Same-Game Testing: Rogue v. Factotum

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Ice9
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Post by Ice9 »

Nah, I think it really does grant an increasing number of points the more times you take the feat. The similarity to Psionic Talent, which definitely does do that, is pretty clear:
SRD wrote:Psionic Talent [Psionic]
You gain additional power points to supplement those you already had.
Prerequisite
Having a power point reserve.
Benefit
When you take this feat for the first time, you gain 2 power points.
Special
You can take this feat multiple times. Each time you take the feat after the first time, the number of power points you gain increases by 1.
The fact that it is web-content is definitely a strike against it though.

Also, this nitpicking over the feat reminds me of the whole stupid "balance by nitpicking" thing on the old 339 CO board. Look, either the DM lets FoI fly or he doesn't - the fact that it's obscure is a strike against it. And the fact that even with lots of extra actions the Factotum might still not be able to do much is a huge strike against it. But the fact that WotC wrote a poorly worded feat is not news, nor is it a good basis for judgement.
Last edited by Ice9 on Sat Aug 14, 2010 7:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Saxony
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Post by Saxony »

Kaelik wrote:
Saxony wrote:If you really want to go there, I could say that the effects of Font of Inspiration only last for one encounter.

Factotums gain a number of Inspiration points every encounter based off their level. The feat never says "You get more Inspiration points per encounter". It just says "You gain more Inspiration points".
Yes, that's an equally valid interpretation as the feat allows them to gain one IP per feat. But both those interpretations are more valid than that it allows them to gain 3 IP each encounter for two feats.
I am convinced. I was wrong saying what the most likely interpretation was.
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Post by Aharon »

FrankTrollman wrote:If people cared about Factotum level casting, Wizards would be fucking around with those spells that let them imbue spell slots into their familiars and Clerics would prepare Imbue With Spell Ability every day. But they don't, because casting small amounts of very low level spells is not a serious level appropriate combat option.

-Username17
I haven't read all of the discussion yet, so it might already have been mentioned, but if you go by strict RAW, which admittedly, most DMs don't, those aren't bad options - these spells aren't based on slots, but on level, so you could give your familiar a very metamagick'ed spell.
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Post by ubernoob »

Technically speaking, Imbue Familiar with Spell ability is pretty fucking sweet. I remember playing a level 15 wizard/swiftblade that would imbue his familiar with baleful polymorph. On my action I could toss out 2 SoDs (3 if I quickened something, but I don't think I had a rod of quicken) and my familiar would toss out one more.
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For Valor
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Post by For Valor »

so Factotum is fighter-level?
Mask wrote:And for the love of all that is good and unholy, just get a fucking hippogrif mount and pretend its a flying worg.
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Post by ubernoob »

For Valor wrote:so Factotum is fighter-level?
No. Fighters can kill things.
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For Valor
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Post by For Valor »

Well, it seems like it's still able to kill things...

And it's a hell of a lot better than the monk. Nothing monk-level can contribute even a minor SoD (I think..).
Mask wrote:And for the love of all that is good and unholy, just get a fucking hippogrif mount and pretend its a flying worg.
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Post by ubernoob »

For Valor wrote:Well, it seems like it's still able to kill things...

And it's a hell of a lot better than the monk. Nothing monk-level can contribute even a minor SoD (I think..).
It loses against equal level opposition 100% of the time. It's monk level.
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Antumbra
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Post by Antumbra »

What I have gained from this thread:

Savage Species has a flask weapon called Aboleth Mucus.
It contains - and you may be surprised here - Aboleth Mucus.
Aboleth Mucus: An aboleth underwater surrounds
itself with a viscous cloud of mucus roughly 1 foot thick.
Occasionally this substance finds its way into marketplaces.
Glass vials of the mucus can be thrown as grenadelike
weapons. Any creature coming into contact with or inhal-
ing this substance must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 19)
or lose the ability to breathe air for the next 3 hours (see the
Suffocation sidebar in Chapter 3 of the DUNGEON MASTER’s
Guide). There is no splash effect for aboleth mucus.
They do not gain the ability to breath underwater.

Aboleth Mucus costs 20gp.

Of course, Aboleth Mucus - magic shennanigans aside - does at some step in its production require an Aboleth to be milked. So there might be problems with acquisition and getting smacked with a bag of dice.
Last edited by Antumbra on Tue Aug 17, 2010 5:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
Koumei
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Post by Koumei »

If you're using SS, use Delver Slime. It's like a Flask, except:
1. Splash damage is 1d6
2. The primary target usually takes 2d6
3. Unless they're made of metal (they take 3d8) or stone (they take 4d10)

So basically it's like acid flasks, except better in every single way.
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Antumbra
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Post by Antumbra »

Koumei wrote:If you're using SS, use Delver Slime. It's like a Flask, except:
1. Splash damage is 1d6
2. The primary target usually takes 2d6
3. Unless they're made of metal (they take 3d8) or stone (they take 4d10)

So basically it's like acid flasks, except better in every single way.

I have it listed as 4d8 vs Metal and 8d10 vs 'stony creatures' - but yeah, much better. Good for conquering the Elemental Plane of Earth.
Koumei
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Post by Koumei »

That good? Even better, then.
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RobbyPants
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Post by RobbyPants »

How much do those cost? I don't own SS (probably a good thing).
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Antumbra
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Post by Antumbra »

Aboleth Slime is 20gp
Delver Slime is 150gp
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RobbyPants
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Post by RobbyPants »

So, it's better, but if you're not fighting stone monsters, it's not really worth the 15x cost increase.
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Antumbra
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Post by Antumbra »

Well, money isn't terribly important if you have either the regenerative-WBL or the Wish Economy.

I suppose you could try to work out an Affinity Field: Pain trick to get the most out of the 8d10 anti-earth damage. But that's not at all practical, and I'd settle for being able to annihilate anything "stony" or metallic.
It's certainly worth having a bundle just in case.
PhaedrusXY
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Post by PhaedrusXY »

They'd sure be good for killing warforged. :biggrin:
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Antumbra
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Post by Antumbra »

That's a damn good idea - but imagine the shitstorm if you posted that anywhere else.
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