RequirementsTo qualify to become a justiciar, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:
Alignment: Any lawful.
Feats: Persuasive.
Skills: Diplomacy 1 rank, Knowledge (local) 5 ranks, and 3 ranks total in Craft, Knowledge (arcana, engineering, history, nobility, or religion), or Profession skills in any combination.
Special: Proficiency with any crossbow.
Special: A Justiciar must be appointed by a lawful religious or secular authority, typically a governing official of higher rank than the character.
---
...A tiny village, of roughly four or five families, elects a single person as Village Chief. The Chief points to me, and states "I need you to enforce my laws; You are appointed".
May I thus become "Justiciar Bane Wraith, of Tiny Village, Fakeland"?
Are there any penalties to Changing which authority a Justiciar follows?
Can a Justiciar follow an Authority as simple as The leader of a party of five or six, sent on an adventure to kill a generic evil lord?
1. Is the appointer a lawful religious or secular authority?
2. Is the appointer of higher rank than the character?
3. Does the character accept this?
If the answer to all three is yes then sure.
Now please note that IF the Justiciar latter gains rank somehow to where he is of higher rank than his appointner he can't gain any more justiciar levels until he meets the prerequisites again (i.e. finds someone that fits the bill to reappoint him again).
Huh. ^_^ Interesting.
Seems that a Justiciar can simply be a Law-enforcer-for-hire; So long as there's an actual Law that he's upholding, he keeps all the benefits.
...however, the class states "typically a governing official of higher rank than the character. "
...Not sure that can thus be counted as an addition to the prerequisites.
Perhaps a Justiciar himself can be placed in power, and thus support his Own laws, by a popular majority vote to appoint him?
Of course it is -- you can't become a justiciar unless you do it, it's under requirements, and that's exactly what it is.
Saying otherwise would be like saying, "Oh you don't actually have to do exactly what it says you have to do."
Justiciar's must be appointed by someone higher than them -- to gain what it gives you must put yourself under another -- power through service to others (sounds like some religions I know).
Special: A Justiciar must be appointed by a lawful religious or secular authority, typically a governing official of higher rank than the character.
It says a Justiciar must be appointed by a lawful religious or secular authority. Anything following that is merely a suggestion, since it's only the typical case. The only part that is actually the requirement is the part before the comma since the remainder of the sentence is just an example of a typical scenario.
For example, a town elder makes the person a justiciar. He goes on a quest that takes him to the county seat (town serving as "capital" of the county). There he is assigned a new task and gains rank beyond that held by his town elders. That doesn't mean he's no longer a justiciar.
Now, what if the town elder makes himself a justiciar? He is the lawful religious or secular authority in town, so actually has the legal or religious authority to do so. "This assignment is too dangerous for me to lay it on someone else's shoulders. I've appointing myself as justiciar and I'm packing my bags to set-out now."
Special: A Justiciar must be appointed by a lawful religious or secular authority, typically a governing official of higher rank than the character.It says a Justiciar must be appointed by a lawful religious or secular authority. Anything following that is merely a suggestion, since it's only the typical case. The only part that is actually the requirement is the part before the comma since the remainder of the sentence is just an example of a typical scenario.
For example, a town elder makes the person a justiciar. He goes on a quest that takes him to the county seat (town serving as "capital" of the county). There he is assigned a new task and gains rank beyond that held by his town elders. That doesn't mean he's no longer a justiciar.
I agree wholeheartedly with the First paragraph... However, that example doesn't seem to properly, well, Exemplify it, in my point of view. ^_^
Can a Justiciar Appoint Himself, is the first question; Especially if he is given a secular authority, perhaps by the vote of a party, village, or other body of persons.
The second is basically How far does that minimum go? ^_^
According to the Lawkeeper ability, of the Justiciar:
LawkeeperJusticiars are not allowed to violate their code or any oath or contract they willingly agree to, nor can they go against the spirit of it while holding to the letter. A justiciar who willingly does so loses all prestige class abilities until she receives an atonement spell from her religious superiors or an official pardon from her secular superiors.
...This quote exists, Even though the Justiciar class may be cleverly interpreted as capable of even following Autonomy.
Strange, no?
...I'd say it's purely GM's call at this point, since it Obviously goes a bit against the very nature of the Justiciar.
Perhaps a GM could simply rule that If the Justiciar suddenly decides to Disobey, and Redeem himself as Justiciar by following his own law, He instead temporarily or permanently switches alignments to Neutral, or even Chaotic, on the Lawful-chaotic line...
That Character no longer fulfills the requirements for Judiciar.
Edit: Apologies, Wolf. I posted my stuff Directly before you edited yours...