Can someone explain Inquisitor to me?

[Brian]

Ever since Kingmaker, I have not understood the point/role that the inquisitor class has in these games. It’s kind of like a sorcerer version of a cleric? Or is it an off-tank with a little extra magic? Or maybe it’s some team-tactics “battlefield commander” type? I just don’t get what the class is going for in terms of combat role.

[Schlumpsha]

Neither. Inquisitors are more a mix of Cleric, Rogue and Bard dressed in the holy garbs of extremism. Taking care of their faith's backroom dealings, dirty laundry and other shady businesses. You can think of them as a fanatical secret police of sorts. Mechanically they're half casters with a bunch of class skills and Domains. Plus Judgements and teamwork feats. Very versatile in various fields. Classical team composition role for the class would be something between Supporter and Utilitarian, I guess?

[Deo]

Inquisitor has many tricks up his sleeve, but he is master of none. He is not full BAB, he is not full caster (lvl 6 spells max). So he is a mediocre support with more selfish approach, if you want it.

Pick him when you cannot pick Cleric and you need domains.

[azaris]

The primary use of an Inquisitor is as a skill monkey and support caster that can also go into melee if you want them to. I identify three standard builds for Inquisitors:

1. Off-tank melee build that focuses on the Dazzling Display feat-line (STR-based melee) with a buff from Stern Gaze.

2. Straight DPS build using Greater Bane and multi-attacks, either as a 2WF DEX-based melee or a bow-using ranged DPS.

3. Summoner caster that buffs their summons with teamwork feats and provides a more supporting roles the rest of the time.

None of these roles really have anything do with how a Cleric plays, so better not to think of the Inquisitor in that way. They're more like a divine version of the Bard.

[Immortal Reaver]

Like what is Bard for divine casters, less support, but more weapon oriented with Bane and Judgments.
Also archetypes have different styles.
Tactical Leader is kind of team-tactics “battlefield commander” type.
Sanctified Slayer is DPS.
Judge is most similiar to Bard, it gets aura that is kinda like Bard song, only you can choose the exactly to what you give bonus and it is sacred.
Sacred Huntsmaster is more of support for Animal.
Faith Hunter is DPS.
Monster Tactician, because this is mythic campaign summons are weak in combat, and it better to use them as support/enabler of teamwork feats for other party members like Allied Spellcaster (+2 to Spell Penetration per summoned monster, with backline also having it, it can be massive bonus), and Seize the Moment (enable more potentional crits, even if there is no damage from summons).

[Brian]

........I wonder if you all can see how convoluted your answers are (thus proving how confusing the class is). I understand what you're saying, but there's no one-sentence, clear cut role they play. Maybe that's why Pathfinder 2e removed them entirely.

Not saying your answers are wrong or insufficient. I basically get what you all are saying. But it doesn't really make them any more clear in terms of mechanics. The answer is different shades of "Kind of this, but not really. Kind of that if you build them a very specific way..."

And to be clear, I really like the roleplay and aesthetic aspects of the class. That part makes complete sense to me. I just wish the idea of the Inquisitor matched their combat role in any kind of way.

[D-Black Catto]

it's a cleric who can fight

[D-Black Catto]

Originally posted by Brian:

........I wonder if you all can see how convoluted your answers are (thus proving how confusing the class is). I understand what you're saying, but there's no one-sentence, clear cut role they play. Maybe that's why Pathfinder 2e removed them entirely.

Not saying your answers are wrong or insufficient. I basically get what you all are saying. But it doesn't really make them any more clear in terms of mechanics. The answer is different shades of "Kind of this, but not really. Kind of that if you build them a very specific way..."

And to be clear, I really like the roleplay and aesthetic aspects of the class. That part makes complete sense to me. I just wish the idea of the Inquisitor matched their combat role in any kind of way.

not clear doesn't mean they aren't fun or good. and their combat role is perfectly fine with class lore and archetype. you're probably part of the crowd that led to abomination called dnd 5e

[Brian]

Thanks for the insult. And no, I play Pathfinder 2e. From what I've read of 5e, it's pretty awful. And where did I say it wasn't fun or good? Maybe you should stop making tons of assumptions based on nothing. Because you're pretty bad at it.

[ProestUnicorn]

Originally posted by Brian:

........I wonder if you all can see how convoluted your answers are (thus proving how confusing the class is). I understand what you're saying, but there's no one-sentence, clear cut role they play. Maybe that's why Pathfinder 2e removed them entirely.

Not saying your answers are wrong or insufficient. I basically get what you all are saying. But it doesn't really make them any more clear in terms of mechanics. The answer is different shades of "Kind of this, but not really. Kind of that if you build them a very specific way..."

And to be clear, I really like the roleplay and aesthetic aspects of the class. That part makes complete sense to me. I just wish the idea of the Inquisitor matched their combat role in any kind of way.

I think it mostly really comes down to the fact that most classes are very straightforward like:

Fighter: bonks stuff
Barbarian: fighter, but mad
Cleric: prays a lot, has heals
Paladin: Fighter, but also cleric
Rogue: skillmonkey, lockpicker, sneak attack
Oracle: cleric but actually sorcerer

and inquisitor is actually one of these few classes that are an amalgamant of several ones that instead of fitting single roles very well are kinda like bards, that they are split everywhere in order to fit the team as a very niche and specific piece that allows to pick whatever You want for other 5 team members without missing out on anything.

Since he covers mobility, athletics, trickery, stealth, perception, lore and knowledge skills, while being profficient in persuasion too, due to stern gaze, as well as having high saves, You can pick exactly what You need for Your team needs if You want to play a specific combination.

So basically: ''paladin'' skillmonkey, that is better at casting, worse at fighting, has cleric domains, decent divine buffer, can be a healer, great restoration monkey. One of these jack of all trades class that can do everything, but worse.

I don't really know how to describe him better or shorter, but he is basically a minmaxing tool, that is not op by himself, but allows other party members to forget these small things he covers and minmax their build fully into whatever You want.

[Schlumpsha]

Originally posted by Brian:

Maybe that's why Pathfinder 2e removed them entirely.

Not really. Paizo just didn't got around to implement them yet for their 2e. Similarly, the Kineticist class only made its re-appearance this year's August inside Rage of Elements. Which was objectively very late, given 2e has been out since... summer 2019?

[Gorwe]

Basically: Divine Bard ; more akin to Divine Archeologist.

[Outlaw]

Slayer with selfbuffs. Judgment = Studied Target, Bane = Sneak Attack, Aura from Domain = Quarry

[Brian]

Originally posted by Schlumpsha:

Originally posted by Brian:

Maybe that's why Pathfinder 2e removed them entirely.

Not really. Paizo just didn't got around to implement them yet for their 2e. Similarly, the Kineticist class only made its re-appearance this year's August inside Rage of Elements. Which was objectively very late, given 2e has been out since... summer 2019?

If you consider Kineticist a core class. I think they are very...odd. As in, not really in keeping with the setting very well. Basically an X-Man, in a medieval/renaissance era world.

[Brian]

Originally posted by ProestUnicorn:

Originally posted by Brian:

........I wonder if you all can see how convoluted your answers are (thus proving how confusing the class is). I understand what you're saying, but there's no one-sentence, clear cut role they play. Maybe that's why Pathfinder 2e removed them entirely.

Not saying your answers are wrong or insufficient. I basically get what you all are saying. But it doesn't really make them any more clear in terms of mechanics. The answer is different shades of "Kind of this, but not really. Kind of that if you build them a very specific way..."

And to be clear, I really like the roleplay and aesthetic aspects of the class. That part makes complete sense to me. I just wish the idea of the Inquisitor matched their combat role in any kind of way.

I think it mostly really comes down to the fact that most classes are very straightforward like:

Fighter: bonks stuff
Barbarian: fighter, but mad
Cleric: prays a lot, has heals
Paladin: Fighter, but also cleric
Rogue: skillmonkey, lockpicker, sneak attack
Oracle: cleric but actually sorcerer

and inquisitor is actually one of these few classes that are an amalgamant of several ones that instead of fitting single roles very well are kinda like bards, that they are split everywhere in order to fit the team as a very niche and specific piece that allows to pick whatever You want for other 5 team members without missing out on anything.

Since he covers mobility, athletics, trickery, stealth, perception, lore and knowledge skills, while being profficient in persuasion too, due to stern gaze, as well as having high saves, You can pick exactly what You need for Your team needs if You want to play a specific combination.

So basically: ''paladin'' skillmonkey, that is better at casting, worse at fighting, has cleric domains, decent divine buffer, can be a healer, great restoration monkey. One of these jack of all trades class that can do everything, but worse.

I don't really know how to describe him better or shorter, but he is basically a minmaxing tool, that is not op by himself, but allows other party members to forget these small things he covers and minmax their build fully into whatever You want.

I guess that's a good way of thinking about it. A "hole-plugger".

[Nalgarryn]

Originally posted by Brian:

........I wonder if you all can see how convoluted your answers are (thus proving how confusing the class is). I understand what you're saying, but there's no one-sentence, clear cut role they play.

Eh, just stumbled on this thread. This is basically it. I just started playing Pathfinder in Kingmaker and WotR. I can definitely see the DnD 3.x roots. The two classes that appeal to me the most are Oracle and Inquisitor. The closest comments in this thread are that the inquisitor is like a divine bard. They are highly customizable, as others have said.

Key points:

• As divine casters, they get no arcane spell failure.
  
• They get decent skill points on level up, and wide variety of class skills.
  
• They have average BAB and HP per level (5).
  
• They are 2/3 casters, meaning they can cast level 6 spells at most.
  
• By default, they are spontaneous casters and use Wisdom for their spellcasting ability.
  
• Exceptions:
  
• The Living Grimoire archetype uses Intelligence as its spellcasting ability and is a prepared caster who learns spells from scrolls.
  
• The Sword of the Eldest archetype uses Charisma as its spellcasting ability.
  
• The Sanctified Slayer gets sneak attack (6 ranks total).
  
• They can be atheist* or have a deity, and can select domains (when not atheist).

Using the above, you can customize them either to fill a particular niche or so as to match your RP interest. The one thing I'd say, that hasn't been said, is that they can be converted thematically and mechanically to suit your own RP interest... so you can be a detective/investigator, or you can be a sanctimonious prig (without being a LG paladin... yawn). You can be as intelligent and wise (and therefore not stupidly rulebound) as you want, and have any alignment.

Mechanically speaking, they can be abused in Kingmaker and WotR. Specifically, you can use domain selection (Death domain/Undead subdomain) to give them negative energy affinity (healed by negative and damaged by positive energy), or to get them an animal companion (i.e. Scalykind subdomain).

In WotR specifically, there are some items that grant additional spells to spontaneous casters... so you can get them a much wider variety of spells than in a tabletop game.

*edit for potential naysayers. Inquisitors must have at least an ideal. They don't necessarily have to have a deity. This is DM discretion in tabletop.

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