How to allocate skill points, first time factotum

[Matamane]

I am playing a middle aged human character with 19 int and is level 5 Factotum/2 Chameleon. At level 4, he puts a point into int, giving him a +5 bonus at level 4 and beyond.

Doing the math, I have 98 skill points to spend, 24 of which go towards the chameleon requirements.

So I have 74 left, but I have no idea how to allocate them, any ideas?

[Boci]

Iaijutsu focus if its allowed is a nice damage booster, epsecially when used in conjunction with a a gnome quick razor. You'd want at least 1 rank in each knowledge skill and gather information, that way you can always gain a +5 bonus to the key ones 1/day.

[Greenish]

Autohypnosis has a few cool uses.

[Matamane]

Any other ideas?

[Critical]

Everything you need.

[OMG PONIES]

Honestly, factotums are great to place a little bit in everything. Keep in mind anything that would yield a lot of synergy bonuses (5 ranks in Bluff, etc.), and then spread out the others equally. Trained skills are boostable skills.

[mabriss lethe]

dump at least a few ranks into the big knowledge skills: Religion, The Planes, Arcana, Nature, Dungeoneering (I may be missing one of the creature types...) Then pick up Knowledge devotion. It's an extra bit of static damage, and knowing what you're fighting is always a good idea.

It also depends on the other classes in your party. You want to spread it around and have at least a few ranks in just about everything and then focus on whatever skills your party lacks and take several ranks of those. cunning knowledge is a great ability and will help you fill in the gaps rather well.

[Matamane]

My party is a group of gutter children who can't comprehend words more complex than spit, bear or kill, much less do anything else other than their optimization allows.

This is why I am playing a Factotum.

I figure I need Craft(Painting), Craft(Alchemy), Craft(Poisonmaking), All the Knowledges, Iaijutsu Focus, Forgery, Use Psionic Device, Perform(Weapon Drill), but I have few ideas as to the rest. Anybody thought of a good spread by any chance?

[mabriss lethe]

disable device, open lock, appraise, diplomacy?

[Matamane]

why appraise?

[strider24seven]

Because it has a few useful applications in Complete Scoundrel, I believe.

Skill Tricks from CS are also extremely useful to a Factotum. Good example is Haberdash the Masked

[Devils_Advocate]

Put one rank in each trained-only skill. Then get to work on putting 5 ranks in each skill that grants a synergy bonus. (Except for Craft, since that's actually an interminably-long list of skills, and being good at appraising everything is far more efficiently accomplished simply by putting ranks directly in Appraise.) This should suffice to consume all of your skill points and then some. By the time that you've covered all of the synergy bonuses, you should know from in-game experience (and/or reading up on skill prerequisites for various stuff) which skill modifiers you'd most benefit from raising. Complete Scoundrel has a bunch of skill tricks upon which skill points can be spent.

[gallagher]

As I recall, an opposed check to forgery is also forgery, and therefor useful to have at least 5 points in.

[gallagher]

Oh, and if you get craft panting, buy yourself some magic pigment. Trust me, you will appreciate it when you are trapped.

That and you can paint up a batch of black lotus poison

[Ormagoden]

Everything you need.

Thank critical, and use the handbook.