PF2 Investigator Idea

[Wizard Giovanni]

So seeing as archetypes will be taking a different approach for this upcoming edition, I wanted to discuss ways in how to translate the Investigator class from the 1st edition to the 2nd. Here's a page to read up on said class.

First off, their premiere class feature, Inspiration, should most definitely come with taking up the Investigator Dedication since it can help your PC further integrate its role in "skill monkey", not to mention aiding your spell slinging in combat.

Secondly, the ability to take Investigator Talents and knowledge on Studied Combat and Studied Strikes would either come around at level 3 for the former class feature and level 4 for the latter ones or all of them learned at level 4. Personally hoping for the former but still fair if Paizo takes the latter route.

Finally, True Inspiration would most likely take a very long time to learn down the Investigator path since you get to essentially use Inspiration at-will by this point with an awesome bonus in 2d6 Inspiration rolls instead of 1d6.

However I'd love to hear your take on 2E's Investigator Archetype if that becomes a thing! Might even help me gain more ideas for this archetype.

[Secret Wizard]

I do believe more classes should be archetypes.

Investigator is a particularly good example.

Fighter + Investigator = Constable
Rogue + Investigator = Detective
Paladin + Investigator = Inquisitor
Ranger + Investigator = Bounty Hunter
Wizard + Investigator = Scholar

and so on. It should be a fun thing to add to each class as an archetype moreso than a standalone class.

[Wizard Giovanni]

Secret Wizard wrote:

I do believe more classes should be archetypes.

Investigator is a particularly good example.

Fighter + Investigator = Constable
Rogue + Investigator = Detective
Paladin + Investigator = Inquisitor
Ranger + Investigator = Bounty Hunter
Wizard + Investigator = Scholar

and so on. It should be a fun thing to add to each class as an archetype moreso than a standalone class.

Ooh, I especially like the Scholar one! Would be fun to play a crime-fighting magician.

[Garretmander]

Most of the 'hybrid' classes should probably be either rolled into one of their parent classes, available as a dedication, or made simply by archetyping one of the parent classes with the other. It's one thing about PF2 that really, really interests me.

[Deadmanwalking]

I think Investigator is one of the few hybrid Classes (along with Shaman...maybe Swashbuckler or Arcanist for purely mechanical reasons) with enough unique mechanics (Inspiration and Studied Combat) that it should probably get legitimately converted as a Class on a mechanical level.

Really, all it shares with Rogue is having lots of Skills and all it shares with Alchemist is the basics of doing alchemy...that leaves a lot of room for its own identity. And on a thematic level, I feel it's actually also pretty distinct.

The question of how to convert it mechanically is a tricky one, but something for Int-based combat buffs and some sort of flat skill bonus you spend points for are both pretty doable.

[Secret Wizard]

I think the Alchemy aspects of the Investigator are vestigial of a missing power budget, and should probably be removed from the core.

What remains I think is "archetypeable" more so than a class.

But of course, that's just my opinion.

[Deadmanwalking]

Secret Wizard wrote:

I think the Alchemy aspects of the Investigator are vestigial of a missing power budget, and should probably be removed from the core.

I disagree. Alchemy is a pretty sad subsystem if nobody but the Alchemist ever gets to make full use of it. That'd be like a spell list only ever being given to a single Class. Investigator as a second 'alchemy class' seems totally reasonable to me.

[Captain Morgan]

On the other hand, I don't see how you could justify the Investigator not having access to bombs (and to a lesser extent mutagens) now that those are just items anyone can craft. That's going to limit the design space between them a little. I suppose they could get advanced alchemy and even quick alchemy, but not research fields or the same alchemy feats. Like the equivalent of the PF2 bard to the alchemist's sorcerer.

[Deadmanwalking]

That's more or less what I was thinking. Investigators could always have Mutagen, and I see no issues with that continuing.

They'd technically have access to bombs, but nothing necessitates them being Proficient in them, and you can give the bomb thing basically no Feat support even if they do have basic proficiency.