Author Topic: The Factotum's Handbook  (Read 338795 times)

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Aharon

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #200 on: June 17, 2010, 08:34:20 AM »
I'm AFB, so I can't quote it, but I think there was a bit in the Rules Compendium that spells affecting your damage only include spell damage if it is specifically mentioned. Not sure if this also applies to class abilities like cunning insight.

Also, @Able learner wasted
I guess that depends on how many chameleon levels you take, doesn't it? If a skill is a class skill for one of your classes, but not the one you're currently advancing, you can get it up to level+3, but still at 2 points per rank. Able learner would  still be useful for mitigating that.
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Dictum Mortuum

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #201 on: June 17, 2010, 07:59:24 PM »
Also, @Able learner wasted
I guess that depends on how many chameleon levels you take, doesn't it? If a skill is a class skill for one of your classes, but not the one you're currently advancing, you can get it up to level+3, but still at 2 points per rank. Able learner would  still be useful for mitigating that.

This isn't an issue with chameleons :P Chameleon requires able learner, thus you'll have to take it, like it or not :P
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redmop

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #202 on: June 17, 2010, 10:32:29 PM »
What are pure Factotums like in play without Font of Inspiration?  Is Chameleon worth it without Font?

Lycanthromancer

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #203 on: June 17, 2010, 10:42:24 PM »
What are pure Factotums like in play without Font of Inspiration?  Is Chameleon worth it without Font?
Chameleon should be more worth it without FoI, yes, because your factotum abilities are less everpresent and more difficult to use.

As far as what they're like without FoI? They're more reliant on their skill checks, and less so on their other class abilities. They get a handful of tricks each encounter, but the focus is on making skill rolls instead of attack rolls.
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JaronK

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #204 on: June 18, 2010, 05:03:45 PM »
I just noticed that the 3.5 FAQ was updated to include Factotums (on page 17).  For what it's worth, this includes the following:

1)  Unspent inspiration points are replaced when the factotum returns to his full number of points once an encounter ends.

2)  Factotums have no spell list, and thus require UMD for Wizard/Sorcerer scrolls.

3)  You can use all inspiration fueled abilities outside combat, and it specifically states that an encounter "includes any other significant event in the game such as stopping to bash down a door, navigating a tricky bridge, or dealing with a trap."

4)  You can use Cunning Strike multiple times per round for more than 1d6 sneak attack damage.

5)  You can use Cunning Brilliance to get all the sneak attack of a Rogue.  Furthermore, any ability that doesn't seem magical is assumed to be Ex and thus usable, which clarifies stuff like Fighter feats that are not magical but don't explicitly say they're Ex.  This is a handy clarification.

6)  Clarification on the number spells cast (no surprise here)

And here's the big one: there's a change on one page 47 that says that "ability damage" is not damage, and thus can't be increased by the Factotum's Int to damage ability.  Ouchie.

It should be noted that the FAQs are not exactly perfect (they such silliness as saying that Precocious Apprentice can't be used to qualify for PrCs at all because it doesn't actually give you the inherent ability to cast 2nd level spells).  But still, it's there.

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Agita

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #205 on: June 18, 2010, 05:07:16 PM »
4)  You can use Cunning Strike multiple times per round for more than 1d6 sneak attack damage.
Remind me: Does Cunning Strike apply to all attacks of a round or only to one?

5)  You can use Cunning Brilliance to get all the sneak attack of a Rogue.  Furthermore, any ability that doesn't seem magical is assumed to be Ex and thus usable, which clarifies stuff like Fighter feats that are not magical but don't explicitly say they're Ex.  This is a handy clarification.
Does this give any hint as to whether spellcasting is supposed to be (Ex)? I suppose the "doesn't seem magical" bit gives a pretty good hint, but having something black on white is so much nicer.
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Havok4

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #206 on: June 18, 2010, 05:10:09 PM »
A good hint on the  EX nature of spellcasting is in the MM5 which lists a racial spellcasting ability as Ex for some hobgoblins and fish people.

Also on the ability damage is not damage FAQ ruling, would a roll for the ability damage still be considered a damage roll? If it is then the factotums abilities would still work.

Bastian

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #207 on: June 18, 2010, 07:01:53 PM »
A good hint on the  EX nature of spellcasting is in the MM5 which lists a racial spellcasting ability as Ex for some hobgoblins and fish people.

Also on the ability damage is not damage FAQ ruling, would a roll for the ability damage still be considered a damage roll? If it is then the factotums abilities would still work.
Not according to the FAQ since damage is damage to health whereas ability damage is something entirely different.

JaronK

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #208 on: June 20, 2010, 01:27:47 AM »
A good hint on the  EX nature of spellcasting is in the MM5 which lists a racial spellcasting ability as Ex for some hobgoblins and fish people.

Indeed.  Also the fact that Spell Like Abilities and Supernatural Abilities are specifically defined by how they're not spells.  That leaves only Natural and Ex as options... but Natural abilities are generally only racial and related to the form of a thing (so flight is natural if you have wings, claw attacks are natural if you have claws, etc).

Quote
Also on the ability damage is not damage FAQ ruling, would a roll for the ability damage still be considered a damage roll? If it is then the factotums abilities would still work.

As the FAQ reads ability damage is not damage, so ability damage rolls are not damage rolls.

And Cunning Strike is actually somewhat unclear, but the reference to "before making the attack roll" implies that it only works on one attack.  It's a pretty poor ability, useful only for triggering stuff like Sickening Strike and Terrifying Strike (since you do have sneak attack as a class ability).

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Havok4

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #209 on: June 20, 2010, 01:44:32 AM »
Cunning strike is indeed rather lackluster.

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #210 on: June 20, 2010, 01:44:39 AM »
Ability damage is not damage in the same way a hamburger is not ham.

Cunning strike is pretty bad, but getting craven is nice, and you *could* nova with it, which makes it less bad.
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the_shadowmind

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #211 on: July 01, 2010, 09:47:18 AM »
Since Factotum's cast as SLA's doesn't that mean the spells are always a standard,move, swift or immediate action?
The discussion http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6498.0 and here http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6674.40 seems to suggest so.
If they are no problems with this, then what spells that have longer than a standard action are good if they only took a standard action?

Havok4

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #212 on: July 01, 2010, 05:16:23 PM »
then what spells that have longer than a standard action are good if they only took a standard action?


Geas

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #213 on: July 01, 2010, 05:47:41 PM »
then what spells that have longer than a standard action are good if they only took a standard action?


Geas


Ability Rip strikes me as fun. Also, Ice Castle, Control Weather, Contingency, Trait Removal, Hidden Lodge, Perfect Summons...
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snakeman830

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #214 on: July 01, 2010, 06:09:38 PM »
I don't see Ability Rip as that wonderful, actually.  You can only swipe a Supernatural ability for a few hours and you permanantly lose one of your own or two levels if you have none.  Kinda harsh.
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CantripN

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #215 on: July 01, 2010, 06:28:37 PM »
I don't see Ability Rip as that wonderful, actually.  You can only swipe a Supernatural ability for a few hours and you permanantly lose one of your own or two levels if you have none.  Kinda harsh.

Not if you have something like Binder 1 on the side. That works just fine. And don't pretend that SU abilities aren't godly.

Quickness (Su) comes to mind...
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The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #216 on: July 01, 2010, 06:33:49 PM »
I don't see Ability Rip as that wonderful, actually.  You can only swipe a Supernatural ability for a few hours and you permanantly lose one of your own or two levels if you have none.  Kinda harsh.
Being able to get rid of your own negative abilities is pretty cool, though.
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CantripN

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #217 on: July 01, 2010, 06:39:34 PM »
I don't see Ability Rip as that wonderful, actually.  You can only swipe a Supernatural ability for a few hours and you permanantly lose one of your own or two levels if you have none.  Kinda harsh.
Being able to get rid of your own negative abilities is pretty cool, though.

Being a Paladin without an Aura of Good could be useful, actually.
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Lycanthromancer

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #218 on: July 02, 2010, 02:29:43 AM »
An entire casting of fabricate as a standard action, rather than based on Concentration?
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Ivory Knight

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Re: The Factotum's Handbook
« Reply #219 on: July 02, 2010, 05:48:29 PM »
How about a Standard Action Summon Monster?
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