"Ultimate Intrigue" has a terrific research system that I am adding to UE today. I have no changes to make as of now: I am just adding this system to the game wholesale. It's got a new type of points: knowledge points! Who doesn't like more point types! Yay for a thousand types of points systems!
Seriously though, this system is a masterwork in game design. It makes reading books INSIDE games fun and exciting! It's basically a deeper version of the current Knowledge skill. It turns the Knowledge skill into an involved side-game that can progress alongside a lengthy campaign. And it works especially well in Pathfinder with its infinitely wide and ever-expanding lore. You will never run out of things to learn in Pathfinder, and in fact if you don't use this system you will never learn the deeper things. Rory can already take advantage of it in Rise of the Runelords to complement his studies with Brodert Quink. Any decently-intelligent character with access to libraries can use this system, and I can already see players speccing characters and heroes towards research. Wouldn't a king need at least one good researcher? He could even build him libraries with UE city-building. P.S. This systems give CRs (Challenge Ratings) to LIBRARIES!!! As if they were monsters!
Note also that this system is only usable in the roleplaying layer. It's too deep to be used in the adventure-strategy layer. What about PFS Scenarios and standalone adventures? Those too belong in the roleplaying layer while you're playing them, but the PFS Scenarios are too short to allow for research. The standalone adventures on the other hand do have enough time for SOME research, but not enough to get super-deep into it. However, if a hero begins his research during an adventure, and then completes the adventure before the research, I would consider allowing him to continue the research in the adventure-strategy layer. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but I am open to the idea.
Another idea I am open to is allowing research in the adventure-strategy layer if the player OWNS a library. Or a kingdom with a library. I want to give as many reasons as possible to players to engage the city-building mechanics, and the research system is a terrific reason for someone to build or buy a library. Build or buy one and you can start mining Pathfinder lore on a daily basis! Even better, put a researcher in there to get the job done for you! And a librarian to assist him!
P.S. Note that the chapter ends with several sample libraries, and I have removed those pages, plus blacked out the last section of the last rules page, because I am putting these libraries in the game, where you can find them.
