Pathfinder Investigator Build Guide

Introduction

The purpose of this Pathfinder Investigator Build Guide is to provide a “quick tips checklist” of things to do to when making a 13^th level or lower hybrid class Investigator build from the Pathfinder Advance Class Guide.  It will start by reviewing the structural Strengths / Weaknesses of the class.  It will follow by giving quick tips on how to take advantage of the structural strengths of the class and make up for the weaknesses of the class.  Feel free to leave helpful comments below critiquing and/or adding to the advice given below.

Optibuilds’ Investigator Builds PDF Part 1 (18 build variations; only $7.99)

Other Build Guides: Bloodrager, Hunter, Slayer, Bard, Arcanist, Brawler, Warpriest 

Structure of the Class: Strengths and Weaknesses and Okays

1.     General Note: As with all classes, you can customize through the selection of leveling feats, skills, traits, race, multiclassing and items.

2.     Skills: The Investigator’s Class Skills are Acrobatics, Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (all), Linguistics, Perception, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spellcraft, Stealth, and Use Magic Device.  Further, the skill points are 6+Int.  This is not only a Strength because of the skill points and the skill selection, but also because the Investigator is a naturally Intelligence based class – meaning even more skill points.  Further, many of the skills on the Investigator list are Intelligence based.

3.     Proficiencies: The Investigator is only proficient with all simple weapons plus the crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, short sword, and sword cane. He is also only proficient with light armor and with no shields.

4.     Trapfinding / Trapsense: The Investigator gets Trapfinding and Trapsense, so he is meant to be a dungeon scout.  The skill selection further supports the scout role.

5.     Extracts: The Investigator class allows for further customization through the selection of Extract (basically spells, but not, so you can’t select the Arcane Strike Feat).  The Extracts and many of the Talents function off of the Intelligence skill. The Investigator maxes out at 6^th level extracts.   Since the Extracts are from the alchemist extract list I will refer you to Ogre’s RPG Stuff – Alchemist’s Guide (Core, APG, UM) [Discussion].

6.     Investigator Talents: The Investigator class also allows for customization through the selection of Investigator Talents.  The Extracts and many of the Talents function off of the Intelligence skill.  Most of the Investigator Talents are okay.  Some of the abilities can’t be had until after level 13.  A few are obviously terrible.  For instance, Inspired Intelligence – just take a rank in the skills like you should anyway, now you’re trained; now you don’t need this horrible Talent.  Also, all of the Rogue Talents offered are horrible- just say no, unless it’s a co-hort build that is dedicated to being a skill monkey.  Here is my opinion on the best Investigator Talents:

• Alchemist Discovery (Mutagen);
• Alchemical Discovery (Concentrate Poison) – if making a poison user build. 
• Combat Inspiration (once you have a lot of inspiration points);
• Empathy (if you make a Sense Motive build, i.e. Snake Style);
• Quick Study (once you have more than one attack per round, plenty of Inspiration points and decent Studied Strike damage it ups Study Strike to blue);
• Inspirational Expertise (remember you are considered to be your own ally);
• Toppling Strike (if you have invested feats into a tripping build);    
• Sapping Offense (actually not bad for hitting and then 1) getting out of your opponent’s full attack range, 2) moving into flanking position, and 3) attempting some other action that would normally provoke)
• Sickening Offense (decent debuff and works even better if you also intimidate your opponent).
• Effortless Aid (Attack as normal and then aid your buddy.  Why not?)

7.     Inspiration: Inspiration works by providing ½ the Investigator’s level + Int inspiration points that can be used to give a +1D6 bonus to skill checks and checks in general for one inspiration point (excluding trained Knowledge, Spellcraft and Linguistic skill checks which require no inspiration points to add the +1D6 bonus).  For 2 points, an Investigator can add +1D6 to attack rolls and saving throws.  Sometimes inspiration points are needed to power other Investigator abilities (studied Strike/Studied Combat and some Investigator Talents).

8.    Studied Combat: At the cost of a move action, Studied Combat gives +1/2 Investigator’s level to attack and damage against one studied target for Intelligence Mod rounds.

9.    Studied Strike:  The Investigator can end his studied combat against a target with a studied strike for +xD6 additional damage (max of 5d6 by 12^th level). The investigator can only use the studied combat against the same target again inside of 24 hours if he expends an inspiration point.

10.   Keen Recollection: Keen Recollection allows the Investigator to use all Knowledge skills even if he has no ranks in a particular Knowledge Skill.  That said, this is mainly just a good ability for early levels.  Given that all Knowledge skills are class skills for Investigators, every Investigator will eventually takes 1 point in every Knowledge skill of consequence if only to get the +3 class skill bonus and to get the automatic +1D6 to Knowledge skills all investigators get through the Inspiration Ability.

11.   Poison Abilities: Swift Alchemy, Poison Lore and Poison Resistance allow the Investigator to apply poison to weapon as a swift action, neutralize poison and work with poison without poisoning himself.  Unfortunately, poison is normally very expensive to buy or to make if it is effective.  That said, a build dedicated to getting poison cheaply and in abundance can make the most of these abilities.  Many of the archetypes replace the poison related abilities for abilities that are more straightforward to optimize and that are equally or more powerful.  

12.   Saves: The Investigator has a poor Fort Save and a strong Will and Reflex Save.

13.   Alignment: The Investigator has no alignment restrictions.

14.   Hitpoints: The Investigator has the middle of the road hitpoint progression D8.

15.   Stat Tax: The Investigator must be built with two main stats (Int and either Str or Dex) and can be optimally built with one dump stat (Chr).

16.   BAB: The Investigator class is a 3/4 BAB class.

The Archetypes are Great, Okay and Horrible

1.   The Empiricist Archetype allows the Investigator to utilize his main mental stat (Intelligence) for Diplomacy (gathering information checks), Disable Device, Use Magic Device, Perception and Sense Motive. It also allows for bonuses to Will Saves against illusions.  The Empiricist only gives up his abilities associated with poison use and poison resistance.  Unless you are seeking to make a build that make great use of poison for attacks, etc…, this Archetype is a great.

2.   The Infiltrator Archetype allows the Investigator to become a disguise artist (visual and auditory) at the expense of poison related abilities and trapfinding.  If you just did not want to be a Trapfinder and did not want to invest in being a poison user, this is a good archetype for those looking to use disguise to escape for bad situation, to hide in plain sight, or mimic others.

3.   The Mastermind Archetype has several abilities whose usefulness is heavily circumstantial.  If you are taking this archetype for the typical adventures, you are here for Mastermind’s Defense, which can alter an attacker’s attack roll and cause a miss.  You give up Trapfinding, Trapsense, Swift Alchemy and you 9^th level Investigator Talent.  If your group does not need a Trapfinder, built correctly with plenty of Inspiration Points, this Archetype could be blue?

4.   The Sleuth Archetype gets and has the ability to replenish luck points that can be use for things that are not all that impressive.  Additionally, the Sleuth’s luck points are based on his Charisma modifier, which should otherwise be an Investigator’s dump stat.  In exchange, you can’t take Alchemical Discovery (most important Alchemical Discovery Mutagen).  BOOOOOO!

5.   The Spiritualist Archetype gets some useful spell-like abilities. You can take Arcane Strike as a feat now.  Investigators otherwise cannot because Extracts are not spells.  You also get abilities that help you resist negative energy damage and death effects, really good if you are constantly fighting Undead.  You can re-roll failed saving throws.  You can not take Alchemical Discovery – so no Mutagen. He also has to give up trap sense (you keep trapfinding oddly enough) and poison related abilities.   Unless you are planning to utilize your poison use abilities, this is a good Archetype.  If you get Mutagen through another class, then this is a great archetype.  

6.   The Steelblood Archetype attempts to make the Investigator a gunslinger.  However, studied combat and studied strike only work with melee attacks.  BOOOO!  That said, there is the new feat call Range Study that makes ranged attack viable with combat study.  You have to take Weapon Focus to get Range Study, so any gun build will be very feat starved. That said, with the properly pieced together build, this can actually be blue.  It depends on your character building skills.   

Build Advice

Choose Your Fighting Style:  Your Fighting Style will determine your main physical stat and weapon of choice.  You can’t use Studied Combat with a bow or gun, but with Ranged Study these styles are possible and can be good to great depending on the level of optimization.  So your choices are open.

To Dip or Not to Dip: If you do not multiclass, you will be passing up on one opportunity to address the weapon proficiencies, shield proficiency,  weak Fort Save,  ¾ BAB,  and low starting HPs of the Investigator.  If you dip one level in the right full BAB class (archetype), you can address all of these things and maybe add a feat, class ability, and/or additional class skills to boot.  Giving up the one level of Investigator progression is a small sacrifice in comparison.  If you dip two levels, then you better have a good reason.  If you dip three levels then you are certifiably stupid…. or …. absolutely brilliant.            

Choose Your Race: Your selection of race is your next opportunity to sure up your Fort Save and weapon proficiency.  It is also the perfect way to get a bonus in one or more or your primary stats (Int/Str or Int/Dex).  You can also pick up some important extras like spell-like abilities (for access to Arcane Strike), natural attacks (to help with your BAB and thus slow iterative attack progression), favorite class abilities (though you probably just want the 1 hitpoint per level), extra class skills (though you could make do with the skills you have), bonuses to skills (though you already have ways to get bonuses), resistances, flight or other movement abilities, increased perceptive abilities (though you have spells that can do this to), etc..  You should consider the follow Core races: Human, Elf (for Dex builds), Half Elf, Half-Orc, Halfling (Dex builds).  There are many appropriate advanced, featured and uncommon races.

Choose Your Traits:  Good time to get a trait bonus for Fort Save.  The second trait depends on the build.     

Choose Your Stats:  Obviously, this depends on whether you are a Dex-based or Str-based melee fighter.

• Strength Build 25pts: Str (18), Con (14), Dex (14), Int (15), Wis (12), and Chr (7).
• Dexterity Build 25pts: Str (9), Con (14), Dex (18), Int (16), Wis (14), and Chr (7).

Pick Some Skills: Get your Knowledge Skills, especially ID Monster Knowledge Skills.  Base the rest of your skills on your role in the party and prerequisites/function for your feats (examples are Sense Motive and Snake Fang or Perform and Dervish Dance).

Choose Your Archetype: If you are going with a poison user concept, then a standard Investigator or the Mastermind is the way to go.  If you are not going with a poisoner build, then choose Empiricist, Infiltrator or Spiritualist.

Choose Your Feats:  There are so many different kind of melee builds (tripping, disarming, dirty trick, two-weapon-fighting, two-hand weapon fighting, sword and boards, unarmed (and various unarmed styles), and more.  The feats are highly dependent on the style. With that said, you are going to want to take Extra Inspiration (once, twice, maybe three times a lady) to work along with Quick Study at later levels – as well as for other reasons.  Also, Extra Investigator Talent is worth considering for some builds.    

Choose Your Talents:  Strongly consider the labeled blue above.

 Conclusion

Okay, I think the class is that simple.  You will have an Investigator who is a party resource both on and off of the battlefield.  Check out Optibuilds’ Investigator Builds PDF Part 1 if you are curious how Optibuilds would go about maximizing the fun with advice on how to create 18 different Investigator builds.  Rapiers, Two-handed weapons, bows and double barrel guns – Oh my!