Help me make my Factotum a little better!

[Whut]

Hey guys, I'm in a campaign right now as a Level 6 Factotum/Warblade, and the story and RP is absolutely incredible. The combat however, at least for my character, is a little lacking. I'm not one to usually use things like "DPR" but I will just to explain: We have a Warblade with a Two-Handed Sword that hits often and deals around 30 dpr, a Scout/Swordsage that hits often and deals around 15-20 dpr, and a Truenamer (homebrewed slightly) that provides fantastic support by disarming enemies and providing buffs and some healing. I, however, am sitting there using inspiration points to get my attacks to barely hit (and still I often miss), and dealing 1d6+1 damage with a javelin and Point Blank Shot. Or when an enemy is flat footed, I run in, quickdraw, and try to Iaijutsu focus attack for some bonus damage but only then do I match some of my allies with about 15-20 damage dealt. Part of the problem is I tried to spread myself too thin, the other part is I have to wait until level 9 to 11 when my planned build (Multishot + Master Thrower) really comes into its own. Here is my character (or at least the important bits):

Factotum 4 > Warblade 1 > Factotum 5
HP: 47
AC: 19
Saves: F/R/W = 5/8/0
Initiative: +7
Inspiration Points: 7 (Effectively 6 because I reserve one for my soulmeld, see below for homebrew soulmeld variant)

STR: 10
DEX 16
CON 12
INT 18
WIS 8
CHA 10

Melee Attack Bonus: +4
Ranged Attack Bonus: +8

Weapons:
Longsword - 1d8 damage (+ Iaijutsu)
Javelin - 1d6 damage (+ Point Blank Shot)

Feats:
Font of Inspiration x2
Quick Draw
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot
Rapid Shot
Improved Rapid Shot (Ignore Prereq)

Maneuvers:
Moment of Perfect Mind
Sapphire Nightmare Blade (For Iaijutsu)
Emerald Razor (To help hit Iaijutsu on first round of combat)

Other:
Instead of the Divine portion of factotum, we homebrewed a minor Soulmelding variant. I just got this recently and will be trying to abuse Lucky Dice with 2 Essentia for basically +3 attack and damage at the cost of my swift actions.
Iaijutsu check is at +11


My current plan is to go 1 level of swashbuckler at level 7 (Switch Longsword to a Rapier for better melee attack) to get BAB high enough to enter Master Thrower, then ride MT out for all 5 levels, switching to Darts instead of Javelins for Palm Throw. Lastly I might go to Swashbuckler 3 or Factotum 8, or both, to get their respective perks.
Is this a good plan? Calculating my damage at level 10, I hit around 24 damage normally and around 40 when using an inspiration point for damage. Since I'll need to blow an inspiration point to even hope to hit with the Multishot penalty, I can't really afford to be spending 2 per turn...

Something to note:
Due to the fluff behind our world, we cannot have any divine magic. That means no Devotion feats either, otherwise I'd have Knowledge Devotion in a flash.

Also, I don't need to be doing the most damage in the party by any means. I just want to be doing comparable damage so I can stop feeling useless. Or provide some other sort of utility that is consistently useful to us in combat (out of combat my character is pretty cool though ^.^). For example, applying Trip shot to my thrown attacks once I get it from Master Thrower is some cool utility that is worth doing less damage for. I'm afraid by the time I get to 24 damage, the other members of the party will be hitting 35s and 50s, and by the time I reach that, they'll scale even higher.
Lastly, getting some immediate damage would be preferred. I don't want a build all the way to 20 that kicks in at level 14, I'd prefer not to play through multiple levels feeling bad in hopes that we get to a higher level.

Any advice? I'm sure you optimization guys can help me out :) Thanks so much in advance!!

[Threadnaught]

I noticed you are missing a Stance from Warblade, it would be wise to select one so you may improve your performance even more by squeezing out more from your Initiator.
Unless you have a homebrew ACF for Warblade as well that replaces Stances, in which case it would be helpful for those of us who plan to help you if you'd share with us what you do have.

Stances are pretty cool, since they're always active, they're sometimes more important than Maneuvers. Especially if you neglect Maneuvers.

I wonder how you managed to get 0 Will Save bonus with a -1 modifier, shouldn't it be +1?



I think the main problem you're having is that you decided to sacrifice your early game power, in exchange for power later on and you lost some of your focus, deciding to make yourself more useful now, which renders your build less potent. I could be wrong, but it appears that you have a plan and want to stick to it and are asking for advice on how to deviate from the plan without sacrificing too much. For that reason, my advice is to stick to the original plan, it's your baby and accepting ideas from others, no matter how superior they may be to your own, may cause you to feel less pride in your part in the creation of the character.
Sorry I don't think I can do more for you.

[Whut]

My stance is the one that grants Scent, as the melee stances won't really help my character past around level 9.

I was looking more for advice on things that would really help with my damage immediately. Right now I have a first and second level SLA "spell slot", it also seems like next session we will be returning to our starting city so there will be some shopping opportunities.

I was just thinking was there any spells I could choose or items I could buy (poisons and oils maybe?) that would immediately up my combat ability without having me take my entire build on a tangent.

[Razanir]

Buy a Gnomish Quickblade. You can draw and sheath them as a free action, as long as it's paired with an attack. Get something that makes your opponents flat-footed (Acrobatic Backstab?) and spam Iaijutsu.

[Darrin]

My stance is the one that grants Scent, as the melee stances won't really help my character past around level 9.


Hunter's Sense requires Wolf Fang Strike as a prereq. If I need to pinpoint invisible creatures, I generally buy a bunch of flour pouches (1 SP, Dungeonscape) and some torch bug paste (25 GP, Complete Scoundrel). Personally, I'm a big fan of Punishing Stance, which may also help you pick up Iron Heart Surge or get into Bloodstorm Blade later.



I was looking more for advice on things that would really help with my damage immediately. Right now I have a first and second level SLA "spell slot", it also seems like next session we will be returning to our starting city so there will be some shopping opportunities.


Blades of fire (Spell Compendium, Rgr/Sor/Wiz 1) works well with Wolf Fang Strike and maybe thrown daggers (not sure if they still count as a "melee weapon" when thrown, ask the DM). Blade of Blood (PHBII) is probably your best swift-action damage buff at 1st level, particularly if you have a way to counter the -5 HP for bumping the damage up to 3d6 (sadly, Stone Bones probably won't work). Maybe an Amulet of Tears (2500 GP, MIC)?

For 2nd level, sonic weapon (Spell Compendium, Brd/Sor/Wiz 2) has a decent duration and isn't likely to run into much sonic resistance.

Once you get into town, I'd consider picking up some Weapon Capsule Retainers + Quickflame/frost/spark (Complete Adventurer). These can be attached to your melee weapon and all your javelins. A single Weapon Capsule Retainer + Quickspark will cost 125 GP per javelin, but if you have the GP you can splurge on the Triple Capsule Retainer + Quickflame + Quickfrost + Quickspark for 525 GP. You can activate all three as a swift action for +3d6 damage on each javelin. Hopefully that can tide you over until you can afford a Shocking weapon with a Lesser Acid Assault Crystal.

I would presume you're maxing out UMD? Get some wand chambers (100 GP, Dungeonscape) on your weapons ASAP, maybe pick up a dwarven buckler-axe with a wand chamber and a Lesser Crystal of Arrow Deflection (2500 GP, MIC). An Elvencraft Longbow might be worth picking up... three wand chambers, and you can start stocking up on arrows of spell-storing (166 GP each). Use your 2nd level SLA to load them up with combust (Spell Compendium). Your three wands should probably be: instant of power (Forge of War, Brd/Dru/Rgr 1), blade of blood (PHBII, Various 1), and maybe something defensive, like instant diversion (Races of the Dragon, Brd/Sor/Wiz 1).



I was just thinking was there any spells I could choose or items I could buy (poisons and oils maybe?) that would immediately up my combat ability without having me take my entire build on a tangent.

Poison is tricky... mostly because it has a tendency to let you curbstomp or one-shot an encounter with a minimal amount of effort, and some DM's don't know how to react or can get bent out of shape over it. Sounds like the rest of the party is pretty well optimized, so the DM can probably handle it.

For the cheaper poisons, I see Drow Sleep Poison (75 GP, DMG), Oil of Taggit (90 GP, DMG), and Sleep Smoke (25 GP, Waterdeep) recommended a lot, but I think I prefer Drow Arrow Posion (120 GP, Savage Species, DC 17 instead of 13) and Roach Paste (50 GP, Drow of the Underdark).

For the more expensive poisons, get your hands on some Chaos Flasks (100 GP, Planar Handbook). As a free action, make a Wisdom check DC 13, and you can turn it into half a pound of Black Lotus Extract (3000 GP, DMG), Colossal Scorpion Venom (9900 GP, Dungeonscape) or Megapede Poison (24000 GP, Dungeonscape).

Then there are a couple non-poison poisons...

Aboleth Mucus (20 GP, Savage Species). Fort save DC 19, on a failed save your target suffocates to death. May take a couple minutes, but very cheap.

Blister Oil (15 GP, Races of Stone). Fort save DC 15 is low and you have to roll 1d8 to see how many applications you get, but there's no upper limit on the number of applications you can put on an object. 1170 GP buys you enough applications to take down the Tarrasque (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=12138520&postcount=94). And the applications last 2d4 hours, so you don't have to reapply the oil after every stab.

Then there are drugs... or rather, poisons with some additional rules like addiction and overdose. Well, mostly what we care about are the overdose.

Luhix (2000 GP, BoVD). Similar to an injury poison, but even if your target makes his initial save, as soon as you stab him twice it counts as an "Overdose" and he has to make an additional Fort save DC 25 or drop dead.

Kammarth (80 GP, Lords of Darkness). Magical poison, so can't be created via psionic minor creation or chaos flask, but if used as a contact poison on a weapon, two hits causes an overdose: 1d4 damage and paralysis for 2d4 rounds, *no save*.

Mushroom Powder (100 GP, BoVD). Non-magical and plant-based, but has to be inhaled, so it's hard to deliver outside of a Mister (DotU) or Sprayer (A&EG). If you manage to dose your target four times, the overdose kicks in: 4d6 damage and 2d4 hours of paralysis, *no save*.


Buy a Gnomish Quickblade. You can draw and sheath them as a free action, as long as it's paired with an attack. Get something that makes your opponents flat-footed (Acrobatic Backstab?) and spam Iaijutsu.

He'll probably have trouble hitting without EWP, but you can use a wand of master's touch (Spell Compendium, Brd/Sor/Wiz 1) to fake it for a bit.

[Whut]

As far as the QuickRazor:
Already thought of that. I don't have a quickblade but I do have multiple melee weapons that I quick draw. I have Sapphire Nightmare Blade for flat-footing, but I sadly can't get Acrobatic Backstabbing until level 9 because it requires 12 ranks in tumble.

As for all the other advice, thank you so much! I'll definitely look into some of those options :)

[bean illus]

I was looking more for advice on things that would really help with my damage immediately. Right now I have a first and second level SLA "spell slot", it also seems like next session we will be returning to our starting city so there will be some shopping opportunities.

I was just thinking was there any spells I could choose or items I could buy (poisons and oils maybe?) that would immediately up my combat ability without having me take my entire build on a tangent.

When you shop, don't forget that Factotum has UMD. You should have it maxed at +9, and can buy a cheap (2,500) skill competence item +5. If you can add a potion for Cha boost you can be working with +16 or more. Wands are 20, and Scrolls are 20+level. Get a wand of Eagles Splendor (2nd lvl), and after you use it your bonus will be +18.

The Feat Magical Aptitude gives +2 to UMD and Spellcraft. You could retrain a Feat, and be pushing +20 on UMD getting all wands, and many scrolls. Don't worry, you can trade the Feat back for something else after a few more levels.

I am not sure the best use of this, and it might not be DPR, but things like glitterdust and grease, cause fear and invisibility, mage armor, and enlarge person could be all day every day for you. Try and get your party to pay for some of it, so you have near unlimited ammunition.

[Darrin]

The Feat Magical Aptitude gives +2 to UMD and Spellcraft. You could retrain a Feat, and be pushing +20 on UMD getting all wands, and many scrolls. Don't worry, you can trade the Feat back for something else after a few more levels.


Shape Soulmeld: Mage's Spectacles gives +4 bonus to UMD (with +2/essentia on top of that).

Could you explain the minor soulmelding thing a little more? Soulmelds last until you unshaped them, so if that's something you could change every day... you could stack up a bunch of basic soulmelds on yourself. Max number you can have shaped is equal to your Constitution score - 10, so... that looks like "2". Still, 2 is better than 1.

[bean illus]

When you shop, don't forget that Factotum has UMD. You should have it maxed at +9, and can buy a cheap (2,500) skill competence item +5. If you can add a potion for Cha boost you can be working with +16 or more. Wands are 20, and Scrolls are 20+level. Get a wand of Eagles Splendor (2nd lvl), and after you use it your bonus will be +18.

The Feat Magical Aptitude gives +2 to UMD and Spellcraft. You could retrain a Feat, and be pushing +20 on UMD getting all wands, and many scrolls. Don't worry, you can trade the Feat back for something else after a few more levels.

I am not sure the best use of this, and it might not be DPR, but things like glitterdust and grease, cause fear and invisibility, mage armor, and enlarge person could be all day every day for you. Try and get your party to pay for some of it, so you have near unlimited ammunition.

I forgot about Skill Synergy. You get a +2 for Decipher Script, and Spellcraft, so you should be:

+9 ranks, +4 synergy, +5 item (competence), +4 Eagle's Splendor (enhance) = +22, without anything else.

If you pick up the Feat you get +2 = +24. Wands and scrolls, here we come.


Shape Soulmeld: Mage's Spectacles gives +4 bonus to UMD (with +2/essentia on top of that).

Could you explain the minor soulmelding thing a little more? Soulmelds last until you unshaped them, so if that's something you could change every day... you could stack up a bunch of basic soulmelds on yourself. Max number you can have shaped is equal to your Constitution score - 10, so... that looks like "2". Still, 2 is better than 1.

[Razanir]

As far as the QuickRazor:
Already thought of that. I don't have a quickblade but I do have multiple melee weapons that I quick draw. I have Sapphire Nightmare Blade for flat-footing, but I sadly can't get Acrobatic Backstabbing until level 9 because it requires 12 ranks in tumble.

The other bonus to the quickblade, if I'm remembering the rules correctly, is that you can sheath it and redraw it each standard action. *coughs in the direction of Factotum 8*

[Curmudgeon]

I forgot about Skill Synergy. You get a +2 for Decipher Script, and Spellcraft, so you should be:

+9 ranks, +4 synergy, +5 item (competence), +4 Eagle's Splendor (enhance) = +22, without anything else.

If you pick up the Feat you get +2 = +24. Wands and scrolls, here we come.
You're adding a little too exuberantly, I'm afraid. Eagle's Splendor provides +4 to Charisma, which gives a +2 bonus to UMD checks. Also note that those synergy bonuses are only for scrolls, so they won't help with wands. Assuming you can acquire the skill boost item, that's CHA mod +16 to Use a Wand (DC 20 after you've identified the wand), and CHA mod +20 to Use a Scroll (DC 20 + scroll's CL after you've deciphered the script). Success is guaranteed with wands only if you have unenhanced Charisma of 16+ (12+ with Magical Aptitude). Scrolls might have caster levels from 1 to 20, with success sometimes impossible even with the feat.

[bean illus]

You're adding a little too exuberantly, I'm afraid. Eagle's Splendor provides +4 to Charisma, which gives a +2 bonus to UMD checks. Also note that those synergy bonuses are only for scrolls, so they won't help with wands. Assuming you can acquire the skill boost item, that's CHA mod +16 to Use a Wand (DC 20 after you've identified the wand), and CHA mod +20 to Use a Scroll (DC 20 + scroll's CL after you've deciphered the script). Success is guaranteed with wands only if you have unenhanced Charisma of 16+ (12+ with Magical Aptitude). Scrolls might have caster levels from 1 to 20, with success sometimes impossible even with the feat.

Thanks for catching that math.

Reading the OP it seems that there may be room for the Soulmeld also. If that's true +4 = +20 on Wands, and +24 on Scrolls. An automatic success on scrolls up to CL 4. In a party of few casters, and on a character that doesn't know what to do with his time, I would say that near unlimited 1st & 2nd lvl spells from any list is super bada$$. Not to mention the wands/etc.

Find ANY way to boost that Cha. Max UMD will change a character like this. Just a few more points and he can be blasting 5th & 6th level spells.

[Whut]

Thanks for the replies!

As far as Wands go, I thought casting spells from wands is always a Standard action?
Same for the SLA's. I believe Factotum states that the spells are always cast as a Standard. So no Wraithstrike or Immediate spells.

My Swift Action is kinda used up on rolling the Lucky Dice soulmeld every turn to maintain a decent attack bonus anyway.

Also an important feature in our campaign is that there is no magical healing up to full. We can only heal the last instance of damage dealt to us with a heal check. So anything that deals damage to myself like Blade of Blood is off the table.

Still, fantastic advice, thank you guys!

Here is the Soulmeld variant we thought up:

Opportunistic Meldshaping (Su): Some factotums train to imitate the meldshaping abilities of Incarnum. Starting at 5th level, you can “reserve” 1 inspiration point to shape a soulmeld and gain a small pool of essentia after an 8 hour rest. For the rest of the adventuring day, this inspiration point is unusable as long as the soulmeld remains shaped. You can “break” ALL soulmelds with a single move action; regaining use of the reserved points (but keep in mind you cannot reshape the melds without a fresh 8 hour rest). When a factotum shapes a soulmeld, he is also able to generate Essentia, but a factotum’s soul is not as powerful as a full practitioner of Incarnum – he gains diminishing returns on Essentia with each new soulmeld. This Essentia can be used in the same way as normal essentia, such as investing in a weapon with the soulbound enchantment. Essentia can be moved around with a swift action as normal for 1 inspiration point, or for free as a full-round action which provokes attacks of opportunity. A factotum cannot bind Soulmelds.
Level 5:
Maximum Soulmelds: 2
Essentia per meld (First/Second): 2/1
Maximum Essentia in a single meld: 2
Level 10:
Maximum Soulmelds: 3
Essentia per meld (First/Second/Third): 3/2/1
Maximum Essentia in a single meld: 3
Level 15:
Not really important, I’m never going 15 Factotum

[Curmudgeon]

As far as Wands go, I thought casting spells from wands is always a Standard action?
Same for the SLA's.
Rules Compendium made a sensible change here, which many DMs picked up: activating a spell or SLA defaults to the same casting time as the spell (which is most frequently a standard action). The claim of RC precedence to other rules is (1) self-granted; (2) in violation of the Prime Sources Errata Rule; and (3) limited to preexisting rules, so entirely backed out if you use the Premium core books, which were released after RC. Consequently, use of this rule is up to each individual DM.

[Whut]

Right now I can reasonably get to a +18 UMD which is only a 5% chance of failure, which is fine. I'd prefer not to use immediate or swift wands so I can keep my +3 to hit and damage from the lucky dice, but I'll keep an eye out for wands and scrolls we get as loot (we've already gotten a few)(also they can get pretty expensive past level 1, right?).

Also, is there any way for me to Increase Iaijutsu Focus? Right now I have max ranks + masterwork tool, but the scaling on that is pretty stagnant so I might as well get as many boosts to it as I can up front.

Can't stop thanking you guys :)

[Darrin]

Right now I can reasonably get to a +18 UMD which is only a 5% chance of failure, which is fine. I'd prefer not to use immediate or swift wands so I can keep my +3 to hit and damage from the lucky dice, but I'll keep an eye out for wands and scrolls we get as loot (we've already gotten a few)(also they can get pretty expensive past level 1, right?).


How are you getting +3 attack/damage from the Lucky Dice? The text says they can give +1 to attack/damage, but investing essentia increases the duration, not the bonus.



Also, is there any way for me to Increase Iaijutsu Focus? Right now I have max ranks + masterwork tool, but the scaling on that is pretty stagnant so I might as well get as many boosts to it as I can up front.

Lucky Dice can be used to give a +1 bonus to skill checks. Circlet of Persuasion (4500 GP, DMG) helps when you can afford it. Carrying a +1 katana with the Focus property (4800 GP) can give you a +4 on all your iaijutsu checks, even if you don't attack with it (the text explicitly says you get this bonus even when it's just carried in a sheath). Some spells can help: improvisation, divine insight, guidance of the avatar, etc. (no Sor/Wiz spells, but maybe available via UMD or potions).

Then there's "Aid Another" shenanigans. Iaijutsu Focus is not listed as "trained only", so you could get various entities to give you a +2 bonus by making an Iaijutsu Focus check DC 10. Unseen servant, soulspark familiar, wild cohort feat, trained dog/raven/etc. Get ahold of fifty or so symbionts (via the Nasty Gentleman (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19861906/LoPs_Dirty_Tricks_4:_The_Nasty_Gentlemen) trick) and you can leverage your skill checks up to +50ish

[Whut]

From what I've read online, Lucky Dice stacks with itself. So as long as I keep using my swift action every turn, I maintain a +3 bonus. Once I use a swift action it'll go down to +2 for the next 3 turns effectively. My DM didn't have an issue with it.
Although now that I think about it, losing +1 to hit and damage for 3 turns isn't the worst so maybe it's worth it after all.

Aid another cheese has always been a no-no for my group. I was just wondering if there was any item that would give me a reroll or bonus. Was thinking there should be some way to up it, since some people base entire builds off of this skill.

[RolandDeschain]

I was too lazy to read the entire thread, so please disregard if this is off-topic or already mentioned. A wand of Fist of Stone grants a +6 Str(enhancement) for a flat 10 round duration. It's cheap, easy, and a great little combat buffer.