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Kellus
2011-05-27, 10:39 PM
The Occult Investigator
"Good cop and bad cop left for the day. I'm a new kind of cop."

Wherever settlements form there are disputes, and wherever there are disputes there is crime. In a world filled with fantastic creatures and incredible magic, crimes can be very hard to solve. When it's too much to handle, normal investigators need to call in a specialist in magical matters. Occult investigators deal with supernatural crimes and track down those who abuse magic. They solve mysteries with a combination of solid detective work, interrogation, and some supernatural powers of their own.

Prerequisites: In order to become an occult investigator, a prospective character must meet all of the following requirements.
Feats: Track
Skills: Gather Information 8 ranks, Search 6 ranks, Sense Motive 8 ranks
Special: Favored enemy and trapfinding class features

Hit Die: d6.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 8 + Int modifier.

Class Skills: The occult investigator's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (the Planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Cha), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).

The Occult Investigator
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Invocations Known

1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Eliminate the impossible, favored enemy, least invocations|1

2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|Cover of night, sneak attack +1d6, the hard way|2

3rd|+2|+1|+1|+3|Arcane impression, gut feeling|3

4th|+3|+1|+1|+4|Lesser invocations, whatever remains|4

5th|+3|+1|+1|+4|Sneak attack +2d6, track arcana|5

6th|+4|+2|+2|+5|Always on, hard-boiled|6

7th|+5|+2|+2|+5|Greater invocations, however improbable|7

8th|+6|+2|+2|+6|Cœur noir, sneak attack +3d6|8

9th|+6|+3|+3|+6|Extract information|9

10th|+7|+3|+3|+7|Dark invocations, must be the truth|10

[/table]

All of the following are class features of the occult investigator.

Eliminate the Impossible (Ex and Sp): An occult investigator's key ability is knowing the possible from the impossible. Whenever he interacts with an illusion (including so much as seeing an illusion) he can immediately make an attempt to disbelieve it, even if he has no reason to believe it is false. He adds his class level to attempts to disbelieve illusions.

As an added bonus, an occult investigator can use illusions to his own end. He can use ghost sound and silent image as spell-like abilities at will with a caster level equal to his Hit Dice.

Favored Enemy: An occult investigator hones his skills with tracking his most common quarry. He gains a new favored enemy which covers those who cast arcane spells or spell-like abilities. This favored enemy begins at a +2 bonus on favored enemy rolls. In addition, the investigator adds half his class level to all of his favored enemy rolls, including those he previously possessed before entering the class.

Like with the original ability, these bonuses do not stack; an investigator with favored enemy (humanoid [human]) does not gain double benefits against a human wizard. Instead, he applies the better of the two bonuses.

Invocations (Sp): Occult investigators spend so much time around the occult and arcane that a little rubs off on them. They gain invocations much like a warlock (as described in Complete Arcane). They gain one invocation per level, and can choose from any invocation available to a warlock aside from those which modify an eldritch blast. They can also choose from the invocations available to dragonfire adepts, except for those which modify breath weapons (as described in Dragon Magic.

At 1st level an occult investigator can only select least invocations. At their 4th, 7th, and 10th levels they gain access to a new grade of invocations.

Cover of Night (Ex): A skilled investigator learns to turn the darkness to his own ends. Beginning at 2nd level, whenever an occult investigator ends his turn in an area of shadowy illumination or darker, he can use a swift action to activate this effect. He gains total concealment against anybody he would normally have concealment against by dint of the lighting until the end of his next turn.

If an occult investigator already possesses (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89385) this ability they become invisible when they activate this ability, but the invisibility only lasts until the terms met in the invisibility spell or they leave the area of darkness, whichever comes first.

The Hard Way (Ex): You don't want to be on the other side of the table from an occult investigator. Starting at 2nd level an occult investigator can combine his Intimidate and Gather Information skills together into a single skill known as Interrogate (Cha). This skill benefits from the skill ranks invested in both of the above skills and can be used whenever he is trying to get information from an uncompliant subject in place of one of those skills. Any bonus the occult investigator receives on one of the above skills he can apply to Interrogate checks.

If the occult investigator succeeds in getting information out of someone with Interrogate, the target is treated as shaken towards him for the following 24 hours.

Sneak Attack (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, an occult investigator gains the sneak attack ability of the rogue. If the occult investigator can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from his attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage.

The investigator's attack deals extra damage any time his target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the investigator flanks his target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 2nd level, and it increases by 1d6 every three levels thereafter. Should the investigator score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, an investigator can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty.

An investigator can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The investigator must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

If the occult investigator possesses the discern weakness (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89385) class feature, he can choose to advance that ability instead of his sneak attack. Whenever he would gain +1d6 sneak attack damage, he can instead choose +1 discern weakness.

Arcane Impression (Su): Beginning at 3rd level an occult investigator can sense the impression that the arcane leaves on the normal world. He can use detect magic at will, and this ability also lets him detect arcane spells and spell-like abilities that have been cast in the area in the previous 24 hours (with this ability the time of casting can be narrowed down to within an hour either way).

Gut Feeling (Ex): A good detective learns to trust his instincts as much as his reasoning. Starting at 3rd level an occult investigator adds his class level to Sense Motive checks. In addition, he can activate this ability once per day per two class levels to focus on a particular person.

Once activated, for ten minutes afterwards the DM must automatically grant the investigator a Sense Motive check on any false statement made by the target, even if the investigator doesn't have reason to suspect it is false.

Whatever Remains (Sp): Crimes are much easier to solve when you can ask the corpse who killed them. Starting at 4th level, an occult investigator can use speak with dead at will, with a caster level equal to his Hit Dice.

Track Arcana (Su): Starting at 5th level, an occult investigator learns to track disturbances in the paranormal reality. Whether he taps into the Weave, taps a ley line, or what have you, he can track people who have cast magic. He can substitute an arcane spell or spell-like ability that has been cast in the previous 24 hours for tracks when using the Track feat (as identified with his arcane intuition ability).

These arcane tracks are treated as having been made in "very soft ground" and are unaffected by weather, visibility, or the size of the target. However, if the spell in question was subject to a dispel magic effect or if the target was inside of an anti-magic field in the period since then, the Survival DC to track them increases by a cumulative +10.

Always On (Ex): A trained investigator is always aware of what's around him. Starting at 6th level an occult investigator is automatically granted a Search check whenever he comes within 5ft. of a trap, a concealed object, or a hidden passage or entrance.

Hard-Boiled (Ex): It's hard to shock a sufficiently worldly investigator. Starting at 6th level occult investigators are resistant to fear. They gain a +5 morale bonus on saves against fear effects, and any successful fear effect used on them is automatically reduced to shaken. An occult investigator cannot be frightened or panicked.

However Improbable (Su): Sometimes you're good, sometimes you're lucky, and sometimes you're both. Starting at 7th level, an occult investigator can select a number of trained skills equal to his Int modifier. Once per day per class level he can choose to reroll a check made with one of these skills after he learns that it has failed. He can only reroll a particular skill check once in this way.

Cœur Noir (Ex): An investigator meets every kind of person and hears every kind of story. He's heard your sob story before, and he's not impressed. Beginning at 8th level, an occult investigator is immune to enchantments unless he chooses to accept them. The DC to change his disposition with skill checks is increased by his class level.

Extract Information (Ex): Starting at 9th level an occult investigator can get critical information out of people with just the right application of force. Whenever he makes a sneak attack on an intelligent creature an occult investigator can choose to reduce the extra damage by 1 die. Instead, he can make an instant Interrogate check, which takes place as part of the attack action instead of the normal required time.

If the occult investigator switched his sneak attack dice for the discern weakness ability, he can activate this ability by forfeiting +1 on his discern weakness attempt.

Must be the Truth (Su): At the height of his talent, an occult investigator can strip away all magical facades to reveal the plain unvarnished truth. At will an occult investigator of 10th level can activate or deactivate this ability as a swift action. His every touch while active carries a greater dispel magic effect with a caster level equal to his Hit Dice. At 20 Hit Dice this is upgraded to a mordenkainen's disjunction effect (although only on touch). Any spells that are used against the investigator are subject to a similar effect while active.

Dralnu
2011-05-28, 02:24 AM
Let's see here: rogue chassis, favored enemy: arcane, very rapid invocation progression with all DA/warlock ones available, swift action invisibility, some immunities, powerful anti-magic capstone, and excels at his role as an investigator.

I really like it. It's flavorful and does what it's supposed to.

Criticisms:

1) Invocations. I dunno, they seem a little off here. The progression rate is powerful, but my main concern is the flavor behind it doesn't mesh in my mind when I think occult investigator using the same tricks as the ones he's hunting. Turning into a swarm of bats and stuff like that, it's just odd.

2) Interrogation. I like it. But you need to elaborate. What opposed roll does the target make, or is it a DC? What information does he divulge according to the roll, or does he just say everything he knows upon success?

3) Whatever Remains. Not a criticism, just I looked at it again and thought it was wicked awesome and flavorful, nice. And Track Arcana, too. I dig it.

4) Cœur noir. Why not just say "immune to enchantment effects"?

5) Extract Information. I really don't think it should be tied to sneak attack. Just regular damage would do. When you say sneak attack, this is what pops into my head:


Investigator Bob: Where were you last night, Jim?
Jim: I was out buying flowers for my Ma.
Investigator Bob: Oh, really? Interesting. Look, what's on your foot there?
Jim: Huh? *looks*
Investigator Bob: HA! *sneak attack* THE TRUTH!
Jim: AGH! I WAS DOING OCCULT STUFF!

Investigator Bob: Progress. Okay, where is this occult located?
Jim: I don't know.
Investigator Bob: I see. Oh, look behind you! Is that Hilary Duff?
Jim: Where?! *turns*
Investigator Bob: HAVE AT THEE! *sneak attack* TELL ME WHERE!
Jim: Ack!

Etc etc.

Other than that, great stuff! I know my homebrew class would not want to face this one! :smallbiggrin:

Kellus
2011-05-28, 04:19 PM
Hey, thanks for the comments!


Criticisms:

1) Invocations. I dunno, they seem a little off here. The progression rate is powerful, but my main concern is the flavor behind it doesn't mesh in my mind when I think occult investigator using the same tricks as the ones he's hunting. Turning into a swarm of bats and stuff like that, it's just odd.

Basically the idea is to give him some magical tricks without having actual spells. I think the way invocations work, essentially having a few magical knacks that you can use as much as you want fits the idea fairly well. If you have any ideas, let me know!


2) Interrogation. I like it. But you need to elaborate. What opposed roll does the target make, or is it a DC? What information does he divulge according to the roll, or does he just say everything he knows upon success?

The new skill replaces either Gather Information or Intimidate whenever you would use it to extract information from someone. So it falls under the same rules as the above skills, but you use the doubled up skill instead to represent how awesome an investigator is at getting people to crack.


3) Whatever Remains. Not a criticism, just I looked at it again and thought it was wicked awesome and flavorful, nice. And Track Arcana, too. I dig it.

Yeah, I liked those ones. It seems like stuff a detective should be able to do in a world filled with magic.


4) Cœur noir. Why not just say "immune to enchantment effects"?

That is... a very good idea. :smallsmile:

The short answer is it started off as a simpler ability that cascaded later on when I changed its level of acquisition. Your wording is much better.


5) Extract Information. I really don't think it should be tied to sneak attack. Just regular damage would do. When you say sneak attack, this is what pops into my head:

(humorous scenario)

Although it could be played for laughs, it's basically a way for the investigator to interrogate people in a combat round timeframe. Instead of zooming off into the magical realm of 'social stuff' where time takes as long as the DM decides it takes, this lets you do it within the defined space of one round. As far as flavour goes, it represents basically torturing someone to pry time-sensitive information out of them. Sneak attack helps represent this since it consists of stabbing people in their most sensitive spots.


Other than that, great stuff! I know my homebrew class would not want to face this one! :smallbiggrin:

Thanks! I'm glad you like it. :smallwink:

Kellus
2011-05-30, 07:43 PM
Anybody else have thoughts on it before I let it die?