Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Remmick2099 09-17-07, 08:51 PM	So I have, for whatever reason, the unerring desire to play a warforged detective. The inquisitive PrC seems a logical selection. I look at it, though, and it doesn't seem that great. It seems like just continuing as an urban ranger would be better. Any thoughts?
JulesCARV 09-17-07, 09:14 PM	Yeah... in terms of mechanical power, it's an improvement on the expert (for its specialized purposes) and not much more. Like the Dragonmarked Heir, I think of it as an "NPC class's prestige class" -- expert/inquisitive better than straight expert for many tasks, but rogue/inquisitive isn't really better than straight rogue. Worse than mechanical underpowering, IMHO, is the sloppiness of the prestige class's design regardless of mechanical power level. A class with 6 + int skill points per level simply shouldn't be given a mere eight class skills. It's not as if the quintessential skills of an inquisitive are exhausted by the skill list either -- they could have been given appraise (often involved in criminal investigations), disguise (meeting untrustworthy contacts in smoky bars under an assumed name and all that), forgery (which is, after all, the skill needed to detect forgeries, which inquisitives should be able to do well if they want), intimidate, speak language (what if your underworld contact is only really fluent in goblin?), survival (tracking, anyone?). Oh, and I suppose craft and profession could have made it too.
Amaril 09-18-07, 12:29 AM	Keith's Crime and Punishment has an Investigator base class. I compared it to the Inquisitive and they are very similar, but a little bit better. I tweaked it a bit to add to its bonus feats (you have to read the book), specifically feats from the ECS. Admittedly, the Bounty Hunter base class looks really appealing, and I sometimes wish I had pursued that class instead. The Bounty Hunter is very fitting for House Tharashk, too.
Kid SixXx 09-20-07, 07:10 AM	I have an Urban Ranger / Rogue / Master Inquisitive (Half Elf from House Medani). He's fun to play but there are quite a few mechanical issues that I sometimes worry about. The class skill list should've indeed been expanded as I've had to multiclass in order to get that jack-of-all-trades feel rather than just burn skill points as I progress in level. I also think think that being a Changeling would've helped work out a few issues as that pretty much gives me the Disguise skill for free (with certain caveats). Feats are also problematic for me in my rather unique situation. The free feats I get from MI progression that might've overlapped with some of my class features are actually a blessing since I've decided to get a Least Dragonmark in addition to Investigate (to meet the PrC pre-reqs). Adventures other than mysteries can sometimes be quite boring as I tend to sink into the role of support fighter. I flank, SA, and then use Zone of Truth to serve as the walking polygraph test if there happen to be any survivors to question. All things considered, he's still a fun character to play. It's not like I have to be perfect at everything, otherwise there'd be no need for four other party members.