Skill | Investigation (Mind)

Investigation reflects your ability to observe details, make connections, and draw conclusions from incomplete or hidden information. Unlike Perception or Vigilance, which capture immediate or passive cues, Investigation is deliberate and analytical. Noticing a bloodstain is Perception. Deducing that it was wiped up days ago with a wine-soaked rag is Investigation.

When You Use It:
Investigation applies when:

• Analyzing a crime scene or mysterious location

• Interpreting coded documents or symbolic meanings

• Piecing together timelines or cause-and-effect sequences

• Identifying obscure tools, runes, or unusual mechanisms

• Uncovering inconsistencies or lies in stories or reports

Stat Used:

• Always Mind, as this is a deductive and intellectual skill.

Mechanical Effects:

• Success:
  Yields useful information or leads that advance understanding.

• Critical Success (01):
  Exposes hidden motives, overlooked clues, or major insights.

• Failure:
  Provides limited or misleading information.

• Critical Failure (00):
  May cause false assumptions or overlooked evidence (GM discretion).

Interaction with Other Skills:
Investigation may complement or be supported by:

• Perception (to spot clues in the environment)

• Arcana, Engineering, or Medicine (to interpret technical or magical elements)

• Insight (to assess emotional or social context)

Situational Modifiers:
Apply the Difficulty Ladder based on scene complexity, clarity, and obfuscation:

• +50%: Open ledger, clear trail, helpful witness present

• +40%: Clean crime scene, minimal clutter, cooperative NPCs

• +30%: Some clues obscured, but favorable conditions

• +20%: Modest mess or unclear timeline

• +10%: Minor misdirection or small disruptions

• 0%: Typical clutter, basic tampering, no clear bias

• –10%: Messy site, conflicting accounts

• –20%: Time-lapsed scene, environmental interference

• –30%: Deliberate misdirection or damaged evidence

• –40%: Complex magical or expert-level coverup

• –50%: Scene fabricated or erased by a skilled opponent

Untrained Use:
Anyone may attempt Investigation using their Mind score as a flat percentage, with no penalty. However, untrained characters will miss deeper, technical, or context-sensitive insights.

Narrative Examples:

• A detective reconstructs a tavern brawl by studying scattered chairs and blood patterns.

• A scholar translates a cryptic mural to reveal an ancient prophecy.

• A rogue pieces together the timeline of a theft based on guard shifts and false alibis.

• A warlock inspects ritual remains to deduce who performed the summoning and why.

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File Created: 05/01/2025
Last Modified: 05/01/2025