Lawyer Cohort


Advice


Player wants to have a cohort (will start at 4th level and go up) from the Leadership feat.

However, he doesn't want the typical buffer, bodyguard, or crafter cohorts like most everyone else wants. The player seems to have a knack for getting himself in trouble with the law, arrested, fined, chased out of town, etc... So he wants a lawyer to warn him before he gets into trouble and to help get him out when he goes ahead and does it anyway.

Profession Barrister as high as possible. Maybe perform oratory. Bluff Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Appraise, Know Nobility, and Know History will probably need to be decent. Any other skills seem needful?
Not really a combatant, but needs to be able to defend himself and survive if going to be coming along to warn the PC.
Needs to have a very good will save. You really don't want your lawyer working for the other guys.

As GM, I like the concept, I am certainly supportive. But I'm not sure about the best way to build something like this. Investigator seems the best bet, but I'm not sure.

Any suggestions?


I would suggest the Asmodean Advocate.

Done right, they can have +12 or better to Profession Barrister, Diplomacy and Bluff at first level, and it only gets better...

I would advise taking a look at the this by Travis Abshear: The Ultimate Lawyer


Investigator is a good choice for a fixer (like George Clooney's character Michael Clayton [in the movie of the same name]) but I can also see Bard as a very viable lawyer class, especially if the cohort is a trial lawyer. For that matter, npc Expert could work, too, except that this is a cohort, so it should be a PC class.

And if the lawyer is a cohort, I see this like "being on retainer," so I wouldn't worry about being poached by the competition, nor even let that be a possibility.

Depending on the role of churches in the city, Knowledge (religion) could be needed. I'd also add Perception because that'll be necessary when cross-examining a witness on the stand. Intimidate might also be necessary for the same reason. And before you start wondering about how intimidating a lawyer can really be, go re-watch some old Matlock or Perry Mason episodes.


Gronk de'Morcaine wrote:

Player wants to have a cohort (will start at 4th level and go up) from the Leadership feat.

However, he doesn't want the typical buffer, bodyguard, or crafter cohorts like most everyone else wants. The player seems to have a knack for getting himself in trouble with the law, arrested, fined, chased out of town, etc... So he wants a lawyer to warn him before he gets into trouble and to help get him out when he goes ahead and does it anyway.

Profession Barrister as high as possible. Maybe perform oratory. Bluff Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Appraise, Know Nobility, and Know History will probably need to be decent. Any other skills seem needful?
Not really a combatant, but needs to be able to defend himself and survive if going to be coming along to warn the PC.
Needs to have a very good will save. You really don't want your lawyer working for the other guys.

As GM, I like the concept, I am certainly supportive. But I'm not sure about the best way to build something like this. Investigator seems the best bet, but I'm not sure.

Any suggestions?

Viglante, bar none. in particular the social talents : In Vogue, Entrepeneur, there are just a billion social talents that make for an amazing lawyer. The advocate may be able to have a higher die roll, but the lawyer can hide the character in his safe house, lie under zone of truth, gather rumors, you could literally make his cohort Saul Goodman.


A mesmerist can work, the Susceptibility stare applies a -2 to the target’s Sense Motive checks to oppose Bluff checks, and to the DCs of Diplomacy and Intimidate checks made against the target.

Investigator or Asemodian Advocate are both awesome choices but have a lawyer literally tinkering with people's minds could come in handy. Especially if your goal is for the lawyer to seem a bit sketchy.

Plus, it makes him useful even if he is follow the party around but not fighting since he can implant mesmerist tricks. I can imagine slip bonds or Chain of Eyes proving useful in helping clients. Vizier works nicely, since it also allows him to hide his tricks activating or his spells from going off.

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