I've been intrigued for a while by the idea of playing an old timey detective who was more about mental acuity than martial strength. Not going for a Sherlock Holmes copy, but more in that direction than a fantasy Dick Tracy. My first attempt at the character was as a Paladin of the Crown. However, the mechanics didn't so much as support the concept as they just didn't get in the way of roleplaying it. Some of the Paladin spells were helpful for such a character but better represented his force of character and divinely inspired charisma than his force of will and intellect. Far from mutually exclusive, but I was looking for more.
I happened to be checking Rogue archetypes and the Inquisitive features really got me thinking that I might have found what I'm looking for. Base Rogue's Expertise, Reliable Talent, Blindsense and Slippery Mind are all great ways to mechanically enhance the character's Insight and Investigation, and better represent a strong will. Inquisitive's Eyes for Deceit & Deception, Steady & Unerring Eyes all further enhance it to a greater degree. Insightful Fighting and Eye for Weakness means he can hold his own in combat on the merits of his perceptive mind rather than the strength of his arm. A high potential for an average 53 damage per turn is nothing to sneeze at in the endgame, if it gets that far.
I'm mentioning this here because I wanted to see if I could get some feedback on my thoughts and plans for future development. I've advanced a copy of his sheet to level 20 to see what I'd get for him and when, but I'm very much open to changes. As you'll see by the selection, I'm not interested in what would make the character more powerful, just what would further enhance the characteristics I created him to have.
This is all subject to change, I've never really tried plotting a character's future out before. There's a good chance I'll make last minute decisions based around what's most relevant to the character at that time, this just represents my expectations for the character as he is now.
do you have a background selected, it doesn't show. I have an archeologist inquisitive kind of an Indiana Jones type, focused on dungeons ruins and puzzles
Sorry, looks like I forgot to mention that. Yes, it's Investigator. The public character sheet doesn't show the Description tab that could be "private" to the character, such as background or notes.
I'm also making an inquisitive rogue. One thing I'm considering doing is taking 3 levels of fighter for battlemaster maneuvers, because they play very nicely into the idea of exploiting the gaps in an enemies defense. Trip Attack, Riposte, and Precision Attack, along with Action Surge and Second Wind imo more than make up for the lost 3 rogue levels. Especially considering that with Riposte, you can sneak attack twice per round when the circumstances allow for it.
I have also been debating that, and maybe even getting the maneuver feet as well. I tend to be a purist when it comes to classes, but it has its appeal.
I hear that. I'm kind of the opposite, I don't think I've ever played a character that hasn't at some point dipped into another class. Maybe I'll give that a shot at some point
It also doesn't lock down your Bonus Action either, since the effect is ongoing for one minute or 10 rounds. The occasional loss of a bonus action is very fair.
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ModeratorI've been intrigued for a while by the idea of playing an old timey detective who was more about mental acuity than martial strength. Not going for a Sherlock Holmes copy, but more in that direction than a fantasy Dick Tracy. My first attempt at the character was as a Paladin of the Crown. However, the mechanics didn't so much as support the concept as they just didn't get in the way of roleplaying it. Some of the Paladin spells were helpful for such a character but better represented his force of character and divinely inspired charisma than his force of will and intellect. Far from mutually exclusive, but I was looking for more.
I happened to be checking Rogue archetypes and the Inquisitive features really got me thinking that I might have found what I'm looking for. Base Rogue's Expertise, Reliable Talent, Blindsense and Slippery Mind are all great ways to mechanically enhance the character's Insight and Investigation, and better represent a strong will. Inquisitive's Eyes for Deceit & Deception, Steady & Unerring Eyes all further enhance it to a greater degree. Insightful Fighting and Eye for Weakness means he can hold his own in combat on the merits of his perceptive mind rather than the strength of his arm. A high potential for an average 53 damage per turn is nothing to sneeze at in the endgame, if it gets that far.
I'm mentioning this here because I wanted to see if I could get some feedback on my thoughts and plans for future development. I've advanced a copy of his sheet to level 20 to see what I'd get for him and when, but I'm very much open to changes. As you'll see by the selection, I'm not interested in what would make the character more powerful, just what would further enhance the characteristics I created him to have.
This is all subject to change, I've never really tried plotting a character's future out before. There's a good chance I'll make last minute decisions based around what's most relevant to the character at that time, this just represents my expectations for the character as he is now.
Copy of Inquisitive Rogue
It seems you haven't set the character sheet to public/used the shareable link, so we can't quite see the sheet!
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ModeratorOh, my bad. Let me try it again:
https://ddb.ac/characters/3997770/sHeHhX
do you have a background selected, it doesn't show. I have an archeologist inquisitive kind of an Indiana Jones type, focused on dungeons ruins and puzzles
Jesus Saves!... Everyone else takes damage.
Based on proficiencies, it looks like the background is City Watch /Investigator.
LOL nice catch!
didn't know that could be deducted
are you an investigator in real life?
Jesus Saves!... Everyone else takes damage.
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ModeratorSorry, looks like I forgot to mention that. Yes, it's Investigator. The public character sheet doesn't show the Description tab that could be "private" to the character, such as background or notes.
I'm also making an inquisitive rogue. One thing I'm considering doing is taking 3 levels of fighter for battlemaster maneuvers, because they play very nicely into the idea of exploiting the gaps in an enemies defense. Trip Attack, Riposte, and Precision Attack, along with Action Surge and Second Wind imo more than make up for the lost 3 rogue levels. Especially considering that with Riposte, you can sneak attack twice per round when the circumstances allow for it.
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ModeratorI have also been debating that, and maybe even getting the maneuver feet as well. I tend to be a purist when it comes to classes, but it has its appeal.
I hear that. I'm kind of the opposite, I don't think I've ever played a character that hasn't at some point dipped into another class. Maybe I'll give that a shot at some point
Does Insightful Fighting allow your Rogue character to Sneak Attack without the use of a Finesse or ranged weapon?
"Time is money. Nobody knows how much time they have, but you can always count how much time you spent. So spend it wisely."
yea that's fair. Even still pretty good for classes that don't have a frequent use of their bonus action.
"Time is money. Nobody knows how much time they have, but you can always count how much time you spent. So spend it wisely."
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ModeratorIt also doesn't lock down your Bonus Action either, since the effect is ongoing for one minute or 10 rounds. The occasional loss of a bonus action is very fair.