FACTOTUM 3.5 HANDBOOK FULL

Your mention of Inspiration as an optional mechanic surprised the pants off of me, and when I checked the PhB (pp.123-125), I could find no indication that it was optional. Plenty of meh ones, but some good ones, and at every spell level.

FACTOTUM 3.5 HANDBOOK FULL

Full spellcasters should get some good spells. Admittedly, Warlock's 5th level list is quite anemic, but they've got a core mechanic for continuing spell levels that include a lot of real all-stars.Īt the heart of things, the chassis for Factotum is that of a pact caster a big part of the build's budget is consumed by this, and while only one path gets to continue above 5th level casting, the heart and soul of the mechanical underpinnings of the class are just that-a full pact caster. If we line them up against Warlock, to use your example, powerful offensive and defensive options like Crown of Madness, Mirror Image, Fear, and Banishment outclass anything that Factotum's got going. I do respect your opinion on the strength of the spell list-I was shooting for a more buffing and support oriented list than the Warlocks, and you can see that by (Bigby's aside) the mediocre offensive options. Do you have a suggestion for something that fits that role and is less beefy? I was borderline on Spirit Guardians, TBH, but I was looking for a keep-away spell that Master Throwers could fire up at the start of a brawl, and I was coming up short. Would you have a suggestion for a fairer buff or support spell at-level to replace it? That said, it definitely plays well with Pact Magic scaling, and I'd be fine cutting Mass Cure from the list.

More importantly, one of the core functions of the 3.5 Factotum that I was trying to fold into Arcane Dilettante was Opportunistic Piety, which offered sharply limited, but situationally powerful, healing. The defensive equivalent to this, Wall of Force, was chosen with the same consideration.Ĭure Wounds has always seemed pretty anemic both to me when I've played healers as to every healer-type I've sat at a table with. It's a powerful option, and that was a deliberate pick. Again, transmutation/buff is the area where factotums are supposed to be most competent.īigby's is the capstone offensive spell, and it was supposed to be a solid, reliable choice for non-Chameleons from 9th to 20th. Haste was a second-best buff for the level, given that Slow is, I think, pretty solidly superior. If you're really concerned with that access, I'll respect it, but despite the spell's strength, it's kind of everywhere. It's also, honestly, a very common spell only Warlock, Wizard, and Sorcerer don't have natural access to it. To respond to a few of your noted spells with my thoughts:įoM was picked as, mostly, a self-targeted emergency spell, since no build of Factotum wants to be in melee combat. Thanks for your feedback, especially on the spells, and that certainly wasn't my intent! I was trying to aim for second-best stuff for most things, while giving a slight edge toward transmutation spells and buff spells, given the adaptive flavor for the class. Perhaps give the class its own form of this mechanic, as part of the 1st level features? I like that you've used Inspiration as a mechanic, but as an optional rule it's a little strange to base a class on. Look strongly to the warlock spell list for inspiration, and make your own spells if the current ones are insufficient. I'd suggest toning the spell list way down - add more out-of-combat utility and reduce the number of inherently desirable spells. Much of the class spell list budget is given to the archetype's expanded spell lists, and even those are kept fairly tame. The warlock spell list, judged honestly, is usually considered fairly mediocre.

The restriction on only casting a single spell once per rest isn't that big a restriction when your spell list is this fantastic. There aren't many spells that one would go out of their way to actually look for that aren't on here. It's got just about every spell that's considered strong for its slot, and has not just a few, but all of them.įreedom of movement, haste, bigby's, cure wounds, and even spirit guardians (!) all on the same class is a very questionable idea. I'm going to point out, that, mechanics aside, you've given an insanely powerful spell list to this class.

Factotum 3.5 handbook