Call of Cthulhu Character Quiz
Fifteen questions to draw out the investigator sleeping somewhere in you. Answer on instinct, not on reflection.
Q1
Before a session of Call of Cthulhu, the first thing most players get stuck on is what their investigator actually does for a living. Occupation shapes skill points, and skill points shape what your character can attempt when things go wrong.
This quiz asks fifteen short questions and asks you to answer on instinct. From your answers it picks the investigator closest to how you actually think, out of thirteen types: private investigator, journalist, doctor, professor, occultist, archaeologist and more. It is free, there is nothing to sign up for, and nothing to install.
Each result comes with the characteristics that suit the type, a few signature skills, and a note on how that sort of person tends to hold up under pressure. Use it as a starting point for a character sheet you are about to fill in, or as a way into the decision if this is your first time at a Call of Cthulhu table. You can copy the result as text or post it straight to X, which makes it easy to compare with the rest of your group before a session.
The thirteen investigator types
Each type is modelled on an occupation that turns up regularly in published Call of Cthulhu scenarios, and each comes with a note on the characteristics and skills that tend to go with it.
- Private Investigator — the observer, who builds the truth out of what got left at the scene
- Journalist — the digger, running on curiosity and a refusal to let a story go
- Doctor of Medicine — the one who keeps the party standing, in body and in mind
- Professor / Researcher — the scholar, meeting the unknown with sources and logic
- Antiquarian — the connoisseur, who reads the history sleeping in old objects
- Military Veteran — the shield, with nerve built out of things already survived
- Occultist — the seeker, who goes after forbidden knowledge knowing the cost
- Artist — the sensitive one, who notices the wrongness before anyone else does
- Police Officer — the professional, holding a scene together through law and procedure
- Student — the newcomer, short on experience and quick to adapt
- Clergy — the anchor, carrying faith and duty into places that deserve neither
- Archaeologist / Explorer — the field hand, drawn to the blank part of the map
- Athlete — the mover, cutting a way out of situations that have no way out
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the result directly on a character sheet?
Treat it as a starting point rather than a finished build. It is there to help you decide on a direction. When you actually sit down to make the character, work out characteristics and skill points properly from your rulebook — Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, or whichever edition your table is running.
Can I take it more than once?
As many times as you like. The result screen has a “Take it again” button and there is no limit on it. Different answers will genuinely produce different types, so it is worth running a few times if you are torn between concepts.
Can I share my result?
Yes. “Copy the result” puts the text on your clipboard for pasting anywhere, and “Share on X” posts it directly. Comparing results with the rest of your group before a session is half the fun.
Does it cost anything?
No. It is free to use, with no account and no installation.