The_Scoutman Gonna wait for the final balance, but I wonder if investigating the Skullpounder is really mandatory. Story-wise, considering he dies and Xestris reveals his secret to us anyway at the end of the gathering, maybe it would make sense to replace his investigation with someone else. Variable-wise, his help in the orc contest can be replaced with investigating the Lustlord or the LoB and the extra riala point from the runaway succubi seems superfluous.
runaway succubi flip a switch, "underling connection", and i think will be midly relevant in the future, similat to "orc connection" (the orgasmic champion you can spare in solo fight) and "lexande connection".
The_Scoutman Alternatively, the ones that would make the most sense to skip investigating would be Fuzkao or Mestan, skipping Mestan would lose 5 RP and miss one of Dari's 4th-wheel points, skipping Fuzkao makes sense for now, but I think investigating him could be helpful in the next open-world segment (knowing he is from Erosia, that he uses fire, and some of his personality could help us track him down).
fuzkao for now seem the most useless IK, in the gathering overall, not only in investigation. the use of fire magic it's obvious because he call himself "flamelord" and all the other information are scarcely relevant. he is a new IK with a little shard, for raw power shold be under harem combat ability, he don't know nothing about the tower nor seem a skilled mage. if we meet him again he will be crushed like the ant he is.
mapping the tower is a inferior choice, pehaps his gathering influence +1 can make the difference about a very subpar save, but this isn't the situation. so you skip one IK, i'm split between mestan and fuzkao (skullpounder investigation can still be relevant later and i value succubi switch more, for now). if you can spare the succubus in the orgy and send to mestan i think will skip mestan, the opposite otherwise.