Swordsage/Iaijutsu Master build help

[xeno121]

Would Factotum8/Fighter2/Iaijutsu Master10 be a stronger build than Factotum8/Iaijutsu Master5/Chameleon7?

The first gets me the ever so sexy, One Strike, Two Cuts, a little better BAB especially at lower levels, and more Inspiration Points due to FoI stacking.

The second gives loses some inspiration points, gains 5th level cleric/arcane casting, gains a TON of versatility, a floating feat, and stat boosts.

[TT30]

Exotic Weapon Profiency requires base attack bonus 1.......

Gnome quicrazor+iaitsu focus is good trick, but damage before you have 5 levels of iaitsu master is far from impressice or optimal.

Level8 is good level to factorum, but before that you are practically useless in combat. And even after that you are far behind any damage build, only after level 13 you can actually do some damage, but even after that
you are onetrick pony and that trick requires that you can make your enemy flatfooted. If you lose iniative and enemy is flying or have 5 ranks in balance. Or if enemy can't be flatfooted or if enemy have good AC or... If your trick don't work you are doomed because your melee damage without iaitsu focus sucks badly and you don't have spells or any good ways to actually do something.

Biggest problem with that build is that you start at level 1 and it really kicks in only after level13. Build will suck first 12 levels and even after that there will be encounters where build is totally useless. After level 13 there will be encounters that you will kill single handedly in your first turn before anyone else can't do anything (at least if your DM lets you use cunning surge many times in row) other players don't like it and DM thinks that encounter was too easy and makes next encounter harder, but because trick doesn't work at all when you fail to force enemy to be flatfooted and when that happens build is useless and party is in serious trouble if DM did some toughening because of that last encounter.

So problems are:
1. If it is really tough campaing build don't survive to level 13. It is just too weak in early levels.

2. If you survive to level 13 you are very powerfull or nothing. If trick works build shines if not build is practically useless and if DM thought that build would allways shine.....    

3. It is all or nothing build, when trick works it is best to use before enemy has time to react. Build have good iniative so it will start and end encounter immiditly. Usually other players don't like that.

 
So if you want to do melee build i would suggest some kind of gish/charger build.

Maybe:
Dragonborn(wings) half orc
Barbarian1(whirling frenzy, lion totem), Wizard4(martial, transmutation focused specialist, trade familiar for sudden shift), Figter1, Spellsword1, Abjurant Champion5, Eldrich Knight7

Use whirling wrenzy to get second attack and charge&pounce. Should be very strong in early levels.
feats:
Flaw1:Least dragon mark(eberron campaing settings, house tharask&mark of finding),
Flaw2:Mark Of Dauntless(dragonmarked)
Lvl1:Improved Iniative
Martial Wizard1:Improved Bull
Lvl3:Power Attack
Fighter1:headlong rush(races of faerun)
Lvl6:Leap Attack
Lvl9:Shock Trooper

After lvl6 would be able pounce with enlarge, wraith strike, whirling frenzy, headlong rush, leap attack and reach weapon. Two attacks against touch AC and damage with power attack, natural str20 and glaive would be 4d8+24str+32power attack~74
And build could use lesser celerity to retreat if enemy didn't die and try to come too close. No daze because of mark of dauntless.

Lvl9 damage would be lot more and bab and haste from boots of speed or spell should give four attacks so at level 9 damage potential should be at least 400/round and because of wraith strike and shocktrooper build should hit with practically every strike.

And of course build would have lvl9 spells in the end and as wizard you could sometimes play god and let others shine...

[The_Mad_Linguist]

That's not really the case, though.  Factotum is perfectly competent on its own.

[xeno121]

That's not really the case, though.  Factotum is perfectly competent on its own.

What are the tactics to survive low combat with and without Iaijutsu focus as a factotum, this is my first time seriously playing anything other than I line up, I charge, I kill type characters, I'm already playing another charger(Lancer Jumping Build) so I wanted to do something different.

What tricks besides Marbles can flatfoot opponents reliably?  Should I take a level of fighter to grab Quick Razor Proficiency?

Feats:
lv1: Imp. Init
Flaw:Font of Inspiration
Flaw: Font of Inspiration
Human: Able Learner
lv2Fighter:EWP:Gnome Quick Razor
lv3. Quick Draw
lv6. WF: Katana
lv9+: Font of Inspiration

[Havok4]

Factotums are pretty much the best skill users in the game. Max out use magic device and purchase a few wands of good low level combat spells, like grease or lesser shivering touch, anything with ability damage is great as you can add your intelligence to the damage. Trip people with your rather high check. Select a few skill tricks that look good to you. Your character can heal himself at factotum level 5 for a fair amount of hp. Put a few ranks into intimidate, diplomacy, and bluff to end encounters before they start. Also remember that you have access to every sorcerer/wizard spell in existence via arcane dilettante.

[Operation Shoestring]

Also remember that you have access to every sorcerer/wizard spell in existence via arcane dilettante.

Wings of Cover = PERFECT BLOCK.

Also, I second the ability damage trick, if your DM allows it.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Autohypnosis is a class skill.  Put ranks into it.  You are a human tape recorder.  You also are much better at not dying.

[xeno121]

Also remember that you have access to every sorcerer/wizard spell in existence via arcane dilettante.

Wings of Cover = PERFECT BLOCK.

Also, I second the ability damage trick, if your DM allows it.

If I recall there was a mention of master poisoner and using fabrication to create the poisons, is master poisoner worth a feat just for that?

[Brainpiercing]

I also keep hitting a wall with the Factotum (a whisper gnome at that). If ONLY it had just a few bonus feats, it would be wonderful in combat, too. If only non-humans could take Able Learner, fine. But as it is, I can't dip, or I'll lose my skill-monkey stuff, and I can't gain useful combat feats on my own due to lack of feats.
Personally I think you just have to decide: Combat or Skill monkey. But both just means cutting a lot of corners.

[xeno121]

If I can some how fit Gloom Razor it solves the lack of Flat-footed problem.  I attack the first round with Iaijutsu after moving 10ft, next round they're flatfooted against my first attack, repeat until dead.


The 1st level spell distract assailant, swift flatfoot is also a nice option.  Shock and Awe also has some nice Initiative synergy going for it.

If I can somehow fit some ToB in there, grab Sapphire Nightmare blade, and Death from Above.  

Maybe Factotum 1/Warblade1/Factotum+7/IaijutsuMaster5/Warblade+1/Factotum or Iaijutsu Master+5

I need feats bad, I'm close to giving up on getting this to work just right.   Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way.  I'm ineffective at straight damage until 13th level supposedly.  Screw the rules, I'm a factotum.  I'm in a group with 3 barbarians and a dragon shaman, I'll use wands to let them do the heavy lifting until I can F*** face at lv13 and then use my superior skill and charisma to steal the credit.  Let them talk to the wenches of their victory, I'll be diplomatically "persuading" the bard to sing songs of my version of our glorious tale in all the bars by the next day after we're long gone.

mwaha...mwahaha......MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lycanthromancer]

Factotums in combat work much like Giacomo mistakenly believes how monks are supposed to work. They buff themselves up using UMD and spells and then wade in swinging, only they, unlike monks, can actually do so effectively. Especially with Combat Reflexes and the various other ways they can use to rape action economy.

Early levels see a factotum using his Int modifier to knock his checks quite high; things like Improved Trip and such work better for factotums than most. Grab Hidden Talent (expansion) and play like a psychic warrior for some great early level fun in melee.

Later on you can grab wands of various buffs, together with your extra standard actions to use them, and your factotum buffing abilities (+Int to just about everything) to be a fearsome combatant.

And all along you'll be using Iaijutsu Focus to deal lots of damage on every  hit.

Alternately, there's always Rapid Shot and Greater Manyshot to add Int to the damage of every arrow you fire.

[Havok4]

Another option is to do something like take the phrenic or half fey (or both) template, which does not really work until higher levels but it makes the factotum sort of like a pseudo sorcerer only better in many ways. This works well with magic in the blood and whisper gnome. But this is not really viable till mid levels.

[xeno121]

What about this: Factotum8/Chameleon2/Iaijutsu Master5/Chameleon or Iaijutsu Master+5
I use the Chameleons floating feat to meet Iaijutsu Master's prerequisite for WF:Katana, then at lv12 I take WF:Katana as a regular feat. that allows me to take EWP: Gnome Quickrazor at lv3 and I don't have to take a fighter level(since magic-blooded makes Sorcerer my favored class I realized after rereading it) 

How many times do I need to take FoI?  I've read 3 times is all you really need.

[Rebel7284]

3 minimum.
5 maximum.
I like 4, but there is always so much competition for those feat slots.

[Havok4]

The reason for that is that below 3 the feat is not really worth it while above 5 it becomes excessive and has a too high opportunity cost.

[xeno121]

Ok pretty much got everything finalized.  For flaws, I don't want to take another AC penalty(Vulnerable),  since aggressive(+2init, -1ac) trait takes one away already.  I was thinking taking Murky-eyed and Shaky.  Murky-eyed kinda seems like it sucks, but so does vulnerable.

[Lycanthromancer]

Murky-Eyed and Vulnerable are flaws I always take, even on meleers.

Rolling miss chances pretty much never come up because I can get around them fairly easily; seeking arrows (you can use them as melee weapons ), the Mage-Slayer feats, and touchsight/true seeing are available at all but the lowest levels (and miss chances don't generally come up before then).

And I generally invest in miss chances to the exclusion of AC, except at the very lowest levels; getting a high enough AC then is very, very easy, so a single -1 doesn't exactly hurt much.

[xeno121]

Murky-Eyed and Vulnerable are flaws I always take, even on meleers.

Rolling miss chances pretty much never come up because I can get around them fairly easily; seeking arrows (you can use them as melee weapons ), the Mage-Slayer feats, and touchsight/true seeing are available at all but the lowest levels (and miss chances don't generally come up before then).

And I generally invest in miss chances to the exclusion of AC, except at the very lowest levels; getting a high enough AC then is very, very easy, so a single -1 doesn't exactly hurt much.

What are good low level miss chance solutions?  I'm not sure what he's gonna throw at us, hopefully not a lv1 now fight that minotaur with a +10 to attack shenanigans.

[Lycanthromancer]

Murky-Eyed and Vulnerable are flaws I always take, even on meleers.

Rolling miss chances pretty much never come up because I can get around them fairly easily; seeking arrows (you can use them as melee weapons ), the Mage-Slayer feats, and touchsight/true seeing are available at all but the lowest levels (and miss chances don't generally come up before then).

And I generally invest in miss chances to the exclusion of AC, except at the very lowest levels; getting a high enough AC then is very, very easy, so a single -1 doesn't exactly hurt much.

What are good low level miss chance solutions?  I'm not sure what he's gonna throw at us, hopefully not a lv1 now fight that minotaur with a +10 to attack shenanigans.

Wield a +1 arrow of seeking as a melee weapon (it costs 1/50th of the cost of another melee weapon, although you do take a -4 to hit).

Magic missile is always good.

Area of effect spells are too. Entangle, web, and grease are great for this.

You can also use grenade-like weapons, especially alchemist's fire, to aim for their space (assuming it's not an AoE miss-chance, such as the darkness spell).

Negate the miss chance through light spells, if it is caused by darkness.

Summoning spells are good, since you're not the one making the attack rolls, as are trained attack dogs, using Handle Animal to push them.

You can also use things like lard, marbles, caltrops, and similar to severely inconvenience enemies without actually aiming for them.

A bag of flour can render invisible enemies less so.

An Intimidate check can make foes shy away from you, even if you technically can't hit them.

Or you could just buff your allies, even if it's only a flanking bonus.

[xeno121]

I want to be good at stuff now.  So at 3rd level should I dip into another class (No multiclass xp penalty) or should I stay Factotum.  I'm thinking of not going the Iaijutsu Master route, or taking some levels in warblade/chameleon on the way there for abilities that flatfoot opponents.  How should I best do this?

Take a 3rd level in factotum.
Take a warblade level?
Grab Font of Inspiration as my 3rd level feat?

If I grab FoI another time that's 9 inspiration points (love 'em) and I could take Factotum8/chameleon2 and qualify for Iaijutsu Master at 10th level.

I'm really liking warblade though

Or should I do a lion totem/whirling frenzy barbarian level?