[off topic]
Lets take away the crazy multi-dipping, and many of the OMFG-PrCs become only "good".
Take away crazy multi-dipping, and all you're left with are a handful of PrCs worth taking, and by extension, character builds.
...
Dipping is all fine and dandy and needed with some builds I suppose... but if you start building characters with 7 or more classes in the span of 20 lvls its starting to just become silly. Who really plays a character like that... what sane DM allows that lol. And I know I know... this is just an OP board and most of these builds are just a mental exercise but lets not get hasty and start looking down on builds that focus on one or two Prestige classes. You can still optimize without dipping.
...
It's really a question of design and game philosophy. I tend to think of a character idea, often something I want the character to do, concept, etc., and then go to try and build them. Often, this doesn't match up w/ what some random writer happened to have thought to include in a book. Or, alternatively, the classes they've come up w/ suck (viz. the aforementioned Mindbender, various archer PrCs). Hence, the dipping.
I also think of classes as game artifacts, just like attack bonuses, etc. Warrior is a profession, not a character class, and characters in the narrative don't peak at your build stub. So, whether you have Warblade 15 or some mix of a dozen different dips doesn't necessarily make a difference.
I know those feelings can be a bit contentious, I've seen them drive some people apoplectic. But, that's how my gaming group rolls and it works for us. The one thing I will say in defense of approaching it this way is that otherwise you're left w/ those concepts that the game designers happened to think of and design well.
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[off topic]
I can see your point. Sometimes a few dips here or there can help to create a unique concept but... This is an OP board and I only see a handful of people request a build built around a character concept (but those are usually the most interesting). I have no problem with that. I just have noticed a trend towards outlandish dipping (I atribute most of it to the lack of new 3.5 material). Nothing wrong with it untill all of a sudden you got people believing you cant optimize a base class or a single prestige class.
Take for instance the following. I didnt even have to search... it was on the first page lol
no, this post has nothing to do with factotums. instead, it abuses the master spellthief feat.
build:
[spoiler]build: bard1/wiz2/spellthief1/trapsmith1/assasin1/UM3/sublime chord2/UM+5/mindbender1/UM+2
race: human alignment: any non-good non-lawful
ACFs: martial wizard
lvl: class: feats:
lvl1 bard1 able learner; melodic casting;
lvl2 wizard1 improved initative;
lvl3 wizard2 extend spell;
lvl4 wizard3
lvl5 spellthief1
lvl6 trapsmith1 master spellthief;
lvl7 assasin1
lvl8 ult magus1 +bard;
lvl9 ult magus2 PS*(trapsmith); +wizard and trapsmith;
lvl10 ult magus3 +wizard and trapsmith;
lvl11 sublime chord1
lvl12 sublime chord2 persist spell;
lvl13 ult magus4 +sublime chord;
lvl14 ult magus5 sculpt spell; +sublime chord and trapsmith;
lvl15 ult magus6 PS*(sublime chord); +sublime chord and trapsmith;
lvl16 ult magus7 +sublime chord;
lvl17 ult magus8 +sublime chord and assasin;
lvl18 mindbender1** mindsight**; +sublime chord;
lvl19 ult magus9 invisible spell; +sublime chord and assasin;
lvl20 ult magus10 +sublime chord and bard(or any other, really);
*practiced spellcaster: can be dropped for other feats if needed.
**one of the options. others include touchstone+sandshaper, combat casting+abjurant champion, or co-op
spell+guildmage. hell, ever +1 level of assasin+ability focus would work, giving +3 to the death attack
DC and fourth level assasin spells. an other option is beguiler+PS(beguiler), for +8 to CL. or, even
better, bump it forward, shuffle feats for spring attack, and grab a level of telf shadowlord... screw the
assasin and wiz casting, advance shadowlord!
[/spoiler]
caster levels:
[spoiler]
spells known caster levels: pre master spellthief CL
bard: 3 6
assasin: 3 7
trapsmith: 5 13
wizard: 5 10
sublime chord: 10 21
spellthief: 0 5
total CL for all spells: 62
+ maxed song of arc power: 82
[/spoiler]
fun tactics:
[spoiler]
casting in light armor (cause we can)
persist cloud of knives (each one has +82 to hit)
abuse fire shuriken (makes 22 per casting, 28 with song)
abuse explosive runes (cause everyone else does)
wings of flurry(82d6)
maw of chaos (82d6 for eight minutes)
persisted shield (because we can, thats why)
persisted invisible spell obscuring mist (to screw with people who use true seeing)
chained(rod) hour/level buffs, lasting more than three days.
improvisation, gain 186 improv points, up to +41 on any skill check.... hahahahaha[/spoiler]
so, what else can we do with this abuse? 
bard1/wiz2/spellthief1/trapsmith1/assasin1/UM3/sublime chord2/UM+5/mindbender1/UM+2
8... 8 classes and most with only 1 or 2 levels taken. How could you POSSIBLY build a concept around something like this.
Here is a go at it....
Garble the Confused started out his life like any bard...
Untill one day he started adventuring and soon found a true love for the arcane...
followed soon after by a need to be more stealty and shifty...
which soon got forgotten in his new found love of Traps...
which lead him to want to kill people for money...
which lead him to become bent on learning spells and spontaniously struming them on a lute at the same time!...
but that all didnt last long and he decided to return to his love for sublime(hehe) music and magic...
This all made Garble very confused so he decided to try being the ULTIMATE MAGUS...
this time he stuck it out for some time but ultimatly (hehe) decided he wanted to master the arts of MINDCONTROLL...
but after much thought(hehe)... came to the realization that no he really wanted to become the ULTIMATE MAGUS.
Garble the Confused lead an exciting life of adventure... and because of his multitude of special abilities had very little challenge in life... this was a good thing because after about the 5th life altering choice he made... causing him to have to seek out yet another trainer of some strange specialized training... his party got fed up and left him.
THE END
Wow what a great character concept.
Well I hope I dont come off like a jerk but sometimes these builds just make me shake my head in wonder...
A. That whoever made it was that smart(cause this obviously took time, effort, and alot of skill to create) and
B. Who would ever let someone change that often with a straight face.
End rant.
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