Abilities like Factotum Cunning Knowledge?

[zyzzyr]

Hello,

I am also building a skill-monkey (as in another thread here) and followed that with great interest. I've decided to use the Human Rogue w/ int 16 and Nymph's Kiss in order to get 13 skill pts/level. My DM has also agreed to allow the use of Knowledge as a class skill without the use of a feat.

What I was looking at *next* is some way to get an ability similar to the Factotum's "Cunning Knowledge" which lets the player spend inspiration points to get +level to a skill check. I'm aware of "Daredevil Athlete" (Complete Scoundrel), and that I could use "Luck" feats in order to get a better chance at a high roll. Are there any other options out there?

What I'm looking for in particular is to not concentrate on combat but rather on the "heroic feats of crazy daring", where I would be the character to combine several very-difficult skill checks in order to pull off a feat worth taking about: run up a wall, across a crumbling narrow bridge at full speed, unlock the damsel's manacles, tie the grappling hook to an arrow, shoot it across the room, use my bow and the rope as a zip line to safety.

In order to do things like that I need both high skills and a way to boost up my skill roll on the occasion that I'm doing something crazy. The Factotum's Cunning Knowledge fits that category, but the lack of skill points vs. Rogue is problematic.

Can anyone point advice or directions on limited-use ways to boost up a skill check like that?

 

[Dandu]

Factotum only loses out on 2 skill points vs rogue, and gets enough to make up for it.

Other than that, have you checked out the skill tricks from Complete Scoundrel? They're like mini-feats you buy with skill points, and let you do some pretty cool things.

You can find them on Realmshelp.

 

[coyote6]

For Knowledge skills, Trivial Knowledge (Races of Stone, p. 145) lets you roll twice & take the better roll for all Knowledge or bardic knowledge checks. However, you have to be a gnome to take it, so you'd have to convince your GM to change that.

 

[zyzzyr]

I've got Complete Scoundrel and my curiosity is definitely piqued by Skill Tricks but I'm not sure my DM will allow them yet. I think there's a valid argument against it that the skill tricks should either be feats *or* be just an application of a skill with a particularly high DC. But yeah, I do like them, and I was thinking even Uncanny Trickster might be good, or maybe just selecting a few of the feats that allow double skill trick selection.

I guess Factotum is a possibility, I'd just need to learn a little bit how to train my skills appropriately to make up for the missing 2. It is very simple to just train your selected skills to max and go from there, and I am already "losing" 2 pts/level in Knowledge(dungeoneering) and Knowledge(religion) due to character theme and development.

I'm also not entirely clear on Factotum and how it would even work within a game since I've never witnessed one in play before. I expect that Trapfinding is possible?

I like the luck feats because they *sort of* do what I want, in that if I get a bad roll I can spend a luck point to reroll. The Trivial Knowledge feat is kinda like that, but I wouldn't want to spend a feat on just that -- I guess Daredevil Athlete is quite close to what I want since mostly I'm looking for the physical skill checks.

I was positive that I had seen a feat that gave you a 1/day +10 competence bonus or something like that, is anyone familiar with something similar?

 

[Theroc]

I was positive that I had seen a feat that gave you a 1/day +10 competence bonus or something like that, is anyone familiar with something similar?

This isn't a feat(though one may exist), but taking one level in Warlock would allow you to pick up the invocation "Leaps and Bounds" which is a buff lasting 24 hours that grants +6 to balance, jump and tumble checks. The invocation only requires 1 standard action. In essence, you could keep that bonus up indefinitely.

I don't know how much that helps you, if you too do not like warlock(or it does not fit your vision of a character).

 

[Dandu]

Where exactly do you plan on spending your skill points? You may be allocating them where they are not needed.

 

[zyzzyr]

This isn't a feat(though one may exist), but taking one level in Warlock would allow you to pick up the invocation "Leaps and Bounds" which is a buff lasting 24 hours that grants +6 to balance, jump and tumble checks. The invocation only requires 1 standard action. In essence, you could keep that bonus up indefinitely.

I don't know how much that helps you, if you too do not like warlock(or it does not fit your vision of a character).

Wow, that sounds awesome but unfortunately does not fit with the character concept (from what I know of warlocks)

Where exactly do you plan on spending your skill points? You may be allocating them where they are not needed.

I am thinking that I would use the following skills (ni alphabetical order) on a regular basis:

1. Balance
2. Bluff
3. Climb
4. Decipher Script
5. Disable Device
6. Gather Information
7. Jump
8. Knowledge (local)
9. Knowledge (religion)
10. Knowledge (dungeoneering)
11. Listen
12. Move Silently
13. Open Lock
14. Search
15. Spot
16. Tumble
17. Use Rope

The character theme is "man trained to enter dungeons and abandoned temples in order to steal artifacts and knowledge". The character is not meant to understand the monetary value of the items or interact with people much beyond trying to find rumoured dungeons from locals.

Ones that are absolute locks for me are Decipher Script, Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (dungeoneering) due to character theme, along with Search, Disable Device, Open Lock.

Next category would be Balance, Climb, Jump, Tumble, Hide, Move Silently.

Second to last category would be Listen, Spot, Knowledge (local), Gather Information.

Finally I would prioritize Bluff and Use Rope.

I think I can save some points by not maxxing out knowledge (local) and gather information, since I'm not positive I'll be getting much use for that (not as much ferreting out info from towns), and it's always possible to cheat a bit on spot and listen. Use Rope is another I'm not 100% sure about, but I assumed that at least some ranks would be useful in order to try to pull off some daring-do of some kind using ropes and zip lines.

Bluff is intended as a rogue in order to maximize Sneak Attack opportunities, though it's possible to take a skill trick instead to Tumble through an enemy's space and leave them flat footed, giving the same effect (with a few more restrictions), so it might be possible to lose Bluff entirely.

 

[Theroc]

You can always refluff the warlock mechanics(if your DM is cool with it), to suit your Indiana Jones style character.

 

[Dandu]

Your mileage may vary, but from what I can see, Factotum is superior to Rogue as a skills person.

As a Factotum, you can use your Inspiration Points for K. Local, Use Rope, and Gather Info checks. Frees up a lot of skill points right there, as those are fairly situational.

You don't need more than 5 ranks in Balance, nor in Jump really since boosting Jump is easy (the first level spell Expeditious Retreat, for instance, gives +12 to jump as a result of the fast movement). Climb is made obsolete with magical items such as Slippers of Spider Climbing.

You could potentially free up a lot of skill points if you're willing to prune the list and reap lots of Factotumy goodness.

 

[Theroc]

Climb is made obsolete with magical items such as Slippers of Spider Climbing.

A warlock invocation also gives spider climbing, just remembered.