Base Requirements

• Races: Any
• Sub-Classes: Any
• Ability Requirements: Reason 13, Intuition 13, Leadership 11
• Alignments: Non-Chaotic
• Starting Cash: By class

Weapon Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Bonus Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Required Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Allowed Weapons: By class
• Allowed Armors: By class

Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class, plus Detection
• Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Information Gathering, Investigation, Law, Literacy
• Required Proficiencies: none
• Recommended Proficiencies: Alertness, Ancient History, Appraising, Camouflage, Direction Sense, Disguise, Fast-Talking, Heraldry, Intimidation, Intrigue, Local History, Meditative Focus, Modern Languages, Reading Lips, Religion, Research, Rope Use, Spellcraft, Tracking, Trailing.
• Forbidden Proficiencies: none

Overview: Investigators are dedicated to unraveling mysteries, seeking out creatures of darkness, determining fact from fable. Investigators research every imaginable rumor and old wives’ tale to gather information on criminals and creatures of the night. They are masters of research and analytical methodology, sifting through legends and gossip to chart the strengths and weaknesses of the creatures they seek. The investigator is not simply a scholar, but rather an intrepid adventurer who knows all too well that knowledge is power. The investigator sees research and information gathering as his best weapons against his foes.

Investigators often find themselves in the long-term employ of one organization or another. They may be hired by a town as a sheriff or peacekeeper. They may work for a thieves’ guild as a troubleshooter, tracking down freelancers encroaching the the guild’s turf. They may serve a temple as an inquisitor, ferreting out heretics within the ranks. Or they may serve a government as a spy or other intelligence gatherer. Wherever there is a mystery to be solved, one is likely to find an investigator involved.

A major difference between the investigator and the Bounty Hunter is that the investigator knows the law and acts under proper authority, points that are not necessarily true of the Bounty Hunter.

Description: Investigators working for a government or religious organization may have a uniform they are expected to wear. Freelance investigators tend to dress professionally-they keep their weapons, armor, and clothing clean and in good working order and tend to bathe more regularly than the average adventurer. Most investigators carry at least one concealed weapon on them at all times, as they tend to make quite a few enemies in their line of work.

Role-Playing: Investigators can play a number of roles. They may be private, their services for sale. Or they may be employed by a government or organization. In each case their skills and activities are similar, but their roles and attitudes may be divergent.

An Investigator may be a vigilante, obsessed with uncovering crime wherever it may be hiding, and stopping it. Or he may be the “private eye,” a mercenary sort, or retained by an individual or organization, and may be willing to sidestep laws to better serve his client. Some Investigators are of course in the employ of some government.

Investigators always strive to get their man-—or whatever sort of being it is they are hunting. A single-mindedness about this goal is required. Investigators work well with many sorts of beings so long as this goal is followed, and they don’t mind gathering up willing allies to set off in search of criminals. They are very particular about giving a good account of themselves and serving their employers. In this, they are as dangerous and dogged as Bounty Hunters. Indeed, they have no qualms about killing their quarry if there is no other way to bring a being back for justice.

The solving of a complex crime can serve admirably to draw an investigator into an adventure. In a party, the investigator is a source of valuable knowledge about the forces arrayed against the party. He can provide important warnings and clues to help characters survive and can easily sift through rumors to discover where a particular treasure or enemy resides. The investigator is often a leader, or at least a trusted adviser to an adventuring party. An investigator often provides direction for a campaign, as he is always seeking out some criminal, mystery, or a particular piece of knowledge and will travel far and wide to do so.

Special Abilities:

• The investigator gets a +4 bonus on NPC reactions when dealing with officials involved in law enforcement (magistrates, city guards, town sheriffs, noble lords, etc.)
• An investigator’s experience in dealing with criminals and deceitful practices have made him very cynical and cautious, and he dislikes being taken advantage of. The investigator can make an Intuition to know if someone is telling him a lie. This ability can be used once per round, with failure indicating that the investigator does not know the truth from a lie (though he can still figure it out with detective work). If undetectable lie or similar magic is used, the investigator can be fooled but still has his detective work to back him up.
• Because of his extensive research and study, an investigator has a chance of knowing some lore about any supernatural or magical creature. With a successful Knowledge check, the investigator knows something off the top of his head. If the investigator is able to study in a library or ask questions in a city for at least eight hours, this check is made with a +2 bonus. The exact information gained is up to the DM and is usually in the form of ancient legends, the obscure ramblings of madmen, or local hearsay, rather than carefully organized data, but will be generally accurate.
• Investigators spend so much time sorting fact from fiction they they begin to identify useful rumors by instinct. Whenever an investigator hears a legend or rumor, he can make an Intuition check to instinctively know whether it contains useful information or a grain of truth. This roll is made secretly by the DM, and the player is told what rumors (if any) his character thinks are particularly relevant.
• The investigator gains a +2 bonus to avoid being surprised from his great caution. This applies against all ambushes, backstabbing attempts, and other surprise attacks, and is cumulative with the bonus from the Alertness proficiency.

Special Disadvantages:

• An investigator must spend at least two hours every night writing his own notes and studying the works of others in his field. Failure to do so results in the loss of the kit’s benefits until study and writing can again be undertaken.

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