Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition occupation
Scientist
Scientist is an occupation in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition: Laboratory researcher who can analyze what the party brings back and explain what it means.
Last reviewed
Key facts
- Skills
- Language, Library Use, Operate Heavy Machinery, Science, Spot Hidden, Credit Rating
- Credit Rating
- 9-50
Overview
The Scientist is built around a named Science that starts at 1 percent and becomes the party's analytical instrument. Library Use at base 20 percent supports the literature search, Spot Hidden at base 25 percent covers fieldwork, and Operate Heavy Machinery at base 1 percent is on the list because real laboratories and field sites run on equipment somebody has to operate. Scientists earn their place the moment the party brings back a sample: a residue, a tissue, a mineral, a liquid that should not exist. That analysis is frequently the turning point of a scenario, because it converts a horrifying impression into a fact the group can act on. Credit Rating 9 to 50 spans a badly funded research assistant and a comfortable industrial chemist.
How it works
Occupation Skills: Language, Library Use, Operate Heavy Machinery, Science, Spot Hidden, Credit Rating Credit Rating: 9-50% Skill Points: EDU × 4 (spent only on the occupation skills listed above) Typical Equipment: Laboratory bench and glassware, microscope, sample jars and a field kit, journal subscriptions, colleagues who will run a test you cannot
Tips and playstyle
Best For: Parties that collect physical evidence, campaigns with a technical or medical mystery at the center, players who like ending a session with a concrete answer. Playstyle: Name your Science carefully: Chemistry for residues and poisons, Biology for tissue and disease, Physics for radiation and structures, Geology for excavations and strange minerals. Add a second specialty with Personal Interest points (INT × 2) if the campaign is broad. Buy an extra Language too, because Language (Other) starts at 1 percent and the important papers are often in German or French. Character Concepts: Industrial chemist, biologist studying an unclassifiable specimen, physicist consulted about an anomalous reading, geologist on a survey that went wrong, laboratory assistant who kept the sample.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Scientist different from the Professor?
The Professor sells credibility and institutional access, with Psychology and Persuade on the list. The Scientist sells analysis, taking Spot Hidden and Operate Heavy Machinery instead. If the group already has a talker, the Scientist covers what the Professor cannot: what the substance is.
Can I identify Mythos material with Science?
Partly. Science establishes concrete properties and tells you what a sample is not, which is often the most frightening result available. Recognizing what it is falls under Cthulhu Mythos, which starts at 0 percent and rises only at a permanent cost to your maximum Sanity.
Why is Operate Heavy Machinery on the list?
Field science runs on equipment: drills, pumps, winches, centrifuges, and excavation gear. It starts at 1 percent, so it needs points to become usable, but it is what lets a Scientist run the machinery a scenario puts in front of them.