Rogue, Inspector

Many people think of rogues as wily thieves and criminals, yet, some rogues work to oppose criminals, turning their skills against them to track down and capture the guilty.

Inspectors are the elite members of a city guard, highly trained specialists who learn how to pick clues out of crime scenes, question witnesses and suspects, and piece together fragments to build a useful body of evidence. Inspectors arrive at the scenes of murders, major robberies, and other serious crimes. They scour the area for clues, and often serve as a commanding officer with several lower ranking guardsmen assigned to their command. Other inspectors work freelance, serving trading companies, guilds, and governments on a case-by-case basis. These inspectors specialise in investigation, ferreting out spies and thieves, and tracking down missing persons.

Adventuring: Some inspectors turn to adventures in order to supplement their income, particularly those who rely on freelance work to sustain themselves. These inspectors have a rather mercenary outlook on expeditions, seeking profit above all else. Other inspectors, especially those who work on behalf of a benevolent government or temple, are driven to oppose evil in all its forms. They take up the adventuring life to more actively fight evil, preferring preventative actions rather than their normal investigative, reactive methods.

Role-Playing: Freelance investigators are often cynical mercenaries. They deal almost exclusively with the dark side of human nature, uncovering corruption and delving into criminal affairs that often require them to at least partially trade-in their scruples. They assume the worst of other people, having seen that even the most benevolent facade can hide a criminal mind. Investigators who work for a city or religious organisation are usually more principled, seeing themselves as silent crusaders against the evil lurking in the heart of civilisation.

Bonuses: Investigators excel at picking out clues and extracting the truth from others. When using the Search skill, they gain a +2 competence bonus. They also gain a +2 competence bonus when using the Sense Motive skill to determine if someone is lying.

Penalties: Investigators spend more time ferreting out criminals than engaging in combat. They are not as adept at arms as other rogues, particularly with sneak attacks. Investigators reduce their sneak attack damage by 1d6.