Pathfinder 2E Introduces the Investigator Class in Advanced Player's Guide Preview

Pathfinder 2E is set to bring back its Investigator class, a unique adventurer skilled at interrogation, piecing together puzzles, and solving mysteries. Next week, Pathfinder 2E will released its Advanced Player's Guide, the first major expansion for the popular tabletop fantasy roleplaying game. Along with adding several new ancestries, the Advanced Player's Guide will also reintroduce four classes from the original Pathfinder game. The classes include the Witch, Swashbuckler, Oracle, and Investigator, the latter of which gives players the ability to play as a character skilled in the arts of deduction, investigation, and interrogation. ComicBook.com had the opportunity to preview the Investigator class, which opens up a fantastic style of gameplay for players more interested in the social and exploration aspects of Pathfinder 2E rather than straight combat.

The Investigator is an Intelligence-focused class that thrives in social encounters and solving mysteries. Investigators are immediately given the ability to pursue leads, which gives them the ability to focus on a clue and then gain a bonus when they or one of their allies investigate it. They also get to choose between three different "methodologies" (subclasses for the Investigator) that give them additional analytical abilities in either Alchemical Sciences, Empiricism, Forensics, or Interrogation. Each methodology comes with its own base ability or extra action - an Investigator specializing in Alchemical Sciences can make a quick tincture as a single action that remains potent until the end of the round, while an Investigator specializing in Investigation can use the Pointed Question action to force a non-allied creature to answer a question if they succeed on a Diplomacy check against their Will DC.

The core combat mechanic of the Investigator is the "Devise a Stratagem" action, which can be used to deal additional damage and gain other benefits during combat. When an Investigator takes the Devise a Stratagem action, they chose a creature they can see and roll a D20. Players can use the result of that roll if they Strike the creature later in the round, adding their Intelligence modifier instead of their normal Strength or Dexterity modifier, as well as dealing extra damage based on their level. In addition to the extra damage, Devising a Stratagem allows players to plan out their action based on their first roll - a poor D20 roll gives you the opportunity to switch targets or choose a defensive strategy instead. Many of the Investigator's feats provide additional benefits to Devising a Stratagem, such as being able to point out weaknesses to allies, which gives them a bonus to attacks made against that creature, or learning a creature's weaknesses.

As a player levels up their Investigator, they'll gain access to a variety of different feats that give their character even more astounding investigating abilities. Players can choose feats like Strategic Assessment at 4th Level, which automatically gives players information about their target's weaknesses and resistances, or Foresee Danger at 12 Level to substitute their Perception DC for their Armor class as a reaction. The preview pages below show off a few of the different options players can choose when creating their character.

The Investigator class is just one of the many new additions coming to Pathfinder 2E later this week. The Advanced Player's Guide will go on sale on July 30th.