2026-08-14 01:59:20 UTC#1
I think the Forensics skill could be expanded to have some active abilities that put it more on par with Mysticism or Medicine, which have some powerful active abilities that they can draw on.
It could have an ability like "Find Weakspot" that debuffs enemy defenses. From a roleplay standpoint it's literally just a highly observant character noticing a weak spot in the enemy's armor or flaw in heir tactic and telling everyone in their group how to exploit it. Simply adding an active ability like that to the skill would take it from something extremely niche and mostly RP focused to an skill that can make a meaningful contribution in any fight. The ability could be unlocked with 25% forensics, and then scale with intelligence and forensics skill, the same way that Field Medic scales.
Another possible ability could be something like "Intimidate" which would play on the idea that a character with high forensics is a seasoned investigator and knows how to use the information the glean from people to scare them. It would basically work the same as the Condemn or Castigate skill, just instead of invoking the supernatural to make someone unsure of themselves it would leverage secret information about the person gleaned from observing the person. Maybe it could drain their Stamina or have a Hobble effect or something as you briefly discombobulate them with a shocking revelation. This could be a synergy skill with Eloquence/Skullduggery.
It could have an ability like "Find Weakspot" that debuffs enemy defenses. From a roleplay standpoint it's literally just a highly observant character noticing a weak spot in the enemy's armor or flaw in heir tactic and telling everyone in their group how to exploit it. Simply adding an active ability like that to the skill would take it from something extremely niche and mostly RP focused to an skill that can make a meaningful contribution in any fight. The ability could be unlocked with 25% forensics, and then scale with intelligence and forensics skill, the same way that Field Medic scales.
Another possible ability could be something like "Intimidate" which would play on the idea that a character with high forensics is a seasoned investigator and knows how to use the information the glean from people to scare them. It would basically work the same as the Condemn or Castigate skill, just instead of invoking the supernatural to make someone unsure of themselves it would leverage secret information about the person gleaned from observing the person. Maybe it could drain their Stamina or have a Hobble effect or something as you briefly discombobulate them with a shocking revelation. This could be a synergy skill with Eloquence/Skullduggery.
Edited 1 time by Aetrion 2026-08-14 01:59:27 UTC