The Gumshoe
It’s City Week here at Necromancers of the Northwest, and that means that today’s archetype will put a little bit of the big city into one of the classes from the Advanced Class Guide. If there was any other candidate than the investigator, I never noticed it, because detectives and cities go together like a trenchcoat and a fedora. Today’s archetype borrows a bit from genres beyond what Pathfinder normally caters to, but it’s reserved enough that those of you who don’t care for film noir and hardboiled detectives don’t need to worry.
New Investigator Archetype
Gumshoe
In general, investigators are more urbane than many types of adventurers, but for some investigators, the city feels like a living, breathing thing: a friend and ally that they can count on like no other. These investigators, sometimes referred to as gumshoes, are more at home in a large, sprawling city than anywhere else, and are able to use the city’s unique features to aid them in their investigations.
Rumor Has It (Ex): A gumshoe adds 1/2 his class level on Diplomacy checks made to gather information, as well as Knowledge (local) checks made to learn about any settlement with a population of 2,000 or more (including checks made to learn about that settlement’s leaders, prominent places, and so on).
This ability replaces the trapfinding class feature.
Dirty Fighter (Ex): By 2nd level, a gumshoe has seen his share of dirty fighting. He knows how to fight dirty, and also how to protect himself from the same sorts of tricks he employs. He gains Improved Dirty Trick as a bonus feat, even if he doesn’t meet the prerequisites.
This ability replaces the poison resistance class feature.
Investigator Talents: A gumshoe gains access to the following investigator talents.
Guarded Vitals (Ex): The gumshoe knows how to protect his vitals from the sorts of targeted attacks that rogues and other investigators specialize in. Whenever he would suffer precision damage from a sneak attack, studied strike, or similar ability, there is a 50% chance that he does not suffer that damage. This functions similarly to the fortification armor special ability, but only applies to precision-based damage that is expressed as additional damage dice, and does not apply to critical hits. The gumshoe must be at least 7th level to select this talent.
Inconspicuous (Ex): Somehow, by throwing a cloak or greatcoat over himself and covering his face, a gumshoe can become incredibly nondescript, allowing him to avoid detection and scrutiny. While using this ability, any creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher that sees the gumshoe must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the gumshoe’s class level + the gumshoe’s Intelligence modifier) or completely fail to notice the gumshoe at all. This effect is broken if the gumshoe speaks, casts a spell, or takes any kind of hostile action, including drawing a weapon. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw is immune to this effect for 24 hours. A gumshoe can use this ability for a total number of minutes per day equal to his class level. These need not be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. It is a free action to activate this ability.
Side Streets (Ex): As long as he is in a settlement with a population of 2,000 or more, the gumshoe has an incredible sense of direction. He automatically knows the direction and relative distance of any landmarks in the settlement that he has been to previously, relative to his current location. Further, with a successful Knowledge (local) (DC 25) or Knowledge (geography) (DC 20) check, he can find a shortcut through an urban environment, allowing him to travel through that environment more quickly. For the purposes of determining his overland travel speed in urban environments, he is treated as though his movement speed was 20 ft. higher than it actually is. This only applies to movement measured in minutes or hours, and has no effect on the distance he can move in a single round. Finally, the gumshoe gains a +5 bonus on saving throws and ability checks made to avoid or escape mazes, including the maze spell.
Street Smarts (Ex): By 3rd level, a gumshoe has a natural feel for the pulse of a large settlement, and knows when something bad is about to happen. As long as he is in a settlement with a population of 2,000 or more, he gains a +1 bonus on Perception checks and a +1 bonus on initiative checks. At 6th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, these bonuses increase by +1 (to a maximum of +6 at 18th level).
This ability replaces the trap sense class feature.