JUSTICAR

Where there are laws, there are those who defy them, and where citizens live in fear of these lawbreakers, brave souls hunt them down. These are the justicars. They do it for the money; they do it for the glory. It can be a satisfying vocation to make a living butt-kicking for the law.

Justicars are generally solitary, relying on their wits and skills. They are fearless and single-minded in pursuit of their prey and ruthlessly effective in combat. They are not necessisarily judge, jury, and executioner; often they simply see to it that those people get the chance to do their jobs. In cases where it is impractical to bring the miscreant to the hands of the law, or if the criminal resists, justicars never hesitate to bring final justice to those who deserve it.

Justicars are usually employed by either the Merchant Guilds, or the Templars, thus most justicars begin as merchants or militants, but it is not unheard of for mages to apply their talents to the profession as well. A few Gypsies enter into service as independent contractors, or bounty hunters, often posing as innocents in a caravan to affect a sting operation, or catch a notorious highway robber.

 Hit Dice: d8

Requirements

To become a justicar, a character must fullfil all of the following criteria:

 Race: Any
 Alignment: Any lawful
 Base Attack Bonus: +5
 Feats: Track, Skill Focus (Gather Information).
 Gather Information: 5 ranks
 Search: 5 ranks
 Wilderness Lore: 5 ranks

Class Skills

The justicar's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Disquise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Innuendo (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Locks (Dex), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex), and Wilderness Lore (Wis).

Skill points at each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the justicar class:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A justicar is proficiant with all simple and martial weapons, all types of armor, and all shields.

Bring 'Em Back Alive (Ex): Whenever a justicar attacks with a melee weapon, he can deal subdual damage with the weapon instead of normal damage with no penalty to the attack roll. Normally, attempting to deal subdual damage with a weapon in this way incurs a -4 penalty to the attack roll.

Crippling Strike (Ex): The justicar with this ability can subdual strike opponents with such precision that his blows weaken and hamper them. When the justicar damages an opponent with a subdual strike, that character also takes 1 point of temporary Strength damage. Ability points lost due to damage return on their own at a rate of 1 point per day for each damaged ability.

Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms):
At 3rd-level justicars recieve this as a bonus feat (see New Feats below).

Exotic Weapon Proficiency (manacles): Intimately familiar with the capture of criminals, justicars have learned to do more with a pair of manacles than restrain a lawbreaker. A justicar can swing a pair of metal manacles in one hand as if they were a club without suffering a penalty for using an improvised weapon. Masterwork manacles can be weilded as a masterwork light flail.

Hog-Tie (Ex): When the justicar successfully pins an opponent while grappling, he can attempt to hog-tie the opponent. Treat this as an extra option for the justicar who has an opponent pinned. The justicar must have a rope or chain in one hand to attempt this action.

When trying to hog-tie, make an opposed grapple check. The justicar can use his Use Rope skill instead of a normal grapple check. The opponent must make an opposed grapple check or Escape Artist check. If the justicar is succeeds, the opponent is hog-tied. If the opponent succeeds, the hog-tie action fails and the grapple continues.

If the justicar successfully hog-ties an opponent, that person is considered bound and helpless (see the Dungeon Master's Guide page 84 for the helpless description). Note that the justicar receives the standard +10 bonus on Use Rope checks to bind someone, per the Player's Handbook page 76. Bound foes can make an Escape Artist check (opposed by the justicar's Use Rope check) or a Strength check (DC 23 for rope, DC 26 for chain) to break free. Bound characters can also cast spells that don't require somatic components and if they don't have the necessary material components already in hand.

The justicar can only use this ability on opponents within at least one size catagory larger than he is or smaller (thus, a halfling justicar can use hog-tie against Medium-size or smaller opponents). He can also only use it against humanoid-shaped creatures (thus, most Humanoids, Monstrous Humanoids, Outsiders, and Giants would qualify).

Improved Hog-Tie (Ex): An 8th-level justicar can attempt a hog-tie without first pinning his opponent. Thus, whenever a grapple is established, the justicar can use an action to attempt to hog-tie his foe. Also, if the justicar has the Quick Draw feat, he does not need to be holding the rope or chain in his hand.

Improved Grapple (Ex): At 2nd level, a justicar automatically receives the feat Improved Grapple, even if he does not have the prerequisites.

Intuition (Su): When hunting a specific person, a 10th-level justicar can use the Intuit Direction skill to determine in which direction the culprit might be found if the criminal is within one mile of the justicar. Similarly, the justicar can use this ability to determine the direction of anyone he has previously faced in combat if she is within the same range.

Street Savvy (Ex): The justicar gains a circumstance bonus on all Innuendo and Gather Information checks while in pursuit if a criminal. This bonus is initially +2 at 3rd level, but it increases to +4 at 6th level and to +6 at 9th level.

Subdual Strike (Ex): A 1st-level justicar can make subdual strikes. Any time the justicar uses the bring 'em back alive class ability and hist target would be denied her Dexterity bonus to AC (wether she actually has a Dexterity bonus or not) or when the justicar flanks the target, the justicar's attack deals +1d6 points of subdual damage. This extra damage increase to +2d6 at 4th level, +3d6 at 7th level, and again to +4d6 at 10th level. Should the justicar score a critical hit with a subdual strike, this extra damage is not multiplied.

A justicar can only subdual strike a living creature with discernable anatomy - undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Also, creatures immune to subdual damage are immune to subdual strike damage. The justicar must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach a vital spot. The justicar cannot subdual strike a creature with concealment or when striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond his reach.

Class Progression

New Feats

Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms) [General]

You are familiar with the use and maintenance of flintlock blunderbusses, muskets, pistols and the like.

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1 or higher
Benefit: You make attack rolls with the weapon normally.
Normal: A character who uses such a weapon without being proficient suffers a –4 penalty on attack rolls, the misfire range on his firearm is increased by 4, and if a misfire occurs the degree of severity of a misfire roll on Table 1–7 is automatically increased by one step.
Special: You need not take this weapon proficiency for each type of firearm; their use is so similar that, unless otherwise noted, taking this proficiency once covers them all.

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