Investigator, like Sherlock but not

[Spore]

Greetings playground,

I have some troubles regarding the flavor of my investigator. Where should I start? Well, I wanted to play down the "mad scientist" trope that follows alchemist by switching over to Investigator (as well as switching from physical enhancing drugs like mutagens and supporting extracts to a more intellect based advancement of story parts). So the targetted flavor is kind of: "civilized alchemist with superior intellect" That being said, I myself am a giant knucklehead sometimes not capable of thinking grandeur. In addition to that the actual internal monologue that makes the modern Sherlock films so great sets a weird tone for social roleplaying. So what should I do?

My character was a formerly possessed Oni Spawn Tiefling which possessed power was destroyed and he can now live in relative peace of mind. He tries to not kill anymore (Blade of Mercy and Studied Target combine nicely) and uses his alchemical powers for constructive rather then destructive purposes (no bombs, but rather Master Craftsman + Craft Wondrous Items) and his mind to find ways around combat and death.

So far so good. My DM had to throw me some OBVIOUS hints in the last mini-dungeon. Namely an intelligence roll to think about looting the merchants (I aimed to retrieve the knight order's treasure in order to finance their revenge) and some very very obvious sprung traps in order to look for deadly traps. So my questions are these:

Do you guys know any - I don't know, acting tips - to get more into the role of an intelligent and cunning individual. As a former chemistry student I have the nerdy side covered pretty easily. But more often than not the most obvious of solutions do not connect with me (or us). So I fear that I will fall flat on my ass planning for adventures.

tl;dr: How would you guys advise a stupid guy like me to approach playing more intelligently?

[Dgrin]

How about taking a different approach? Your Investigator can uncover secrets and solve problems due to sheer luck, not cunning intelligence. He could be kind of a man who wants to be Sherlock and tries to act like one, make unrealistic guesses and then stumble upon the solution not expecting it
It would require some help from your GM (quite a lot, actually) but can lead to quite interesting character, both for you and other players. And it is in my opinion better than simply throwing obvious hints

EDIT: Alternatively, act like individual who's really clever and can solve problems but ONLY when he has a lot of time to sit, write it all down, think on it for quite a lot of time... But when he has to think quickly, he is lost. It feels like non-serious character but if it is fun, roll with it!

[Psyren]

If you are playing the "predictive/mystery-solving" character - and this goes not just for more mundane logicians like the Investigator or a Factotum/Rogue, but also magic-users like Diviners, Seers, Oracles, and even Witches or Shamans - really it's incumbent on the GM to feed you a bit more hints or story turns than the other players at the table get, whether by letting you notice details the others don't see, or feeding you quick leaps of logic. Try to work with your GM to get them on board with this line of thinking.

This can also work in the GM's favor - if the party comes to rely on anything you say after reading the piece of paper the GM passes you, you can all be easily made to follow a red herring. That last one should be used sparingly of course, but it can be a great way to shake things up down the road, or keep the BBEG from being cornered too early.

Game Mastery Guide has advice sections on running mysteries/investigations, as well as running puzzles/riddles, that might be helpful.

[Spore]

This can also work in the GM's favor - if the party comes to rely on anything you say after reading the piece of paper the GM passes you, you can all be easily made to follow a red herring. That last one should be used sparingly of course, but it can be a great way to shake things up down the road, or keep the BBEG from being cornered too early.

While I feel stupid about teaching my DM about red herrings (he's the kind of guy who purposely screws with you that you don't become too reliant on hints) I certainly can see what you mean. This is what I have tried on a different character. Providing my DM with ways to give me vital campaign information while not putting "quest npcs" on every corner.

So far I've dipped into any and all Knowledge skills so that I can use inspiration freely with them. So while our oracle covers mystical intuition like a commune spell, visions and dream sequences, he has a way to feed us information on a Knowledge roll. And having 17+d6 on a "Take 10" on any knowledge skill gives me basically most important info on what can be known about most mundane or basic magical topics.

How about taking a different approach? Your Investigator can uncover secrets and solve problems due to sheer luck, not cunning intelligence. He could be kind of a man who wants to be Sherlock and tries to act like one, make unrealistic guesses and then stumble upon the solution not expecting it

Until now the character is some kind of non-intuitive and creative problem solver. His scientific endeavors are unbeaten in the group (I've refluffed the rangers' animal companion's ABSURD growth with chemicals, he will start to create equipment to fuel the group's utility belts since we have basically no gear), he is basically a mix of Q and Jaws from James Bond.

But I want to mix in some inspiration, empirical thinking and logic into my roleplaying since my refluffed character should tend more towards law than chaos. He will never be the cold calculating guy but I want to add another facette to my play with him.

[Abd al-Azrad]

There's not an easy way to feign intelligence and investigative prowess, but experience and exposure will give you a bit of an edge. I would recommend two things.

First off, try watching some good cat-and-mouse series. These explore the idea of smart people putting traps in front of one another and trying to outmaneuver each other. My personal recommendation is the manga / anime series Death Note, which shows a good deal of situations where several "clever" people have nearly no information to go on, yet still make intelligent decisions to uncover new information while limiting the risks they undertake, in the face of an unprecedented magical mystery in the modern day.

Second, try out lots of murder mysteries and logic puzzles. There are often common themes in these sorts of stories (beyond "the hero had information the reader did not, and therefore appears way smart"). Tactics exist to eliminate bad decisions and give you a decent chance at guessing the correct answers. Most cops, for instance, are not unparalleled once-in-a-lifetime geniuses - they get good at detective work through experience and collaboration. You can learn a lot through exposure to both unusual, mysterious legal cases, as well as routine ones - the bulk of the sorts of mysteries you'll be exploring (unless your DM is an unusual genius too).

[Spore]

I guessed that I don't become a geniu over night. I am explicitly terrible at guessing stuff. And it's not so much logic puzzles with predefined borders but thinking inside the lines of a predetermined game. I feel if I play too smartly I deny myself the immersion because - like in most games I play - my logic becomes developer's logic, not game logic.

Therefore I start to interpret the DM, not his characters, because I played way more computer RPGs than P&P. There was a temperature puzzle in Elder Scrolls Skyrim and instead of using my character's Fire and Frost Spells, I looked for flaming and freezing exhaust pipes. Because I thought to myself: What if the PC has no spells at that point? It surely has to be something built into the room. Blatantly ignoring the fact that both spell tomes where picked up not 30m before the room.