PFS Legal Tengu Investigator Build Advice


Advice

Scarab Sages

I plan on making a Tengu investigator as my next PFS character since my current main is hitting level 5 soon. I am looking for some build advice. I want him to be a skill monkey, covering the major knowledge and skills that will be helpful to the party, and while I don't want to focus on combat I don't want to rely on the time honored tactic of getting crit and spending the whole fight unconscious.
I have most recently been playing a brawler, and love the versatility of martial flexibility. So I am considering doing a single level dip in to brawler (probably first level), for martial flexibility and the additional hit points. The rest of the levels will likely be investigator.
I don't want to budge on the race or investigator class, but want opinions and suggestions on a build that will be able to hold my own but not shine in combat, and be very effective outside of it.
I appreciate the advice!

Silver Crusade

Look at the empiricist archetype for investigator. It allows more skills to be based on intelligence, so less need for other attributes.

Fighting defensively can help a lot with surviving combat. UMD, a wand of mage armor and extracts of shield can get you to a comfortably high armor class early on.

Investigators get a lot of combat ability at level four, with studied combat, and your talent at level 3 can be a mutagen or other combat oriented one.


Investigators can get an AC that's as crazy as a melee alchemist's. I've seen a melee investigator with an AC of 40+ (it hit either 42 or 44 at its peak) at level 9. Mage Armor, Shield, buffs to your Dexterity, investigators get it all. Just buff every time you think there might be a combat coming up and you should be fine.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

It is sad that I had my character be a Rogue (Investigator) before this class came out. I went into the "Sleepless Detective" when I could (6th level).

Once I retire her, I may make an investigator that is her daughter. I will need another Tiefling boon, but I am ok with that.

Silver Crusade

A tiefling can have a normal, human child. The blood of fiends doesn't show up every generation.


I went with the claws on my Tengu Investigator so that I could grab Snake Style early on (3rd level). It's been a godsend to defense.

I then went into Brawler at 5th (with Extra Flexibility) and love his combat options. I'll probably hit Brawler 2, before continuing on with Investigator.

Grand Lodge

Well, we must have similar minds.

See my Tengu Investigator discussion here.

Scarab Sages

Apparently so, because what I have come up with so far is remarkably similar to your final draft you posted, we even both have the Japanese word for crow in our names.

Here is what I have so far:

spoiler:
Xaikarasu
Male Tengu Investigator (Empiricist)
NG Medium Humanoid (Tengu)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 10 (+4 Dex)
hp 9 (1d8+1)
Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +1
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee elven curve blade +4 (1d10+1/18-20) or
. . bite +4 (1d3+1)
Ranged light crossbow +4 (1d8/19-20)
Investigator Extracts Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 1st—crafter's fortune, shield
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 13, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 9, Cha 7
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 15
Feats Weapon Finesse
Traits student of philosophy, precise treatment
Skills Craft Alchemy +7(+8 to create alchemical items), Diplomacy +2(+7 to persuade others), Disable Device +8, Heal +8, Knowledge Local +7, Linguistics +11, Perception +5, Stealth +10, Use Magic Device +2; Racial Modifiers +4 Linguistics, +2 Perception, +2 Stealth
Languages Common, Tengu, Tien, select 4 others at some point
SQ alchemy (alchemy crafting +1), inspiration (4/day), trapfinding +1
Other Gear 20 crossbow bolts, select other gear at some point
--------------------
Tracked Resources
--------------------
Bolts - 0/20
Inspiration (+1d6, 4/day) (Ex) - 0/4
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Alchemy +1 (Su) +1 to Craft (Alchemy) to create alchemical items, can Id potions by touch.
Inspiration (+1d6, 4/day) (Ex) Use 1 point, +1d6 to trained skill or ability check. Use 2 points, to add to attack or save.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Student of Philosophy Use Int instead of Cha for Diplomacy checks to persuade others and Bluff checks to lie.
Trapfinding +1 Gain a bonus to find or disable traps, including magical ones.

Before I take my second level I plan to rebuild him as a brawler and take his second level as investigator. I know this is going to delay my extracts and empiricist abilities coming online, but I have enjoyed the utility of martial flexibility on my previous character too much to wait to take the barroom brawler feat on this character.

Still trying to decide what talents and feats to take, the tengu wings feat is a likely candidate at level 5.


I would suggest going rapier swashbuckler and doing rapier dex to damage. You could also go lower strength and get piranha strike instead of power attack. I don't feel like brawler would have much synergy with investigator, but that's just my opinion.

Grand Lodge

He is actually doing well in PFS.

You could dip Inspired Blade, choose your first feat as Fencing Grace, and go Dex to damage at first level.

Better dip than Brawler.

I am considering it myself.

Silver Crusade

It might be too feat intensive for a tengu but skill focus (linguistics) plus oratory is what I have planned for my half-elf investigator. On the flip side, with 18int, the +4 racial bonus, skill focus and just 1 rank you'd have 1d20+1d6+15 to persuade, scare, and lie your way out of combat.

Scarab Sages

I considered Inspired Blade, but decided that grabbing blind fighting or weapon versatility on the fly is better than dex to damage. I don't care about hitting hard with this character because he will always be paired up with a Daring Champion Cavalier played by my brother. I want to cover the out of combat encounters more than anything.

Chess Pwn wrote:
I would suggest going rapier swashbuckler and doing rapier dex to damage. You could also go lower strength and get piranha strike instead of power attack. I don't feel like brawler would have much synergy with investigator, but that's just my opinion.

You can't Piranha Strike with a Rapier.

Grand Lodge

Hmm, that's true.

Power Attack still works.

I wish the Effortless Lace was legal.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Advice / PFS Legal Tengu Investigator Build Advice All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Advice