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General Tabletop Discussion
Character Builds & Optimization
Fun Excercise - Build me a Hard-Boiled Detective!
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<blockquote data-quote="Dan'L" data-source="post: 4972105" data-attributes="member: 68954"><p>Months ago, I actually statted up a half-elf bard with the (high)society investigator archetype in mind (inspired in parts by Christie and Doyle). Bard has good access to the skills and skill bumps necessary for such a build.</p><p></p><p>BUT, if I were to do a more hard-boiled detective I would edge towards an avenger for the dogged stick-to-itivenes of a Spade, Wayne, or Magnum. I'd be sure to grab the streetwise and percepton skills, and choose the others based on character flavor. While the fluff and censure of the pursuit avenger suits the concept nicely, don't underestimate the other builds' potential as well, since keeping Intelligence as your secondary score will help bump up your knowledge skills.</p><p></p><p>As for races, Devas bring the nice edge of Intelligence bump and that extra d6 roll to represent the shamus' luck. The Eladrin also has the Int bump, and has the added benefit of grabbing a skill not in your class list, so that you could try a build with something not immediately ideal such as a Ranger or your aforementioned fighter. The all-around versatility of the Human is a classic favorite, and the extra feat and skill could make all the difference. I think a Gnome or Halfling might work fun, too, as a more elusive, stick-to-the-shadows type of investigator.</p><p></p><p>For skills, you'll need to decide how your detective operates. Different approaches can get you to the same place, and so certain skill sets become key. I would think that at a minimum, you'd want a good Insight. Perception is also highly useful. Your typical gumshoe will likely have a good level of Streetwise, but a Holmes or Marple (or Poirot) might rely as much or more on the knowledge skills (history, arcana, nature, and dungeoneering.) Great charisma isn't always typical of fictional detectives, but decent scores in diplomacy, intimidate, and bluff cannot be underconsidered for shmoozing information. If you're more of a break in at two a.m. and riffle through their files kind of detective, though, you'll want to have a good stealth and thievery.</p><p></p><p>-Dan'L</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dan'L, post: 4972105, member: 68954"] Months ago, I actually statted up a half-elf bard with the (high)society investigator archetype in mind (inspired in parts by Christie and Doyle). Bard has good access to the skills and skill bumps necessary for such a build. BUT, if I were to do a more hard-boiled detective I would edge towards an avenger for the dogged stick-to-itivenes of a Spade, Wayne, or Magnum. I'd be sure to grab the streetwise and percepton skills, and choose the others based on character flavor. While the fluff and censure of the pursuit avenger suits the concept nicely, don't underestimate the other builds' potential as well, since keeping Intelligence as your secondary score will help bump up your knowledge skills. As for races, Devas bring the nice edge of Intelligence bump and that extra d6 roll to represent the shamus' luck. The Eladrin also has the Int bump, and has the added benefit of grabbing a skill not in your class list, so that you could try a build with something not immediately ideal such as a Ranger or your aforementioned fighter. The all-around versatility of the Human is a classic favorite, and the extra feat and skill could make all the difference. I think a Gnome or Halfling might work fun, too, as a more elusive, stick-to-the-shadows type of investigator. For skills, you'll need to decide how your detective operates. Different approaches can get you to the same place, and so certain skill sets become key. I would think that at a minimum, you'd want a good Insight. Perception is also highly useful. Your typical gumshoe will likely have a good level of Streetwise, but a Holmes or Marple (or Poirot) might rely as much or more on the knowledge skills (history, arcana, nature, and dungeoneering.) Great charisma isn't always typical of fictional detectives, but decent scores in diplomacy, intimidate, and bluff cannot be underconsidered for shmoozing information. If you're more of a break in at two a.m. and riffle through their files kind of detective, though, you'll want to have a good stealth and thievery. -Dan'L [/QUOTE]
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