat like that either. Although for some reason I'm not averse to the idea of asking if I could drop the Changeling's 1st level Rogue sub and the Swash's Insightful Strike into the Beguiler, so I guess that makes me a hypocrite.

Guigarci: Nice, I'll keep all that in mind. Although I'm not entirely sure how I'd string it all together. Now if Cabinet Trickster and Mindspy advanced casting I'd put them on top of Int Sorc in a heartbeat, along with Recaster. Hmm. I wonder how that would work out.

Waker: Thanks for reminding me about CT and MS! Say, about Incarnate: The book talks about swapping out the alignment restricted class features for... Something else. Has anyone come up with what those should be?
And how would that Incarnate/Warblade thing work out? Warblade every 4-5 levels, like Draz74 said?

Pally din: Mainly because I have a weird mental block about 'cheating' re. Dragonmarks and House prerequisites.

Fyermind: I wouldn't know how to cheese them, so no worries there; I'd be far more likely to screw them up. That's part of what's been holding me back, because they are both very nice and make sense with the Factotum.

Lazers etcetera: I honestly didn't have much more reason to want to use Warblade other than that it is listed as a good dip to augment Int-based melee skills. If I knew what I was doing, I wouldn't have made this thread. :tongue:

Speaking of that, thanks guys! This has really been invaluable.

[Fouredged Sword]

The reason I want to prep you for everything is that I don't know your DM. Does he carefully read your sheet and know the system inside and out? If so they you can play whatever you want and trust that encounters will be made per your character no mater what you play.

The problem is that this tends not to be the case, and DND is built with strong assumptions about what abilities you will have at a given level.

Now as a solo game you are likely to be facing CR-2 or 3 encounters to account for being 3 men short, so you get the luxury of being 3 levels behind standard advancement, but you will suffer from the mystic thurge problem. Yes you have more options, but the option you NEED is one spell level higher and the game makers assumed that the encounter was CR X and you are level X, and level X characters will have access to spell Y, because that is the newest spell level a wizard or cleric would have access to.

It is a pain when the DM suddenly realizes that you have no way to heal ability drain half way into his dungeon and you are at 3 strength.

Besides. Chameleon also gets you access to guidance of the avatar. You could prep nothing but that on your cleric side for 2nd level spells and not go wrong. +20 to a skill check 3-4 times per day is an awesome ability for a skill monkey.

[Waker]

Waker: Thanks for reminding me about CT and MS! Say, about Incarnate: The book talks about swapping out the alignment restricted class features for... Something else. Has anyone come up with what those should be?
And how would that Incarnate/Warblade thing work out? Warblade every 4-5 levels, like Draz74 said?

I haven't seen anyone offer a replacement for the adaption of an alignment-free incarnate, I rather doubt most people even know about the little blurb, unlike say the Unarmed Swordsage. I would probably replace it with something small, maybe a couple of the Marshal Aura's or an ability like Lay on Hands so the Incarnate can heal a bit. Maybe even a few Incarnum Bonus Feats would be appropriate.
Though I love the Incarnate, it isn't really necessary to grab tons of levels in the class. I'd recommend no less than 5 levels, perhaps going as high as 9. Like initiators, meldshapers are very multi-class friendly. If you go with fewer incarnate levels, I'd suggest grabbing one or two of the Open Chakra feats and perhaps Bonus Essentia. Shape Soulmeld can let you snag a handy meld from the Totemist or Soulborn list, I personally like the Phase Cloak when bound to the Shoulder Chakra, free ethereal movement? Nice.
Which Soulmelds you use is dependent on how you feel like playing. Cerulean Sandals grants waterwalking and a boost to speed, plus Dimension Door when bound to your Feet Chakra. Bluesteel Bracers gives a slight boost to initiative and adds to your Hit. Acrobat Boots (especially combined with Brains over Brawn) lets you cartwheel circles around people. Want Telepathy? Bind the Soulspeaker Circlet to your Throat Chakra.

[Notalion]

Fouredged Sword: Ah, I see. Well, I don't think that's going to happen, but it is a good idea to be prepared.

Waker: That does sound good. I don't think I'll have room for many bonus feats, since the Factotum is going to be eating something like 3-5 FoI, but the rest sounds great.

Well, if I can't make a character based on all this advice, I should probably just stop playing! Again, thanks for all the help.

[mangosta71]

I've scoured the ToB and checked the ACL master list (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7908), but I can't find any variants for the ToB classes. Were you talking about a Homebrew?
I would have sworn that it was in ToB because I've played it - DM allowed it because I was able to point it out - but damned if I can find it now.

[Fouredged Sword]

Notalion, for those curious with what you end up playing, please post your build. I like seeing what people come up with.

[Waker]

Taking incarnum/chakra bind feats aren't strictly necessary. They merely make it easier to multi-class since you don't need to take meldshaper levels to gain access to new chakra points. And if most of the binds you are interested in are lower level stuff like Crown or Feet, you wouldn't need them anyways.
My suggestion if you do use Incarnate and Warblade would be 1/2 or 2/3 of your levels in favor of Warblade.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I'm a bit late to the party, but Psion + PrCs would be extremely solid. Between buffs, utility powers, buffs, clairsentience powers, buffs, the occasional nuke when needed, and amazing buffs, plus making you Int-SAD, there's not much for a stronger choice.

Get a Psicrystal and always have Share Pain on it so you take half damage from all sources, and keep it in a compartment on your person so opponents will never have line of sight/effect to it. You can use Vigor and share it like any other buff for a huge hp cushion, and don't forget about its hardness. It can even wear a Healing Belt to use on you when needed.

I'd go for a Seer or a Nomad with this character, though Telepath or Egoist or even Shaper could be fitting depending on what you want to focus on. Don't forget about the (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070314a) ACFs (www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070411a), some are just amazing. Also note that Abjurant Champion (CM) has a built-in adaptation for a psionic variant of the class, and Paragnostic Apostle (CC) is also extremely fitting for progressing a manifesting class.