Researcher (3.5e NPC Class)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 3-25-25 Status: Complete Editing: Mechanical changes on Talk

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Scientists and other eggheads, not intended for combat. 20 0 Poor Poor Poor Good Prepared Arcane Spellcasting Minor

Researcher

Abilities: Intelligence fuels both skills and class features, while Dexterity and Constitution keep you alive in the face of danger.

Races: Any.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Age: As wizard.

Table: The Researcher

Hit Die: d4

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells per Day
		Fort	Ref	Will		0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Lore, Scribe Scroll	2	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Skill Expertise	3	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3		3	0	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4		4	1	—	—	—	—
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Skill Expertise	4	2	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5		4	3	0	—	—	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5		4	3	1	—	—	—
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Skill Expertise	4	4	2	—	—	—
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6		4	4	3	0	—	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7		4	4	3	1	—	—
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Skill Expertise	4	4	4	2	—	—
12th	+6	+4	+4	+8		4	4	4	3	0	—
13th	+6	+4	+4	+8		4	4	4	3	1	—
14th	+7	+4	+4	+9	Skill Expertise	4	4	4	4	2	—
15th	+7	+5	+5	+9		4	4	4	4	3	0
16th	+8	+5	+5	+10		4	4	4	4	3	1
17th	+8	+5	+5	+10	Skill Expertise	4	4	4	4	4	2
18th	+9	+6	+6	+11		4	4	4	4	4	3
19th	+9	+6	+6	+11	Hypercognition	4	4	4	4	4	3
20th	+10	+6	+6	+12	Improved Skill Expertise	4	4	4	4	4	4
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Appraise (Int), Autohypnosis (Wis), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Disable Device (Int), Forgery (Int), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all knowledges taken seperately) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Researcher.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Researchers are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a researcher's movements, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.

Spells: Researchers cast arcane spells like a wizard, preparing them from a spellbook ahead of time. To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the researcher must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a researcher's spell is 10 + the spell level + the researcher's Intelligence modifier. Like other spellcasters, a researcher can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Researcher. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score.

Researchers choose their spells from the following list:

0—arcane mark, detect magic, detect poison, guidance, know direction, mage hand, mending, prestidigitation, read magic

1st—alarm, comprehend languages, detect animals or plants, detect undead, endure elements, identify, mage armor, magic aura, shield, speak with animals, sanctuary, unseen servant

2nd—arcane lock, augury, chill metal, continual flame, darkvision, delay poison, detect thoughts, dispel magic, fox's cunning, heat metal, knock, lesser restoration, locate object, magic mouth, owl's wisdom, pyrotechnics, resist energy, see invisibility, spectral hand, status, whispering wind

3rd—arcane sight, clairaudience/clairvoyance, contagion, gentle repose, glyph of warding, illusory script, magic circle against chaos/evil/good/law, neutralize poison, nondetection, protection from energy, quench, remove disease, secret page, sepia snake sigil, shrink item, speak with plants, tiny hut, tongues, wind wall

4th—animate dead, arcane eye, detect scrying, dimensional anchor, divination, fabricate, giant vermin, imbue with spell ability, lesser globe of invulnerability, locate creature, minor creation, mnemonic enhancer, remove curse, repel vermin, resilient sphere, restoration, rusting grasp, scrying, sending

5th—analyze dweomer, animal growth, antimagic field, awaken, break enchantment, commune with nature, contact other plane, dismissal, globe of invulnerability, greater dispel magic, legend lore, mage's private sanctum, major creation, permanency, prying eyes, repulsion, secret chest, spellstaff, stone tell, telepathic bond, true seeing, wall of force

Spellbooks: Researchers use spellbooks identical to a wizard. A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level researcher spells, plus two 1st level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the researcher has, the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new researcher level, she gains one new spell of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new researcher level) for her spellbook. At any time, a researcher can also add spells found in other researchers’ spellbooks to her own.

Scribe Scroll: At 1st level, a researcher gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.

Lore: Researchers gain half their class level (rounded up) as a bonus to all knowledge checks (minimum +1), and they may make Knowledge checks untrained.

Skill Expertise: The 2nd level researcher may select one skill they have at least 1 rank in. When rolling this skill, they may roll twice and take the better result. If taking 10, they may instead take 12 on this skill. At 5th and every 3 levels beyond, they may select another skill to gain expertise in.

Hypercognition (Sp): 19th level researchers can solve the impossible in an instant. As a spell like ability the researcher may benefit from the hypercognition power, once per day.

Improved Skill Expertise: The 20th level researcher may select one skill they have expertise in. This skill now adds the result of both rolls together into a single roll. If taking 10, they may now take 15 on this skill.

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