Min/Max Boards

The capstone of Anima Mage bears mentioning; the ability to cast any spell as an immediate action should not be overlooked.

What is Lost Traditions?

It's a feat from the 3rd party book "Bastards and Bloodlines" by Green Ronin. (One of the better known 3rd party publishers.) It can only be taken at level 1, and it lets you cast spells off of a different ability score than the one your class normally uses. (For stuff like bonus spells, save DCs, etc.)

It is badly worded enough to let you cast off any score, not just mental ones, so you can have the utter absurdity of a strength based caster or the like. (I guess that would mean that you are so strong you literally bend reality to your whims. Kind of amusing to think about, really.)

Fun Find: Yurians from Fiend Folio have 3 racial HD and a +4 LA, and are overall kinda crappy.

No, what's important about them is the "Yurian characters" section of their write-up:

Quote

A yurian’s favored class is barbar-
ian. Yurian spellcasters are usually
adepts or druids. Their few clerics
revere ancestral spirits, and can
choose from the domains of Heal-
ing, Luck, Protection, and Water.
A yurian PC’s effective charac-
ter level (ECL) is equal to its class
level +4. Thus, a 1st-level yurian barbarian has
an ECL of 5 and is the equivalent of a 5th-
level character.

Looks like Plz was right, in at least one case...

Remember that Fiend Folio is 3.0. Back then LA was handled very differently than it is in 3.5. (I wasn't playing seriously back then, so I don't remember the exact details, but IIRC it was something along the lines of having a LA number which included the RHD, as in this example.)

So it's safe to say it's an edition thing. Perhaps a misremembering along these lines is why Plz thought it worked this way? (In other words, he was right, just remembering the wrong edition.)

Gestalt game, starting at level 4. D&D 3.5, all books allowed, Dragon Magazine has to be approved before use, although that shouldn't be hard.

We're using fractional BaB and saves (you can't really do gestalt any other way), and we are playing the rule that you can't gestalt two prestige classes seriously.

The build I was thinking of was Factotum 4//Rogue 1/Monk 2/Cloistered Cleric 1, taking the Luck and Travel domains, and swapping the granted powers of Travel and Knowledge for the appropriate devotion feats.

The idea is to have a Knowledge Devotion Factotum, able to do large amounts of Int-based damage, while running around fast enough to stay out of harm's way.

I want to take Rogue at level 1 in order to get the 4 x (8 + int mod) skillpoints. Maybe I should take Scout instead? It fits the skillmonkey concept, and it skirmishes very well, to the point of having an ability named skirmish. How does Travel devotion interact with the scouts skirmish ability?

Kung Fu Genius makes monk worthwhile, I think. It gives me nice defense and Envision is sweet too. Fast Movement synergy very well with my concept, if I end up taking more levels of Monk later on.  Although if I take Rogue, perhaps a second level of rouge would be better than the second level of Ronk, for getting evasion and stuff? On the other hand, there is that cool Monk ACF that trades evasion for invisibility once per three rounds. If I take that, then when I level up to fifth take a second level of Rogue for evasion could be good. This pushes me away from Scout and back towards Rogues, because Scout doesn't get evasion until its fifth level.

And the bonus Monk feats don't hurt either.

Or maybe there is some better replacement for Monk in my build? Not taking Kung Fu Genius lets me take an extra Font, and that is huge for a factotum.

I'm taking Cloistered Cleric because who wouldn't? Cleric are awesome enough that (in gestalt at least) it can be worthwhile to just dip a level, even if you never intend of really using or advancing the spellcasting. It gets me two of the most powerful devotions, and I always loved the Luck domains granted power for getting out of a tricky spot. Maybe I should take that out in favor of the Trickery Domain and thus Trickery devotion?

It also gives some cool other stuff, like Lore and turn undead, which can be used to fuel devotions, which is awesome. And I suppose there will be situations where the spellcasting comes in handy, as there are plenty of cool 1st level utility Cleric spells.

I am allowed to take up to two flaws, but which ones should they be? I have almost no experience in this area. Coupled with that, how many Fonts of Inspiration? I have five feats, if I go human, and Kung Fu genius leaves four. I'll likely take Improved Initiative, as going first is very important (especially if I put skill points into Iaijutsu Focus, which I'm thinking of doing), so that leaves me with three Fonts, am I right?

That brings me to the question of race. Humans are always awesome, as a bonus feat is huge, and I won't say no to extra skillpoints, as I have quite a few skills I want ranks in, not to mention skill tricks to pick up. Is there something better? I considered Strongheart Halfling or Whisper Gnome, but while Small size is awesome, two other players intend to make characters of Small races, and I don't want to crowd the party with more. Also, Small size doesn't go well with Monk, if I choose to go that route.

And finally, what would you guys recommend for advancing after this point? I will probably take the Factotum side up to at least level 8, but what on the other? Perhaps Chameleon? But that would make me need to blow a feat on Able Learner at level 1. Uncanny Trickster? Maybe dipping Swashbuckler 1, then using Uncanny Trickster to grab the sweet third level swashbuckler +Int to damage?  More Monk levels is a solid option if I take Monk, giving me Fast Movement and some other cool stuff. Any other good options that anyone can suggest?

The Spot the Weak Point skill trick from Complete Scoundrel lets you have any one attack you make to be treated as a touch attack. It specifically says that you may use this with a ranged attack (if you are within 30 feet). Now, common sense says that an attack like that with a ranged weapon would be treated as a ranged touch attack, but by a strict reading of RAW, it's just treated as a plain old touch attack. So now you have a way of making a touch attack (which is a kind of melee attack) with a ranged weapon. I have no idea what you would use this for, but making a melee attack with ranged weapon seems like the kind of thing that should be useful somehow or another.