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Where is the Factotum?
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RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
Yay! My current Favorite Class.
Dungeonscape, page 14-20.
Dungeonscape, page 14-20.
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RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
The Factotum is designed around Inspiration Points. you have a number of IP that replenishes each encounter. Those IP are used to cast spells, provide bonuses to attacks, saves, AC, damage, skill checks, heal, turn undead, and so on. As you level up, the pool of IP grows.
3/4 BAB, simple and martial weapons, use light armor and shields with no penalty to arcane casting.
You also eventually add your Intelligence score to Strength and Dexterity checks, find a way to overcome SR and DR, even cheat death once per day. One of the most powerful abilities would be granting yourself an extra standard action in a turn by spending IP.
You gain the ability to cast a very limited number of Arcane spells per day drawn from the Sorcerer/Wizard list, maxing out at access to level 7 arcane spells at class level 18, permitting you to prepare one spell at your highest level (7) and seven other spells up to level 6 by class level 18.
Every skill is on your class list. This allows for access to some obscure Class skills, like Lucid Dreaming, Autohypnosis, Use Psionic Device and iaijutsu focus.
At level 19, you get the ability to possess three Extraordinary abilities of any base class for a minute. While this is supposed to be an incredible ability, I'll be honest, I so far haven't found how to make it very useful.
The Factotum is able to accomplish nearly everything, almost as good as a melee combatant or arcane caster, a limited number of times. He can skill monkey better than most skill monkeys, a limited number of times. He can serve as a backup healer a few times a day.
Your IP pool is pretty limited, meaning you can do a handful of pretty cool things each encounter, and then you're little more than a glorified Expert NPC class. A creative and prepared player will prepare for this, and act wisely. A more foolish player will do some amazing things, than run and hide until the battle is over.
These are some of the things that make the Factotum a good class. I don't, however, think they are a broken class. I'm sure it can be used in any number of creative builds. This class permits a creative player to have a wide variety of options at any given moment.
Factotum Handbook
Another Factotum Handbook
3/4 BAB, simple and martial weapons, use light armor and shields with no penalty to arcane casting.
You also eventually add your Intelligence score to Strength and Dexterity checks, find a way to overcome SR and DR, even cheat death once per day. One of the most powerful abilities would be granting yourself an extra standard action in a turn by spending IP.
You gain the ability to cast a very limited number of Arcane spells per day drawn from the Sorcerer/Wizard list, maxing out at access to level 7 arcane spells at class level 18, permitting you to prepare one spell at your highest level (7) and seven other spells up to level 6 by class level 18.
Every skill is on your class list. This allows for access to some obscure Class skills, like Lucid Dreaming, Autohypnosis, Use Psionic Device and iaijutsu focus.
At level 19, you get the ability to possess three Extraordinary abilities of any base class for a minute. While this is supposed to be an incredible ability, I'll be honest, I so far haven't found how to make it very useful.
The Factotum is able to accomplish nearly everything, almost as good as a melee combatant or arcane caster, a limited number of times. He can skill monkey better than most skill monkeys, a limited number of times. He can serve as a backup healer a few times a day.
Your IP pool is pretty limited, meaning you can do a handful of pretty cool things each encounter, and then you're little more than a glorified Expert NPC class. A creative and prepared player will prepare for this, and act wisely. A more foolish player will do some amazing things, than run and hide until the battle is over.
These are some of the things that make the Factotum a good class. I don't, however, think they are a broken class. I'm sure it can be used in any number of creative builds. This class permits a creative player to have a wide variety of options at any given moment.
Factotum Handbook
Another Factotum Handbook
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RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
I'm currently playing a Factotum, level 6. I took the Reserve Feat Fiery Burst to make sure he can do something every turn in combat, even when running out of IP. IP boosted Iaijutsu focus allows him to get a few good attacks in if he's strategically positioned. Otherwise he plays healer in battle at this point.
I've conceptualized him out to level 20, expecting to use and abuse Handle Animal skills to train Rust Monsters as mounts, to spend his extra downtime Crafting Wondrous Items, and generally making endless upgrades to his polymorphed-to-thoqqua, carved out, underground fortress liberally using the Craft Wondrous Item feat to also Craft Wondrous Architecture as he's in between adventures. A single level dip in Mindbender for Telepathy and the Mindsight feat will make him all-seeing, and a single level dip in Exemplar will make his most used skills even better. When he is looking for adventure, it'll be in his pocket airship.
But that's just me, there are plenty of ways to make the Factotum good.
I've conceptualized him out to level 20, expecting to use and abuse Handle Animal skills to train Rust Monsters as mounts, to spend his extra downtime Crafting Wondrous Items, and generally making endless upgrades to his polymorphed-to-thoqqua, carved out, underground fortress liberally using the Craft Wondrous Item feat to also Craft Wondrous Architecture as he's in between adventures. A single level dip in Mindbender for Telepathy and the Mindsight feat will make him all-seeing, and a single level dip in Exemplar will make his most used skills even better. When he is looking for adventure, it'll be in his pocket airship.
But that's just me, there are plenty of ways to make the Factotum good.
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
One way Factotum may be Abusing:
The following can be accomplished by a level 11 Factotum with two uses use of the Font of Inspiration Feat and one version requires the Maximize Spell metamagic feat.
PC's plan to fight a powerful dragon.
Factotum prepares his spells for the day. They include:
-Silence
-Remove Scent
-Ray of Clumsiness or Maximized Lesser Shivering Touch
-Spectral Hand
-Shivering Touch
-Factotum casts Silence, Remove Scent & Spectral Hand before entering the encounter, spending 3 IP.
-Factotum moves about 200 feet from the dragon, spending 1 IP to add his level (+11) to his already well invested Hide check to reach this range without being detected. He waits a few minutes to be sure he's prepared for the upcoming encounter (and resetting his IP)
Within 6 seconds, the following occurs:
-Factotum spends 2 IP as a free action to trigger Cunning Breach to ignore SR for 1 round
-Factotum spends 1 IP as a free action to increase his attack by his Intelligence modifier, which should be no less than +5, without any stat boosting items
-Factotum spends 1 IP to cast Shivering Touch as a standard action
-Factotum spends 3 IP as a free action to use Cunning Surge to gain another standard action
-Factotum spends 1 IP as a free action to increase his attack by his Intelligence modifier, which should be no less than +5, without any stat boosting items
-Factotum spends 1 IP to cast Ray of Clumsiness as a standard action (another option is to cast a maximized Lesser Shivering Touch)
the Dragon takes 4d6+5 Dexterity damage in the surprise attack round (or 3d6+6 with a maximized Lesser Shivering Touch). assuming you rolled at least one 2 and the rest are 1's, the Dragon is at 0 Dexterity. It is now paralyzed for 11 rounds.
The Factotum has the Wizard make him a Sandwich, while the Fighter coup de gras the dragon at his leisure.
The following can be accomplished by a level 11 Factotum with two uses use of the Font of Inspiration Feat and one version requires the Maximize Spell metamagic feat.
PC's plan to fight a powerful dragon.
Factotum prepares his spells for the day. They include:
-Silence
-Remove Scent
-Ray of Clumsiness or Maximized Lesser Shivering Touch
-Spectral Hand
-Shivering Touch
-Factotum casts Silence, Remove Scent & Spectral Hand before entering the encounter, spending 3 IP.
-Factotum moves about 200 feet from the dragon, spending 1 IP to add his level (+11) to his already well invested Hide check to reach this range without being detected. He waits a few minutes to be sure he's prepared for the upcoming encounter (and resetting his IP)
Within 6 seconds, the following occurs:
-Factotum spends 2 IP as a free action to trigger Cunning Breach to ignore SR for 1 round
-Factotum spends 1 IP as a free action to increase his attack by his Intelligence modifier, which should be no less than +5, without any stat boosting items
-Factotum spends 1 IP to cast Shivering Touch as a standard action
-Factotum spends 3 IP as a free action to use Cunning Surge to gain another standard action
-Factotum spends 1 IP as a free action to increase his attack by his Intelligence modifier, which should be no less than +5, without any stat boosting items
-Factotum spends 1 IP to cast Ray of Clumsiness as a standard action (another option is to cast a maximized Lesser Shivering Touch)
the Dragon takes 4d6+5 Dexterity damage in the surprise attack round (or 3d6+6 with a maximized Lesser Shivering Touch). assuming you rolled at least one 2 and the rest are 1's, the Dragon is at 0 Dexterity. It is now paralyzed for 11 rounds.
The Factotum has the Wizard make him a Sandwich, while the Fighter coup de gras the dragon at his leisure.
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StreamOfTheSky
Adventurer
Factotum uses Spell-like abilities, not spells. Meta feats don't work, and spell-like meta feats have a steep CL vs. spell level requirement. I'm not sure by RAW he can even use Reserve feats, though considering how behind he is on spell progression, I don't think that's so bad anyway.
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
The factotum entry, page 16 reads, "If you wish to enhance a spell with a metamagic feat, you must apply the feat when you prepare the spell. In addition, you must be capable of using a spell of the modified spell level."
I hear you though. Factotum really breaks the line between "Spell vs. Spell-like ability". It seems the way the class is designed, anytime it would be advantageous to consider it a spell-like ability (such as casting in armor without penalty) it is considered so, but when it would be advantageous to consider it a straight up spell (Like using metamagic) it's considered a spell.
As for use of reserve feats, I know this Factotum Handbook. However, the Complete Mage entry on Reserve Feats, page 37, reads, "Only actual spells or spell slots allow the character to use the primary benefit of a reserve feat. Spell-like abilities, supernatural abilities, and extraordinary abilities—even if they mimic or duplicate an appropriate spell—do not qualify."
Therefore, if a DM ruled they could not be applied to Factotum spells because they are spell-like abilities, I'd concede. My personal DM granted it to me, so it's moot point, but I'm open to the argument that a Factotum shouldn't by RAW be able to use Reserve feats. However, by that same argument, they shouldn't be able to use Metamagic feats either, and so we're left with a sticky magical mess.
DM call on this one.
Jackinthegreen
Explorer
I'd be inclined to say a Factotum could use Reserve Feats since he actually does use spell slots for his SLAs. The text does say "actual spells or spell slots."
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