Investigator
In the shadows of intrigue and mystery, the Investigator emerges as the master of deduction and perception. Armed with keen observational skills, they excel in piecing together clues, profiling suspects, and untangling the threads of complex crimes.
With a discerning eye, the Investigator creates a mental profile of suspects, extracting vital details from eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence. Their ability to gather information proves invaluable, granting them a +2 advantage in uncovering additional evidence and tracking down elusive culprits.
Contacts play a crucial role in the Investigator's network, providing valuable information and services. Cultivating these associates takes time, and each contact comes with unique skills and expertise. Although the Investigator cannot call on the same contact frequently, their connections offer insights that money alone cannot buy.
As they advance, the Investigator sharpens their skills, gaining the ability to deal nonlethal force expertly. When apprehending foes, they can opt for a nonlethal approach, subduing opponents without compromising their effectiveness.
The Investigator becomes a master of discerning truth from falsehood. By reading facial expressions and interpreting body language, they can gauge the veracity of others' words. While it doesn't reveal the complete truth, their discernment helps them navigate deception with ease.
At the pinnacle of their career, the Investigator's sixth sense becomes legendary. When using specific skills like Gather Information, Investigate, Listen, Research, Search, and Spot, they harness a profound intuition. Spending action points enhances their capabilities, allowing them to add an extra 1d6 to skill check results, ensuring they seldom overlook vital clues.
Armed with razor-sharp perception, a network of contacts, and an uncanny ability to unravel mysteries, the Investigator is an indomitable force of justice. They navigate complex webs of intrigue, shedding light on the darkest secrets and restoring order in the face of chaos. Their intellect and instincts make them a formidable ally in the pursuit of truth and the unmasking of wrongdoers.
Advanced Class
INVESTIGATOR
Requirements
To qualify to become an Investigator, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +2.
Skills: Investigate 6 ranks, Listen 6 ranks, Sense Motive 6 ranks.
Class Information
The following information pertains to the Investigator advanced class.
Hit Die: 1d6
Action Points: 6 + one-half character level, rounded down, every time the Investigator attains a new level in this class.
Class Skills
The Investigator’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha), Computer Use (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Drive (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Investigate (Int), Knowledge (behavioral sciences, civics, current events, streetwise) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Read/_Write Language (none), Research (Int), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (none), Spot (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 5 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following features pertain to the Investigator advanced class.
Profile
By making a Gather Information check (DC 15) when talking to witnesses of a crime, the Investigator compiles a rough mental picture of the suspect. This mental picture provides a physical description, including distinguishing markings and visible mannerisms. Success makes the profile accurate, at least concerning a particular suspect as seen by witnesses. (For this Gather Information check, no money changes hands.)
The Investigator can expand the profile by making an Investigate check (DC 15) involving the crime scene or other evidence linked to the suspect. If successful, the Investigator combines eyewitness accounts with forensic evidence to develop a profile of the suspect’s method of operation. This provides a +2 circumstance bonus on any skill checks made to uncover additional evidence or otherwise locate and capture the suspect.
Contact
An Investigator of 2nd level or higher cultivates associates and informants. Each time the Investigator gains a contact, the GM should develop a supporting character to represent the contact. The player can suggest the type of contact his or her character wants to gain, but the contact must be an ordinary character, not a heroic character.
A contact will not accompany an Investigator on missions or risk his or her life. A contact can, however, provide information or render a service (make a specific skill check on the Investigator’s behalf).
At 2nd level, the Investigator gains a low-level contact, at 5th level a mid-level contact, and at 8th level a high-level contact.
The Investigator can’t call on the same contact more than once in a week, and when he or she does call on a contact, compensation may be required for the assistance the contact renders. In general, a professional associate won’t be compensated monetarily, but instead will consider that the Investigator owes him or her a favor. Contacts with underworld or street connections usually demand monetary compensation for the services they render, and experts in the use of skills normally want to be paid for the services they provide.
For underworld or street contacts, this expense is represented by a Wealth check against a purchase DC of 10 for the low-level contact, 15 for the mid-level contact, or 20 for the high-level contact. For skilled experts, the purchase DC is 10 + the ranks the expert has in the appropriate skill.
Bonus Feats
At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the Investigator gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected from the following list, and the Investigator must meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.
Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (light), Armor Proficiency (medium), Brawl, Defensive Martial Arts, Dodge, Double Tap, Educated, Knockout Punch, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot.
Nonlethal Force
At 4th level, an Investigator becomes adept at using nonlethal force to subdue an opponent. From this point on, he or she can deal nonlethal damage with a weapon that normally deals lethal damage (if he or she so chooses) without taking the normal –4 penalty on the attack roll.
Discern Lie
At 7th level, an Investigator develops the ability to gauge whether another character is telling the truth by reading facial expressions and interpreting body language. The Investigator must be able to see and hear (but not necessarily understand) the individual under scrutiny.
With a successful Sense Motive check opposed by the subject’s Bluff check result or against DC 10 (whichever is greater), the Investigator can tell whether the subject is deliberately and knowingly speaking a lie. This ability doesn’t reveal the truth, uncover unintentional inaccuracies, or necessarily reveal omissions in information.
Sixth Sense
At 10th level, an Investigator becomes so attuned at solving mysteries that he or she finds a way to put two and two together and rarely misses a clue. Whenever the Investigator spends 1 action point to improve the result of a skill check made using certain skills (see below), the Investigator gets to add an additional 1d6 to the result.
The skills that sixth sense applies to are Gather Information, Investigate, Listen, Research, Search, and Spot.