So I'm thinking of making a non force detective/ private eye, but not sure what careers and specs work well. Thoughts?

Colonist Marshal, Bounty hunter Survivalist (forgot the exact name), or Smuggler Thief (for a bad guy gone good). Otherwise there are not many non-force careers that have much in the way of talents that augment perception

Thief. Bonuses for opening locked doors, disguises, being stealthy, car chases, working the streets and underworld contacts, all totally private eye.

Thief. Bonuses for opening locked doors, disguises, being stealthy, car chases, working the streets and underworld contacts, all totally private eye.

I think it's an awesome character concept. I'd love to see a genuine, hard-boiled Mickey Spillane style private eye in Star Wars.

Some Twi'lek dame with legs out to Kessel glides into your office. It doesn't take too long for the waterworks to turn on. You throw back some lum, and agree to take on the case. You're such a sucker for that kind of thing.

You check to make sure your blaster is fully charged and tucked in snug in your breast pocket by your commlink and lucky flask. You head out to ask the wrong people the right questions. Next thing you know, you're on the bad side of a Hutt lord and a Trandoshan is playing your head like an Ewok's drum in a dim alley in the desperate part of Coronet City.

Smuggler is a great career for anybody on the seedier side, and either Scoundrel or Charmer can work out wonderfully for a social detective--one that concentrates on gathering information from people as opposed to gathering clues from scenes.

Thief. Bonuses for opening locked doors, disguises, being stealthy, car chases, working the streets and underworld contacts, all totally private eye.

Agreed, and a reminder not to let either the career name "smuggler" or specialization name "thief" deter you, your character doesn't have to be either.

I think it's an awesome character concept. I'd love to see a genuine, hard-boiled Mickey Spillane style private eye in Star Wars.

Some Twi'lek dame with legs out to Kessel glides into your office. It doesn't take too long for the waterworks to turn on. You throw back some lum, and agree to take on the case. You're such a sucker for that kind of thing.

You check to make sure your blaster is fully charged and tucked in snug in your breast pocket by your commlink and lucky flask. You head out to ask the wrong people the right questions. Next thing you know, you're on the bad side of a Hutt lord and a Trandoshan is playing your head like an Ewok's drum in a dim alley in the desperate part of Coronet City.

This reminds me of the noir style game I ran. It was set on Nar Shaddaa and like most classic noir it all started with a beautiful dame.

Thanks. Maybe chiss is a good detective? Free rank in cool and can remove setback dice from perception checks. Thoughts?

Play the race you want to play the most. Racial abilities fade in importance in most cases as you advance. Don't focus on mechanics, focus on what story you want to tell with your character.

I agree. I like the thought of a chiss marshal who cross specs into scoundral.

In other threads on the subject, Enforcer was also suggested for that "Mike Hammer" type of PI. I'm sure there are plenty of combinations available depending on the type of PI you want. Probably best to nail down the concept then decide which specs fit it.

Marshal from 'Far Horizons' makes for a great civilian private investigator, with appropriate skills and talents like 'Good Cop/Bad Cop'.

Especially when you add the Signature Ability of Insightful Revelation for these Sherlock Holmes flashes of inspiration.

first thoughts...

Thief or Marshal, maybe archaeologist or analyst or scoundrel.

Marshal from 'Far Horizons' makes for a great civilian private investigator, with appropriate skills and talents like 'Good Cop/Bad Cop'.

Especially when you add the Signature Ability of Insightful Revelation for these Sherlock Holmes flashes of inspiration.

Marshal a Magnum PI style detective.

Hitting the Streetwise, Knowledge (Underworld) and Perception skills are important as they would be the core of any investigator. Beyond that its about deciding the methods which you use to investigate. A Marshal is using friendly social skills while Enforcer, Warden and Gadgeteer are Coercive. Scoundrels are a great choice, along with Thief or Charmer. There are many ways to go!

Hitting the Streetwise, Knowledge (Underworld) and Perception skills are important as they would be the core of any investigator. Beyond that its about deciding the methods which you use to investigate. A Marshal is using friendly social skills while Enforcer, Warden and Gadgeteer are Coercive. Scoundrels are a great choice, along with Thief or Charmer. There are many ways to go!

Core skills are going to vary depending on what kind of investigations you want to do. Not every investigation has anything to do with the underworld at all, and Perception might matter far less than social skills in some investigations.

Very true, i guess it really does depend heavily on the type of investigator the player wants to be.

Marshal a Magnum PI style detective.

Only if you ride around in a bright red Flash speeder.

Marshal a Magnum PI style detective.

Only if you ride around in a bright red Flash speeder.

Naw. It would crash all the time, take up all available resources, and leave you open to being remotely hacked far too easily.

You want to avoid Flash if at all possible.

Marshal a Magnum PI style detective.

Only if you ride around in a bright red Flash speeder.

Naw. It would crash all the time, take up all available resources, and leave you open to being remotely hacked far too easily.

You want to avoid Flash if at all possible.

But that and the mustache gets you the chicks in bikinis!

Marshal a Magnum PI style detective.

Only if you ride around in a bright red Flash speeder.

Naw. It would crash all the time, take up all available resources, and leave you open to being remotely hacked far too easily.

You want to avoid Flash if at all possible.

Marshal a Magnum PI style detective.

Only if you ride around in a bright red Flash speeder.

Naw. It would crash all the time, take up all available resources, and leave you open to being remotely hacked far too easily.

You want to avoid Flash if at all possible.

Not if you are Magnum....

You also need to remember how each species is viewed by the galaxy as a whole. Chiss, would bake for a very logical, but cold detective (think Data as Sherlock holmes or a Vulcan), a Twi'lek or Nikto may be able to go into more places unchallanged (especially in Hutt space), and everyone would remember a Whiphed or Wookie PI.

+1 for Enforcer.

Personally, I'd go Enforcer/Marshall.

It's a great combo...

I was going to say Enforcer and Marshall, but I see someone got there before me... Just curious, are there any detective types in Star Wars fiction, Canon or legends? I remember an imperial agent from the Clone Wars who was kind of like a detective I think(?).