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There is a well-established literary genre of "occult detectives" who investigate and deal with creatures and cultists that have strange paranormal powers and dangerous esoteric knowledge.
The upcoming Pathfinder book Occult Adventures so far promises very little for adding this "occult detective" mood to adventures.
These house rules are my attempt to fill that gap.
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Adding an occult detective mood to a Pathfinder adventure with house rules is a twice-impossible task.
The default setting for Pathfinder assumes that many occult phenomena are instead commonplace. Magic is not guarded when even small settlements have a few magic items for sale. A mundane crafter can use alchemy create fanciful alchemical products without being initiated into esoteric secrets. Standard zombies are common monsters, barely horrific and undeserving of the label paranormal. Any character may chose to become in tune with fortune-telling cards. And so on. It is impossible to define a standard by which phenomena in that setting are "occult".
Furthermore, the desired mood requires that the rules that govern the world can be bent or even broken. Even if we could define which phenomena are "occult", making rules about how those exceptions work is self-defeating. The world would remain explicable. The veil would be lifted to reveal one more layer of rules, nothing more. It is impossible to use rules to define an endless search for the truest reality.
Nevertheless, we will try. Since we are only striving to help create a mood, an imperfect attempt may still help.
We begin by classifying which people and creatures most participate in our desired "occult mood".
We desire a setting in which some knowledge and skills are secret and dangeous, and those who understand them are made different because of their contact with the forces behind the veil.
In the Pathfinder role-playing game the way to reflect that kind of being changed is with a template.
New Template: Paranormal
A character or intelligent creature can acquire the paranormal template at any time after witnessing paranormal powers.
After aquiring this paranormal template, the creature gains several paranormal powers and one paranormal liability (all defined below). These abilities are together called the First Esoteric Echelon.
With each advancement of class level the character may chose to advance to the next Esoteric Echelon. (See below for details.)
Why would any character take interest in the paranormal? Because of the chance to gain vast cosmic power! Bwahahahaha!
The paranormal template grants minor abilities that help magic item use, summoning, metamagic, perception, saving throws, and fanaticism.
As characters advance through the Esoteric Echelons they peer more deeply behind the veil and learn to use their esoteric abilities more potently. However, there is always a cost to connecting with what lies behind the veil.
There are at least six Esoteric Echelons. There might be more...
Acquiring the template should be voluntary for player characters.
Perhaps the GM allows certain secret tomes of forbidden knowledge to allow their readers to acquire the template.
New Type: Paranormal Spellcaster
Spellcasters with the paranormal template gain the creature type "paranormal spellcaster".
Knowledge about magic is perhaps the most seductive and dangeous type of esoteric knowledge. Those who practice it are even more different that others who study the paranormal.
New Type: Paranormal Creature
Monsters with the paranormal template gain the creature type "paranormal creature".
Even in a world with monsters, some monsters are especially otherworldly.
GMs are encouraged to declare that all creatures of established types also always have the creature type "paranormal creature". Aberrations are especially appropriate. Making undead and/or animated objects count as "paranormal creatures" may also fit the desired setting.
New Feat: Boon Paranormal
A character or intelligent creature with the paranormal template has its Esoteric Echelon increase by one or more, but no higher than its character level.
This feat allows a character who acquires the template while adventuring to research the paranormal an extra amount, to "catch up" to characters who had the template at first level.
In adventures with an "occult mood" cultists are insane and heroic detectives get jittery. How can we reflect this with Pathfinder house rules in a fun way that helps set the mood?
New Pool: Sanity Points
A character with the paranormal template has sanity points.
The maximum number is found by subtracting the character's highest level of spell casting from the character's Wisdom ability score modifier.
Sanity points are returned to this maximum value after eating a hearty meal in a well-lit and completely safe location.
Example
Twiddlefingers the mage has a Wisdom score of 14. His Wisdom ability score modifier of is +2. He can cast third-level spells. So his maximum sanity is 2 − 3 = -1.
Wisdom helps characters stay sane.
Arcane spellcasters have studied the world behind the veil. Divine spellcasters gain power by communing with otherworldly beings. Both have looked more deeply at the paranormal than non-spellcasters. And the deeper they have looked, the more they recognize with fear and trembling how much more is further beyond.
For extra clarity, the rules below will carefully differentiate spending positive sanity points veruses decreasing sanity points from a positive or negative initial amount.
New Feat: Extra Sanity Points
This feat raises a character's maximum sanity points by three. It may be taken multiple times.
For some reason evil cultists never bother with this feat. But some occult detectives find it invaluable.
New Condition: Insane
A character with negative sanity points is insane. His or her negative sanity points become a penalty to concentration checks, Will saving throws, and Charisma-based skill checks other than Use Magic Device.
Insane characters are not necessarily irrational or crazy. But they are so focused on the world behind the veil that they have trouble focusing on the mundane world. This makes them distracted, more easily befuddled, and socially awkward.
New Feat: Insane Summoning
You have learned how to do a ritual called insane summoning.
This ritual involves casting any spell that summons one or more creatures and grants you control over them.
When you start casting the spell, change its casting time to a chosen number of hours. The spell's duration also changes to equal its casting time.
Creatures summoned using this ritual are aggressive and uncontrolled. They gain the type "paranormal creature", whether or not they have the paranormal template.
You need not be insane when you start the ritual. But if you are not insane at the end of the ritual, the spell fails.
Evil cultists love to summon monsters that rampage for hours.
Heroic adventurers often need to stop insane cultists from summoning terrible monsters.
It is recommended that the GM create a house rule about what happens if an insane summoning ritual is interrupted. Two simple options are the caster being targeted by phantasmal killer, o rthe appearance of uncontrolled shadows.
Another recommended house rule is to make casting a spell while insane risky. Each time an insane spellcaster casts a prepared or spontaneous spell, roll a twenty-sided die. If the result is less than (the negative of) the spellcaster's santy, a disaster happens similar to an interrupted insane summoning ritual.
New Condition: Jittery
A jittery character suffers a -5 penalty on concentration checks.
If a jittery character would become shaken, he or she becomes both shaken and frightened.
The fear condition jittery is less severe than fear the condition shaken. The character is spooked and on-edge. He or she is distracted by pressing fears. But he or she is primarily afraid of becoming badly frightened, rather than shaken by what was already experienced.
The penalties to concentration checks from being jittery and insane do stack.
If a character that is already jittery is again made jittery, nothing happens. Similarly, being made jittery does not cause a charater with one of usual fear conditions (shaken, frightened, panicked) to progress to the next.
New Rule: You're Spooked!
Each time a character with sanity points returns them to their maximum amount, the GM secretly rolls a six-sided die. Once that character's sanity points drop to negative the rolled amount, the character becomes jittery until he or she again returns to maximum sanity points.
One problem with going insane is that it is slightly unpredictable.
New Feat: Swallow Fear
As an immediate action, when jittery and required to make a Will saving throw for a fear effect, you may think about your loved ones or other innocents who depend upon your heroism and swap your sanity score's penalty to the Will saving throw for an equal bonus to the Will saving throw.
You may also spend a move action looking at a holy symbol or other source of hope to grant yourself the effects of the swallow your fear spell, as a spell-like ability.
The traditional occult detective is not only often made jittery, but has also learned to press on despite his or her fears.
Vast cosmic power comes at a cost.
Characters who advance through the Esoteric Echelons gain both powers and liabilities. Let us consider the liabilities first, simply because their discussion is much shorter.
Your understanding of the world behind the veil hints that unspeakable creatures can be summoned with the proper ritual. Every paranormal creature is a reminder of how great the true danger could be.
Scared by Potential: You become jittery if you see a monster with the paranormal creature type whose challenge rating exceeds your Esoteric Echelon.
When you cast a summoning spell, unwanted creatures try to push through the connection you establish.
Unwelcome Visitors: When you are insane while using a spell or spell-like ability to summon a creature, the type of creature is rolled randomly from the appropriate list of possibilities.
When you focus on sources of magic, whispers from beyond the veil seek your attention. You know you must ignore them or rebuke them.
Spell Memorization Distractions: If you are a spellcaster, preparing spells henceforth requires an extra fifteen minutes per Esoteric Echelon. This extra time even applies when preparing a single spell to fill a prepared spell slot intentionally left open.
Your connection with the world behind the veil is beginning to take a toll on your physical or mental health.
Ability Score Reduction:Reduce your Constitution, Wisdom, or Intelligence by 1. This reduction cannot be healed. Whenever you gain another Esoteric Echelon, again reduce your Constitution, Wisdom, or Intelligence by 1.
The whispers from beyond the veil have begun to confuse your divinations.
Divinatory Complication: Any divination spell with a percentage chance of success has the chance of success reduced by 10% times your Esoteric Echelon.
When you connect with the source of your spellcasting power, the whisperers use that connection to reach for you.
Failed Concentration Trauma: If you fail a concentration check, you become staggered. If already staggered, you become dazed. If already dazed, you become nauseated. If already nauseated, you fall unconscious. All of these conditions last one round.
The whispers from beyond the veil grow louder and more annoying. They are often calling your name.
Combat Distractions: You treat all enemies as if they had the Disruptive feat. Enemies that actually have the feat extend by 5' the effective reach at which they apply it to you.
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Our work so far has been like examining the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle upside-down. Now it is time to turn the pieces over, look at the picture, and put the puzzle together.
Your understanding of the world behind the veil is beginning to reveal how magic works.
Grimoire Use: You may cast a spell from a spellbook, whether or not you are a spellcaster. If the duration of the spell is less than one minute, it increases to one minute. You can only use this ability to cast a spell of a spell level equal to or less than your Esoteric Echelon. You can only use this ability when you have at least one (positive) sanity point. Casting a spell in this way decreases your sanity points by the level of the spell.
You are beginning to see that if you look behind the veil far enough there is no difference between the types of magic.
Item Use: You gain an untyped bonus to the Use Magic Device skill equal to your Esoteric Echelon. Furthermore, when use that skill you can freely treat any type of magic (arcane, divine, alchemical, and psychic) as any other type.
Paranormal monsters are really getting on your nerves. Argh!
Paranormal Combat: You may spend one (positive) sanity point to give a melee weapon the bane property against creatures with the "paranormal spellcaster" or "paranormal creature" types.
Boil, Boil: You gain Brew Potion as a bonus feat. You gain a competence bonus to Craft(Alchemy) equal to your Esoteric Echelon. You may use your Grimoire Use ability to provide the cast spell needed to brew a potion. You may brew potions of cure and inflict spells (of up to third spell level) without needing to provide the spell.
You are beginning to understand that magic is everywhere, and how to make ripples in its hidden texture.
Scroll or Wand Sundering: As a full-round action you may break a wand or rip apart a scroll or spellbook. (No die roll is required.) This destroys the item, with no problematic effects. It also allows you cast dispel magic with a caster level equal to the sum of your Esoteric Echelon and the highest level of spell in the sundered item.
You are really starting to hate those eldrich horrors. Especially the ones that cast spells!
Improved Paranormal Combat: You may spend one (positive) sanity point to give a melee weapon the bane property against creatures with the "paranormal spellcaster" and "paranormal creature" types. A creature with both types suffers the bane property twice.
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These paranormal powers augment the Insane Summoning feat.
More than one of the powers that allow adding a template to the summoned creature(s) may be used, if the summoner has sufficient positive sanity points to pay for them.
Bwahahaha!
Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla: You gain the feat Insane Summoning as a bonus feat.
Furthermore, at the end of an insane summoning ritual you can give the summoned creature as many size increases as your Esoteric Echelon.
It makes you feel all warm and tingly when you help your cult leader end the world.
Insane Assistant: You can contribute as part of a group of people cooperatively doing insane summoning. The leader of the group—the only one who is actually casting the summoning spell—may chose to give the summoned creature as many hit points per hit die as there are people in the group with this paranormal power. (Despite the name of this power, a character need not be insane when contributing.)
The best part about lengthy summoning rituals is transmorgifying dangerous monsters into true eldrich horrors.
Abomination Summoning Template: When you do insane summoning, you may select two creatures from the list of possibilities and fuse them using the abomination template. Adding the template requires spending one (positive) sanity point. Using this ability negates the Unwelcome Visitors paranormal liability.
A nice trick you learned from looking behind the veil is how to summon those eldrich horrors somewhere else.
Delayed Blast Curse: When you do insane summoning, you may change the location the summoned creature appears to be adjacent to the most recent creature on which you have cast arcane mark, bestow curse, or used the witch scar hex.
Your insane summons move so quickly they are difficult to see.
Speedy Summoning Template: When you do insane summoning, you may add the alchemically quickened template to the creature(s) summoned. Adding the template requires spending one (positive) sanity point.
Let's see how those heroes fight without Emergency Force Sphere, Saving Finale, and Feather Fall.
Ritual Slow-Magic Aura: Any creatures you summon using insane summoning radiate a 30' aura that slows magic. Within the aura any spell that normally has a casting time of a free action or immediate action instead requires a swift action.
Non-Ritual Slow-Magic Aura: You may decrease your sanity points by one to cause any creature you summon with a normal summoning spell to radiate the "slows magic" aura descibed above.
I know... More claws! More fang-filled maws! More eyes! And tentacles! Tentacles are cool.
Claw Maw Tentacle Summoning Template: When you do insane summoning, you may add the bestial creature template to any humanoid creature(s) summoned. The creature(s) also gain the spell countless eyes. The creature(s) also gain the benefits of the tentacle cloak magic item. Adding these changes requires spending two (positive) sanity points.
Playing with dead things can be fun.
Ritual Desecration Aura: Any creatures you summon using insane summoning radiate an aura as if from the desecrate spell.
Non-Ritual Desecration Aura: You may decrease your sanity points by one to cause any creature you summon with a normal summoning spell to radiate an aura as if from the desecrate spell.
Playing with dead things can be really fun.
Zombie Summoning Template: When you do insane summoning, you may add the zombie template to the creature(s) summoned. Only the normal zombie type, not variants, can be added. Adding the template requires spending (positive) sanity points equal to the increase in challenge rating granted by the template.
This should help level a town.
Ritual Antimagic Aura: Any creatures you summon using insane summoning radiate an aura as if from the antimagic field spell.
Non-Ritual Antimagic Aura: You may decrease your sanity points by one to cause any creature you summon with a normal summoning spell to radiate an aura as if from the antimagic field spell.
This too.
Dire Summoning Template: When you do insane summoning, you may add the dire creature template to the creature(s) summoned. Adding the template requires spending two (positive) sanity points.
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Many occult detectives are doctors.
Strange Medicine: You gain an untyped bonus to the Heal skill equal to your Esoteric Echelon. You may decrease your sanity points by two to cast a cure or inflict spell as if it had empowered metamagic. You may decrease your sanity points by three to cast a cure or inflict spell as if it had maximized metamagic.
Your connection with the world behind the veil can frighten others who are aware of the paranormal.
Horrific Spells: You may decrease your sanity points by one to change a spell that causes ability score damage to instead cause sanity point loss. (A target without sanity points is immune and takes ability score damage as normal.)
Your peeks behind the veil provide hints about how to coax its horrors into the mundane world.
Mind-Bending Spells: You may decrease your sanity points by one to alter a spell you cast that normally allows the target a Will saving throw. The target instead uses its sanity points as a modifier when comparing the die roll to the spell's difficulty class. (A target without sanity points is immune and uses its usual saving throw modifier.)
You have learned so much from behind the veil that your spells are fueled by eldrich terror.
Esoteric Spells: You may decrease your sanity points by one to alter any saving throw type of a spell you cast. Instead of using the usual saving throw modifier, the target uses its sanity points as a modifier when comparing the die roll to the spell's difficulty class. (A target without sanity points is immune and uses its usual saving throw modifier.)
They will all burn!
Strange Blasts: You may decrease your sanity points by three to cast a spell that deals direct hit point damage to an area of effect as if it had widen metamagic.
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What was that?
Glimmers of Paranormal Perception: As a move or swift action you can see any paranormal powers being used within your normal range of vision.
You know how to talk to certain people.
Gather Paranormal Information: You gain an untyped bonus equal to your Esoteric Echelon when using the Diplomacy skill to gather information of occult, paranormal, or esoteric nature.
Something is fishy at the waterfront.
Minor Paranormal Perception: As a full-round action you can look for lingering traces in the air that show paranormal powers were used in that place within the last hour. This ability only has a 60' range, unless you have darkvision with greater range, in which case its range equals that of your darkvision.
I recognize those things. Unfortunately.
Major Paranormal Perception: As a swift or move action, you may see which creatures within your normal range of vision have the "paranormal spellcaster" or "paranormal creature" types.
Paranormal Knowledge: You make make Knowledge checks untrained to perceive clues about how to deal with monsters that have the "paranormal creature" type, and gain a bonus on the skill check equal to your Esoteric Echelon.
Oh, joy. An entire town of cultists.
Superior Paranormal Perception: As a swift or move action, you may see which creatures within your normal range of vision have any paranormal powers, or have prepared or spontaneous spellcasting.
Because you never want these cantrips to expire at the wrong time.
Magic Perception You gain constant use of detect magic and read magic, as a spell-like ability.
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Your esoteic knowledge helps you resist the powers of paranormal creatures.
Esoteric Defensive Training: While your sanity points are positive you gain a bonus equal to your sanity points against the spells and abilities of creatures with the "paranormal creature" type.
You are beginning to become aware of the world behind the veil. To a small extent, you can swallow your fright with a rationalization such as, "Oh, that's an eldrich horror. Always wanted to see one of those."
Postpone Fear: You may spend positive sanity points to gain an equal bonus on a saving throw versus a fear effect.
You have begun to see secret truths behind spell casting, which can be as perilous as beneficial.
Rebuke Magic: You may spend positive sanity points to gain an equal bonus on a saving throw versus a spell or spell-like ability.
You have seen deeply into the frightening places behind the veil, but also learned to deeply tap your reserves of courage.
Source of Courage: You gain Swallow Fear as a bonus feat.
You have begun to see secret truths behind mental strength, which are both twisted and supple.
Convoluted Mind: You may spend positive sanity points to gain an equal bonus on any Will saving throw.
You have begun to see secret truths behind endurance and stamina, which are themselves demanding and sapping.
Convoluted Health: You may spend positive sanity points to gain an equal bonus on any Fortitude saving throw.
You have begun to see secret and unnerving truths that determine when events happen.
Convoluted Reflexes You may spend positive sanity points to gain an equal bonus on any Reflex saving throw.
Your esoteic knowledge helps you resist the spells of paranormal spellcasters.
Advanced Esoteric Defensive Training: While your sanity points are positive you gain a bonus equal to your sanity points against the spells and abilities of creatures with the "paranormal spellcasters" type.
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Several of the paranormal powers involving fanaticism risk causing the staggered condition. If they cause that condition to a character that is already staggered, the character also becomes confused for the duration.
Only a flesh wound!
Hardy Fanaticism: You may spend one (positive) sanity point to change one attack or other injury dealing lethal damage to nonlethal damage.
Feel my wrath!
Blast Fanaticism: As a free action, when insane you increase the penalty to Will saving throws (up to the amount of your Esoteric Echelon) to gain a corresponding bonus to damage with spells that deal direct hit point damage. If (the negative of) your current sanity points exceeds your Esoteric Echelon when you use this ability, you become staggered. The effect lasts until the end of combat, at which point you are dazzled for as many rounds as (the negative of) your current sanity points.
Example
Twiddlefingers is currently at -5 sanity points. His Esoteric Echelon is 2. He can increase the penalty his insanity causes to Will saving throws by 1 or 2 to gain a +1 or +2 bonus to damage with his "blast" spells. Doing so would make him staggered (5 is more than 2).
Yaaaaarg!
Reckless Fanaticism: As a free action, when insane you may give yourself a penalty to armor class (up to the amount of your Esoteric Echelon) to gain a corresponding bonus to melee to hit. If (the negative of) your current sanity points exceeds your Esoteric Echelon when you use this ability, you become staggered. The effect lasts until the end of combat, at which point you are dazzled for as many rounds as (the negative of) your current sanity points.
Example
Example: Hurg the barbarian is currently at -3 sanity points. His Esoteric Echelon is 3. He can give himself a penalty to armor class of 1 to 3, and gain a bonus to melee to hit from 1 to 3. He suffers no ill effects (3 is not greater than 3).
Where do I get those wonderful toys?
Attuned Fanaticism: As a free action, when insane you may increase the penalty to Charisma-based skill checks other than Use Magic Device (up to the amount of your Esoteric Echelon) to gain a corresponding bonus to Use Magic Device. If (the negative of) your current sanity points exceeds your Esoteric Echelon when you use this ability, you become staggered. The effect lasts until the end of combat, at which point you are dazzled for as many rounds as (the negative of) your current sanity points.
About time one of these paranormal powers was a worthwhile capstone ability. I'll need this to slay that colossal eldrich horror with a fistful of templates that is rampaging through the city.
Superior Fanaticism: As a free action, when insane you may increase the penalty to concentration checks (up to the amount of your Esoteric Echelon) to gain a corresponding bonus to melee damage. If (the negative of) your current sanity points exceeds your Esoteric Echelon when you use this ability, you become staggered. The effect lasts until the end of combat, at which point you are dazzled for as many rounds as (the negative of) your current sanity points.
Example
Example: Thrand the barbarian is currently at -6 sanity points. His Esoteric Echelon is 5. He can increase the penalty his insanity causes to concentration checks by 1 to 5, to gain a bonus to melee damage of 1 to 5. Doing so would make him (6 is more than 5).
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