ApologyFestival
2014-05-06, 06:21 AM
Hail, Playground!
The factotum is a divisive class, but it seems to have some support on these boards. I'm playing my first factotum (and first skill monkey in general) in a low-to-mid-op game and, even after a few sessions, I'm unsure where to go with the character build. I hope the Playground can offer some advice! The GM has set a few stipulations, first; we play in another game with a planar shepherd, cleric and sorcerer as the PCs, and she wants this game to start at level 1 and be a bit more... uh... grounded.
It's a low power game. Though characters are encouraged to be very good at what they do, we should stop short of game breaking. Wizards, sorcerers, druids, clerics, or anything that remotely resembles one are only in the game world as supremely powerful NPCs.
Font of Inspiration is out. My DM thought it best to nix this web enhancement feat. Between Cunning Surge, debate over how the feat was intended to work, and it being a no-brainer to "light all of your feats on fire," she just did not like it. And I can not blame her. This Factotum has to deal with the class's low Inspiration score.
Dumpster diving through any 3.0/3.5 book is fair game. It's the only reason the Factotum is allowed at all, and that means Iaijutsu Focus/Quickrazors are in! No flaws, though.
...but as a caveat to the above, any feats or nasty tricks used by the players are also fair game for our opponents. Strategies like Imperious Command with Never Outnumbered are out because we don't want them used against us. Dumping a gallon of poison on someone's head using psionic minor creation is an invalid strategy for this same reason.
Feats that have potential drawbacks will have the drawbacks come into play. If we make powerful enemies then item familiars are at risk of being disintegrated or stolen, cohorts may be murdered, and so on.
My DM wanted her campaign to start low-magic, so the Whisper Gnome's spell-like abilities were traded for a bonus feat.
The party is a bard (the face), a rogue/swashbuckler (cookie cutter build), ranger, and human paragon (all combat-focused), and myself as the factotum. I have decided to primarily be a sneak and scout, as the bard is focused on social skills, and I'm a great believer in carving a niche and being the best at it. No sense in competing with the rest of the party, right?
From the eight sessions that we've had so far, the factotum hasn't failed to impress--though this is admittedly due to the low power of the game. I have opted to max out the scouting skills (hide/move silently, spot/listen, search, and iaijutsu focus to help out in combat) which leaves three skill points per level to pick up one-point wonders for cunning knowledge. She simply can't fail at her speciality, and iaijutsu focus alone keeps her relevant in a fight, so much so that I'm reluctant to get any combat options beyond this, at risk of making the swashbuckler feel bad. I'm not sure if it's wise to maximise ranks before tagging *every* skill for cunning knowledge, but it physically pains me to leave frequently-used skills shy of their maximum potential.
My planned character build looks like this:
1) Darkstalker: Hide from creatures with most "auto-detection" senses.
1 Bonus) Shape Soulmeld (Phase Cloak): Prerequisite for Open Lesser Chakra, with a minor benefit to climbing.
3) Shape Soulmeld (Shedu Crown): Prerequisite for Open Least Chakra, and immunity to bull rush.
6) Open Least Chakra (Crown): Gain telepathy out to 100 ft., can not equip magic items in the head slot.
9) Mindsight: OH HI THERE. Automatically detect intelligent creatures within 100 ft.
12) Open Lesser Chakra (Shoulders): At-will etherealness during player turn, can not equip magic items in the shoulders slot.
For those unfamiliar with Magic of Incarnum: Basically, the 3rd and 6th level feats together grant telepathy, the 1st and 12th level feats together grant at-will etherealness. Both cost a valuable magic item slot, but both (in my imagination, at least) provide incredible options for a sneak that are unlikely to be obsoleted in a low-op game.
I am aware of a 1-level dip in Mindbender at CL 6 for telepathy. It would save two feats (and arguably the most valuable magic item slot for a Factotum) but it would delay all Factotum class features for a level. The DM is also wavering on allowing both telepathy *and* Mindsight at the same level, for roleplaying reasons. The CharOp in me says it's a no-brainer: a one-level dip is worth it if the GM allows it, but the minor hit to being skillmonkey supreme when that is the character's niche is galling. Also, with so many of the recommended feat options for factotums out entirely (i.e. Font of Inspiration) or very unsafe choices (i.e. Imperious Command, Item Familiar) I'm not sure if dipping to save feats is worth it.
For those with experience playing sneaks, would Mindsight be so game-changing that it is worth getting as soon as possible, or can it wait until ECL 9, with high spot and listen checks keeping the party safe in the meantime?
For those with experience with Incarnum, is it worth spending almost every feat to gain telepathy and etherealness? With Magic Item Compendium allowed, I'm hoping that the loss of magic item slots won't be crippling. Losing a circlet of persuasion sucks, but a mask of intelligence and vest of resistance can be commissioned in a major city, even if they are not in the loot pool.
For all you other lovely people in the Playground, any and all advice is welcome!
The factotum is a divisive class, but it seems to have some support on these boards. I'm playing my first factotum (and first skill monkey in general) in a low-to-mid-op game and, even after a few sessions, I'm unsure where to go with the character build. I hope the Playground can offer some advice! The GM has set a few stipulations, first; we play in another game with a planar shepherd, cleric and sorcerer as the PCs, and she wants this game to start at level 1 and be a bit more... uh... grounded.
It's a low power game. Though characters are encouraged to be very good at what they do, we should stop short of game breaking. Wizards, sorcerers, druids, clerics, or anything that remotely resembles one are only in the game world as supremely powerful NPCs.
Font of Inspiration is out. My DM thought it best to nix this web enhancement feat. Between Cunning Surge, debate over how the feat was intended to work, and it being a no-brainer to "light all of your feats on fire," she just did not like it. And I can not blame her. This Factotum has to deal with the class's low Inspiration score.
Dumpster diving through any 3.0/3.5 book is fair game. It's the only reason the Factotum is allowed at all, and that means Iaijutsu Focus/Quickrazors are in! No flaws, though.
...but as a caveat to the above, any feats or nasty tricks used by the players are also fair game for our opponents. Strategies like Imperious Command with Never Outnumbered are out because we don't want them used against us. Dumping a gallon of poison on someone's head using psionic minor creation is an invalid strategy for this same reason.
Feats that have potential drawbacks will have the drawbacks come into play. If we make powerful enemies then item familiars are at risk of being disintegrated or stolen, cohorts may be murdered, and so on.
My DM wanted her campaign to start low-magic, so the Whisper Gnome's spell-like abilities were traded for a bonus feat.
The party is a bard (the face), a rogue/swashbuckler (cookie cutter build), ranger, and human paragon (all combat-focused), and myself as the factotum. I have decided to primarily be a sneak and scout, as the bard is focused on social skills, and I'm a great believer in carving a niche and being the best at it. No sense in competing with the rest of the party, right?
From the eight sessions that we've had so far, the factotum hasn't failed to impress--though this is admittedly due to the low power of the game. I have opted to max out the scouting skills (hide/move silently, spot/listen, search, and iaijutsu focus to help out in combat) which leaves three skill points per level to pick up one-point wonders for cunning knowledge. She simply can't fail at her speciality, and iaijutsu focus alone keeps her relevant in a fight, so much so that I'm reluctant to get any combat options beyond this, at risk of making the swashbuckler feel bad. I'm not sure if it's wise to maximise ranks before tagging *every* skill for cunning knowledge, but it physically pains me to leave frequently-used skills shy of their maximum potential.
My planned character build looks like this:
1) Darkstalker: Hide from creatures with most "auto-detection" senses.
1 Bonus) Shape Soulmeld (Phase Cloak): Prerequisite for Open Lesser Chakra, with a minor benefit to climbing.
3) Shape Soulmeld (Shedu Crown): Prerequisite for Open Least Chakra, and immunity to bull rush.
6) Open Least Chakra (Crown): Gain telepathy out to 100 ft., can not equip magic items in the head slot.
9) Mindsight: OH HI THERE. Automatically detect intelligent creatures within 100 ft.
12) Open Lesser Chakra (Shoulders): At-will etherealness during player turn, can not equip magic items in the shoulders slot.
For those unfamiliar with Magic of Incarnum: Basically, the 3rd and 6th level feats together grant telepathy, the 1st and 12th level feats together grant at-will etherealness. Both cost a valuable magic item slot, but both (in my imagination, at least) provide incredible options for a sneak that are unlikely to be obsoleted in a low-op game.
I am aware of a 1-level dip in Mindbender at CL 6 for telepathy. It would save two feats (and arguably the most valuable magic item slot for a Factotum) but it would delay all Factotum class features for a level. The DM is also wavering on allowing both telepathy *and* Mindsight at the same level, for roleplaying reasons. The CharOp in me says it's a no-brainer: a one-level dip is worth it if the GM allows it, but the minor hit to being skillmonkey supreme when that is the character's niche is galling. Also, with so many of the recommended feat options for factotums out entirely (i.e. Font of Inspiration) or very unsafe choices (i.e. Imperious Command, Item Familiar) I'm not sure if dipping to save feats is worth it.
For those with experience playing sneaks, would Mindsight be so game-changing that it is worth getting as soon as possible, or can it wait until ECL 9, with high spot and listen checks keeping the party safe in the meantime?
For those with experience with Incarnum, is it worth spending almost every feat to gain telepathy and etherealness? With Magic Item Compendium allowed, I'm hoping that the loss of magic item slots won't be crippling. Losing a circlet of persuasion sucks, but a mask of intelligence and vest of resistance can be commissioned in a major city, even if they are not in the loot pool.
For all you other lovely people in the Playground, any and all advice is welcome!