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Hawkflight
2016-09-19, 12:51 AM
Factotum

After a lifetime of work, few can claim even a fraction of the versatility that the factotum displays every day. Skilled in nearly every art, factotums draw upon their lore to master almost any trade or ability for a brief period of time before other pursuits draw their attention. Whereas bards use their general knowledge to aid others, factotums focus their features solely upon themselves. Constantly on the hunt for new abilities and tricks, factotums eventually find the right tool to overcome practically any problem.

As a factotum, you are a jack of all trades. For short periods of time, you can stand in for almost any other member of the party. Your intellect, training, and experiences allow you to bolster your efforts in almost any situation. But your magical abilities are at best limited. You can master potent spells, but your lack of formal training makes it difficult for you to use them more than once each day. Furthermore, your understanding of magic is broad rather than deep.

Impulse:

The factotum is a dabbler, a professional explorer who plunders a wide variety of fields to find the tools he needs to survive. He reads through tomes of arcane magic to gain a basic understanding of spells. He offers prayers to a variety of deities to gain their blessings. He observes warrior stances and exercises to understand the art of fighting. But while a factotum learns many paths, he masters none of them. Rather than train in a given field, he masters all the basics and manages to pull out something useful when the situation is desperate enough.

To represent this seemingly random body of knowledge, you gain impulse points that you can spend to activate your features. You gain a number of impulse points determined by your level (see Table 1–1). An impulse point is expended when you spend it. You regain all of your expended impulse points when you finish a short or long rest.

Cunning Knowledge:

You can spend 1 impulse point bonus to add your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus.

Arcane Dilettante:

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you acquire a vague understanding of magic. You know that with a few weird hand gestures and an array of grunts and bizarre words, you can conjure up something that looks like a spell.

At the start of each day, choose a number of spells from the wizard spell list based on your factotum level. You can choose two spells at 3rd level, and one additional spell at 6th, 9th, 11th, 14th, 16th, and 19th levels. By spending 1 impulse point, you can cast one of these spells as an action. The maximum level of spell you can use, according to your class level, is shown on table 1-1. You can select any wizard spell up to that level, but you can prepare only one spell of your maximum level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against your spell is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Int modifier.

Once you have used a spell, you cannot use it again until you have finished a long rest. After resting for this time, you choose new spells and lose any unused spells from the previous day, though you can select the same spell on consecutive days. You count 1/3 of your total rogue levels to determine your available spell slots in any casting class.

Cantrips: If you select a cantrip as one of your spells, you can cast it for free, without spending an impulse point.

Cunning Strike:

With a quick study of a vulnerable opponent’s defenses, you can spot the precise area you need to hit to score a telling blow. Starting at 9th level, when an opponent misses you in combat, you can spend 1 impulse point as a reaction to qualify for sneak attack damage on all attacks made against that opponent until the end of your next turn, even if they would normally not qualify for it. All other restrictions still apply, and you can still only gain sneak attack damage on one attack per turn.

Cunning Surge:

Starting at 13th level, you learn to push yourself when needed. By spending 2 impulse points as a bonus action, you can take an extra action during your turn. You may only use this feature once per turn.

Cunning Brilliance:

At 17th level, you become the ultimate jack of all trades. Your sharp mind and keen sense of your surroundings allow you to duplicate almost any feature you witness. At the start of each day, choose three class features. Each feature must be available to a standard character class at 15th level or lower, must appear on the advancement table or in the text description for that class, and cannot grant further spellcasting or invocation features. By spending 2 impulse points as a free action, you gain the benefits and drawbacks of one chosen feature for 1 minute. You use the feature as if your level in the relevant class equaled your factotum level. You can use each chosen class feature once per day, and must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

For example, if you use a monk’s flurry of blows feature, you gain all the benefits and drawbacks described under Flurry of Blows (PH 40). You do not gain the benefits of unarmed strike, because that is a separate feature in the monk’s class description.

Table 1-1
http://i.imgur.com/gEfrLew.png

PapaQuackers
2016-09-19, 01:10 PM
Hi, I don't have much to say except for the DC for your spells would be much much higher than normal spell DCs. The standard spell DC formula is 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Relevant Spell Casting Modifier. This is in order to stay in line with bounded accuracy where the difficulty of beating higher CR monsters is not your ability to hit them or beat their save DC but the efficacy of the actual ability hit with.

Your formula is "The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against your spell is 10 + the spell level + your Int modifier."

So a first level spell for your not full caster rogue archetype would 14 assuming they had 16 Int. If a wizard had 16 int his first level spell at third level would be 13. In a scenario where say your Rogue was capable of casting 5th level spells the DC for his would be 19 while a wizard who is casting 5th level spells would have a DC of 15.

Also metamagic is no longer a feat, it's actually a sorcerer class ability.

Inspiration is already a mechanic in 5e so you should rename that to something else.

Extraordinary abilities also no longer exist so you cannot differentiate abilities in that manner.

Most of this does not fit in line with 5e mechanically and it's also really not a rogue archetype it's a Bard archetype at best that would be far too powerful.

Also why is it called Chameleon in the title and Factotum on here. This either needs to be scrapped completely or entirely reworked.

Pivotal
2016-09-20, 06:29 PM
I agree with the one over here that the Spell DC really should use the standard pattern. At best you could spend some points to increase it for a single spell or something.

Other then that, it seems very interesting. I always liked the factotum class, but it does indeed seem to fit best as an subclass in 5E.

Hawkflight
2016-09-20, 07:51 PM
Fixed! Thoughts?

Revlid
2016-09-21, 06:53 AM
One thing that immediately jumps out is Cunning Strike.

Sneak Attack damage is normally available only on one attack each turn. This feature allows it to apply to any number of attacks each turn, regardless of whether you qualify. Multiclassing (or later on, Cunning Brilliance) would let you easily throw out three attacks (Extra Attack + Two Weapon Fighting), which means that you're effectively tripling your Sneak Attack damage. Is this intentional?

If not, you might want to phrase it as:
"Starting at 9th level, when an opponent misses you in combat, you can spend 1 impulse point to qualify for Sneak Attack damage on all attacks made against that opponent until the end of your next turn, even if they would normally not qualify for it."

Hawkflight
2016-09-21, 10:14 PM
One thing that immediately jumps out is Cunning Strike.

Sneak Attack damage is normally available only on one attack each turn. This feature allows it to apply to any number of attacks each turn, regardless of whether you qualify. Multiclassing (or later on, Cunning Brilliance) would let you easily throw out three attacks (Extra Attack + Two Weapon Fighting), which means that you're effectively tripling your Sneak Attack damage. Is this intentional?

If not, you might want to phrase it as:
"Starting at 9th level, when an opponent misses you in combat, you can spend 1 impulse point to qualify for Sneak Attack damage on all attacks made against that opponent until the end of your next turn, even if they would normally not qualify for it."

Good catch! Fixed.

clash
2016-10-03, 09:24 AM
Here is the issue I see:

Either Cunning surge is intended to be only used once per turn, or it inst you don't really specify a restriction.

If it is only once per turn then rogue just gained action surge 20 times per short rest by level 20 as compared to the fighters 2/short rest. Granted with only one attack and sneak attack only once per turn it wouldn't be nearly as powerful as fighters action surge. Except Cunning strike allows it more than once per turn. So say you use both every time, you have a just as powerful action surge 10 times/short rest assuming the 2 combats/short rest. With more time between rests it actually gets comparatively more powerful.

If it is more than once per turn then you have a really big issue. At level 20 you can spend 1 inspiration on cunning strike and 9 on cunning surge in the same turn making 10 attacks with 10d6 sa dmg in one turn for a whopping 100d6 ~ 350 dmg without weapon dmg or modifiers in one turn. This is more than twice as powerful as as Meteor for single target dmg and you can use the same thing every single combat.

Granted these are both restricted by needing an opponent to miss you in order for it to work, but a smart rogue will have ways of causing enemies to attack him and good enough defense that attacks will miss often enough.

Wufflykins
2016-10-03, 04:39 PM
A few points in no particular order:

Impulse
- Impulse - Not a huge deal but I'm not sure about this as a name, unfortunately inspiration is out because of the overlapping mechanic. I'm struggling to find something better though; possibly Impetus, Insight or Logic Points.
- Mechanical - At the beginning of each encounter, he gains a number of impulse points determined by his level (see Table 1–1). - An 'encounter' has always been poorly defined and it caused problems with the original Factotum class in 3.5 as well, the impuse mechanic should be reworked and rebalanced to function off of a short rest.

Arcane Dilletante
- Terminology - you can mimic a spell as a spell-like ability. - 5e has no concept of "spell-like abilities". Creature spells fall under either Spellcasting or Innate Spellcasting.
- Spell List - sorcerer/wizard spell list These are no longer one spell list, it should say choose from either Sorcerer, Wizard or both spell lists.
- I would give them a cantrip choice or two as well, because it wont break the game and it's fun.
- Caster Level - Your caster level equals your level in this character class. 5e has no concept of 'spell level' only the spell level at which it is cast.

- Cunning Knowledge - This is good! Though I would reword it thusly:

You can spend 1 impulse point bonus to add your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus.

- Cunning Strike - This feels awkward mechanically, and the rogue does well enough getting it's sneak attack off without it and offers little to the overall package. I would replace this with Cunning Defence from the original 3.5 class - or something else - but I recommend removing cunning strike in it's current form as it's just wonky.

- Cunning Surge - Staple of the Factotum arsenal - but it needs to be limited to 1/round for balance reasons; every sane DM back in 3.5 days imposed this limit anyway. I would also impose limitations on what you can do with this action, in the same vein as the 'haste' spell's extra action.

Something like this: One Attack, one cantrip or Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action.

Theorycrafting: You choose the figher's Extra Attack (3 attacks per action at level 15) with Cunning Brilliance and use Cunning Surge every round. That's six attacks per round for as long as you have it - even without sneak attack it's absurd.

- Cunning Brilliance - This should be a 17th level ability in keeping with the Rogue class progression.

Another blast from the past; however classes have 'Features' not 'Abilities' in 5e. Further spellcasting needs to be excluded as it's technically a 'Feature', possibly invocations (7 invocations even for a minute is going to be tedious to work) and mystic arcanum.

Otherwise this nails the feel of the original factotum without taking it too far! I like it.

Hawkflight
2016-10-05, 09:46 PM
Here is the issue I see:

Either Cunning surge is intended to be only used once per turn, or it inst you don't really specify a restriction.

If it is only once per turn then rogue just gained action surge 20 times per short rest by level 20 as compared to the fighters 2/short rest. Granted with only one attack and sneak attack only once per turn it wouldn't be nearly as powerful as fighters action surge. Except Cunning strike allows it more than once per turn. So say you use both every time, you have a just as powerful action surge 10 times/short rest assuming the 2 combats/short rest. With more time between rests it actually gets comparatively more powerful.

If it is more than once per turn then you have a really big issue. At level 20 you can spend 1 inspiration on cunning strike and 9 on cunning surge in the same turn making 10 attacks with 10d6 sa dmg in one turn for a whopping 100d6 ~ 350 dmg without weapon dmg or modifiers in one turn. This is more than twice as powerful as as Meteor for single target dmg and you can use the same thing every single combat.

Granted these are both restricted by needing an opponent to miss you in order for it to work, but a smart rogue will have ways of causing enemies to attack him and good enough defense that attacks will miss often enough.

I don't see how you're getting 20 times per short rest, even at 20th level this factotum only gains a maximum of 10 impulse points. Nevertheless, I restricted Cunning Surge to once per turn, specified that you must use a bonus action to use it, and raised the cost to 2 points.


A few points in no particular order:

Impulse
- Impulse - Not a huge deal but I'm not sure about this as a name, unfortunately inspiration is out because of the overlapping mechanic. I'm struggling to find something better though; possibly Impetus, Insight or Logic Points.
- Mechanical - At the beginning of each encounter, he gains a number of impulse points determined by his level (see Table 1–1). - An 'encounter' has always been poorly defined and it caused problems with the original Factotum class in 3.5 as well, the impuse mechanic should be reworked and rebalanced to function off of a short rest.

Fair point, I made some changes. Though looking at it, I'm wondering if the points should only refresh after a long rest. Also, I'm trying to find a new name, but impulse was the best I could find, because it's all about acting on impulsive inspiration.

Arcane Dilletante
- Terminology - you can mimic a spell as a spell-like ability. - 5e has no concept of "spell-like abilities". Creature spells fall under either Spellcasting or Innate Spellcasting.
- Spell List - sorcerer/wizard spell list These are no longer one spell list, it should say choose from either Sorcerer, Wizard or both spell lists.
- I would give them a cantrip choice or two as well, because it wont break the game and it's fun.
- Caster Level - Your caster level equals your level in this character class. 5e has no concept of 'spell level' only the spell level at which it is cast.

Good point, I fixed that. I decided to use the Wizard list, though I considered using the more restricted Sorcerer list instead. I also clarified that if you select a cantrip, it does not cost an impulse point to use.

- Cunning Knowledge - This is good! Though I would reword it thusly:

You can spend 1 impulse point bonus to add your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus.

Okay.

- Cunning Strike - This feels awkward mechanically, and the rogue does well enough getting it's sneak attack off without it and offers little to the overall package. I would replace this with Cunning Defence from the original 3.5 class - or something else - but I recommend removing cunning strike in it's current form as it's just wonky.

Cunning Defense is even more awkward - it's similar to the Dodge feat, which is already extremely dumb. I did make some changes though, to hopefully make it more clear, such as using a reaction to spend the impulse point.

- Cunning Surge - Staple of the Factotum arsenal - but it needs to be limited to 1/round for balance reasons; every sane DM back in 3.5 days imposed this limit anyway. I would also impose limitations on what you can do with this action, in the same vein as the 'haste' spell's extra action.

Something like this: One Attack, one cantrip or Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action.

Good call, though I'm unsure about the restrictions. It's meant to be like Action Surge, only gained at a much higher level and requiring impulse points to use, the cost of which I increased to two.

Theorycrafting: You choose the figher's Extra Attack (3 attacks per action at level 15) with Cunning Brilliance and use Cunning Surge every round. That's six attacks per round for as long as you have it - even without sneak attack it's absurd.

The same as the Fighter can use. But maybe I should restrict it to once per combat, also like the fighter's Extra Attack? It does require spending impulse points to use though....

- Cunning Brilliance - This should be a 17th level ability in keeping with the Rogue class progression.

Whoops! Fixed.

Another blast from the past; however classes have 'Features' not 'Abilities' in 5e. Further spellcasting needs to be excluded as it's technically a 'Feature', possibly invocations (7 invocations even for a minute is going to be tedious to work) and mystic arcanum.

Fixed - I specified that it cannot grant further spellcasting features.

Otherwise this nails the feel of the original factotum without taking it too far! I like it.

Thanks! I worked hard on it, and I continue to work hard on it.

There was so much to respond to that I replied within the quote - it would have been a lot of work to split it up into so many quote boxes. ^^;

clash
2016-10-06, 09:01 AM
I don't see how you're getting 20 times per short rest, even at 20th level this factotum only gains a maximum of 10 impulse points. Nevertheless, I restricted Cunning Surge to once per turn, specified that you must use a bonus action to use it, and raised the cost to 2 points.


Oh this is my mistake. For some reason I thought I read that impulse refreshes every combat which at 2 combats per short rest would give 20 times per short rest. I must have been thinking of the 3.5 factotum. Anyways at once per turn and for 2 points, a max of 5 times per short rest wont be an issue without the fighters iterative attacks. This looks better.

StarvingGamer
2016-10-07, 11:30 PM
I'm not sure I understand the mention of Cunning Action for Cunning Surge. Cunning Surge is providing you with the bonus action and Cunning Action doesn't grant you a second bonus action.

PotatoGolem
2016-10-07, 11:44 PM
7th level spells is way, way too high. That's three levels better than the AT, the designated caster rogue, and two better than actual half casters. Plus, as is, it seems you can cast up to six seventh level spells a day, which blows the wizard out of the water.

Hawkflight
2016-10-08, 12:02 AM
I'm not sure I understand the mention of Cunning Action for Cunning Surge. Cunning Surge is providing you with the bonus action and Cunning Action doesn't grant you a second bonus action.

No, but Cunning Action does grant you an extra "bonus action". I'm saying you can use this "bonus action" to spend the points, granting you an extra "action". I'm trying to phrase it to make it clear you can only do this on your turn, to prevent you from chaining multiple extra actions during a round.

StarvingGamer
2016-10-08, 12:16 AM
No, but Cunning Action does grant you an extra "bonus action". I'm saying you can use this "bonus action" to spend the points, granting you an extra "action". I'm trying to phrase it to make it clear you can only do this on your turn, to prevent you from chaining multiple extra actions during a round.

I'd recommend reading here: http://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/65407/in-dd-5e-does-the-rogues-cunning-action-allow-for-two-weapon-fighting
Or here: https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/33eg1w/cunning_action_interpretation/


BONUS ACTIONS
Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a bonus action. The Cunning Action feature, for example, allows a rogue to take a bonus action. You can take a bonus action only when a special ability, spell, or other feature of the game states that you can do something as a bonus action. You otherwise don’t have a bonus action to take.
You can take only one bonus action on your turn, so you must choose which bonus action to use when you have more than one available.
You choose when to take a bonus action during your turn, unless the bonus action’s timing is specified, and anything that deprives you of your ability to take actions also prevents you from taking a bonus action.

Hawkflight
2016-10-08, 01:33 AM
Ohhh, I see what you mean. Fixed.

Quintus Vorenus
2016-10-10, 08:46 AM
I realy like the way this is going. But i would make the folowing changes:


Cunning Surge:

Starting at 13th level, you learn to push yourself when needed. By spending 2 impulse points you can take an extra action during your turn. You may only use this feature once per turn.


That way it stays simple, besides keeping your bonus actions those not affect this abilities balance in any way.

Hawkflight
2016-10-10, 05:08 PM
I'll consider it. Though I'm a bit wary - I feel like using up your bonus action is a big balancing factor. What do other people think?

StarvingGamer
2016-10-13, 11:33 PM
Does Cunning Brilliance let you copy a Fighter's Extra Attack because it is a class feature available to a standard character class of 15th level or lower. At 20 that means for you can swing 8x per turn for 4 turns then 4x for another 6. Maybe that's fine, I don't know.

Amechra
2016-10-14, 12:24 AM
My two cents:

Why not just use Inspiration? Make their "thing" be stacking Inspiration, give them a few other ways to generate it, let them hold more, etc. Basically, approach the whole concept from scratch, rather than kludging 3.5's class features into a framework that doesn't match.

PapaQuackers
2016-10-14, 09:05 AM
Giving them ways to generate inspiration is ripe for abuse. Could just dip rogue and garner inspiration for its other numerous uses.