[Dr Strangelove]

Antecedent Investigator



Quote of Some Kind by a member of the class!

The solving of murders is a complicated business. Witnesses are confused and unclear, evidence is distorted or confusing, motives are unclear, and sometimes you just don't have any leads at all. And that's without the complication of magic. But there's an easy way to find out who committed a murder.

Ask the dead person who killed them, or go back in time and look.

Antecedent investigators have trained themselves to project their consciousness back in time in order to better serve the cause of justice. It is a difficult and ultimately heartbreaking path: to see the past without the ability to change it.

BECOMING AN ANTECEDENT INVESTIGATOR

It is possible to begin slipping through time on your own, and for this reason seasoned investigators keep an ear for those who claim to see the past. A character who takes the first level in this class might soon find themselves visited by an unwanted mentor.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Skills: Concentration 4 ranks, Gather Information 8 ranks, Search 8 ranks, Sense Motive 8 ranks
Special: Must have assisted in the solving of at least one murder

Class Skills

The Antecedent Investigator's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are....
Bluff, Concentration, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (local), Knowledge (history), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot

Skills Points at Each Level: 6 + Int

Hit Dice: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Temporal reach, Intervals, Death Is A Doorway
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Impose memory (object)
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Synchronisation, locate object
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Impose memory (undead)
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Time Is A Window, locate creature
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Impose memory (constructs)
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	See the past
8th	+6/1	+2	+6	+6	Impose memory (attended objects)
9th	+6/1	+3	+6	+6	Discern location
10th	+7/2	+3	+7	+7	Asynchronicity, Impose memory (creatures)

Weapon Proficiencies: Investigators are proficient with all simple and martial weapons.

Temporal reach: As they increase in experience and skill, investigators can reach further back in time. Unless otherwise noted, their past-related abilities have the following reach according to investigator level: 1st - 24 hours, 2nd - 3 days, 3rd - 1 week, 4th - one month, 5th - six months, 6th - one year, 7th - 10 years, 8th - 50 years, 9th - 100 years, 10th - 1000 years.

Intervals: it requires tremendous focus and strength of will to pierce the veil of time. An investigator has a pool of interval points equal to their investigator level, which refreshes to full after a normal rest period.

Death Is A Doorway: While touching a corpse who died or the scene of a death which occurred within their temporal reach, an investigator may use an interval and a full-round action to make a Gather Information check regarding any subject as if the person was still alive and willing to talk. Raising the topic of the person's death incurs a -10 penalty due to the lingering trauma, and they may not have seen anything useful.

Impose memory: an investigator can force creatures and objects to assume physical states from their past. This requires an interval and a move action. The target takes a Will save (if it is entitled to one) with DC 10 + investigator's class level. If the target was in the desired state within the investigator's temporal reach it takes its save at -10. If the save is failed the target assumes the desired state for a number of rounds equal to investigator's class level. Due to temporal resonance issues, this may never be used on allies. An investigator slowly learns to use this ability on a wider range of targets.
2nd level - objects (nonmagical and unattended). An investigator might cause a door to be unlocked, briefly fix a wrecked mechanism, repair a scroll destroyed by mould or restore a fallen tree.
4th level - undead. Upon failing their save an undead creature begins to revert to the corpse with which they were created, taking 2d6 damage per investigator class level. If this damage destroys them they do not revert when the imposed memory effect ends. The ability might also be used to bring a vampire out of animal or gaseous form.
6th - constructs. Upon failing their save a construct begins to revert to the raw materials used to construct it, taking 2d6 damage per investigator class level. If this damage destroys them they do not revert when the imposed memory effect ends.
8th - attended objects (magical or nonmagical). An investigator might turn a vorpal sword into a hunk of ore, collapse or repair a bridge, or turn a palisade into a very long, thin forest.creatures (all types).
10th - An investigator might force a polymorphed wizard into her original form or turn a rampaging werewolf back to a man. It could also impose various status conditions, if the target has experienced those conditions before. This ability may not be used to deal damage to creatures (as when used against undead or constructs) unless they have died and been resurrected.
Errata -

Spoiler

The investigator may only impose physical states. They may not revert a wizard to before she prepared her daily spells, or to before she cast her buffs. A target could be reduced to the body of an infant, but they would retain their intellect, Wis/Cha/Int scores and any spellcasting ability (though somatic components might prove difficult).

Objects worn or carried by a target are not affected, though they may be targets themselves. An enchanted item forced to become raw materials reverts to its normal state at the end of the effect, even if it was damaged or destroyed while nonmagical. When used against areas rather than single objects, such as a bridge or wall, the ability may affect one 10ft cube per investigator level. The investigator cannot alter magical states, and cannot make a magical item revert to a higher level of charge, or trick it into re-using an ability limited by uses per day.

Killing undead with this ability will yield the appropriate corpse and the gems used to pay for the create undead spell. Constructs will leave behind the materials from which they were made.

Synchronisation: An investigator of 3rd level has some control over their own time-stream. They are immune to slow and may spend one interval to cast haste on themselves, with a caster level equal to their character level.

Locate object: an investigator of at least 3rd level may spend one interval to use locate object as a spell-like ability with caster level equal to their character level. Objects seen in the past by the investigator count as familiar.

Time Is A Window (Ex): An investigator of at least 5th level may project their consciousness backwards in time to the extent of their temporal reach. This requires a full round of concentration and one interval for each round of the past observed. The investigator observes from their current physical position in the present. They may not move, but they rotate their point of view. Use of this ability includes full sensory experience of the past: the investigator might hear a familiar footstep or identify a poison by smell. The investigator is not physically or magically present and cannot be detected.

Locate creature: An investigator of at least 5th level may spend one interval to use locate creature as a spell-like ability with caster level equal to their character level. Creatures seen in the past by the investigator count as familiar.

See the past: An investigator of at least 7th level has a better grasp of chronomantic principles and can control their observation of the past with ease. When using Time Is A Window, they may move their point of view at 60ft/round as if flying, and see as if affected by true seeing.

Discern location: An investigator of at least 9th level may spend three intervals to use discern location as a spell-like ability. Objects or creatures seen in the past count as seen for the purposes of the spell.

Time stop: An investigator of 10th level has total control of their personal time stream, and may spend five intervals and a swift action to use time stop as a spell-like ability. It functions as the spell, with caster level equal to the investigator's character level, but the duration is always one round.

PLAYING AN ANTECEDENT INVESTIGATOR

The investigator is not an incredibly strong combat class, but it is incredibly useful for characters involved in intrigue or mystery. Your ability to converse with the dead and see the past won't answer all your questions, but it should give you plenty of clues. Your spell-like abilities will help you track down enemies, and impose memory gives you some interesting combat options.

You can also assist in less obvious ways - if a trap has killed someone within your temporal reach, that's a place of death and you can talk to them to find out what happened (with a Gather Information check). Impose memory might be able to spring the trap from a safe distance if it's been tripped within your temporal reach. When you reach later levels, entire areas may be returned to their original state.

Combat: For your first few levels your impose memory ability cannot reach very far back, but as you progress you become limited only by your imagination.

Spoiler

Early levels
Your temporal reach is nothing to write home about, but you still have some options. If you're outdoors and it's rained recently, try turning some dirt to mud under enemy feet.

Middle levels
Apart from dealing significant damage to undead and constructs, you can now affect large swathes of the battlefield. Anything built within your temporal reach can suddenly become unbuilt - such as buildings and trapped areas. Most water has recently been ice, so enjoy freezing large areas of it.

Late levels
Even powerful enemies like dragons and liches might be inside your temporal reach at this point, and more likely to fail their saves. Although returning a creature to an earlier form doesn't prevent them from changing back, it does force them to expend time to do so. Also note that your enemies' equipment is no longer safe.

Advancement:

New Feats

Spoiler

Empower Memory - you may increase the save DC of your impose memory ability by spending a number of additional intervals up to half your investigator level (rounded down). Each additional interval spent increases the save DC by 2.

Enhanced Reach - your temporal reach is as if you had an additional level in investigator. At 10th level your reach is 10,000 years.

Additional Intervals - you gain two extra intervals per day. This feat may not be taken more than once.

Resources: What resources might a member of this PrC be able to draw on..

ANTECEDENT INVESTIGATORS IN THE WORLD

There's no point lying to One-Eyed Jack 'bout what you did. He's his own witness for everything.

Antecedent investigators are often seen working in large cities or for important officials. They are particularly skilled at solving crimes but are also useful for gathering information of any kind. An investigator might be assigned to sniff out treason for the king, hunt down a vicious serial killer or discover the identity of an evil transmuter hiding in town.

Daily Life: Some general information about the typical day in the life of your class.

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NPC Reaction

Antecedent investigators are generally seen as mildly creepy, but their obvious uses and pursuit of justice prevent them from being ostracised. High-level investigators are constantly bombarded with employment offers by historians, rulers and archmages hoping to learn the secrets of the past.

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