Introduction
Inquisitions are primarily for Inquisitors, but Clerics and Druids can take them if they decide that they want to give up free spell slots for some reason.
You may also want to read my Cleric Domains Breakdown for comparison.
Table of Contents
Disclaimer
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RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks. Also note that many colored items are also links to the Paizo SRD.
- : Bad, useless options, or options which are extremely situational. Nearly never useful.
- : OK options, or useful options that only apply in rare circumstances. Useful sometimes.
- : Good options. Useful often.
- : Fantastic options, often essential to the function of your character. Useful very frequently.
Inquisitions
Anger Inquisition
The Anger Inquisition gives you access to Barbarian Rage. You don’t get any Rage powers, so it’s not quite as cool, but it’s a fun tactical option when you want to turn on your rage and ruin someone’s day.
(Ex): This is a cool way to get a free attack, but it’s only once per day.
(Ex): Rage is pretty great, and combined with your Judgement ability you can do some serious damage. You get rounds at half the rate that Barbarians do, so be sure to save these rounds for important encounters.
Black Powder Inquisition
You get the ability to use and repair guns and a really lousy ability to debuff arcane spellcasters.
: Firearms are decent weapons, but they’re not very exciting without Grit. The debuff on arcane spellcasters is insultingly bad; it allows a save to resist, and doesn’t even force a concentration check unless you prepared an action. If you really want to use firearms as an Inquisitor, be sure to take Amateur Gunslinger or a level of Gunslinger. Of course, one level of Gunslinger makes this inquisition totally useless.
Conversion Inquisition
The Conversion Inquisition is fantastic for an Inquisitor hoping to play the party’s Face. Charm of Wisdom makes Wisdom an extremely powerful ability score and removes your need to purchase multi-ability enhancement items.
(Ex): This makes Charisma a dump stat without cutting into your ability to serve as a face.
(Sp): The save DC will keep pace with the highest level spells available to your party, and Dominate Person is one of the most effective spells in the game. However, you only get one use per day, so be sure to use it on someone likely to fail their Will save.
Fate Inquisition
The Fate Inquisition can be easily replaced by two spells cast by a 3rd level Cleric. Augury is a 2nd level spell, and all of the effects of Agent of Fate can be reproduced or replaced by 1st level Cleric spells.
(Sp): Augury is a great divination, but it’s only a second level spell.
(Su): This is a really cool ability, but it’s only usable once per day.
Fervor Inquisition
Fire of Belief is garbage, but Fervent Action is pretty cool. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know when best to use effects like Fervent Action, so it may be one of those abilities that you keep saving until you eventually realize that you have never used it.
(Sp): The Inquisitor is no slouch in combat, and they have plenty of ranged combat options. The only really redeeming qualities of this ability are the alignment affects and that the ray is a ranged touch attack.
(Ex): Any one of these actions could turn the tide of battle in your favor, but it’s only once per day.
Heresy Inquisition
The Heresy Inquisition is a slightly grumpier version of the Conversion domain. Either one works for an Inquisitor acting as the party’s Face. The Heresy Inquisition also has a third ability, which is unusual for inquisitions. Even without Word of Anathema, the Heresy Inquisition is fantastic.
(Ex): Note quite as good as the Conversion domain’s Charm of Wisdom power, but this still greatly reduces your need for Charisma when you want to play a Face.
(Ex): A reroll on a d20 works out to something like a +5 bonus, which may very well be the difference between your Charisma and Wisdom scores. Rerolls on any roll are fantastic, and not only do you get to reroll, you get to take the higher roll, and you can use this multiple times per day.
(Sp): Throw this on something big and scary, and watch it proceed to stumble its way into an early grave. Be sure to use this on something with a low Will save because you only get one use per day.
Imprisonment Inquisition
The Imprisonment Inquisition is a cool concept, but the abilities are basically impossible to rely on. You can almost never expect Caging Strike to work, and you can only use Divine Prison once per day. You’re better off just throwing a net.
(Su): It’s nice being able to use this multiple times per day, but it’s awfully difficult to count on critical hits when you don’t get proficiency with anything with a threat range better than 20.
: This is a fantastic save or suck effect, but you only get to use it once per day.
Illumination Inquisition
Illuminating Touch is a decent buff, though not very exciting, and Aura of Enlightenment is really hard to justify when you can use Aid Another and cast Daylight to achieve the same effects.
(Sp): A one hour duration is pretty great, and you can use this multiple times in a day. Before you go into a fight with something that likes to force Will saves, throw this on everyone in your party.
(Su): This is a weird ability. You can neutralize the Darkness spell, and your allies gain a bonus to skill checks for some reason.
Justice Inquisition
Both abilities are awful and they have nothing to do with each other.
(Su): This is only important if someone in your party is built for critical hits, and if they’re built for critical hits they already have critical focus. Otherwise it’s just a very infrequent chance to high-five someone who is already doing something awesome without your help.
(Su): This makes dissuades your allies from attacking the target of your chains, but allows the target to attack your allies with impunity. Why would you buff your enemies?
Oblivion Inquisition
Life Anchor should not come up often enough to justify its existence, and while Stare of Oblivion is cool and reasonably effective, save-or-suck effects should be left for those who can produce a better DC and a better duration.
(Su): You should do your best to never need this ability. If you ever need this ability, you have done something wrong.
(Sp): The base DC will keep pace with the highest level spells available to your party, and Feeblemind is a great save-or-suck for arcane spellcasters, Paladins, and a long list of other creatures and roles. The effect only lasts 1d4 rounds, but that should be plenty of time to tackle and subdue enemy spellcasters. You can use it multiple time per day, which is nice if your targets pass the first save.
Order Inquisition
The Order Inquisition is right on the line between
and . Mantle of Chaos is good, but situational, and Commanding Order is good, but not great. If you expect to face a lot of chaotic enemies, this is more on the side of .(Sp): Protection from Alignment is a great set of spells. Protection from Chaos is one of the less reliable ones since most campaigns tend be a good vs. evil dynamic. If your campaign involves hunting lots of hippies, anarchists, and abberations than this can be very useful. Of course, Protection from Chaos is a first level spell, so this isn’t terribly powerful.
(Sp): Clerics get Greater Command as a 5th level spell one level later, their DC will be better, and they can affect multiple targets. Still, you can replicate a 5th level spell 3+ times per day for free. Command your enemies to Halt, and they are effectively Dazed for 1 round per Inquisitor level, effectively removing them from the fight.
Persistence Inquisition
A bonus feat, a swift-action speed boost, and a once per day use of Lay on Hands give you some fantastic options to get you into melee and keep you there.
: Step Up is a great feat when fighting enemies using spells or ranged attacks.
(Ex): This does not list a duration, so I would assume that it lasts for one round, but check with your GM. Because this is such a short duration, it should be saved for rounds when you need extra mobility; escaping, charging, dodging past enemies, etc.
(Su): This is basically Lay on Hands once per day with a couple of Mercies to removed some fairly common conditions. Many of the conditions are very debilitating (particularly blinded, confused, nauseated, and Staggered), and removing them gets you back into the fight without cutting into your normal action economy for the round.
Spellkiller Inquisition
Spellcasters and creatures with spell-like abilities are among the toughest enemies in the game, and they become more common at higher levels. The Spellkiller Inquisition gives you some good options for handling spellcasters, and a nice AC buff for defeating any random enemy.
: Disruptive is a great feat for killing spellcasters, but you need to stay within reach so make sure that you take Step Up to keep enemies from stepping out of reach to cast spells. Sacred/Profane bonuses are extremely rare, so the AC boost is nice. Unfortunately, staggering a spellcaster doesn’t hurt them much because they still get their standard action to cast spells.
Tactics Inquisition
Grant the Initiative is so fantastic that it’s almsost good enough to offset how lame Inquisitor’s Direction is.
(Su): If the best you can do is grant an ally some minor buffs and a free attack for one round, you are not a useful character. You need to be within 30 feet to use it, so you should be getting into melee to make some of your own attacks.
(Ex): This would be blue if it only applied to you. Initiative bonuses are amazing. If this means moving the enemies even one space lower in the iniative order, it could mean the difference between a flawless victory and a crippling defeat.
Torture Inquisition
This Inquisition can be replaced by one feat, a cantrip, and two skill ranks. A pile of stuff you could easily get at level 1 is not worth your single Inquisition choice.
(Ex): Need some more Intimidate? Here you go.
(Sp): Touch of Fatigue is a cantrip, and a poor one at that.
(Ex): If you want to build for critical hits, just take Critical Focus. Also, don’t be a class with 2/3 BAB.
Truth Inquisition
The Truth Inquisition can be replaced by the Guidance spell and the Zone of Truth spell, both of which are on the Inquisitor spell list.
(Sp): Like Guidance on crack. Good for stuff like opening locks, disarming traps, or other things which are quick to do but generally don’t happen in combat.
(Su): By the time you get this ability, you have had Zone of Truth available for four levels.
Valor Inquisition
Do you like the spell Remove Fear? Well then this Inquisition is great! Because that is all that this Inquisiton does: remove fear. If Fear is such an issue for you, play a Paladin.
(Sp): Remove Fear is a first level spell for a huge number of classes, including Inquisitors.
(Su): Fear effects are generally very gentle, and can be easily overcome with a number of sources.
Vengeance Inquisition
You should never want or need either of these abilities. Get a bow and don’t die.
(Sp): An amusing low-level damage option. This would be great for Clerics, but Inquisitors have access to better weapons and should be able to do more damage at range.
(Su): You should be working very hard to never need this.
Zeal Inquisition
If your campaign involves actively persecuting one group of people for their religious beliefs, you should feel bad, but this Inquisition might be useful.
(Sp): You never want to need this, but it’s a cool way to keep you in the fight.
(Ex): Hugely situational. This would only make sense in a campaign where you are actively hunting members of one religion, and most campaigns involve a cosniderably more diverse set of opponents.