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Infinite Reforged: Investigators $2.99
Publisher: Paizo
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by Dániel V. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/10/2022 17:03:28
You Write your review in such a way that the reader can't keep track of how many times you copied and pasted this sentence.

I... really wanted to like this book. Like, really. I love Investigators, and a book that's just full of goodies for 'em? Heck yeah, I'm in!
Alas, this book has good ideas, but it's lacking in execution.

Devise a Stratagem

The point made in the rules reasoning is, well, I can see it, I guess! The Investigator can feel stretched thin for ability scores, though I more prefer the "big-hitter" approach Vanilla Investigator goes for. And the first few lines of the new Devise a Stratagem presented in the book look promising! Choose either Strike, a Perception check, or a skill check related to your methodology, and you make the substitution for that? That's great, it does make the Investigator feel more investigate-y, and it also plays into your chosen methodology nicely.

Except oops, it's not Strike -- it's any action with the attack trait. So you're at this point getting Athletic Strategist for free. I'm not entirely sure why that is a necessary addition.

But it does get worse. And better. Both.
This new DaS also allows the Investigator to not make the roll if it is unfavourable, allowing them to roll normally still.

But it gets worse / better still.
You can also substitute any action's roll that contains your chosen action as a subordinate action, like Battle Medicine if you chose Treat Wounds (which by the way is incorrect, Treat Wounds is not a subordinate action of Battle Medicine).

The way this DaS is phrased also lets you add your Intelligence modifier to your Strikes even if you don't make the Strikes with Finesse or Agile weapons.

The description also cleverly leaves out having to choose a creature to use that check on, so DaS becomes targetless.

This is way too much for a starter class feature.
Out of all of these, I think keeping being able to substitute in Strikes (not any attack action!) or your methodology's skill checks, and being able to add your Intelligence modifier to non-Agile / non-Finesse / non-sap weapons Strikes would be already pretty good. The others are not needed, they give the Investigator way too many options. I understand that the goal was to make them equal to most other martials, but... is that really needed?

Strategic Strike

Balancing out the aforementioned Int modifier to non-Finesse / non-Agile Strikes by only applying the precision bonus to those that still fulfill that condition is really clever. I like it.

Revised Class Feats

THIS should have been the focal point of the entire book!
Being able to add more and more skill checks you can use for your DaS is a very nifty idea that I love. Even that option alone would be worth it, I'd say, no need for the Pursue a Lead bonus on top. I was very disappointed to see that only these two and Diplomatic Strategist do this. Heck, the "substitute for any attack action" change in DaS makes Athletic Strategist an almost must-have to an eeeeeh choice. Even the mentioned Force Open has an attack trait.

New Class Features

I do love the idea of letting the Investigator choose more actions and let them roll more. But with the changes described above, that's comically overpowered. Reminder: this book's Investigator can replace almost any roll, can roll 3d20 ahead of time to choose from, can decide NOT to replace anything if need be, can make their DaS last through rounds, and much more.

I'm not sure how workable the idea would be even, but I love the idea. Maybe with Vanilla Investigator, who needs to decide against what target, and has to commit to it, this could be good AND balanced. Add maybe a mandate that the dice must be used in the order they were rolled? Maybe it would even benefit the Investigator not to roll all 2-3 of his DaS dice ahead of time with such restrictions.
Investigator feels very much like a thinking class, and being able to roll 3d20 ahead of time to then use on whatever is very much the opposite of that.

Deductions

I could make a joke about "You Strike your foe in a way", but I already used it for the title. Seriously, why is that sentence copypasted to almost EVERY Deduction?
These are full of copypaste errors anyway. The very first Deduction, Clipping Stratagem, already makes the affected foe immune "to your Sapping Stratagem for 24 hours". Blinding Stratagem makes the affected creature immune to Deafening Stratagem.

The DC also isn't clarified for any of the Deductions. I assume class DC? At least, I'd hope so.

Overall Thoughts

I was really disappointed by this product. I really wanted to like it.
But the more I tested it, hoping that it would bend, the more it shattered into a million brittle pieces.
I see the potential in this. But I cannot in good conscience give this better than a 2/5 as it is.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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Infinite Reforged: Investigators
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