Lore skills are always a bit fuzzy especially when coming to pre-made adventures. If the adventure or adventure path has campaign specific backgrounds (like Outlaws of Alkenstar does), and those backgrounds provide Lore skills then almost assuredly those Lores are going to come up somewhere in the adventure.
It’s one of those better than nothing things but not necessarily great. Adding level instead of zero is good, but we’re not going to get the trained (+2), expert (+4), etc added in there. A higher level creature (high DC) or a difficult Recall Knowledge check (identifying an obscure diety from a broken altar in a lost temple) are super high difficult and unless you have the appropriate skill + stat + a high enough proficiency bonus the DCs are going to be really hard to beat.
Absolutely.
I was hesitant to bring this before, but um… take a look at the Thaumaturge class. I don’t know if it could flavour-wise fit your characters concept, but mechanically it’s got some really great tools that are in my not so humble opinion better than an Investigator. Also the Rogue or Bard, they do Investigator-like flavour too with “better” mechanics.
Thaumaturge definitely looks like it’d be up my wheel house from what I’ve read about it so far, but I do like how the investigator looks and got multiple builds in my head to try out someday with investigator lol.
As far as this one goes, I’m happy to play it as an innately mundane doctor with an analytical mind. =D
I had originally overlooked the Eldritch Archer archetype because Zayda has 0 Charisma, but at Rando’s suggestion, I took a second look at it and it turns out… you don’t need it! That’s insanely broken!!!
So I may well go with that archetype instead of Rogue dedication like I was originally thinking. The thing I’d be giving up is mainly the ability to get more attacks against off-guard enemies. (Surprise Attack at level 2 and then Dread Striker at level 8).
A little more info about Zayda Shimizu (aka Cambria):
She is an Aiuvaran human of mixed Tian and Keleshite ethnicity and most of her armor/clothing looks Kelesh in origin. She doesn’t like guns. Dwarves seem to disapprove of her. She was framed by Deputy Loveless for a crime she didn’t commit and sentenced to years in prison but somehow she has managed to escape and join up with the titular Outlaws of Alkenstar… what a bunch of yahoos.
I’m fairly certain the item that Zayda has is suppossed to have a +1 potency rune.
At the top of the page it says Item 2+ and this appears to refer to the entire class of Handwraps items on the page. I assert that this topic entry is like an abstract class in C++. You can’t have an instance of Handwraps of Mighty Blows Item 2+ but all instances inherit the characteristics of the overall topic.
Right below that is the first “instance” of an actual Handwraps: Handwraps of Mighty Blows (+1). I don’t think my handwraps had the (+1) in the title but it did have level 2 and a price of 35 gold which is the same price of the (+1) version on AoN and we all know that +1 potency runes aren’t free. Well, maybe their free in France, but definitely not in America!
I’m not sure how the automation should work. I googled “Handwraps of Mighty Blows Foundry VTT” and found a couple of apparent bugs/work arounds for similar issues but maybe not quite the same thing.
Anyway, no worries if this is a no-go. Zayda is stronk like Pippi effing Longstocking!