Community

 
Jump Menu:
Post Reply
Page 2 of 60  •  Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... 60 Next
Switch to Forum Live View The Factotum Handbook
6 years ago  ::  Feb 14, 2007 - 12:11AM #11
ressurrector
Date Joined: Dec 16, 2005
Posts: 102
Slightly O/T:
Any thoughts on houseruled feats for additional Inspiration points/encounter, or other changes to increase the Inspiration points?
I've heard Int mod extra just as part of the class.
Quick Reply
Cancel
6 years ago  ::  Feb 14, 2007 - 1:25PM #12
JanusJones
Date Joined: Sep 5, 2005
Posts: 378
No thoughts here. Remember that your Inspiration points reset for every "encounter," so you should (if your DM isn't unreasonable) get a new batch right before every fight. Int bonus would be a little broken - after all, Factoti (hee hee - plural!) are already pretty SAD (Single-Attribute-Dependent).

Help me out here, folks - I'm pretty good on the martial builds, but I've never been a spellcaster-type. Could those of you with a hard-on for casters give me a hand with spells and PrCs?
Quick Reply
Cancel
6 years ago  ::  Feb 14, 2007 - 4:05PM #13
progresslevel9
Date Joined: Sep 17, 2006
Posts: 66

JanusJones wrote:

No thoughts here. Remember that your Inspiration points reset for every "encounter," so you should (if your DM isn't unreasonable) get a new batch right before every fight. Int bonus would be a little broken - after all, Factoti (hee hee - plural!) are already pretty SAD (Single-Attribute-Dependent).

Help me out here, folks - I'm pretty good on the martial builds, but I've never been a spellcaster-type. Could those of you with a hard-on for casters give me a hand with spells and PrCs?


Got a couple'a comments.

First, I really dont think the Factotum is SAD. You need wisdom for the Piety, after all, though that aint the focus. Furthermore, you need decent stats to support your role. The Factotum doesn't have enough endurance in any single encounter, I feel, that it can afford not to have at least a decent Str or Dex score; Because especially at first level, when you only have 2 points, you WILL have to melee or range it abit. At higher levels, IF you choose spells that really do the trick, then you wont have a problem...but still, how many times can you actually use your abilities, in a single encounter?

5 pts, at tenth:
that could be a bonus on 5 different rolls (keep in mind that attack and damage are boosted seperately)
OR 2 rolls and an extra standard action
OR 3 rolls and 2 rounds of Int->AC

And keep in mind, that If you boost all attack and damage rolls for a single, 2 hit, full attack at tenth...you'll have spent 4 points, and have 1 left, to see you through the encounter.
AND, you spend 1 point to cast a spell, and additional to apply metamagic.
Inspiration Points run out fast. And you can use them as free actions, so they go even faster. If you use them at every opportunity, you will run out of them, long before the encounter is over.

Keep in mind, also, how they do their spells. They choose a certain number (as shown on the table), and can cast each of those spells once, until they've rested for 8 hours.
They have, at most, 8 spells per day.
They're not even spells. They're spell-like abilities, which may not count for some PrC requirements. Heck, even if they could qualify for something, the spells are not the part of the class you most want to advance...
Its the inspiration points, and abilities. And there's no PrC out there, other than Legacy Champion and Uncanny Trickster, that advance that.

------

This all being said...yeah, Int adding to your point pool might be a little crazy...but I could see a feat that grants you an extra two to four; However, I dont think it ought to stack with itself.
On the other hand, I could really say something for a recovery mechanism of some sorts. Say, a full round action to replenish your pool? Which DOES provoke AoOs, and you can't use your Insp. Points on the turn you get more?
Same thing for the Dilletante ability. I could certainly see a feat tree that lets you pick an extra spell a day, or more; and another, more pre-req intensive feat that lets you cast your spells twice per day, or even bumps up your max spell level.

As an additional house rule, I might say that they dont have to choose stuff at the start of the day; that their spellcasting is really a pool of applicable knowledge, and they use it spontaneously, picking the spell as they need it.
Yes, that means that they spontaneously cast from the entire Sorc/Wizard list...but only a maximum of 8/day.
Same thing for their Capstone Ability. Cuz as these things stand, they really promote either Scry n' Die tactics, or Combo Stacking; whereas I feel the PrC's flavour is of someone who has just the right thing, at the right time.


*whew.* [/rant]

Sorry if I came on to hard, JJ. I meant no harm...It's just, as entusiastic as we all are about the Factotum, we're being a little short-sighted in regards to it's flaws, and how they define it's role in play.
But, Ima try and play one, so I'll have more to say about it then.

Quick Reply
Cancel
6 years ago  ::  Feb 14, 2007 - 4:11PM #14
progresslevel9
Date Joined: Sep 17, 2006
Posts: 66
Oh, do we know who developed this baby? Be nice to know just how much Design changed it before it saw print. And what the original was like.

Was Mike Mearls in the credits? Because it simply smacks of him. And he's a very smacky guy.
Quick Reply
Cancel
6 years ago  ::  Feb 14, 2007 - 4:13PM #15
Edea
Date Joined: Jan 13, 2006
Posts: 98
My not-so-astute assumption: IP totals per level got nerfed. BAD. Everything else about the class is decent enough, save for that running total. Reminds me a lot of the Unique Powers/Day for the Erudite (granted this is 1/encounter, but still...only 10 points at 20th level? The ****?)

Still seeing this as little more than a 1 level dip for all class skills/martial weapon prof/trapfinding.
Quick Reply
Cancel
6 years ago  ::  Feb 14, 2007 - 4:37PM #16
JanusJones
Date Joined: Sep 5, 2005
Posts: 378
The rant did not seem hard. No worries. I know about Inspiration points, but the question is: what constitutes an encounter?

So okay - you're not going to want to blow tons of inspiration each round. You ARE, however, going to be able to use TONS of nice tricks - like, say, Greater Manyshot - to get 4 attacks for the price of one. In other words, Int to damage on four hits instead of just one.

An extra standard action once per encounter? I'll take it, thanks - especially on a caster. How many casters WISH they could do that?

There are just too many options here to pooh-pooh the class out of hand. I made this thread to start exploring the possibilities. I'm hoping to get help from others as I start to compile builds and ideas.

I don't mind the rant at all, but let's try to think of ways to make this class work!
Quick Reply
Cancel
6 years ago  ::  Feb 14, 2007 - 5:08PM #17
zombiegleemax
Date Joined: Aug 10, 2009
Posts: 470,906
Does Cunning Brilliance exclude racial substitution levels/alternate class features?

If not, they may be worth looking in to. Among them, Bardic Knack (from the PHBII) could add even more versatility, for those moments when you have to use skills you may have otherwise neglected.

Also, this may sound silly, but do inspiration points fall under the class features of a Factotum? If so (and the wording of Cunning Brilliance allows it) you may be able to use it to gain more inspiration points, which in turn you use to gain more inspiration points, and so forth until you have enough to afford every ability out there.
Quick Reply
Cancel
6 years ago  ::  Feb 15, 2007 - 6:45AM #18
JanusJones
Date Joined: Sep 5, 2005
Posts: 378
Interesting idea! Unfortunately, Bardic Knack relies on your Bard levels. Ah well.

Yeah, Inspiration points are based solely on Factotum level, and they didn't hand out any nice feats for increasing your inspiration points (le sigh!).
Quick Reply
Cancel
6 years ago  ::  Feb 15, 2007 - 8:56AM #19
Edea
Date Joined: Jan 13, 2006
Posts: 98
Not to try and compare apples to oranges, but as an example: ToB maneuvers are supposed to be usable once per encounter. However, with a recovery method (random inspire, melee attack, Adaptive Style), this is less of an issue (indeed, the reason why swordsage gets less love than its siblings isn't because of the 3/4 BAB, but the crap recovery mechanism that requires a feat slot to fix).

I'm not seeing how the factotum's inspiration fueled abilities are truly any more powerful than ToB maneuvers. Versatile, sure, but inspiration point totals are only an issue in combat, and maneuvers are...well, pretty damn useful in combat :P. Main exception to that is Cunning Surge (that'd be rather potent :x).
Quick Reply
Cancel
6 years ago  ::  Feb 15, 2007 - 9:18AM #20
FlimFlam
Date Joined: Aug 7, 2004
Posts: 368
Isn't Factotum a movie?

fac·to·tum [fak-toh-tuhm]
–noun
1. a person, as a handyman or servant, employed to do all kinds of work around the house. 
2. any employee or official having many different responsibilities.
Quick Reply
Cancel
Page 2 of 60  •  Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... 60 Next
Jump Menu:
 
    Viewing this thread :: 0 registered and 1 guest
    No registered users viewing