Building Investigators

Investigators are built from characteristics, derived values, an occupation, skills, equipment, and a personal reason to continue. The character file stores the sheet; the surrounding rules explain what those values mean. Keep derived values calculated from their sources rather than asking creators to maintain duplicate numbers.

Characteristics and derived values

The seven characteristics are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Power, Appearance, Education, and Size. They are percentile values. The core formulas are:

• Hit Points: floor((CON + SIZ) ÷ 10), minimum 1
• Sanity: POW
• Magic Points: POW ÷ 5
• Luck: POW × 2
• Initiative and Dodge: DEX × 2
• Move Rate: based on DEX + SIZ, from 6 to 10
• Credit Rating: normally EDU, modified by occupation and circumstances

Use the existing investigator fields for these concepts. If a new derived statistic is needed, derive it from characteristics or equipment where possible. Avoid storing a second “current maximum” that can drift out of sync.

Occupations and skills

An occupation answers “what did this person already know how to do?” It provides a skill-point pool, a Credit Rating expectation, a coherent list of relevant skills, and sometimes one modest fictional permission. The common pool is EDU × 20, while less education-focused occupations use smaller multipliers such as ×15 or ×2.

Skills normally begin at half of their associated characteristic, then receive occupation and personal-development points. Personal development is a chance to round out the concept with skills outside the occupation. A good occupation makes a character reliable in a type of scene without granting automatic answers to the mystery.

When creating an occupation, include:

• A clear role and social position
• A point multiplier appropriate to training
• Six to eight skills that express the role
• A Credit Rating range or bonus
• One useful, bounded permission or contact

Do not give every occupation the same investigation package. A detective should find clues directly; a doctor should interpret bodies and illness; a sailor should open routes and survive hostile environments.

Background and equipment

The character becomes playable when the numbers acquire motives, fears, relationships, and a reason to enter danger. Equipment should solve practical problems—light, evidence, access, communication, treatment—not replace a character's skill.

Weapons and armor belong in their own compendium types so they can be reused and balanced independently. Investigators may reference equipped gear, but armor protection, penalties, prices, and weapon damage should have one source of truth.

Advancement

Improvement follows use and downtime. After a session, up to three successfully used skills may receive improvement checks. Training costs a week, money, access to instruction, and an EDU-based check. Keep advancement incremental: investigators become more specialized while the Mythos becomes more dangerous. Mythos knowledge should always carry a cost, normally permanent Sanity loss or reduced future stability.