BACKGROUND
I have a low-level cleric of Pharasma whose backstory is that he has been sent by his superiors half-way across the inner sea region to track down a low-level necromancer and deal with the problem before he gains power and becomes a larger concern. I don't know that this back story will ever play out in game, but I like to have characters with a little more depth than "murder hobo".
THE PROBLEM
Clerics do not have many skill points, and have a skill list not well suited to this type of character. Yes, he has access to his entire spell list, but the character in my head has more tools at his disposal that magic. He is supposed to be highly educated and capable of looking at challenges in a "big picture" manner.
WHAT I DID
The character will not progress beyond what a cleric can do, and thats fine. However, it gave me an idea for a new class or archetype. It was tentatively named Inquisition Cleric, because his purpose was to track down heretics and enemies of the faith. Sounds awfully close to an inquisitor huh? What I have worked on begins with cleric and then adds skill points, class skills, and a modified form of the investigator's inspiration class feature. So far I have tossed out one domain, channel energy, and medium armor. Still a work in progress.
WHAT I WANT
Before trying to finish this or posting what I have, I am seeking ideas on how some of you fine people would build such a class or archetype. The general schtick is to mix the investigator and the cleric. And I want to open up the concept - broaden it beyond tracking down enemies of the faith. Thoughts?
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Well, this probably isn't going to seem helpful, but a mix between cleric and investigator is an inquisitor. If I was going to try and do this, I would probably make the archetype for the inquisitor, swapping out class features for inspiration and the like. The main reason for this is you're trying to cram a highly skilled frame onto a low skill class, which usually has lower skill point as a balancing factor. 9 level casting, medium armor proficiency, d8 hit dice, 3/4 BAB and 6 skill points per level isn't something any class has, regardless of other class features. And the cleric doesn't really have a lot of class features to trade out, where the investigator has a lot of class features to trade in.
If you're dead set on using the cleric, you could consider removing medium armor and weapon proficiencies for 4+ skill points per level, similar to the Cloistered Cleric. Then I'd consider trading channel energy for an inspiration pool and a limited number of investigator talents. Or, you trade channel for studied strikes and a domain for a much more limited inspiration pool, and talents at levels maybe 2, 10 and 16.
Then add in or substitute a few class skills such as survival, and that's probably where I'd finish with an archetype like this. Though like I said at the top, I probably wouldn't create an archetype like this because what you're describing is exactly an inquisitor of Pharasma, so you already have the perfect class to play this character.