Class Features
The following are the class features of the investigator.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Investigators are proficient with simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, short sword, and sword cane. They are proficient in light armors, but not shields.
Alchemy (Su)
Investigators are highly trained in the creation of mundane alchemical substances and magical potion-like extracts. When using Craft (alchemy) to create an alchemical item, an investigator gains a competence bonus equal to his class level on the skill check. In addition, an investigator can use Craft (alchemy) to identify potions as if using detect magic. He must hold the potion for 1 round to attempt such a check. Like an alchemist, an investigator prepares his spells by mixing ingredients and a tiny fraction of his own magical power into a number of extracts, and then effectively casts the spell by drinking the extract. These extracts have powerful effects, but they are also bound to their creator. Extracts behave like spells in potion form, and as such their effects can be dispelled by dispel magic and similar effects, using the investigator’s level as the caster level. An investigator can create only a certain number of extracts of each level per day. His base daily allotment of extracts per day is given on Table: Investigator. In addition, he receives bonus extracts per day if he has a high Intelligence score, in the same way a wizard receives bonus spells per day. When an investigator mixes an extract, he infuses the chemicals and reagents in the extract with magic siphoned from his own magical aura. An extract immediately become inert if it leaves the investigator’s possession, reactivating as soon as it returns to his keeping—an investigator cannot normally pass out his extracts for allies to use. An extract, once created, remains potent for 1 day before losing its magic, so an investigator must reprepare his extracts every day. Mixing an extract takes 1 minute of work. Creating extracts consumes raw material, but the cost of those materials is insignificant—comparable to the valueless material components of most spells. If a spell normally has a costly material component, that component is expended during the consumption of that particular extract. Extracts cannot be made from spells that have focus requirements; extracts that duplicate divine spells never have a divine focus requirement. An investigator uses the alchemist formulae list to determine the extracts he can know. An investigator can prepare an extract of any formulae he knows. To learn or use an extract, an investigator must have at least an Intelligence score equal to 10 + the extract’s level. The saving throw DC for an investigator’s extract is equal to 10 + the extract’s level + the investigator’s Intelligence modifier. An investigator may know any number of formulae. He stores his formulae in a special tome called a formula book. He must refer to this book whenever he prepares an extract. At 1st level, an investigator starts with two 1st-level formulae of his choice, plus a number of additional formulae equal to his Intelligence modifier. At each new investigator level, he gains one new formula for any level that he can create. An investigator can also add formulae to his book just like a wizard adds spells to his spellbook, using the same costs, pages, and time requirements. A formula book costs as much as a spellbook. An investigator can study a wizard’s spellbook to learn any formula that is equivalent to a spell the spellbook contains. A wizard, however, cannot learn spells from a formula book. An investigator can also learn formulae from another investigator’s or an alchemist’s formula book (and vice versa). An investigator does not need to decipher arcane writing before copying that formulae.
Inspiration (Ex) [1d8]
An investigator is beyond knowledgeable and skilled—he also possesses keen powers of observation and deduction that far surpass the abilities of others. An investigator typically uses these powers to aid in their investigations, but can also use these flashes of inspiration in other situations. An investigator has the ability to augment skill checks and ability checks through his brilliant inspiration. The investigator has an inspiration pool equal to 1/2 his investigator level + his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). An investigator’s inspiration pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night’s sleep. As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed. An investigator can only use inspiration once per check or roll. The investigator can use inspiration on any Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft skill checks without expending a use of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill. Inspiration can also be used on attack rolls and saving throws, at the cost of expending two uses of inspiration each time from the investigator’s pool. In the case of saving throws, using inspiration is an immediate action rather than a free action.
Trapfinding
Poison Lore (Ex)
An investigator has a deep understanding and appreciation for poisons. At 2nd level, he cannot accidentally poison himself when applying poison to a weapon. If the investigator spends 1 minute physically examining the poison, he can attempt a Knowledge (nature) check to identify any natural poison or Knowledge (arcana) check to identify any magical poison (DC = the poison’s saving throw DC). Lastly, once a poison is identified, he can spend 1 minute and attempt a Craft (alchemy) check (DC = the poison’s saving throw DC) to neutralize 1 dose of the poison. Success renders the dose harmless. The investigator has no chance of accidentally poisoning himself when examining or attempting to neutralize a poison.
Poison Resistance (Ex) [+6 V Poison]
At 2nd level, an investigator gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws against poison. This bonus increases to +4 at 5th level, and to +6 at 8th level. At 11th level, the investigator becomes completely immune to poison.
Investigator Talent (Ex) or (Su)
At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, an investigator gains an investigator talent. Except where otherwise noted, each investigator talent can only be selected once.
Investigator talents marked with an asterisk (*) add effects to an investigator’s studied combat or studied strike. Only one of these talents can be applied to an individual attack, but the decision can be made when the damage is dealt..
A complete listing of investigator talents can be found here: Investigator Talents
3ed Underworld Inspiration (Ex)
Benefit: An investigator can use his inspiration on Bluff, Disable Device, Disguise, Intimidate, or Sleight of Hand checks without expending uses of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill.
5th Expanded Inspiration (Ex)
Benefit: An investigator can use his inspiration ability when attempting Diplomacy, Heal, Perception, Profession, and Sense Motive checks without expending uses of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill.
7th Weapon Finess
9th [Used for MasterMind]
Keen Recollection
At 3rd level, an investigator can attempt all Knowledge skill checks untrained.
Trap Sense (Ex)
Studied Combat (Ex)
With a keen eye and calculating mind, an investigator can assess the mettle of his opponent to take advantage of gaps in talent and training. At 4th level, an investigator can use a move action to study a single enemy that he can see. Upon doing so, he adds 1/2 his investigator level as an insight bonus on melee attack rolls and as a bonus on damage rolls against the creature. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1) or until he deals damage with a studied strike, whichever comes first. The bonus on damage rolls is precision damage, and is not multiplied on a critical hit. An investigator can only have one target of studied combat at a time, and once a creature has become the target of an investigator’s studied combat, he cannot become the target of the same investigator’s studied combat again for 24 hours unless the investigator expends one use of inspiration when taking the move action to use this ability.
Studied Strike (Ex) [+4d6]
At 4th level, an investigator can choose to make a studied strike against the target of his studied combat as a free action, upon successfully hitting his studied target with a melee attack, to deal additional damage. The damage is 1d6 at 4th level, and increases by 1d6 for every 2 levels thereafter (to a maximum of 9d6 at 20th level). The damage of studied strike is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit; creatures that are immune to sneak attacks are also immune to studied strike. If the investigator’s attack used a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), he may choose to have the additional damage from studied strike be nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. If the investigator chose to make an attack with a lethal weapon instead deal nonlethal damage (with the usual –4 penalty), the studied strike damage may also deal nonlethal damage. 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. An investigator cannot use studied strike against a creature with concealment.
Swift Alchemy (Ex)
Master Mind
Although some investigators use their honed senses and cunning insight for personal gain, no one excels at such endeavors like the mastermind. Typically, these investigators dwell at the centers of complex networks of lies, minions, or simply precious information, from which they dispense commands, threats, and rumors, all carefully crafted to increase the power of their peculiar empires. While masterminds often act as the heads of illicit organizations like criminal families, thieves’ guilds, or corruption-riddled bureaucracies, they aren’t always evil.
Mastermind’s Inspiration (Ex)
A mastermind can use inspiration on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks without expending a use of inspiration, but can’t do so for Linguistics or Spellcraft checks.
A mastermind can use inspiration on any Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge, or skill checks without spending a use of inspiration.
This ability alters inspiration.
A Quiet Word (Ex)
A mastermind’s reputation precedes him. At 1st level, once per day a mastermind can spend 10 minutes preparing an ally to make a single Diplomacy or Intimidate check (mastermind’s choice when preparing the ally) within the next 24-hour period at the mastermind’s behest. This skill check uses the mastermind’s skill ranks instead of the ally’s. The mastermind’s affected ally still uses its own ability bonus for the check. Furthermore, when a mastermind uses this ability, he can expend one use of inspiration to give the ally use of the inspiration die when making the check. At 3rd level, a mastermind can use this ability an additional time each day, and the number of times he can use this ability per day increases by 1 for every third level thereafter. Multiple uses of this ability on the same ally grant that ally the benefit on additional Diplomacy or Intimidate checks. At 12th level, a mastermind can use this ability to bestow on his ally the use of his skill ranks, similar to the 1st-level effects of this ability but with a wider range of skills to choose from. The mastermind can only bestow this for a skill check that he can use inspiration on without expending uses of inspiration. For instance, a mastermind with the underworld inspiration talent can bolster his ally’s Bluff, Disable Device, Disguise, or Sleight of Hand skill checks, selecting a single skill for each use of the ability.
This ability replaces trapfinding and trap sense.
Mastermind Defense (Ex)
At 4th level, a mastermind can, as an immediate action, expend two uses of inspiration to make an inspired defense. He rolls his inspiration die and applies the result as a penalty on an attack roll made against him. If the mastermind has the combat inspiration talent, he can expend one use of inspiration instead of two.
This ability replaces swift alchemy.
Impregnable Mind(Su)
At 9th level, a mastermind’s secrecy, obscurity, and mental conditioning reach superhuman levels. He becomes immune to any divination spell, spell-like ability, or effect that allows a saving throw (though he can still allow a divination effect to affect him if he wishes). Even divination effects that do not allow a saving throw have difficulty piercing a mastermind’s barriers, as a mastermind can now choose to think in any language he speaks. Unless the opponent reading a mastermind’s thoughts speaks all of the mastermind’s languages, attempts at thought reading automatically fail.
This ability replaces the investigator talent gained at 9th level.
formulae-lists-alchemist
Level 1 [7/day]
1:Reduce Person
2:Shield
3:Heightened Awareness
4:Anticipate Peril
5:Disguise Self
6:Endure Elements [Used dayly
7:Heightened Awareness
Level 2 [5/day]
1:Alter Self
2:Ironskin
3:Invisibility
4:Detect Thoughts
5:Fox’s Cunning
Level 3 [4/day]
1:Animal Aspect, Greater
2:Fly
3:Gaseous Form
4:nondetection
Level 4 [2/day]
1:Scorching Ash Form
2:Miasmatic Form
