Truenamer skillmonkey Minus Knowledges

[Draxar]

So, I'm thinking of playing a Truenamer in an onrunning game. I'm well aware of the weaknesses, the downsides, and the level of optimisation that is needed. That's not my issue.

The build I had written up was one that did Truenaming on one side, and on the other side, had all the knowlege skills that apply to identifying monsters, and the Knowledge devotion, and was looking to combine these in such a way as to give him some reasonable combat ability (Kenku with amulet of Natural Weapons +1 and psychoactive skin of ectoplasmic armour was what I was leaning towards previously).

Now, another player has started an Archivist, with lots of knowledge skills, with the Archivist dark knowledge for helping fight, with Knowledge devotion. I don't want to step on his toes, especially as I'm more of an optimiser than he is and will likely do his thing better than him.

So I'm left wondering what to do with all these skill points. I'd like to actually get something useful out of them that will inform and shape the build, but the Truenamer skill list is rather crap (All Knowledges, Craft, Perform (Oratory), UMD, Concentration.

I'm prepared to take a one level dip into something else to get the skills I need, possibly combined with Able Learner to keep them cheaply high. Edit: Party is currently 9th level.

Can anyone suggest any useful things I can do with this kind of Int based skillmonkey?

[Draxar]

Additional note: Game is post-apocalyptic Eberron, party has just taken over Kundarak Hold – the home of the dwarven dragonmarked house of Sentinel, who are amongst other things, the world's bankers. And we're sitting on their vaults, as all the dwarves were dead when we got here.

[UglyPanda]

Archivist is not a skill-monkey class. It's more of a Cloistered Cleric with even more spells. He has better buffs, better use of the knowledge skills, and just plain more that he can do with his build. You're really not stepping on anyone's toes with your Truenamer, because otherwise, you can't do anything meaningful.

If you really want to go the skill-monkey route, pick up Able Learner and the wands that you really need. You might want to take your first level as a Factotum for trapfinding, Able Learner synergy, and such. Would that extra level of Truenamer really do anything for you?

[Draxar]

Archivist is not a skill-monkey class. It's more of a Cloistered Cleric with even more spells. He has better buffs, better use of the knowledge skills, and just plain more that he can do with his build. You're really not stepping on anyone's toes with your Truenamer, because otherwise, you can't do anything meaningful.

I'm not stepping on his toes with 'being a truenamer', that I agree. The previous build (done as one of my half dozen backup characters) had knowledge devotion and all of the identify monster skills, and that's what I'd consider stepping on his toes.

If you really want to go the skill-monkey route, pick up Able Learner and the wands that you really need. You might want to take your first level as a Factotum for trapfinding, Able Learner synergy, and such. Would that extra level of Truenamer really do anything for you?

I was thinking Factotum for the skills too. Losing one level would, at the moment (level 9) not deny me any utterances I really wanted, as I was having trouble picking an utterance I really wanted for 9th level truenamer anyway. It'd put 4th level utterances a bit further away, but I can live with that.

Essentially, I'm trying to work out what to do with all these skill points, how to make best use of them. I'd like to have more to the character than his utterances, and doing something with the skills seems the best way of doing that. If I can work out what it is I want to do.

[Zaq]

Huh. This might actually make Recitation of the Mindful State not suck.

...Nah, it's still terrible. Oh well.

Aside from an INT focus and the (admittedly superbly useful) Universal Aptitude, Truenamers don't have much to recommend themselves as skillmonkeys, but I applaud you for trying. I do recommend that you keep a few Knowledge points around, at least, since Hidden Truth is Just. That. Good. (I just retired my 12th level Truenamer, and I used Hidden Truth more than any other utterance except maybe Greater Speed of the Zephyr.)

How flexible is your GM with a little rule-bending? If you could houserule "+1 of existing arcane class" to apply to Truenamers, I think that a Truenamer/Virtuoso could be a lot of fun. It's very much a houserule, but I don't think it's an unreasonable one.

Anyway, as always, a Truenamer's most useful skills are Truespeak and UMD. If you're high enough level, every skillmonkey benefits from a staff with Improvisation on it, and things like Divine Insight don't hurt either.

[Draxar]

Huh. This might actually make Recitation of the Mindful State not suck.

...Nah, it's still terrible. Oh well.

Aside from an INT focus and the (admittedly superbly useful) Universal Aptitude, Truenamers don't have much to recommend themselves as skillmonkeys, but I applaud you for trying. I do recommend that you keep a few Knowledge points around, at least, since Hidden Truth is Just. That. Good. (I just retired my 12th level Truenamer, and I used Hidden Truth more than any other utterance except maybe Greater Speed of the Zephyr.)

Indeed, and we've a Dragon with a Bardic knowledge equivalent, and an Archivist who can give everyone bonuses based on his Dark Knowledge checks, so I will most likely take it.

Essentially, I want to be more than just my utterances. I accept that with a class as badly designed as the truenamer, that's hard, and that I've just cut myself off from the easiest way of doing it, but it would be nice to be able to do something beyond Uttering.

How flexible is your GM with a little rule-bending? If you could houserule "+1 of existing arcane class" to apply to Truenamers, I think that a Truenamer/Virtuoso could be a lot of fun. It's very much a houserule, but I don't think it's an unreasonable one.

I might be able to get him to agree to that, though having looked at Virtuoso, it doesn't really appeal that much.

Anyway, as always, a Truenamer's most useful skills are Truespeak and UMD.

Aye. But you've got another 5-6 skills at maximum level, or more at a lower level, and I'd like to find a way to use 'em.