Hi, this is going to be wordy, and I apologize.
--The Pitch--
So I'm trying to make one of my first PFS characters for a con next month. The con uses warhorn, almost none of the games had a skill monkey signed up, and I'd wanted to try the Psychic Detective Investigator archetype anyway. Race is up for grabs, but I'm leaning towards human.
The first three levels of investigator do not focus on combat. That said, I've heard that contributing to combat is absolutely necessary, so I'm here to seek advice on just how to do that.
--The Rules--
You'll have to play around my player quirks, though. The class and archetype are non-negotiable, and I greatly dislike class dips, even when they are optimal (though if you make a great case you can twist my arm). I am aware of swashigator and maneuver master monk, for example, but want to avoid relying on them if possible.
My character's concept is very important to me, and I didn't see him swinging large weapons around like a brute, meaning I'd like to avoid power attack if possible. I see him as more of a combination of lucky and clever, improvising his way through battle supplemented by his psychic abilities. I'll be trying to make creative use of mundane items, (powder to find invis, marbles, etc) for example.
I'll have access to spells like color spray and ill omen early on, but I'm limited to the spells per day of a bard. There are flavour/skill monkey feats I'd like to take, such as Deific Obedience (Irori), and Orator. Will my spells be enough of a contribution to combat to pursue these kinds of feats early on, or should I focus more on fighting? If I do spec more for battle, do I actually need to be dealing damage, or is battlefield control an acceptable contribution? I thought dirty tricks were a very appropriate option for this concept, but for the first few levels (when it matters most), they're not considered to be very good, and I won't have access to studied combat until 4th to up my chance of landing them.
I also considered an unarmed build (Irori is my god, after all) with snake/kirin style for defense/support, potentially with a reach weapon. My problem was that it was feat intensive, and I was unsure how the rules work when it comes to threatening with reach and unarmed strikes in society play. I don't want to be -that- guy, bringing sketchy characters to the table.
--Where you come in--
Thanks for sticking with me. My question is, what options do I have given the many confines I've put on myself? Bonus points for ideas with lots of flavour. My book list for reference (I can only make use of what I have, though fantastic ideas I'd be willing to acquire books for):
APG
ACG
OA
OO
OR
UC
ISG
WMH
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Dex-to-damage builds take a while to come online and you are already feat-starved, so if you aren't dipping to get those feats then I recommend a strength build. To improve your combat contribution you want to increase your damage per attack, increase the number of viable attacks per round, add special features to your attacks, or some combination of those things. Here are a few ideas.
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Reach Build
Cast spells during your turn, and use a longspear to deliver AoOs after your turn. At lower levels Telekinetic Projectile gives you decent hands-free ranged attacks. Pelt your melee-focused enemies during your turn, and get extra attacks with your longspear if they try to pay you back during theirs. At higher levels you can use your turn to cast better attack spells, buffs, or battlefield control spells as needed.
You'll probably want to throw a little bit into Dex and take Combat Reflexes to get more than one AoO. Power Attack is a nice option to increase damage, but isn't necessary. You have access to both Long Arm and Enlarge Person if you want to increase your reach further. Long Arm won't give you the Str boost, but since it also doesn't have a Dex penalty, it won't cost you a potential AoO. Also it is only a standard action to cast.
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Two-Weapon Build
You can make a Str-based TWF build by taking the Artful Dodge feat from Melee Tactics Toolbox. It lets you use your Int to qualify for the TWF feats. And as an Investigator you are going to want to have a high Int anyway. A Human can take Artful Dodge and TWF at first level.
There are lots of good choices of weapons for this build. I especially like daggers because they can be thrown. Take the River Rat trait and they will do the same average damage as a shortsword. At higher levels you can use Ranged Study to use Studied Combat and Studied Strike when throwing them.
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Intimidation/Combat Maneuver Build
Saps are on your weapon list, so Enforcer is a viable early option. You'll probably want to take the Bruising Intellect trait to use your Int bonus instead of Cha. Underworld Inspiration will let you use Inspiration on Intimidate for free, but you won't be able to take it until 5th level.
Half-Orcs are great for an Intimidate build. In addition to the +2 racial bonus to Intimidate, they can get whip (and longsword) proficiency through the City-Raised alternate racial trait. You can have a whip in one hand and a sap in the other. Use the whip to Intimidate at a distance or perform trip or disarm maneuvers. If you have to drop the whip, you still have the sap. The Toothy alternate racial trait will give you a bite attack for close combat situations.
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I've just laid out the broad outlines here. If you like any of these basic approaches, then I or others can help you work out the specific details.
Omen is a decent trait to add to an Intimidate build.
Intimidate seems to be most effective as part of an Enforcer build (limit is non-lethal damage, so it's not helpful in undead heavy scenarios) or Cornugon Smash builds (needs Power Attack, and arguably Furious Focus for 3/4 classes and that ate up your 3rd, 5th, and 7th level feats, so it doesn't mesh well with your concept). However, if you're going primarily buffer or debuffer, getting Dazzling Display at 5th (Weapon Focus at 3rd) may give you some additional debuff to throw out when you're conserving spells or out of spells.
Some good ideas I hadn't considered before, especially telepathic projectile/reach and thrown weapons. I can definitely see him throwing daggers or knocking people senseless (he is a private eye after all).
That said, these options definitely put me in certain directions for the rest of my career. As it's PFS, I'll only be reaching lvl 12 or so, so the early game is definitely important.
Are there any non-feat intensive methods of creatively contributing to combat for the first few levels? Interesting uses of items or spells, perhaps?
Alchemical weapons: flasks of oil, acid, and holy water.
Some good ideas I hadn't considered before, especially telepathic projectile/reach and thrown weapons. I can definitely see him throwing daggers or knocking people senseless (he is a private eye after all).
That said, these options definitely put me in certain directions for the rest of my career. As it's PFS, I'll only be reaching lvl 12 or so, so the early game is definitely important.
Are there any non-feat intensive methods of creatively contributing to combat for the first few levels? Interesting uses of items or spells, perhaps?
Using a reach weapon can work just fine for the first few levels even without investing any feats into it. It can buy you time while you build toward a more feat-intensive build if you have a different concept in mind. Even with a str of 14, like the iconic Investigator, you'll be doing 1d8+3 as a medium character with a longspear. That's not bad for a non-martial at 1st level. And good positioning combined with your reach can make things tactically more difficult for your enemies. So if you ultimately want a a switch-hitter or a character wielding two weapons, using reach tactics can still be a good choice for the lower levels.
If you decide to stick with a reach build, you have a lot of ways that you can improve on it with feats and Investigator Talents. You can even combine some of the options that I mentioned earlier. For example you can trip with your longspear or take Stage Combatant so that you can use Enforcer.
As an Investigator, your primary contribution to the party is most likely going to be your skills for things like scouting, disabling traps, knowledge checks, etc. No one should expect you to out-spell the Wizard or deal more DPS than the Barbarian. Your goal is to not be completely useless in combat. With a reach build you have a shot at contributing a bit to both magic and melee during the same turn.
At low levels you have a lot of useful spell choices: dealing damage with Mind Thrust, buffing yourself or another player with Enlarge Person, debuffing opponents with Color Spray or Ill Omen, adding another ally with Summon Monster, etc. If you run low on spells or prefer to select them to enhance your more skill-based functions, then Telekinetic Projectile or Daze are good, unlimited-use options. (I especially like Telekinetic Projectile since there is no save and SR doesn't apply.)
The options Blake's Tiger listed are fun but more expensive for you than for a vanilla Investigator since you gave up Alchemy. Oil can be good for some battlefield control at low levels. Caltrops or, as you mentioned, marbles are also useful to have on hand. Since you seem to like the idea of the clever, always-prepared character, here are two guides for cheap but useful mundane items. Part 1 and part 2.
BTW, if you are going to be the party scout, Wayang is a good race to consider. They have darkvision, good stat modifiers, +2 racial bonuses to perception and stealth, a +4 size bonus to stealth, and SLA's that are nice for sneaking around. They'll do a bit less damage than a medium character and take a penalty to CMD and CMB, but the benefits outweigh the downsides for a scout.
So what combat and non-combat roles do you want this character to fill, and what combat style do you ultimately envision him using?
I certainly see the benefits to reach combat and appreciate the tactical side to that approach, but it's tough to imagine my particular character using a longspear. It's not completely jarring, just not what I imagined when I first envisioned the character, as it reminds me of your typical fighter or trained combatant rather than a psychic detective. I am just overly picky about these things and would like to find more of a, as you say, clever approach to combat if at all possible.
The enforcer idea is intriguing to me, as shaken is a decent debuff against everything that doesn't resist it and getting to do it for free on nonlethal hits sounds great and in character for a detective determined to get his man. The only thing is that my spells will primarily be Will Negates and Mind-Affecting, so I'm hoping my combat option can help with enemies resistant to them. This is actually why dirty trick appealed to me. Large, dumb creatures could be dealt with magically, while frail, mage types are more susceptible to combat maneuvers. Early on though, my chance to hit with them will be subpar until studied combat kicks in, and they'd be at best a way to disable AoO's (blind) from one enemy until I get Greater Dirty Trick. Still, this concept greatly appeals to me in the long run.
That is reassuring, actually. I want to specialize in knowledge and your typical rogue skills, so if I only have to avoid being useless in combat, that's good enough for me. Ideally, I'd find ways to include my skills and knowledge in combat (Such as with identify monster or perhaps feats like kirin style) to kill two birds with one stone. If you are aware of such options, I'd love to hear them.
Spells are one of the best parts about psychic detective, but it's the low spells per day that have me trying to contribute in other ways. Unlike a bard, I can't inspire my allies, which is why I'm scrambling for alternatives. Liberal use of 0 level spells can help, though I feel Telekinetic Projectile, while great for flavour, is little better than a light crossbow.
Thank you for the item guide! I will be making great use of these kinds of options and it's exactly the sort of thing I was looking for :)
Those are some great stats, but dang are they creepy. When it comes to the legal races in PFS, do I still need the associated book? I don't have any race books unfortunately.
As I've alluded to, I hope to see this character excel at gathering information and performing out of combat utility, such as trapfinding. I played with the idea of party face because I probably have the skills for it, but am on the fence. Currently the build I'm leaning toward involves identifying enemies at the beginning of combat, and either casting a few spells to buff or debuff if necessary, or turn on studied strike and perform dirty tricks on susceptible enemies, relying on studied strike for big damage when it's required. I don't know what weapons would be best, but if I could could make your suggestion of light weapon throwing come alive, that would definitely be in character as well. TWF and Artful Dodge are a significant investment though... Decisions, decisions.
Whenever I see the words 'Psychic Detective' I cant help but think of that South Park episode... LOL