Pointless PO exercise: Barbarian - investigator

[ShurikVch]

Whenever one of these threads come up, I always nominate the Master Inquisitive, from Eberron Campaign Setting. The prerequisite is a feat whose only benefit is that you're allowed to think about things you see, and the primary class feature is that you're allowed to talk to people. You also get a couple of very situational spell-like abilities that you could have gotten more times per day just by being a caster. Oh, and it has six skill points per level, but so few class skills that you're literally forced to cross-class (it doesn't even have any of the skills like Craft or Profession that encompass multiple skills).

If you wanted to play a Sherlock Holmes type, you'd be far better off just staying in rogue or something. Heck, you'd probably be better off staying in barbarian.I wouldn't argue about how bad is Master Inquisitive PrC, but the last paragraph piqued my interest: how it may be done?

So:
1) Single-class Barbarian
2) ECL 1 (or less) race, templates no higher than LA +0
3) Any 3.X sources

(I said PO to block silly little tricks such as Leadership abuse, summon loops, and so on)

[Flickerdart]

Barbarians actually do pretty okay.

You'll obviously want to downplay Strength and Constitution in favour of Intelligence and Wisdom. Gray Elf is a fair choice for race, as it comes with an Intelligence bonus, bonuses on Spot, Listen, and Search, and secret door auto-detection. Plus low-light vision is a nice freebie for stakeouts.

Because this isn't a combat primary role, we can do unholy things with ACFs. Gone is Rage, in its place we take Crafty Hunter for the ranger's combat styles (largely irrelevant) and favored enemy (give me some skill bonuses, baby). When we select a spirit totem, we pass right by Lion and take Eagle for even better Spot and Search. Instead of a regular totem, we take Uncanny Bravery, Trapkiller, and View Spirit World (for even more Spot and Search).

Grab the Cityscape skill swaps. Barbarians have Handle Animal, which flips into Gather Information, and Survival, which flips into Sense Motive (we don't have to use Survival to find traps with Trapkiller; our Search will be higher). Obviously, we will have to spend the skill points to become literate.

We end up with a character that can see every freakin' thing there is to see: +13 Spot (more against FEs), +13 Search, low-light and darkvision, and can find traps and secret doors.