Best Feats for a Factotum?

[TravelLog]

Hey guys, so I'm going to be in a 5-20 campaign beginning with Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. My character is a Factotum 5 with the following feats and scores (chosen based on real life attributes quizzes):

Str 13, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 14
HP: max at each level
Race: Human

Feats:
1: Font of Inspiration (x2), Blooded (free regional feat)
3: Knowledge Devotion

Flaws:
--Curious (used for Combat Expertise, to get Improved Trip at 6)
--Implacable (used for another Font of Inspiration, usually not allowed but okay'd by the DM)

In any case, I put this to you: Where should I go from here in terms of feats? (And if applicable, PrCs, though Factotum 20 is probably the way to go).

Other party members:

• Druid--->Master of Many Forms
• Wizard
• Cleric/Swordsage---->Ruby Knight Windicator
• Soulknife--->Soulbow

[kitcik]

Why do you need help? In RL, you're significantly above average in everything 

"My character... with the following... scores (chosen based on real life attributes quizzes):

Str 13, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 14"

Anyways, a level of warblade meshes well with Factotum if you plan to melee at all. The later you take it, the higher your initiator level. Iron Heart Surge and White Raven Tactics are some good, even if you don't melee.

[sirpercival]

I'll give you the same build here that I suggested to someone else; take of it what you will.

Is ToB allowed at all?  If so, then my suggestion:

Max out your Int.  Start with Warblade 1 to be the least squishy at level 1, and take Sapphire Nightmare Blade.  Then, grab 1 level of cloistered cleric, and swap out all three of your domains for Knowledge Devotion, Travel Devotion, and either Trickery Devotion (if no errata) or maybe Law Devotion.  You don't care about the spellcasting (though if it turns on later you'll have a start).  Then go into Factotum for three levels, making sure to max Concentration, Knowledges, and Iaijutsu Focus.  Once you hit level 3, almost every feat should be Font of Inspiration.

At level 6, take a level in Master of Masks, and learn the Gladiator Mask (and another of your choice) so you can be proficient with all exotic weapons.  Start using a Gnomish Quickrazor (or draw&drop a cursed sword -2 if you can get one), and also take Boomerang Daze.

If magic hasn't turned on at this point, take 5 more levels of Factotum to get Cunning Surge, with another Warblade level thrown in to get IHS and WRT.

[TravelLog]

Why do you need help? In RL, you're significantly above average in everything 

"My character... with the following... scores (chosen based on real life attributes quizzes):

Str 13, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 14"

Anyways, a level of warblade meshes well with Factotum if you plan to melee at all. The later you take it, the higher your initiator level. Iron Heart Surge and White Raven Tactics are some good, even if you don't melee.

Haha. It's from one of those "if you were a D&D character..." quizzes. I didn't say it was accurate 

But thanks for the advice.

[dna1]

I know personally with my own factotums I pump most of my feats to font of inspiration. If you plan to hit a PRC obviously cover those feats, otherwise dump it all into FoI. You can never have to many Inspiration points

[AyeGill]

I know personally with my own factotums I pump most of my feats to font of inspiration. If you plan to hit a PRC obviously cover those feats, otherwise dump it all into FoI. You can never have to many Inspiration points

I second this. Once you hit Surge of Inspiration, you can basically fuck the action economy if you have enough FoI.

[SneeR]

What tactic are you using to make tripping viable? I notice that you have a low STR, so what good is melee for you? What is your primary schtick for combat? We can get a better grasp of feats based on that...

[SleepyShadow]

Factotum 5/Chameleon 10/Factotum +5

Feats: Able Learner, Font of Inspiration (all the rest)


You are now Super-Factotum, doing more than everyone and better than most. Go forth and stake those vampires!

[X-Codes]

Be a Dwarf.  You'll lose one FoI, and I suggest dropping a second to get Improved Trip now.  There's a cap on how many FoI's you can pick up, so getting so many now doesn't necessarily help more later, and the only Factotum ability you're likely to see anytime soon that will eat up all those Inspiration Points is Surge of Inspiration.  In any case, Dwarf lets you use Complete Warrior and Races of Stone to change your racial familiarities to the Dwarven War Pike and the Dwarven Buckler Axe.  Use these two weapons to trip with reach but still threaten adjacent.  Better than EWP: Spiked Chain, and you get tons of nifty racial abilities, too.  Also, I strongly suggest switching Dex and Str if possible, although I suppose it's not strictly necessary.

[dna1]

There's a cap on how many FoI's you can pick up

What cap?

[AyeGill]

There's a cap on how many FoI's you can pick up

What cap?

Int, modifier, I believe, although it may be something else int-related. But really, considering how few feats you get in total(A human level 20 with no bonus feats gets 8), I think it should be possible to get as many as we want.

[X-Codes]

You can assume that if you put all your level points into Intelligence (I could see +1 Strength being justified here, given that we've got a Tripper), you get a +5 tome for Intelligence (not a given), you're confident your +6 item won't ever be lost or negated somehow...  Also, if your DM goes with the 1/round limit on Surge of Inspiration, then those 4th, 5th, 6th FoI's face heavy diminishing returns.  There's also the consideration that while FoI gets you more actions, spending feats elsewhere gets you better actions (although this isn't necessarily an important consideration when doing something like Chameleon, but that's not where this particular player is taking this particular factotum).

[TravelLog]

I have to be human since it's supposed to be my D&D self, and I don't really have a dwarf-ish personalty, or looks, or outlook, etc etc.

Another consideration, this campaign will likely be undead heavy.

[JohnnyMayHymn]

just curious as to which quiz, have a link?

[NiteCyper]

So, can anyone tell me how a Factotum plays without Font of Inspiration? I've never played a Factotum before, and there is a good chance FoI will not be permitted.

There're feats that the Factotum would like to take, Font of Inspiration notwithstanding. Intellectualize keenly, scallion rap, kung fu...genius, sight mind, initiate Faerie Mysteries (of Passions), world otherly, initiate improved, blood, now in troll flavour, ship leader, poison, devote knowledge, buckle swash (finesse weapon, strike insightfully, and stunt arcanely), focus iaijutsu, bomb alchemically, and learn ably.

Be a Dwarf.  You'll lose one FoI, and I suggest dropping a second to get Improved Trip now. In any case, Dwarf lets you use Complete Warrior and Races of Stone to change your racial familiarities to the Dwarven War Pike and the Dwarven Buckler Axe.  Use these two weapons to trip with reach but still threaten adjacent.  Better than EWP: Spiked Chain, and you get tons of nifty racial abilities, too.

The ruling in Complete Warrior seems only to suggest limiting weapon familiarity, saying that weapon familiarity is covered in the Player's Handbook. After a search of the Player's Handbook, weapon familiarity is mentioned only in races, stating which exotic weapons that the race is familiar with. RAI: A race is familiar with (exotic) weapons that are associated with that race.
To continue with X-Codes's exotic weapon optimization, dip Master of Masks PrC for Gladiator Persona Mask (Su) and rock out with a Gnome Quickrazor, then rock it back in, then back out, then in, out, in, out, in...

[TravelLog]

just curious as to which quiz, have a link?

Not bookmarked. I'll see if I can dredge it up though.

[Jackinthegreen]

So, can anyone tell me how a Factotum plays without Font of Inspiration? I've never played a Factotum before, and there is a good chance FoI will not be permitted.

There're feats that the Factotum would like to take, Font of Inspiration notwithstanding. Intellectualize keenly, scallion rap, kung fu...genius, sight mind, initiate Faerie Mysteries (of Passions), world otherly, initiate improved, blood, now in troll flavour, ship leader, poison, devote knowledge, buckle swash (finesse weapon, strike insightfully, and stunt arcanely), focus iaijutsu, bomb alchemically, and learn ably.

Be a Dwarf.  You'll lose one FoI, and I suggest dropping a second to get Improved Trip now. In any case, Dwarf lets you use Complete Warrior and Races of Stone to change your racial familiarities to the Dwarven War Pike and the Dwarven Buckler Axe.  Use these two weapons to trip with reach but still threaten adjacent.  Better than EWP: Spiked Chain, and you get tons of nifty racial abilities, too.

The ruling in Complete Warrior seems only to suggest limiting weapon familiarity, saying that weapon familiarity is covered in the Player's Handbook. After a search of the Player's Handbook, weapon familiarity is mentioned only in races, stating which exotic weapons that the race is familiar with. RAI: A race is familiar with (exotic) weapons that are associated with that race.
To continue with X-Codes's exotic weapon optimization, dip Master of Masks PrC for Gladiator Persona Mask (Su) and rock out with a Gnome Quickrazor, then rock it back in, then back out, then in, out, in, out, in...

You put your weapon in, you take your weapon foot out...

The suggestions in Complete Warrior can be a bit odd:  Introducing racial weapons would imply a typical member of that race will know how to use those.  That assumption comes from how gnomes and dwarves are proficient in specific weapons with a race in its name.  However, orcs and half-orcs aren't proficient in an orc double axe for whatever reason.  It's definitely not consistent.  Then splatbooks add more racial exotic weapons for which their respective races aren't naturally proficient in at least one of.

That's yet another reason why a redo of races (among other things) would be nice in light of the extra flavor that's been churned out.
But yes, a Quickrazor is definitely nice for a Factotum, assuming the DM allows Iaijutsu Focus to work on each swing.  Once per round is a typical nerf and isn't terrible, but it still leaves a bit to be desired.

[X-Codes]

Complete Warrior says, basically, that Dwarves treat two Exotic weapons with "Dwarf" in the name as Martial weapons, and the rest stay Exotic.  Even though the idea that Dwarves are RAW not familiar with the Dwarven War Pike, even though that's likely the RAI, Complete Warrior changes the RAW.

[LargePrime]

Be a Dwarf.  You'll lose one FoI, and I suggest dropping a second to get Improved Trip now.  There's a cap on how many FoI's you can pick up, so getting so many now doesn't necessarily help more later, and the only Factotum ability you're likely to see anytime soon that will eat up all those Inspiration Points is Surge of Inspiration.  In any case, Dwarf lets you use Complete Warrior and Races of Stone to change your racial familiarities to the Dwarven War Pike and the Dwarven Buckler Axe.  Use these two weapons to trip with reach but still threaten adjacent.  Better than EWP: Spiked Chain, and you get tons of nifty racial abilities, too.  Also, I strongly suggest switching Dex and Str if possible, although I suppose it's not strictly necessary.

Kusari-Gama DMG can also hit adjacent and has reach. 

[X-Codes]

Kusari-Gama DMG can also hit adjacent and has reach.

So what?