The Investigator’s Grand Turnabout: N. Jolly’s guide-addendum to the Pathfinder Investigator
“The truth it something different to everyone, and to me, it means making sure justice is served. I wouldn’t be very good at my job if I settled for anything less than the absolute truth, now would I?” Laura Esttse, detective in training and local hero
1. Table of Content and Rating System
1. Table of Content and Rating System
2. Introduction, Thoughts, and Roles
3. Abilities, Races, and Traits
4. Class Abilities and Skills
6. Feats
7. Extracts
8. Archetypes and Multiclassing
9. Mundane and Magical Items
10. Sample Builds
Rating System
Black (?): This option for one reason or another cannot be rated
Red (*): This option is to be avoided unless you want a challenge
Orange (**): This is an okay option, but you can do better
Green (***): This is a good option, and worth considering
Blue (****): This is a solid option, it’s hard to do much better
Purple (*****): A class defining option, this should not be ignored
2. Introduction, Thoughts, and Roles
“And here I’d thought we were never going to see that artifact again, thought it was lost in those tombs for all eternity. Crazy to think that with a few clues and a sharp mind, someone could find it in a week. Guess I’ll have to watch out before calling something ‘impossible’ again, now won’t I?” Aven Karth, elven scholar and curator of the Helta Nol museum of elven history
Introduction
Hello again, and welcome to a whole new guide from me. I’ve been meaning on getting on this guide for quite a while, as this class is a subset of my favorite class, the Alchemist. New guide, new theme, just like you’d all want. There’s a lot of things that I like about this class, and there’s a lot I plan on discussing, but this guide is going to have a little section about my thoughts regarding the class as well, since there’s some things I want to get out of the way first. There will also be comparisons between the Alchemist and Investigator in this guide as well, since the two are very closely tied both mechanically and thematically...I may also mock the Rogue.
Also some of you may not consider this a ‘true’ guide, as there’s going to be quite a bit of borrowing from my Alchemist guide, mostly because the two overlap so much. This is intentional, and while I’ll try to cover new material where it comes up, I don’t want to tread a lot of the same topics with new ways of saying old things. The two are very similar, and where I can, I’ll be linking to that guide to save space as well as effort for myself.
Once again, I’ve got discussion threads on Paizo and Giant in the Playground, so feel free to chime in there, and let me know if there’s anything you want to see added. Also feel free to donate here, I might be doing something where if I get enough donations, I’ll be including people’s characters in my guides flavor text, or maybe straight out doing guides on request. Keep an eye out for stuff I’ve got planned.
Thoughts about the Investigator (Level Requirement: 3rd/4th)
Okay, this part may seem odd, but for those of you who’ve read my Alchemist Guide, there was a section in Archetypes that stated there was a level requirement to get the most out of the archetype. In the same way, I actually want to say that the Investigator class as a whole has this same hurdle. I personally believe that this class doesn’t REALLY take off until you hit 4th level, and in a game that won’t have 4th or higher level play, I would actually probably avoid this class. This is just me being critical about the class design, but a lot of the class really takes off then. I could be less critical, and place it at 3rd, since that’s your first Investigator talent, but 4th is where things really kick off.
This isn’t to say that you can’t play and have fun with a lower level investigator, you still get Inspiration and Alchemy at 1st level which the class uses well, but 2nd level is very lackluster, and you only really start to feel like an Investigator at 3rd/4th level. It’s sad and I don’t like the design of it at all, but for official play, this is what you’ll be stuck with, so make your decision on what you’ll play based on that. For 1-3 level games, I’d stick with an Alchemist, since you’ll feel more like your concept immediately. This is just a suggestion though, and take it with a grain of salt.
For those who aren’t playing official, I’d suggest the following changes to the class:
To me, these changes will greatly enhance low level play for this class, allowing it to more easily fit the niche that it is designed to meet. Overall this is still a very solid and fun class to play, but this is a guide as much to have fun with the class as it is to be good with it, and I feel these changes would improve that enjoyment.
Roles
Unlike the Alchemist, the Investigator isn’t anything special with ranged combat (thanks Rogue half), which really limits their roles in combat. But where they lack in ranged combat, they are quite solid in melee, managing to buff their melee potential. You CAN get Ranged Study to make up for that, but I still don’t feel without Steel Hound that going ranged is really worth it.
Melee Striker
Your Investigator can actually do a good bit of damage in melee, and without the assistance of a flank. Studied Combat helps buff your accuracy to the point where you should be good at landing hits, even if you are a bit MAD to do it. Investing in making yourself more accurate is always worth it though, as it makes your big finish of Studied Strike all the more likely to hit, and you should really only be finishing people off with that. The only big decision you need to make with this is if you want to go Strength or Dex based. Extracts help make you a combat MONSTER, which always helps your bottom line, and are generally better for Strength Investigators.
Strength vs. Dexterity: This is a hard call, since either one is a viable choice. Pros of Dex include higher AC, Init, Reflex save, and Str as a dumpstat. Pros of Str include not needing feats/magic items to pull it off, more versatile weapon selection, and better use of extracts, since most transformations focus on boosting Str.
In the end it’s your call, but realize that either one is as viable as the other.
Team Buffer
While you need Infusion to do this (boo, hiss), you have the same advantage of the Alchemist, which is giving buffs to your party that normally can’t be shared. Use this to your advantage, make sure you pass these awesome buffs off to the party members who need them, and give them a reason to love you. You’re a buff machine, you can heal, and you’ve got access to Alchemist only extracts like Touch Injection, which also gives you access to some of their cruel tricks (like using Touch Injection with Skinsend). You’re the hero of the party without swinging even once, how does it feel?
Social Butterfly
With 6 skill points and social skills already baked into your package, you’re able to chat up kings, queens, and everyone else in a position of power. Probably the worst thing about this role is your utter lack of need for Charisma, but with a single trait, Student of Philosophy, you can hobnob with the best of them just due to how smart you are.
Ranged Striker
There’s a feat tax to this (technically two, with Weapon Focus), but if you’re going this, you’re doing it Steel Hound, and the two are actually really nice together. It’s a decent style to pick, but you’ll be down some feats from the early game, especially since you can’t get Weapon Focus at 1st level (although you could retrain…)
3. Abilities, Races, and Traits
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an orc as smart as that Beow lady. Last time she was in here, she haggled me down to 40 gold for 200 gold worth of product, and I thought I was getting the better deal. Last time I sell to someone with that big a smile on their face.” Haesh Tenfo, former owner of the ‘Setting Sun’ alchemy shop
This is how you’ll be starting off your character, the basics of whom they are and what they do. A lot of choices here will stick with you your entire adventuring career, so it’s important to shape your character to the best of your ability. Make sure you stay true to your vision of the character you want to play, but at the same time, be sure to make sure their power level is in line with the campaign that you’re playing in.
Abilities
Stren (***)gth (*) For those of you going with a strength based melee build, this is very important. Accuracy is key, and damage is a nice bonus too. But it loses value if you’re going dex based, since you don’t need any strength at all. This stat is variable, and discussed above, but it will never be your most important stat.
Constitution (***) Fortitude is a bad save for you, you only have a d8 hit die, and you want to live. This should be a secondary stat concern, and a good con stat will greatly improve the survivability of your character.
Dexte (****)rity (**) For those of you going with a dexterity based melee build, this is probably your most important stat. It’d even give you a good shot with ranged weapons, although they’re not your best bet. But if not, it’s still not a dump stat. AC, reflex, and init are based on this, and you don’t want to be taking penalties. Plus it’s the best way to go Steel Hound, your only real ranged option.
Intelligence (****) Helps your Studied Combat and your extracts, the amount of extracts you can prepare, as well as your Inspiration pool, which is a big part of the class. Extracts are GREAT, and you should want as many as you can get, plus it helps you play the part of a genius.
Wisdom (**) You have a good will save, so aside from perception and sense motive, this isn’t really the most helpful stat. Aside from keeping it out of the negatives, you’ve no reason to be a wise old owl.
Charisma (*) You’re smart, you don’t need to be pretty. Student of Philosophy covers most real uses of charisma, so sink this one into the negatives without fear, you’ve got more important stats to worry about.
Favored Class Bonus: For everyone but elves and half elves, HP is the easy call. The pointy eared crowd has a nice favored class bonus which amps up inspiration, which is always a good decision.
Races
Another important step, you need a race, and you need one that works for you. What we’re looking for here is boost to our vital stats. I’ll be judging them on max potential, not splitting them for str/dex builds, although it should be obvious which help with strength or dex.
Core
Dwarf (**) While a con and wisdom bonus is nice, the movement speed is meh. But Hardy is at least still a nice trait to consider.
Elf (****) Dex investigator are going to enjoy a lot about this race, but losing some con isn’t great. Even strength Investigators will enjoy getting a longsword as a weapon. Their favored class bonus is also a very solid option, as more inspiration is always better.
Gnomes (*) Gnomes can’t do investigation, don’t ask them, it will end in sadness.
Halfling (**) A decent choice for dex investigators, a few nice racials, but there’s more solid picks out there.
Half Elves (****) Flexible racials make this a win all around, and a few of the alternative traits really help with whatever you’re trying to build here. Favored class is strong here too, as making inspiration better is solid.
Half Orc (***) Slightly worse than Half Elves, but there’s still a lot here, including free Endurance and nice weapon profs to help you along with your not stellar starting choices.
Human (****) Humans will always be awesome, no doubt. Flexible stats, free feat, skill points, it’s all perfect for you and whatever you need to do.
Featured Races
Aasimar (****) Like Tieflings, you have a lot of variants you can pick from to really customize this race, which is always a bonus. There’s bound to be at least one stat set you like, and with no penalties either.
Drow (***) Another dex fellow, and helpful if you don’t want to tank charisma.
Orc (***) Strength investigators are going to like that +4, even if it comes with a painful -2 to int. The weapon profs are still golden, and there’s some nice orc only stuff you can pick up pretty easily.
Oread (***) Solid stats for a strength investigator, and some of the racial trades can really buff you up.
Ratfolk (****) For the more wily of you, ratfolk can make very solid dex characters, having near perfect racials for it, enjoying small size to the fullest, and some very nice skill bonuses for your most enjoyed skills.
Skinwalker (*****) There's going to be at least one flavor of Skinwalker you enjoy, from the +Int/Dex Bloodmarked to the +Str/Int Scaleheart, and of course the possible 6 natural attack capable Ragebred. There's so much variety and versatility, and they all come with great traits.
Tengu (****) Good racials with some great racial abilities make this a strong choice, and adding weapons to your roster can’t hurt, even though a great tengu should be natural attacking.
Tiefling (*****)Perfect racials that are easily swapped, great racial traits to be swapped, and just looking sweet as hell makes this probably one of the best choices you can make, just make sure to get a tail.
Uncommon and Other Races
A note here, these aren’t exactly ‘normal’ races, so you might want to make sure you get GM approval before playing anything here, since they may not fit your GM’s view of their world.
Lashunta (****) Males pick up +2str/int, which is awesome. You also get limited telepathy, which is pretty exclusive, all in all making these ugly fugs some strong investigators.
Lizardfolk (*****) The best non skinwalker strength investigator, 3 natural attacks with +2 natural armor and +2str/con adjustments makes you a melee monster, all others need not apply.
Vanara (***) These primates have decent enough racials, a tail which is always nice, and are quite good at knowledge skills, which should be something you strive to be as well.
Strix (***) A fly speed to start with (and a pretty good one at that) is a huge bonus to start off with, and their racials don't conflict with anything you want.
Wyvaran (****) The only dragon race of the bunch, this is another flying race with slightly better stat adjustments in place of worse speed and maneuverability. Sadly the tail can't be used to grab items or else this would be purple, but it can make AOOs at full strength bonus, which is often a pretty solid amount.
Traits
Traits for an investigator should be used less for skills and more for neat little abilities, as investigators already have quite a robust skill list. You don’t need to expand upon it much, and you’d be better off getting minor bonuses to other things as opposed to working on your skill list. Consider things that switch skills for intelligence to get your stats working even harder for you, as well as anything that’ll help raise your survivability. Remember that weak fort save of yours, and don’t neglect ways to strengthen it in case of a random streak of bad luck.
Also make sure you get your traits approved by your GM, since some of the suggested ones below can be very powerful, and you don’t want to upset the balance of your game. As always, remember that you’re playing WITH your GM, and not against them.
Since I’ve covered traits already for alchemist, rather than rehashing it here, I’ll just link to that section, as for the most part, the traits hold equal value to both, aside from bomb ones and such. While some of the information doesn’t sync up perfectly (some class skills you’ll already have, and you won’t have bombs, although you could get a mutagen), the information is pretty close to the same for both of them, as both have a lot of similar focuses, and can be played in very similar ways.
Rather in this section, I’ll talk about a few traits that I think are especially good for Investigators, since I don’t want this to just be a dead section. The category of the trait will be after the name of it.
Accelerated Drinker (****) (Combat) You like potions just as much as an alchemist, and getting more inside of you will always help you. A lot better once you have Studied Combat down to a swift action though.
Reactionary (****) (Combat) This is really for ALL initiative boosting traits, going first makes a big difference in a lot of fights, it lets you get in on opponents a lot faster. That can make or break a close encounter.
Pragmatic Activator (****) (Magic) You’ve got Rogue in your blood, and Rogues love tricking magic items. This is a very solid call, and abuses that massive intellect of yours.
Adopted (****) (Social) Being adopted is great, you get whatever racial trait you want, and racial traits can be pretty impressive. Consider being dropped off on a doorstep for your next character.
Bruising Intellect (****) (Social) If you want to be a bully and scare people, this will be what you use to do it, as it makes your smarts scare people, which it probably already should.
Student of Philosophy (****) (Social) This is GOLD for you, basing two charisma skills off of intelligence. While there’s some minor limitations in its use, it’s perfect for making you a social butterfly.
Tusked (****) (Racial-Orc) A bite attack is really nice for you since you’ll be in melee anyways, it’s basically a free attack whenever you want it, so feel free to give people a little nibble.
Second Chance (*****) (Religion) Probably THE best trait in the game, easily worth picking up for anyone.
Defensive Strategist (*****) (Religion) Basically Uncanny Dodge in a trait, and great for slower Investigators who might not be winning initiative all the time.
Fashionable (****) (Faction) This is a plus to 3 different social skills, and making one of them a class skill. As long as you’re dressed to the nines, you’ll be getting a great buff to your skill set.
Sword Scion (****) (Campaign) Picking up a free longsword is nice, but the +1 to attack rolls permanently is what makes this worth looking at, since accuracy is the name of the game, and longswords are a good weapon.
Finding Haleen (*****) (Campaign) If your GM says this trait is banned, don’t argue. It’s too good, and you shouldn’t need one this hype. +1 HP and skill point a level on top of favored class is just too good.
4. Class Abilities and Skills
“Never trust a man with a vocabulary bigger than his mouth. Deals with people like that always go south, always finding out things they’re not supposed to, and before you know it, you’ve got a target on your back and enough secrets to drown anyone fool enough to know you.” Rojo Blanca, spymaster and national terrorist
Now we’re hitting the biggest turning point between the Alchemist and the Investigator, the class abilities. While there’s quite a few they share, the ones they don’t are the ones that define this class the most. It’s here where you’re deciding between an Alchemist or an Investigator the most, and it’s also here where you’re looking at what to trade out for other features. I’m not in love with a lot of Investigator archetypes, but I’ll do my best to rate everything as fairly as I can.
Alchemy (*****) THIS IS SO GOOD, NEVER GET RID OF THIS EVER! Holy god, this is the best thing about you, by far. Extracts are amazing, they are so versatile and give you so much additional power and utility that you’d have to have a GREAT reason to want to get rid of this class feature. All archetypes that get rid of this are RED by default due to how amazing this is (except one.) Seriously, never underestimate extracts. The other benefit of making alchemical items faster is nice too, especially if you’re a Hybrid Funnel junkie like myself.
Inspiration (****) Barely blue, but this is the kind of ability that you’ll be using your Talents to buff, as eventually Inspiration can be a deadly tool. It’s helpful at first though, mostly to push your near successes to where you need them to be, and is a nice buffer zone, although it’s really expensive to use on attacks at first.
Trapfinding (**) This is as situational an ability as it’s always been, so if you can trade it out, don’t feel bad about it, since it’s really just a trait away, and some games you won’t even notice it’s gone.
Poison Lore (*) It’s better than Use Poison, but that was a low bar in the first place. This is prime trade bait for archetypes, so don’t hesitate to get rid of it if you have the chance.
Poison Resistance (*) Again, an easy trade out due to how little this matters, although your low fort save is more of an issue, so it at least has a little more use if you decide to keep it.
Investigator Talents (****) You will need these, and since you’re not taking ranged styles (which eats feats), a lot of your feats should be based on getting more of these. There’s really no reason why not to stock up on them, since they help make your inspiration better, as well as make you better at your job. Probably your second best class feature behind Alchemy, and helps make Inspiration into a terrifying thing.
Keen Recollection (**) This is okay during the early game, but by about 4th/5th level, it really drops off, as knowledge DCs are getting more competitive, and you can’t get buy on just a lucky roll.
Trap Sense (*) It shouldn’t be hard to find and disable traps, miniscule bonuses to avoiding them don’t help.
Studied Combat (****) Studied Combat is what an Investigator uses to get around their 3/4ths BAB. The boost to accuracy and damage is very nice though, and considering a 16 int, which isn’t at all uncommon, it will last for 3 rounds, more than enough for most combats. While it’s still a little on the weak side for a combat buff, it does let you end it with a bang. A little sad that it doesn’t work twice in a day against the same target without burning Inspiration, but it’s still a solid boost to accuracy and damage.
Studied Strike (**) This...could be better. It only works on one attack, the damage is pretty low for most of the game, and it ends Studied Combat, which by numbers, will end up adding WAY more damage with both the damage buff and accuracy increase. Sure it’s good on the last attack of your Studied Combat, but it’s just not great on it’s own, really serving as more of a parting gift of your awesome accuracy. It does get better with talents, but most of the talents are really late game, too late for most of us to get a lot of use from them.
Swift Alchemy (**) The item creation speed buff is really what I like here, as poison is not great to put on weapons anyways. There’s far better ways to poison than with a weapon, so enjoy your fast tanglefoot bags.
Poison Immunity (**) More useful than a flat bonus, and serves you decently as a defense against something you’re pretty weak to, so while it won’t come up often, it’s nice enough to have in your back pocket.
True Inspiration (***) It’s a capstone, it’s not great, but if you’re here, you’re making 6th level extracts and tearing open reality, so you’re not really too occupied with being a skill monster. Still, if you were in love with skills before this, you’ll be incredible at them now.
Skills
You’re a skill monkey, this is something you do well, and with Inspiration, you should be able to accomplish a lot if you set your mind to it. It’s good to make a solid use of your skills when you can, since there’s quite a few that are better in your hands than anyone else's. With 6 skill points a level with an intelligence focused class, you’re hard pressed to find yourself lacking for skill points, making you better at skills than basically any other class, especially with the ways you can inspire yourself to use them better.
Acrobatics (***) This can help with your mobility early game, although drops off in use unless you work at it, especially dex investigators.
Appraise (**) It has its use, but magic is generally better at this. Nice for not needing a spell though.
Bluff (***) I do like this, but Diplomacy is still king here, since telling the truth is often better than lying, and has longer lasting consequences. Bluff is good in a pinch though, just don’t make it your default.
Climb (*) Yeah, you’ll be flying soon enough, leave this one behind.
Craft (***) Craft Alchemy is a goldmine for you, and lets you make plenty of fun toys that will stay relevant for far longer than you’d think. Make sure to invest in this, as Alchemy actually adds to this as well.
Diplomacy (****) The default social skill. Try to use this instead of bluff whenever you can, as it’s very hard to be ‘caught in the truth’ as opposed to caught in a lie.
Disable Device (***) You’re part Rogue, you should act like it, and this can be used for a few different things, making it a decently versatile skill.
Disguise (**) You have magic, so this isn’t that vital, although even magic doesn't give you a perfect disguise.
Escape Artist (**) A decent ‘just in case’ skill, this is tertiary in your skill concerns.
Heal (**) You’ll need this to actually investigate bodies and do forensics and such, and the other uses of it can be okay in a low magic game where you don’t have access to ways to heal poisons early.
Intimidate (***) I personally like this in combat more than out of it, since you can scare someone into a debuff which isn’t too hard. Out of combat, it’s just a way to make enemies.
Knowledge (ALL) (****) All knowledge skills is really nice, since it lets you tailor yourself to how you want the game to run. It gives you a chance to always know what’s up, especially if your GM lets you know how things are going to go setting wise. You could easily pick up two of these with how many skills points you have.
Linguistics (**) Another rainy day skills, but not one you’ll need often enough to pump. You could probably just use magic for the same effect with no real problems.
Perception (*****) Most important skill in the game, max it all the time.
Perform (*) While I’m a big fan of it, most of you won’t want to play for change, and you’ve got other skills that are far better at making you money than this. Solely a ‘fun’ skill
Profession (*) See above.
Sense Motive (***) As a social character, you want to be aware of when you’re being lied to, which makes this beauty far more important. Keep it maxed if you plan on being the party face.
Sleight of Hand (**) While a cool skill, this one is far more likely to get you into trouble than most other skills, making it a risk. But it is fun as hell, which makes it worth it for that reason alone. This skill really depends on the kind of character that you want to build, so choose wisely when to use it.
Spellcraft (***) This skill will rarely be useless, nice for inscribing things into your formulae book as well as identifying spells and potions, always a strong pick.
Stealth (***) You’re good at being sneaky, this will make you great at it. Better for small characters, but anyone can benefit from it easily as long as you’re not too large.
Use Magic Device (*****) There’s a lot of fun in pretending to be a mage, and tricking magic items into thinking you’re one is aces. This gives you access to all sorts of fun toys, and toys should be a large amount of what you do.
All in all, you are a skill hero, and it’s important to make use of your skills to the best of your ability. Make sure to discuss with your party and GM which skills you’ll need and which ones you can skip out on to avoid stepping on anyone else’s toes. You have the ability to make pretty much any kind of skill focused character you want, so feel free to branch out a bit and try out different things, really explore your character’s limits.
5. Investigator Talents
“She didn’t beat me with a sword, that would have been fine. That crazy lady came in and beat me with words, got me so shook up I couldn’t help but tell her everything. Never seen someone do that kinda word magic, must have been a witch or something…” Lame Lep, member of the 3 footed crow crime syndicate
This is where we’re hitting stride for what makes your Ace Investigator really work. You’re now starting to feel like a real investigator, and you’re even ready for your own cravat! All investigators have one, and you’re not a real investigator until you get one. A lot of your talents will help make you better at what you want to focus in, whether it be social, perception, or combat. Make sure you take care, since you really don’t get enough talents to do more than one or two things at most, especially early game.
Some talents are restricted to certain levels, and if there is such a restriction, it will be placed in front of the talent in question. Any talent that requires you to have another talent will also be placed next to the prerequisite to make it easier to find.
Studied Strike/Combat Talents
Note: You can only apply one ‘strike’ talent to any Studied Strike at a time. The DC for all ‘strike’ talents is 10+int mod+½ Investigator level.
17th Blinding Strike (**) Man, this would be SO much better earlier and without this short a duration. By 17th level, things have true sight and blindsight and all sorts of other nice ways to see you without using their eyes. This is such a too little, too late effect. Although it could be useful if you’re in a heavily human based game.
19th Confusing Strike (***) Another needlessly late talent, but it has an effect on a passed save which is nice, but it’s not entirely likely that you’ll be facing opponents who are vulnerable to confusion by 19th level, making this a pretty iffy addition to your strike team.
5th Domino Effect (***) This is probably the best ‘strike’ you can get and you can also obtain it very early as well, at least as far as strikes go, as it’s a flat damage multiplier against multiple opponents that doesn’t require that you burn your strike right away, making for a nice combo effect.
15th Deafening Strike (*) Also needlessly late, and deafening doesn’t even hurt a lot. Sure if you get a mage with it, it’ll kinda mess up their spellcasting, but if you can actually hit a mage, they’re probably dead anyways.
13th Prolonged Study (**) More time for Studied Combat is nice (not sure why this can’t be combined with other things), but by this point you’ll probably have 18 int, and most combats don’t last longer than that, especially with one opponent you need to focus on. It’s good if you have drawn out battles, but comes late.
13th Repositioning Strike (*) Oh wow, I get to attempt a combat maneuver no one takes anyways? And no bonus on it, so I’m making it with my janky 3/4ths BAB? Good thing I had to wait for 13th level for all this power!
5th Sapping Offense (***) This is actually some nice denial right here, stopping the target from making AOOs for a round without blowing your Strike, this is actually worth the time to help other party members make their way into position, a real team ability that lets you keep your Studied Combat bonuses.
7th Sickening Offensive (****) Even one round of sickening is good, and seeing as you can keep landing blows to give them penalties, this is a very solid use of your talent.
13th Stealing Strike (*) While cool in theory, you can rob whatever you’re fighting after you knock it out/kill it, so you don’t need to preemptively steal from it most of the time. For when you do, you’ll probably have a more dedicated offensive way to steal instead of blowing your strike for a flat CMB check with your 3/4ths BAB.
7th Slowing Strike (*) While I want to like this more, the slowdown isn’t enough, and you’d probably want to slow them with your first hit for it to really matter, which means you’re no longer getting your Studied Combat bonuses to attack and damage. All that for a chance of slowing someone isn’t the best use of your time.
3rd Timed Strike (**) While not bad, the amount of damage this adds will probably only be 2-4, which for the potential of your strikes is actually pretty low. It’s okay, but just not up to par with other options.
9th Toppling Strike (**) This barely scores higher, since tripping is great to do, but it suffers from the same problem as most of the other ‘strike’ talents, in that it makes you want to strike early when you should be saving it for a last hit to get the most from your Studied Combat bonuses.
Alchemist Discoveries
Note: Alchemist discoveries are listed at the lowest possible level you can obtain them, and while you can’t gain feats at 6th/12th/16th level, you can retrain feats if your GM has allowed that option in your game, allowing you to gain these talents earlier than you normally would.
3rd Combine Extracts (*) Not really a great choice, as an Admixture Vial can do this for only 5k, which is a steal for being able to buy a talent.
3rd Concentrate Poison (**) This could be higher, except you have the golden standard of making poison work, which makes this discovery redundant unless you’re not hitting 7th level.
12th Dilution (***) This is better for Alchemist who can make their own potions, but isn’t bad for you, as it does give you some more magic for less gold. Pretty solid for potion junkies though.
16th Elixir of Life (***) This is slightly better for you instead of Alchemist, as you don’t get Philosopher's Stone to make infinite money. While I think getting Determination on your armor/shield is a better call, this is still an (expensive) 1-up in a bottle, and should be treated as such.
3rd Enhance Potion (***) This is pretty nice for low level potions that get better with higher CLs, which there are a few that you can pick up. Nothing too great, but another potion junkie special.
3rd Extend Potion (**) This is kinda weak by itself, although not terrible. But as for with the Alchemist, you’re really only picking this up so you can eventually get…
16th Eternal Potion (*****) It’s as good as it sounds, get it ASAP, it’s perfect and amazing.
3rd Infusion (****) This is a talent tax, plain and simple. There is no reason these shouldn’t be useable with your party already, this is just a needless hurdle to eat up your resources. Although it’s incredible and you want it right now, no doubt. You’ll NEED it to be a team player as well as to pull of some nice tricks.
3rd Mutagen (****) I honestly think it’s unfair you can get both this AND Studied Combat at the same time, and if there wasn’t SO many things fighting for your first talent (and second if you’re using a feat), this would be the instant go to. A stat buff, an AC buff, and a long duration for a renewable resource is just incredible.
6th Poison Conversion (****) If you’re going to use poisons, this is how you do it. There’s too much to cover in this section alone, so please check out the Poison Primer in my Alchemist guide to find out just how you can play a master poisoner. Note that you WILL need this discovery to do so, it is the backbone of the poisoner.
Rogue Talents
Note: I literally can’t bring myself to rate these, they’re all terrible. This section is specifically dedicated to telling you to avoid them at all cost. You could take just about anything else, and it’d be better than these garbage talents. While we’re here, if you haven’t already, check out Phoenix Wright, it’s a really fun game with a great cast of characters, and it’s a long running series, giving you a chance to really bond with them. Even give Apollo Justice a try, it’s just as fun as the others, and Apollo is a fine lead character.
Other Talents
7th Amazing Inspiration (***) You like Inspiration, and this makes it better. Anything that buffs your odds of succeeding, especially when it’s dire enough to need Inspiration, is worth it.
3rd Applied Engineering (**) While it’s fun in concept, I can’t see this being useful too often, making it just sort of an interesting talent without much use, especially with it requiring Inspiration to work.
9th Combat Inspiration (***) I seriously feel like this comes too late, but it’s solid if you’re using Inspiration in combat a lot, which is a good place to use it.
19th Combat Inspiration, Greater (****) This feels like a capstone, and actually combos really well with your capstone, making this an easy choice for your last talent.
3rd Device Talent For UMD junkies, this is awesome, since it gives you free Inspiration on all UMD checks.
3rd Effortless Aid (**) Aiding isn’t really great, but it’s nice if you have nothing else to do with your turn, and making it a swift action basically trades a point of Inspiration for a +2 to a friend.
9th Eidetic Recollection (***) Another that’s late, knowledge checks are important to pass, and this gets better the more knowledges you took. Plus a natural 20 on an important knowledge check is worth Inspiration.
5th Empathy (***) This is a nice social talent, and while I don’t like the mind reading being ‘once a day’, the rest of it is good enough to the point where if you want to be good at reading people, this is the way to do it.
3rd Expanded Inspiration (****) A perfect gift to you social investigators, this will help make sure you’re not getting tricked as well as another cap in the feather of diplomacy over bluff.
11th Hidden Agenda (*) On the lacking side of social investigators, how often are you passing secret messages in a game? The divination defense is nice, but it doesn’t save this talent at all.
7th Inspirational Expertise (**) A +4 bonus is nice, but eating Inspiration as well as a swift action can be a steep price, so weigh your options with this one. I myself think it’s too costly for the benefit for only 1 round.
3rd Inspired Alertness (**) This is slightly better for strength investigators, as they’re more likely to be taken by surprise, but I feel like your Inspiration has better places to be spent.
3rd Inspired Intimidator (***) Here’s a way to actually help debuff an opponent and keep them debuffed for the rest of the fight. Late game this trails off in value, but for the first 8 levels or so, it’s a great fear effect.
7th Item Lore (*) By 7th level, you should have other ways of determining things like this, so skip out on this.
3rd Perceptive Tracking (?) Tracking is not a good niche to have. To get meta, you’re either going to follow tracks, or you can’t, so this doesn’t really have a rating unless your GM actually follows the tracking rules. I have never had one who did, so at best, it’d be ORANGE (**). Tracking is a plot device, plain and simple.
5th Quick Study (*****) This IS your 5th level talent. How this didn’t get its level requirement lifted sky high is beyond me, but this allows you to actually move and attack while using Studied Combat, and that’s really what you want to do, especially if you’re going first. Maybe worse for strength investigators, but even they can enjoy this for when they do go first. Either way, dropping the action of Studied Combat down to a swift action is the best thing you can do with your talents.
9th Studied Defense (*) Ehhh...if this dropped the damage, it’d be okay, but losing your accuracy bonus hurts, and it hurts bad. Accuracy is the name of the game for you, don’t drop it for a +3/4/5 to your AC.
13th Tenacious Inspiration (****) Another great way to buff your Inspiration, there’s really no downside to always having a better chance of succeeding, consider this when you’re high enough level to take it.
17th Unconventional Inspiration (*) Very late to the party, and by this time, I can’t think of a skill that you can’t already use Inspiration with that you’d still want to. Maybe if it were ALL skills, but one just isn’t cutting it.
3rd Underworld Inspiration (***) The flip side of Expanded Inspiration, this will make you the toast of the criminal underworld, and you can get it pretty early too, making it a great way to help out you dastards.
6. Feats
“I never meant to be smarter, faster, and better than everyone else. But seriously, someone had to be, and I guess I’ll just have to bear that burden. Well that, and the burden of all these jewels that the royal vault had laying around for no reason. Real rash of bad luck we’ve had, and I think I’m feeling another ‘security breach coming real soon...” Vyer Starisk, head of security for Nevalia Castle’s royal vault
Feats are another way to help separate yourself from other, lesser investigators. While they’re busy with things that seem cool, you’ll be picking the options you know are great. Make sure you play to your strengths, as it’s very easy to spread yourself too thin in options. Honestly since ranged combat isn’t much of an option for you without its own feat sink, it frees up feats you could have been using for those to have a bit more fun in melee, and honestly I’d suggest you stick to melee instead of WF/Ranged Study. You don’t have the feats needed to take both of those feats AND everything else you’d need to work at a range, at least not without a fighter dip.
Core Rulebook
Skill Boosting Feats (*) As I’ve said before, feats that boost skills aren’t your game. You’re good enough at skills without these feats, and in a lot of situations, they’re overkill. Stick to feats that gives you new abilities or upgrade your old ones, those are the ones that are going to help make you super hype.
Agile Maneuvers (*) Unless you’re super buffing yourself, combat maneuvers aren’t for you, and most great buffs help strength, so this feat doesn’t really help that much for CMBs.
Combat Expertise (*) This is a feat tax, plain and simple. You don’t have the attack bonus to spare to use this, and even if you did, you have better uses of a feat. Only for gateways to better feats.
Combat Maneuvers (*) (Trip (**), Grab, Disarm, Bullrush, Etc (*)) You aren’t great at these, and only strength Investigators have a chance of making these good. Trip and Dirty Trick are the only ones that are even worth considering, and even those aren’t incredible.
Combat Reflexes (***) For a class with access to both Enlarge Person and Longarm, you can really do a lot of damage with AOOs, making this a solid choice if you’re looking for a battlefield controller.
Deadly Aim (**) While a staple for ranged characters, with how many feats it takes to make ranged work, you’re going to need to plan this into your build, and there’s feats you need more than this to really work.
Defensive Combat Training (***) Most of you investigators are going to be in melee, making this actually something worth considering, since some combat maneuvers can wreck you up.
Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack (*) Sorry, but these aren’t worth the investment. You’re somewhat feat starved as it is, and these don’t help your mobility enough to be worth a 3 feat chain for one attack.
Endurance, Diehard (**) Not great in and of themselves, these feats lead to some nice places, making them decent to consider, and Diehard isn’t bad by itself.
Exotic/Martial Weapon Proficiency (***) There’s two exotic weapons worth looking at here; fauchard for reach monsters and dueling sword for two weapon fighters, both are quite good for what they give.
Great Fortitude (***), Improved (**) You do have a weak fort save, and while I’m not big on using feats to patch saves, you could easily do worse. I’d skip over improved though, it feels like overkill to me.
Improved Critical (***) For rapier/scimitar/fauchard users, this could add quite a bit of damage. Anyone else can probably skip over it, since it’s a hard call between this and keen on a weapon.
Improved Feign (*) Feigning isn’t a strategy you need, or are really that good at. Leave that to rogues.
Improved Initiative (***) For dex investigators, this plus a trait could have you at +9 or higher for your initiative, which would be hard to beat. A must for speed demons.
Improved Unarmed Strike (***) This is a solid call for strength investigators, as there’s a few style feats that are worth taking, but if you’re going this route, just go MOMS (****) for two levels instead of taking this feat.
Deflect (**), Snatch Arrows (*) Avoiding a ranged attack can be nice, and it’s decent early. But it doesn’t hold up well when things are attacking multiple times around, and most stuff is magic or melee.
Leadership (?) Same rules apply; take if if you can, don’t if you can’t.
Mounted Feats (*) Without a solid way to get a mount that levels with you or a lance, these can be stabled.
Point Blank Shot (***) The damage and accuracy bonus is small, but considering you’ll probably be using guns, it won’t matter much since you’ll always get it. It’s also a prereq for most other ranged feats.
Precise Shot (****) Again, going ranged is hard, but you NEED this to do it.
Rapid Shot (****) Bonus attacks are ALWAYS good. If you’re rolling in feats, take this when you can.
Power Attack (****) For those with both a mutagen and Studied Combat, you can burn some accuracy to make this viable, as well as your tons of buff extracts. A solid boost to damage all around.
Cleave (***) Again, a great weapon for range abusers, but it’s worth retraining later in your career.
Quick Draw (**) I almost consider this more of a style feat, but some GMs are strict, so it’s not worthless.
Rapid Reload (**) This is a feat tax for guns to make them work, and since you’ll probably be using a gun, you’ll need this. The amount of feats to make guns work is staggering though, so remember that in your builds.
Step Up (***) Only for range monsters, this can help keep you nice and close, and since the power attack line doesn’t really need a lot of feats, you’re clear to take this one easily.
Toughness (**) I’m not a big fan, but you’re pretty easy to hurt, so it’s a nice buffer if you need it.
Two Weapon Fighting (****), Improved (***), Greater (**) With both mutagen and Studied Combat, you can REALLY be a blender. This works best with Slashing Grace (dueling sword/sword cane), although that will take you quite a few feats and a -4 to hit to pull off, so a dip in fighter or starting as a human/half elf is advised.
Double Slice (**) This sadly isn’t a great buff, as it’ll be adding 1-3 damage on your off hand, which isn’t great. It does lead into a pretty nice feat though…
Two Weapon Rend (***) You’ll get this late, but it’s almost free damage. Scores much lower if your GM won’t allow it to do 1 ½ dex damage instead of 1 ½ strength damage.
Vital Strike (*) Unless you’re a reach monster (and you’d be better off with cleave), this is too weak to help. You do your best damage on multiple hits and static damage, not weapon damage dice.
Weapon Finesse (*****) This is the gateway to the dex investigator, and helps with so much. If you plan on going dex over strength, this is how you get started being a monster.
Weapon Focus (***) I don’t like this in and of itself, as it’s a small bonus, but it’s bonus accuracy, and the first step on a lot of feat chains you like (Slashing Grace, Ranged Study), so you’ll probably need it at some point.
Dazzling Display, Shatter Defenses, etc (**) You don’t need opponents flat footed like a rogue would, so you don’t need to go out of your way to do this. It’s nice, but not vital at all.
Advanced Player’s Guide
Additional Traits (***) Traits can be better than feats, so if you have a feat laying around, check some out
Combat Patrol (**) You’ve already got a fine reach, you don’t need to expand it further.
Dazing Assault (**) This is better for people with a full BAB who can make the save brutal.
Eldritch Claws (**) For those of you going natural attacks, these are okay at low level, but a good AMOF should be covering your DR needs in the future.
Following Step (**), Step up and Strike (***) The first feat here is disappointing, as you’ll rarely need to move just 10 feet, but the second is nice, as more attacks is always good for you.
Furious Focus (*) This only works on a vital strike/pummeling style character, and you’re probably neither.
Gang up (**) You don’t really need to flank, so it’s only helpful if someone else does.
Heroic Defiance (****) As stated before, holding off a brutal condition for a round, especially with your toolbox of cures for such ills, can keep you in the game. Even once a day, this is a solid option.
Improved Stonecutting (*), Stone Sense The first feat is fugly for days, but getting blindsense can be worth a bad feat, and dwarves aren’t terrible investigators. Loses some points at later levels though.
Keen Scent (***) Scent is almost always good, since people rarely think to defend against it, and it helps make invisible opponents far less intimidating at early levels.
Shadow Strike (***) Not being able to get a Studied Strike due to concealment isn’t great, but you don’t need to go out of your way like a rogue does to get it, since Studied Strike isn’t prime on your list of abilities. Mostly for non darkvision folks, but also works for ranged characters as well.
Steel Soul This is a prime dwarf feat, as most saves are going to be made against magic.
Ultimate Magic
Eldritch Heritage (****), Improved, Greater (***) This is important for one reason, and one reason alone: getting a familiar. Assuming the rules for an investigator’s familiar’s work the same as an alchemist’s tumor familiar, this is an incredible investment. While the charisma requirement is high, if you have the feats and charisma to do it, getting a familiar amazing. Other feats in the line are fine, but not nearly as important.
Ultimate Combat
Cleaving Finish, Improved (***) For a range monster, you can use this pretty well, since you can basically attack the entire battlefield. Improved is just as nice, but only really works for a minion slayer.
Clustered Shots (****) If you’re going ranged, you’re taking this. Slightly lower because of how difficult ranged combat is for you to pull off.
Death from Above (***) It’s not hard for you to get flight, although without pounce, this loses some points.
Deathless Initiate (***), Master (**), Zealot (***) Initiate is the best one here, as getting rid of staggered helps keep you active and fighting. Master is kind of weak, but Zealot can be a life saver if you’re a crit magnet.
Felling Smash While it has some steep prereqs, for a range monster who’s probably only making one big attack, this is yet another way to keep the battlefield under control.
Fortified Armor Training (****) Carry around a masterwork buckler, and you can negate a crit easy. They’re eventually cheap enough to the point where you can carry a few around.
Hammer the Gap (***) For those of you turning into monsters with multiple attacks, this is a solid way to make sure they all hit, as well as trash the opponent for tons of extra damage.
Snap Shot, Improved (****), Greater (*) Another great ranged feat that you can hopefully get quick, since it’s nice to not need to worry about provoking. Improved is a good addition, but greater is not.
Stalwart, Improved (****) I like both of these, and DR/- is the best DR you can get. For a melee monster, they’re very nice, and actually give a use to Combat Expertise.
Advanced Class Guide
Inspired Alchemy (***) Getting back extracts is really nice, and while this is a steep cost to do it, it can be worth it when you really need one. The time restrictions and such do knock this down somewhat though.
Inspired Strike (**) This really doesn’t do a whole lot of bonus damage (6-8 tops), and inspiration should be used for accuracy more so than damage, even if it is expensive to do so.
Ranged Study (**) You don’t have the feats to pull this off, and you still need to be within 30 feet for a strike. Maybe for a Steel Hound, but everyone else can leave this be.
Slashing Grace (****) For non humans, this will take until 5th level to come online, and is a solid validation for a swashbuckler dip. But it’s a more ‘official’ way to get dex to damage instead of strength without needing to dance or wield a scimitar. Scimitars are nice weapons, but you’re not proficient in them, so it’s a hard call.
Other Sources
Cornugon Smash (****) Easily the best way to demoralize since you should always be power attacking.
Dampen Presence (***) Avoiding tremorsense and blindsense helps make you into a real ninja here.
Fencing Grace (****) For those of you who like rapiers, this is your dex to damage feat.
Hellcat Stealth (***) For those of you who want to sneak, this lets you do it all the time, no problems.
Piranha Strike (**) This feat is in such an odd place with the investigator. Its biggest problem is it only works with light melee weapons, and you’re most likely going to be wielding a 1 handed melee weapon.
Potion Glutton (*****) Swift action drink, that’s amazing, you NEED this.
Weapon Versatility (***) If you’re only using one main weapon, this will help you get through certain DR.
7. Extracts
“So maybe they didn’t want my help, but they were sure going to get it. Besides, I can’t leave a mystery unsolved; that’d be like leaving a cake uneaten, a pretty girl unkissed, or a story untold. I’m sure they’re happier knowing that their ancestor was a sham instead of some great hero.” Kayla Esttse, amatuer sleuth and recent pariah of Stonegate Estate
Extracts are a huge part of your class, and unless you’re playing in a game that requires you to lose the Alchemy class feature, you should never give it up. These are among the things that make you better than a rogue, and you should treasure them. They are versatile, powerful, and probably the best class feature you have. They do work a bit differently than magic though, so be sure to check out the primer in my Alchemist guide.
Rather than retreading all of these, most of the information contained in my Alchemist guide is perfectly serviceable for a smart investigator (with MH working for most strength investigators and MB working for ranged/dex investigators), so my reviews of these stand. The reviews as well as the extract primer can be found in the following place:
Instead, I’d like to list for each level a few of my favorite extracts, giving you an idea of ones that will always be solid calls for you to use. Think of these as the highlights of extracts, ones I find useful in an all purpose sort of way. By no means is this a complete list of great extracts, but rather, the ones I would make sure to have jotted down in my formulae book if given the chance.
1st
Anticipate Peril (****) This is actually solid for both dex and strength investigators, although I would say it helps strength more, since dex investigators will have quite a high initiative already. Going first means buffing first, and that’s the best thing you can do. It also means Studying first, so always make sure that you can start encounters whenever possible.
Cure Light Wounds This should be in your formulae book eventually, as it’s a great extract to simply burn out the rest of your unused extracts, and a good reason why not to prepare all of your extracts at the beginning of the day. Keeping your party alive as well as providing minor healing is something that no party will dislike, and gives you something to do with these slots in the higher levels.
Enlarge (****)/Reduce Person (***) Sitting on opposite sides of the scale, both are very helpful, although enlarging is far more so. Increasing range is important, and even with the AC drop, you’re still a formidable opponent, especially with a reach weapon. Being smaller increases AC as well as helps with ranged attacks, although it won’t increase your damage too, which is a bit of a shame.
Heightened Awareness (****) Perceiving is the name of the game for you, and things that help you do it better make you a better investigator. This is good for either type of investigator, and is a great low level extract to throw on before you need to worry about finding minute details. The initiative bonus is just gravy, and helps ensure that you won’t be taken by surprise.
Longarm (****) Comboed with Enlarge Person, this basically lets you attack the entire field, and makes sure that you can have most opponents on lockdown. You are at your best when you can strike at anyone, and it makes it easier to pick out whom you need to target when the field is clogged with minions. It’s even great for dex investigators, as it’s still additional reach for your two weapon fighting to slash others to ribbons.
Monkey Fish (***) A very easy way to gain some extra methods of travel without much effort, this is great for when you can’t follow an opponent any other way. Early level encounters can be made easier with this, making sure that you don’t have to let someone flee just because they’re more mobile than you.
True Strike (***) There’s never really a BAD time to have this ready, as we’ve all needed that miracle shot to make sure we succeeded. This is another one to always keep in the formulae book just in case, as it never really gets old. The only issue is if it’s worth an action for a +20 to hit, but when it is, it REALLY is.
2nd
Ablative Barrier (***) You’re not the strongest person in the fight, so taking non lethal instead of lethal is a great help. While it won’t keep you up, it will keep you from dying, which means your party doesn’t have to race to save you mid battle when they should be trying to kill things. The duration of this is quite good as well, making it a solid defensive choice to keep you alive.
Alchemical Allocation (*****) Slightly less useful for you than Alchemist, this still is AMAZING and needs to be learned ASAP for constant potion abuse. There’s so many great potions to rinse and repeat with, and high caster level for these potions is of prime importance. It’s a one time investment that makes you infinitely better, although since you basically need 2 standard actions to pull this off, long term potions are the best use for this.
Alter Self (***) This is the starter extract for transforming into dangerous things. Some of my faves are trogs or lizardfolk, since claw/claw/bite is a very nice routine for a strength investigator.
Barkskin (****) The AC boost from this is surprisingly long, and only gets better with time. It’s probably better to pick this up around 7th level, but even before then it’s a considerably long term natural AC boost with no drawback. Perfect for both strength and dex investigators who want to avoid getting hit too much.
Bull’s Strength (****)/Cat’s Grace (***) While Bull’s Strength wins out (since it boost damage) both are fine choices to buff your stats and to hit, which is really important for you. The biggest problem with these is their bonus type, which makes them fall out of common use once you have magical stat boost.
Focused Scrutiny (****) Another gem for social investigators as well as a decent combat buff, I like this more outside of battle as a way to really read someone. With your method of ingesting extracts, this makes it perfect for secretly imbibing and lacks any visual indications, also making this a fun trick for gambling too.
Invisibility (****) The best part about this extract is the duration, which starts at 4 minutes and only gets longer. It’s fine as a short in combat buff, but really shines outside of it when you can use this to stealth your way through situations. Use this intelligently, and you may avoid certain battles all together.
Lesser Restoration (***) Another band aid extract, it’s a lot better if no one else in the party can use it, but it’s still quite nice even if there are other users, as ability damage can be crippling.
Touch Injection (****) This is the kind of extract that gets better with creativity, although making an extract deliverable by a touch attack is a nice way to increase your own action economy. Plus it lets you use some ‘helpful’ extracts on opponents *COUGH*SKINSEND*COUGH* without allowing a save.
3rd
Channel Vigor (****) While most of the time you will be using this for the Haste effect, the fact that it’s flat out better than Haste (for you at least) makes this an easy call for combat extracts, since Haste is amazing.
Displacement (****) Most of you are going to be in melee, and at this level most people still can’t see through illusions like this, giving you a great 50% miss chance. That alone is worth the investment, although the duration means that it’s solely a combat extract.
Fly (****) Unlike Alchemist, this is your main way to fly, and flying opens up a lot of tactical options for both you and your party. Don’t skip out on a chance to terrorize the friendly skies, start flying today!
Heroism (****) For those of you with multiple attacks, this is golden. The duration of this is very good too, making it something you can throw on at the start of a dungeon and tank through the entire thing with easily. Nice little save bonuses help finish off a solid buff extract.
Monstrous Physique I (****) The variety of forms you can take with this is what makes it so good, especially finding a form with a lot of natural attacks. Gargoyles are a personal favorite of mine, packing flight as well.
4th
Air Walk, Communal (***) Getting the entire party airborne (and for a pretty long duration too) is important, and while it doesn’t come with the mobility of Fly, it does have the advantage of not needing to prepare it multiple times, leaving you with more extracts to help out yourself and the party.
Beast Shape II (****) The gold of this is now getting to take Pounce, and Pounce is always good. Taking a form with Pounce for a strength investigator is going to make you that much more dangerous, and the versatility of being able to take other animals helps make this a great call.
Echolocation (****) Did you know Blindsight is hype? Because it is. It’s very, very hype. The duration on this isn’t perfect, but it’s long enough to make sure you don’t get snuck up on in a dungeon, makes sure you can always target opponents, and ignores illusions, making it an incredible discovery extract.
Freedom of Movement (****) Not being the most evasive person, this keeps you from ever having to worry about getting trapped in something you don’t want to be in. It’s a great panic button to keep you safe from being eaten, trapped, or really most bad situations you’d want to evade.
Invisibility, Greater (****) This is your in combat invisibility, since it won’t be breaking anytime soon from swinging. The duration is very short though, so make sure to make the most of it ASAP.
Monstrous Physique II (****) Even more powerful forms are here, and while I can’t find one with Pounce, the 4 armed gargoyle is an option, making one mean natural attack with flight.
5th
Delayed Consumption (*****) This is almost too good, and with the duration, will almost never eat into your daily extracts. Even if it does, it’s worth it, as having any 4th or lower level extract (Freedom of Movement) on standby just in case things go sour is the kind of insurance that keeps investigators alive.
Magic Jar (*****) This is amazing for wizards, you shouldn’t be allowed to have it, but since you do, abuse this to the fullest of your power by setting up opponents for some hardcore death.
Overland Flight (****) While not as maneuverable in the air as others, the duration of this means you can throw it on at the beginning of the day and fly for the rest of it without any issues.
Sending (***) While this might be a bit costly, communications between long distances is often vital at this point in the game, and since drinking is a standard action, you can get your message across fast.
Stoneskin, Communal (***) People complain about the cost, but this isn’t a huge problem, since handing out DR to just about everything is pretty nice, and it’ll make your party love you even more.
6th
Beast Form IV (****) Magical beast are at your fingertips, and from your adventuring career, you probably know which ones you’d like to be, or which ones you’d like to let your party be. You’re getting strong abilities that you’d normally not have access to, and you can pass them out to everyone else as well.
Giant form I (****) Giants are nice, but what’s nicer are trolls, especially two headed ones. Regeneration keeps you from dropping too, although once you’re a troll, people will know what to hit you with. Comboed with some protection against those elements though, it’ll be hard to keep you down.
Heal (****) The only in combat healing you should be using, this is incredible for keeping party members on their feet. Add to it the things you can heal with it too, and it’s the best healing ability you’ll ever have.
True Sight (****) Being able to negate all illusion spells is powerful, and the duration is pretty solid on it too, so you won’t have to worry about being tricked by anyone throwing around fake stuff.
Twin Form (*****) This not only increases your HP, but it also increases your tactical options by twofold. Being able to switch between either body boost your survivability by leaps and bounds, and it makes you incredibly difficult to pin down, which is basically everything you want.
8. Archetypes and Multiclassing
“I could swear she was just a beggar, sitting on the street begging for coin. She was just sitting there, shouting out for anyone to help her, and then before I knew it, the manacles were around my wrist and I was being carted off to the local sheriff. How did she know who I was?” Penance Nox, formerly secret cultist
Sadly investigators aren’t blessed with a lot of archetypes, and they also have some real garbage ones too. Note that nothing you give up will EVER be as good as Alchemy, not even close. The versatility of that one class feature (which is not only 2/3rds casting but also through one of the most abusable mediums ever) means that unless it gave you FULL casting, it wouldn’t be worth it. Be aware of that when you look through the following section, as each of these archetypes changes both the personality of your character as well as their playstyle.
Archetypes
Empiricist (****)
2nd Ceaseless Observation (****) Oh man, this is a great start to archetypes. For those of you who enjoy skills, this is how you make sure you’re not focusing on 4 different stats. While the limited scope of the diplomacy ability is slightly annoying, everything else is perfect, and you’re not losing anything valuable
4th Unfailing Logic (***) Swift Alchemy is okay, and this isn’t that bad either, both are a little specific, so it’s basically an even trade until 16th level when you pull ahead.
20th Master Intellect (***) It’s a capstone, it’s okay, the normal capstone is okay too, an even trade.
Dread Investigator (*)
1st Delayed Inspiration (*) This is never a great thing, especially for a class with as slow a start as this. Really, I’m DREADING reviewing the rest of this...PUN!
1st Embalming Fluids (**) While losing poison lore isn’t even a problem, this still doesn’t even out the criminally late start for inspiration that you’re taking, not even close.
2nd Negative Energy Resistance (**) Another even trade here, being able to create undead is nice, but still completely unable to get over delayed inspiration.
7th Reanimation Fluid (**) Again, it’s neat, but this archetype really only works at 7th level or higher, which made the already quite annoying issue of the investigator’s slow start into an almost inescapable trap. Seriously, just go reanimator alchemist if you want to mess around with undead. It loses bomb progression, but not nearly badly enough to make it worse than this hot mess. Raise this up by a color and a half for games that start at 7th level, but for everyone else, losing inspiration for over ¼ of the game will never make you happy.
Infiltrator (***)
1st Master of Disguise (***) This is very much trading one specialty for another, so if you don’t feel like being a trap springer, you can be a disguise master. Personally, I like disguising more, so it’s personal preference here.
2nd Voice Mimicry (***) Another trade for something you probably don’t care about, but if you’re checking out this archetype, you want to fake being other people, and this really helps you pull it off.
2nd Mimic Master (****) This is actually really nice, since the bane of disguise spells was taking on certain personas. With this, you’re actually really good at faking being anyone, and for very little cost too.
Lamplighter (****)
1st Class Skills (**) Neither of these were important, but losing class skills isn’t great.
1st Lamplighter (***) Nice name drop, and nice ability too. Nice and flavorful, it’s a solid early level tool.
2nd Alchemical Illumination (****) For what you lose, these abilities are great. More fun light spells that only dump poison use, making them a solid trade for any investigator.
3rd Ready for the Revelation (****) And another great trade, this will keep you going first at all times. Using intelligence for initiative instead of dexterity isn’t amazing, but the 12th level bump to this certainly makes it worth it, and it only gets better into the late game.
Mastermind
1st Mastermind Inspiration (***) I like the skills here more than your default skills, but this is for more of a personal investigator. But as with the Infiltrator, if you’re looking at this archetype, it’s going to help.
1st A Quiet Word (***) This is more situational, but sometimes your GM may go out of their way to have a quiet player involve themselves in the story.
4th Mastermind Defense (**) Now this is a bit weaker, as it only applies to one attack. Swift Alchemy isn’t hard to lose, but you’re not getting a lot for it, and it’s pretty expensive without Combat Inspiration.
9th Impregnable Mind (***) For this kind of character, this is decently powerful. The only problem is this has to compete with Combat Inspiration, which is a hard call. But it’s a unique ability, which just barely wins out.
Psychic Detective (***)
1st Class Skills (**) Losing class skills without gaining anything, not great.
1st Spell Casting (***) Touche, Paizo. I said anything that loses alchemy as red, but I wasn’t expecting them to get an alternative spellcasting type. Personally, I like alchemy more than psychic casting, but the list of spells/extracts aren’t wide enough that there’s a direct winner here, so this is more a change in playstyle that you’ll have to decide works for you, but it’s not a step down.
2nd Psychic Medler (***) Again, we’re trading one situational ability for another, but it’s psychic magic instead of poison. Again, it’s about as good as the trade, although the bonus to dispelling psychic stuff is nice.
3rd Phrenic Dabbler (***) Since 3rd level isn’t great for talents, this is a decent trade, although pushing back your ability to pick up extra investigator talent isn’t great. Overall, you’re breaking slightly less than even.
Relentless Inspector (***)
1st Interrogation (****) While I’m not big on the intimidate check, the sense motive bonus is huge, making this more than a fair trade for the less than stellar trapfinding.
3rd Keen Mind (****) Since I was never big on poison resistance or trap sense, and this is a boost to an amazing skill and your weakest save, this is a net gain by far.
3rd Keen Tracking (**) Now here we lose some steam, as perceptive tracking wasn’t anything amazing, and being forced to take it isn’t terrible. This rates lower if your GM doesn’t consider you to have the investigator talent class feature, as it prevents you from taking the extra investigator talent at 5th level, where you need it.
5th Relentless Pursuit (***) So you get to pick a specific favored enemy if you’ve tracked them, but now we’re losing our 5th level talent, aka swift study. As a GM, I’d rule that you could still take the extra investigator talent since keen tracking simply forced you to take perceptive tracking, so to me that’d still qualify as having the investigator talent class feature. This is low orange if your GM doesn’t agree.
Sleuth (*)
1st Sleuth’s Luck (*) Remember that rule? That rule about giving up Alchemy? This breaks it.
1st Deeds (*) Same rule still broken, look elsewhere.
Spiritualist (*)
1st Commune with Spirits (*) Same rule broken.
2nd Spirit Sense (*) Broken.
2nd Strong Life (*) Still broken.
3rd Sixth Sense (*) Not unbroken.
4th Whispering Spirits (*) Seriously, Apollo Justice is fun. Sure, the story is a little weaker than the others, but there’s no real problem with it, and Trucy is a lot of fun. Lack of Gumshoe is kind of sad though.
11th Touched by the Beyond (*) Broken.
Steel Hound (***)
1st Weapon and Armor Proficiencies (***) What you’re trading is worth having a gun, although the biggest problem with guns are that they can’t be made into Inspired weapons, which are pretty important for you.
2nd Packing Heat (***) This makes you not worthless with guns, although it’s annoying waiting a level before getting your trademark weapon. Still, the bonus feats are nice, as is getting a grit pool.
3rd Investigator Talents (***) Rapid Reload is the only talent you should trade, and even that is kinda meh, since you get a feat whenever you get a talent anyways.
4th Shot in the Dark (***) You’re not really trading anything for this, and grit is a different resource pool, so there’s no problem with getting a little bonus accuracy.
11th Talented Shot (***) This can actually get pretty good once you can pick up some of the later deeds, which can end up pretty powerful.
Multiclassing
Multiclassing is a hard thing for investigators, since they don’t hit stride until 4th level, so any levels that you’re skipping out before that is another is a level that you’re not getting Studied Combat. Any level that you’re not taking also lowers the damage for your Studied Combat. Seriously, your early game sucks, and using Inspiration for combat before 9th level makes you burn through it too fast.
The most of a dip I can suggest for an investigator is two levels, since you have so much that requires you to advance in your base class. Even one level away from your base class is painful, but some classes are just good enough to validate it. I’m going to try to only list classes you can use, since there’s plenty of classes that you can dip into that don’t gie you anything worth having.
Fighter (***) There’s really only two archetypes I like here, one being Unbreakable (***) for those of you who want to go the endurance/diehard route, or Trench Fighter (***). Trench Fighter breaks my rule, since you need 3 levels in it to make it worth taking. But getting dex to damage with ranged attacks is SO good, and this is the fastest path to it. Base Fighter (***) isn’t terrible either, as you EAT feats, so if you’re going ranged, this is fine too, especially since most melee fighters have no reason why not to wear heavy armor.
Monk (***) Really the only thing I like here is Master of Many Styles (***). The biggest bonus is getting to basically finish off any style chain, and I myself like Pummeling Style, as it leads to pounce through Pummeling Charge. Unarmed combat isn’t a bad style to go, and having hands open makes sure you can always down an extract as well, so it’s worth checking out if you want some martial arts with your hardcore investigating.
Swashbuckler (****) You’re here for one reason, and one reason alone: Inspired Blade (****). A handful of Panache (that sounds so cool) is nice, but getting free Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus for the rapier is amazing, a better deal than even the Fighter gets. Picking up a few deeds too, including parry, and a slight reflex boost is pretty nice, and it’s great for dex investigators to hold off from their massive feat tax.
9. Mundane and Magical Equipment
“No one could find the murder weapon, seemed like everything was hopeless. Then this lady comes in and figures out that there wasn’t one, there was three! And here we never even told her there was a murder, she just came in for some gunpowder.” Kallen Telos, owner of the Gunpowder Scorpion alchemy emporium
What are you without a solid set a tools? Investigators are very much tool characters, and are at their best with a strong and diverse array of items at their disposal. With your strong Alchemy ability, you have a lot of items you can make yourself, meaning you’re that much more likely to surprise someone without needing magic, which can be an advantage that tips the scales in your favor. Creativity is very important in your item use, so make sure to always be mixing things up.
Mundane Items
Weapons
These are the items that will lead to the most basic of your offense. Probably the most important of these decisions is that of your weapon, since it’s probably where you’ll make your first decision about being a strength or dex based investigator. Choose your weapon well, as it’ll be one of your longest enduring character choices. Weapons with a * next to them may have the “Inspired” weapon quality added to them.
Dagger/Short Sword (***)* An old standby, and one you’re quite good with. This will be a staple for two weapon fighters who don’t want to use a feat or dip into other classes, but there’s no way to get this as a dex to damage weapon. The biggest difference between dagger and short sword is damage, and the throwing property of the daggers, as well as how easy daggers are to conceal, so make your choice based on these factors.
Sap (***)* This shouldn’t be a main weapon, but you should keep one on you at all times, as being able to deal nonlethal damage easily is often useful for investigating, since you’ll need to take people alive.
Rapier (****) The one handed dex weapon of choice, this weapon has a great crit rate as well as serviceable damage and you’re proficient with it, although you will need feats to hit with dex to damage, which can be somewhat of a feat sink. Overall, probably your best dex weapon.
Long Spear (****)* The two handed weapon of choice for range monsters, it’s simple and elegant, making for some incredible reach with some of your better extracts. While there’s more impressive reach weapons, you start proficient with this and it can be made Inspired, which is a huge boon for you.
Short Bow (***)* The best ranged weapon you start proficient with, this is your best call for a ranged character, since it can be Inspired and bows are really quite nice in PF. There’ll be quite a feat investment for this, as well as needing a bit of strength to get the most out of this, but if you’re going ranged, you’re using this.
One Handed (**)/Two Handed Guns (*) While I really like guns, they lack some of the most important things you enjoy, such as Inspired weapons, a stat to damage, or easy reload times. You can get a one handed gun down to free reloads for a feat (and two handed with a Musket Master dip), but that’s MORE feats you’re pouring into ranged combat when it’s already the most feat intensive route you can take. It’s a shame because guns seem so iconic for them, but firearms aren’t your best friend here.
Dueling Sword (***) The advantage of this weapon is being a 1 handed weapon that allows you to use weapon finesse, meaning that Slashing Grace will work to make this a dex to damage weapon. The problem is that it’s exotic, which means you’ll be using a feat to get it. There is a trait (Sword Scion) which gives you a permanent +1 to attack rolls with it though, but these are difficult to dual wield, making it a singleton weapon.
Sawtooth Sabre (***) The advantage of these weapons is a reduced TWF penalty for a 1 handed weapon, although they’re also exotic, requiring a feat. They also require a dip into Inspired Blade in order to qualify for Slashing Grace, but they are a dex to damage dual wield accessible blade, making them worth considering.
Unarmed Combat (***)*I myself like this, although it’s only for strength investigators. The only reason I’d pursue this is with a MOMS dip for a nice style, but with it, you’re pretty powerful. According to PFSRD, unarmed combat is also considered a simple weapon, making it open for Inspired.
Natural Attacks (****) Aside from being unable to be Inspired (which is debatable if unarmed strikes can be), this will be a style many of you may be using without thinking, taking the forms of creatures with multiple natural weapons. With the right racial setup, you can start off with claw/claw/bite, and work your way up from there with extracts for short periods of time, making investing in this style a great way to deal damage. Especially early game before iterative attacks, this is probably the best way to deal damage for strength investigators.
Armor
Hamaki (****) For those of you using dex, this will keep you from hitting max dex bonus. It’s weak as far as armor goes, but it’s fine for what you need it for, which is really just throwing magical enchantments on.
Chainshirt (****) Your best armor early, it’ll be good for quite a while. There’s really no need to go past this if you don’t want to, and it’s always going to be the gold standard of light armor.
Mithril Kikko Armor (****) For 3k more than a chainshirt, you can get an additional +1 AC that stacks with everything else, making this something you’d want to pick up instead of just upgrading a chainshirt.
Mithril Full Plate (***) Only for strength investigators who are willing to get Comfort on their armor (+3 is where this finally eases things, although you could take Armor Expert trait for just +2 to work), although the max dex bonus keeps this from being used by dex investigators.
Buckler (****) Once you get a masterwork buckler (which are very cheap), you have no reason why not to strap it to your forearm and wreck some faces. With a 0 ACP, it's not a hindrance at all, adds to your flat footed AC, and lets you throw other bonuses on for the fun of it. Pick up a buckler now.
Alchemical and Misc Items
Another section which doesn’t bear repeating, although if you’re looking for more general information, I’d suggest checking out Ascalaphus’s Alchemical item guide for a more general view on things.
Ascalaphus’s Alchemical Item Guide
Magical Items
Magical items are generally a huge part of any character, as well as a large sticking point with a lot of GMs on accessibility. In this respect, I suggest not planning too heavily upon them, although recognize the value and power they do add to your character. There’s not much that changes between this and the Alchemist, although most of the ranged options do not, as ranged is still far more difficult to pull off with an investigator, and those options should be slightly lower because of it.
There are a few things that I will be covering in more detail though, such as:
Weapon
+1 Inspired (****) I don’t think this is perfect, but it’s very nice. It has a few flaws, such as only being able to be used with weapons that the investigator is proficient with by virtue of the class (so no Inspired scythes, guns, or anything like that.) But what it will do is drop the cost of using Inspiration on attacks by 1, which is great since normally it’s so expensive to use with attack rolls. Even better, if you already have the Combat Inspiration, it’ll add twice the Inspiration roll to your damage, adding anywhere between 2-12 (16) damage.
Armor
4500 GP Restful (***) Not the first thing you want to get on your armor, but when you can afford it, it’s a solid investment to keep people from sleeping during watch, great for the whole party.
Rings
3500 GP Ring of Eloquence (***) At low to mid levels, this is a really cheap way to learn some languages, better than burning an extract on both tongues and understand language. Not an everyday ring, but situationally useful.
Wondrous Items
2500 GP Effortless Lace (****) Oh man, now THIS is an item. You pop it on any slashing/piercing weapon sized for you, and it makes it work with Weapon Finesse. This is super cheap, and helps you get even better dex to damage weapons, which is incredibly helpful. Almost all dex fighters are going to want a few of these.
4500 GP Brass Spider (***) For those of you who enjoy disabling things, this will keep you doing it longer, as 15 feet away from most trap is generally a pretty safe distance to avoid the worst effects of things.
7000 GP Investigator’s Hat (***) Not just for being stylish, this is a nice way to push your Inspiration budget even further, even if it does limit you to that point you get until you burn it.
8000 GP Cup of Rapport (***) Another gift for the social types, any advantage you can get to discussing things with someone is nice, making you even more charismatic and awesome than you already were. It’s a little pricey but it’s also an untyped bonus, meaning it stacks with everything.
10. Sample Builds
“That’s right, you come to me when something goes wrong in this city. I’ve got my finger on the pulse and it’s beating fast, thousands of people surging along the streets and I know every last alley and street they’re on, every word that’s spoken, and every last lie that gets passed through the lips of these animals. But that doesn’t mean my service comes cheap…” Z, head investigator of the Rosa Espada
For a lot of classes, I blow past this, since I already feel that you have the pieces to put your character together. But for this class, I can see a lot of importance in having a clear model for your character, which makes Sample Builds here all the more important. It’s hard to know where you’re going, and that’s why you need someone to help you along, and that’s where I come in. I’m going to make these without dipping or considering racials (sorry, humans) so that they’re as universal as possible. They’re also not being made with the house rules that I put above, since I want these to be universal. If you want, feel free to change that, but this will basically be the feat/talent selection that is needed to make these builds work.
Strength
1F Potion Glutton
3F Power Attack
3T Mutagen
5F Combat Reflexes or Extra Talent: Infusion
5T Quick Study
7F Combat Reflexes or Extra Talent: Infusion
7T Sickening Offensive
9F Cornugon Smash
9T Combat Inspiration
11F Any
11T Expanded/Underworld Inspiration
13F Any
13T Tenacious Inspiration
15F Any
15T Extended Potion
17F Any
17T Eternal Potion
19F Any
19T Combat Inspiration, Greater
Dexterity
Finesse build
1F Weapon Finesse
3F Weapon Focus
3T Infusion
5F Slashing/Fencing Grace
5T Quick Study
7F Potion Glutton
7T Sickening Offensive
9F Extra Talent: Mutagen
9T Combat Inspiration
11F Combat Reflexes
11T Expanded/Underworld Inspiration
13F Weapon Versatility
13T Tenacious Inspiration
15F Any
15T Extend Potion
17F Any
17T Eternal Potion
19F Any
19T Combat Inspiration, Greater
Ranged build
1F Point Blank Shot
3F Weapon Focus (Shortbow)
3T Infusion
5F Ranged Study
5T Mutagen
7F Precise Shot
7T Amazing Inspiration
9F Rapid Shot
9T Combat Inspiration
11F Manyshot
11T Expanded/Underworld Inspiration
13F Clustershot
13T Tenacious Inspiration
15F Deadly Aim
15T Extend Potion
17F Snapshot
17T Eternal Potion
19F Snapshot, Improved
19T Combat Inspiration, Greater
While I’m sure there’s feats that could work for these builds, Strength is probably the first to finish feat wise. Honestly after about 11th level for both strength and dex builds, you have free reign to select whatever you want, as you can see the later levels are basically set in stone for getting Eternal Potion. There’s not a huge amount of options you have late game, and the ones that you do have are generally widely different in value (Combat Inspiration, Greater is hype, as is Eternal Potion), so you don’t have a huge amount of choices if you’re trying to optimize.
Ranged is the only style that’s almost entirely set in stone (you can mix things around, but just barely), since it’s so painfully feat intensive. You’ll probably spend the entire game trying to ‘go online’ since your feat progression isn’t merciful at all, so you’re basically shackled to it as long as you’re trying to squeeze all the meaty goodness out of this style of combat.
11. FAQ and Closing
“You know, things ended up a lot better than I expected with those Esttse girls running around. Seems like they might finally be able to catch me. Too bad I’ll be a thousand miles away by the time they reach me with a drink in my hand and gold in my pocket.” Kallen Telos, re-re-retired adventurer and ‘The Thief Queen’
F(requently) A(sked) Q(uestions)
Q: Hey, sweet guide!
A: Hey, sweet question
Q: I disagree with you about X, Y, and Z.
A: Of course you do, this is the internet. If you wish to talk with me about changing a rating or including something else, post in one of the above given threads, and I’ll be happy to listen to what you have to say.
Q: Why haven’t you added X yet?
A: I add things as they hit the PFSRD, so until they’re on there, they won’t be on the guide. I’m not opposed to using the Archives of Nethys, so let me know if there’s something on there that I’m missing as well.
Q: Do you hate the rogue or something? You trash it a lot in your guide.
A: I do not like the Pathfinder chained rogue, it’s a trash class, and there are many others that do what it does, but better. Consider checking them out instead, like Alchemist or Investigator, or check out the unchained rogue as it is a large improvement on the base rogue.
Q: Do you plan on doing any other guides? Do you take request?
A: Well, you’re actually in luck on this one. I’m currently taking donations on Patreon, and if certain milestones are met, I’ll begin work on a slew of new guides for new and old classes alike.
Closing
While I accept that some people may have wanted different things from this guide, there was a lot of it that didn’t need to be covered again, and I am pretty happy with how this guide turned out. If you have questions or suggestions, please check the threads in which I’ve already posted earlier or hit me up via e-mail.
email: n.jolly@ymal.com
Also check out my other guides
Everybody starts somewhere: N. Jolly’s guide to building Pathfinder characters
How to become the Lord of Rage: N. Jolly’s guide to the Pathfinder Barbarian
Chasing the Philosopher's Stone: N. Jolly’s guide to the Pathfinder Alchemist
Surpassing even The Boss: N. Jolly’s guide to the Pathfinder Gunslinger
Mastering the Elements: N. Jolly’s guide to the Pathfinder Kineticist
And check out the following third party things I’ve written if you like my writing:
Chi Warrior (player class, Purple Duck Games)
Lands of Porphyra (campaign setting, Purple Duck Games)
Kineticist Codex (character collection, Purple Duck Games)
Kineticist of Porphyra (player options, Purple Duck Games)
Thaumaturge (player class, Storm Bunny Studios)
So long, and I’ll see you again when I get the urge to guide again.
