Making an Investigator
Build your investigator in this order: characteristics, derived values, occupation, skills, background, and equipment.
Characteristics
Characteristics are percentile scores. Roll 3d6 and multiply by 5 for STR, DEX, CON, POW, and SIZ. Roll 2d6+6 and multiply by 5 for EDU and APP. If your group prefers stronger investigators, use 2d6+6 for all seven characteristics.
| Characteristic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| STR | Strength, lifting, breaking, and force |
| DEX | Reflexes, coordination, and speed |
| CON | Health, stamina, and resistance |
| POW | Willpower, Sanity, and magical potential |
| APP | Presence, charm, and first impressions |
| EDU | Learning, training, and formal knowledge |
| SIZ | Height, mass, and physical presence |
Derived values
| Value | Formula |
|---|---|
| Hit Points | floor((CON + SIZ) ÷ 10), minimum 1 |
| Starting Sanity | POW |
| Maximum Sanity | 99 − Cthulhu Mythos skill |
| Magic Points | floor(POW ÷ 5) |
| Luck | POW × 2 |
| Initiative | DEX × 2 |
| Dodge | DEX × 2 |
| Credit Rating | EDU, modified by occupation |
Your Move Rate is 6 when DEX+SIZ is 1–64, 7 at 65–84, 8 at 85–124, 9 at 125–164, and 10 at 165 or more.
Choose an occupation
Your occupation tells the table what you know and who might help you. Choose one that fits your concept, such as Detective, Doctor, Professor, Journalist, Dilettante, Soldier, Holy Man, Researcher, or Engineer. Your occupation provides a skill list, a typical Credit Rating, and an amount of occupation skill points. Unless your Keeper says otherwise, use EDU × 20 for highly trained occupations and the listed package for other careers.
Spend one point for each +1% in an occupation skill. Each skill begins at its base chance, usually half of its governing characteristic. Your occupation is not a cage: it is the experience you bring into the darkness.
Personal development
Spend EDU × 2 additional points on any skills that make sense for your investigator. Discuss unusual choices with the Keeper. A skill should tell the group something about your past or your priorities.
Define the person
Write a reason you investigate, a fear you try to conceal, a person or institution you trust, and one habit or mannerism. Give the Keeper something they can put under pressure. Decide what would make you abandon the case—and what would make you continue anyway.
Buy or choose equipment
Your Credit Rating determines access to money and services. Begin with the equipment your occupation reasonably provides, then purchase useful tools: light, notebooks, medical supplies, a camera, lockpicks, weapons, or transport. Every item should create possibilities, not replace decisions.