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Hello, I have a player that wants to play a detective magic user. He would focus on sensing spells and detective skills. He wants to play this due to disappointment in D&D, where there are no real detective spells. If a wizard teleports away, he can't be tracked. What I am looking for is a good occ for tracking magic users and investigation of magic use. I see the Wizard OCC has "recognize magic" but what is the best spell caster class for a magic investigator? Additionally what are the best spells?

Thanks!
99ups

Though they have some obvious limitations, a Mystic can do REALLY well in this area, since they also include psionic powers. Their spellcasting is a bit more limited, but Clairvoyance, Object Read, and Commune with Spirits can add some real punch to a detective.

A seeker OCC from the manhunter book.

Part of it is spell selection. There are some follow t-port/d-t-port spells in the rifter with the shifter variants. (single digit)

Have to echo Mark's recommendation: a Mystic is the first thing I thought of, for much the same reasons.

Much, much farther outside the box is the Magebane who can't cast spells but is immune to magic, and makes a career out of hunting mages.

Temporal Wizard can see what happened in the past. Super handy.

--flatline

I am going to suggest the Arcane Detective from Nightbane Between the Shadows...
It has magic, perception bonus, streetwise, surveillance systems, intelligence, and a lore all part built in.
Take the right spells, and maybe a magic proficiency and your set.
And if your in Rifts you might even be a minor/major psychic to boot (or ask your GM about the table in Lone Star) where as in Nightbane you can look at the natural talent table.

Have a look at the Vanguard Savant from Adventure Sourcebook 4/pg 26. They are investigators by their nature.

You know, every time I tried to consider a "detective" caster, I just couldn't help but imagine some weird blend between Dick Tracy, The Shadow and Dr. Strange...

... ANYWAY...

I'll agree with what everyone has posted above, I'll even throw in a third motion for the mystic.

There's also the Techno-Wizard - Not the greatest spell casting capabilities but they've got their own brand of investigative awesome to them. Plus, who tries to wipe computers anymore? Telemechanics can be your friend.

The Shifter - Don't have the skill or spell necessary to do what detecting needs to be done? Summon a minion that does and have them do it for you. Just... make sure they don't brutalize or eat anyone...

Temporal Warrior - Sure, chances are better than not you got trained by something inherently evil and yeah, it might've driven you crazy... but hey, with those bomb-diggity Temporal spells and the right selection of skills investigations can be a synch!

Necromancer - I know, I know. These guys get a seriously bad rap for their chosen art (playing with dead things...) but there's a lot that goes in to investigations and being a detective! Like... a lot... and it all ain't rainbows and sunshine, either! Usually, especially in the more noir genre type detective novels, someone's dead, or died... and the lucky detective has to be brought in to figure it all out. Guess what? This is the Necromancers domain. Dead stuff. Have fun doing what you love to do and getting paid for it! What's even better, is at the end of the novel... you get the girl/guy! Here's lookin at you, Kid.

I think the Shifter or Ley Line Rifter have abilities to track or interfere with recent teleports, so those classes would be the most beneficial to specifically what the OP was looking for.