Eldritch Researcher (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)
(art by Astanael on DeviantArt)
The secrets of the occult and the things beyond mortal ken is not a pursuit for the faint of heart or the inflexible of mind. Indeed, one might destroy oneself if one were to uncover the wrong secret at the wrong time, either mentally or sometimes physically, and in either case only sometimes because of some eldritch entity or force.
But the risks and the fearful lack of understanding from critics fails to deter some, and so we have the likes of the eldritch researcher, an archetype that earns it’s name in not just researching the occult and the magic associated with it, but also in the nature of aberrations and the strange gods often associated with them.
To most, such beings are utterly unnatural and alien, an unsettling reminder that not every creation in the universe was made by sane or benevolent beings… But much like the marine biologist, an eldritch researcher understands that such beliefs are informed by biases based on erroneous assumptions like “normality” and “wholesomeness”. Certainly aberrations may seem very different to your average hominid, but when viewed from the lens of their home environment and the needs therein, such creatures don’t seem so strange. Conversely, the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods seem less mind-bogglingly frightening when you consider they are divinities that have never wanted nor needed the approval of mortals, and therefore have no reason to take a form that appeals to their sense of aesthetics, let alone beauty.
Now does that means such creatures are just misunderstood and harmless if left alone? Certainly not! Most of them are sentient beings perfectly capable of choosing cruelty just like any humanoid, and those that aren’t intelligent can still be as threatening as any wild animal. Their methods of violence or wickedness might be especially horrifying, but the end result is the same.
But despite the horrors not just of these entities but of the mystical mysteries of the occult in general, these researchers carry on despite claims by others that they are digging too deep into what mortals were never meant to know. They meet such sentiments with derision. After all, is it not the duty of any scholar to research, explore, and document?
The base dedication for this archetype grants either an arcane or occult cantrip, as well as training in either of those mystical studies. Their knowledge also makes them quite good at investigating phenomena and identifying magic.
Some also learn minor magic that mirrors that granted by the knowledge, secrecy, or truth domains, though the tradition matches that which they chose earlier. This grants some the ability to better recall knowledge, hush voices to prevent others from overhearing, or speak a statement that they believe is true and everyone understands their honesty. They can of course expand their study into the other domains as well
With a bit of clever occult magic, these mystics can touch a body of knowledge and instantly hold the full knowledge of it’s contents in their minds without study for an hour. This allows them to understand it for that time, even if it’s written in a language they do not know, but it does not automatically decode any ciphers, requiring them to actually study the text to properly permanently learn it and decipher it as need be.
Their fascination with aberrations and oozes gives some of these scholars a knack for predicting and avoiding their movements, reducing damage from their physical strikes.
Getting into the occult means learning a lot about rituals, and these researchers are quite practiced at following such rites to the letter.
Sometimes, fate itself seems to conspire against these scholars and the trail goes cold, but this does not stop them, for they learn magic to locate objects and later individuals related to their quest for knowledge.
So deep is their knowledge that they often have much more to say about the topics they recall than most would.
With greater mastery, they can improve their mastery of their pseudo-domain or domains to gain the advanced magic associated with their previous choice. This includes the ability to translate a text into different languages, weaponize a foe’s own secret knowledge against them, or project an aura that pierces illusions so that they may see past them.
Some learn a handful of curses that affect the mentality of the target to cause them to behave in abrasive or distracted ways. Basically three flavors of the negative aspects of being neurodivergent without the years of learning to live with them. However, you might convince you GM to substitute other curse spells as well.
As one might expect from a delver into the eldritch unknown, these mystics eventually learn to summon forth such entities, either in a combat minion capacity, or for longer periods to entice them to give answers about a subject, though their answers are always vague due to mindset differences and mischief in equal measure.
Sometimes quick thinking is required in a dangerous situation, and that means recalling and processing information quickly. The greatest of these scholars are experts at this, though their focus on this is so great that they can’t immediately act on their knowledge with other skills and abilities.
This archetype is definitely fun for a game with a lot of cosmic horror in it, and it offers a nice mix of knowledge utility and spell utility alike. Naturally, this works best with wizards, psychics, and investigators as well as other brainy classes, but the only requirement is sufficient interest and knowledge in those areas, so feel free to explore other options!
To play this archetype is to be daring enough to face the unknown. However, despite their drive for knowledge, there are some things that, while not necessarily not meant to be known, are still too dangerous to be known by all. Grappling with that fact and the obvious threats to body and mind that come with those secrets is what defines the struggle of these researchers.
Though their patron goddess is known by most as The Weaver, she is not the only divinity to be known by that title. For their part, the anandi deny any history, however fringe, with the one known as the Weaver of Nightmares, but if one digs deep enough, one can find evidence of a dark time in the spider-folk’s history, one they would rather see buried forever.
Utterly obsessed with the secrets of the occult in life, Elgor Brandrick did not seek understanding, but bragging rights, eager to put down fellow scholars and laypersons for their ignorance and hoarding great knowledge. Now in death, he returns as a totenmaske, his knowledge scattered and confused. Now he takes on disguises to capture mortals, seeking to twist them like sculptures of the memories he has of the terrifying eldritch horrors he only ever saw in esoteric tomes.
In their efforts to find out what happened to their patron, the party stumbles upon magical crystal audio recordings of his personal journal. As they listen through them, they discover the research they were focused on into the unknown, the rituals they were performing in their pursuit of knowledge, and one final recording, damaged, of attempting to open a gate to the Dreamlands.
