WARRIOR-PALADIN KIT

Ordainer

Description:  To an Ordainer, justice is everything, and there is no one who can 
escape it.  Those who try face the wrath of any Ordainer who discovers their 
misdeeds, which should be reason enough by itself to dissuade anyone who might 
think of breaking the law.  This is the entire reason that laws exist--to see 
that justice is carried out.  Justice purges cancers that infect society and 
makes people better fit to belong in the world.  Once everyone has been properly 
cleansed, then society will reach perfection, and perfection and purity is the 
ideal goal of the universe.  That stated, though justice is absolute and perfect 
it must be correctly applied.  Mercy is an excuse created by the weak and the 
criminal; every crime must be punished according to the law.  To an Ordainer, 
there are no such things as 'extenuating circumstances'.  Those who seek to call 
Ordainers to account for their actions in pursuit of criminals may seek to 
accuse them of some of their own crimes, but an Ordainer will simply smile and 
reply that he or she answers to a higher law and a truer authority.  Charged 
with protecting and ensuring true justice, Ordainers must naturally be entitled 
to do things that others cannot--how else could they survive their own ideals?  
Obviously, not everyone agrees with the ruthless perspective espoused by 
Ordainers, but unfortunately (from the Ordainer's point of view) they cannot 
justifiably hang a being just for having opinions--at least not in most places.

Much of an Ordainer's world view can be ascribed to their conviction that life 
and death are more or less relative states of being.  All beings are both alive 
and dead at the same time; it is simply a matter of how far along the path 
toward oblivion a being has traveled.  An Ordainer sees him- or herself as 
striving toward the goal of perfect purity--purging themselves of passions and 
insensate emotionalism in order to reach a true understanding of the fundamental 
laws that undergird the universe.  Ordainers do not hold to the belief that 
people receive judgment and their due reward or punishment after they die.  To 
an Ordainer, there is no reason that a person must wait until after death to 
receive the punishment that is due them, nor should death provide a means of 
escape or release from their crimes.

Requirements:  Ordainers must be of unswerving lawful evil alignment and may be 
humans or tieflings.  They have the same ability score requirements as standard 
Paladins.

Weapons & Armor:  Ordainers can wear any type of armor and use any type of 
shield or weapon, though they prefer the use of swords.

Special Benefits:  Ordainers are a sort of 'anti-Paladin', devoted to the cause 
of law and evil rather than law and goodness, with a particular interest in the 
capture and punishment of criminals.  Like other Paladins, an Ordainer can 
specialize in any one weapon at a cost of two slots per level of specialization.  
Because of their passion for swordsmanship, however, Ordainers can specialize in 
any one type of sword at the normal cost of one slot per level, though they 
still cannot begin play with specialization.  An Ordainer's other abilities are 
as follows:

Aura of Holiness:  As a standard Paladin, save that an Ordainer's aura protects 
against creatures of chaotic and/or good alignment (particularly chaotic good 
creatures) and against good magic.

Call Mount:  As a standard Paladin.  Many Ordainers will seek to use this 
ability to call a nightmare as a steed.

Dead Truce:  Ordainers have a unique ability with respect to undead called the 
Dead Truce.  Based upon an ancient pact, reached so long ago it is scarcely even 
remembered, the very first Ordainers gained a special status with respect to the 
spirits of the dead and their role as executioners of justice for the living and 
the dead (which to Ordainers are all simply part of the same spectrum).  As a 
result, Ordainers will be ignored by any undead creature as long as the Ordainer 
does nothing to harm the undead in question.  This provides no benefit to an 
Ordainer's allies, and an attack on one undead creature of a group is considered 
an attack against all and thus abrogates the Dead Truce for that encounter.

A curious side effect of the Dead Truce is that Ordainers do not suffer 
continuous hit point loss while at negative hit points.  In addition, they can 
survive down to a negative hit point total equal to 10 plus their level (e.g., a 
7th level Ordainer could survive until -17 hit points).  An Ordainer falls 
unconscious like any other character at this point, but normal healing up to 
positive hit points will restore him or her to full functionality without 
needing bed rest or additional magic.

Essence of Hatred:  As a standard Paladin's Essence of Virtue, save that an 
Ordainer's bonus hit points are invoked when facing a chaotic enemy.

Law & Justice:  Ordainers have a passion the study of law, and they learn and 
memorize the laws and legal codes of the nation, the city, and the province that 
they were born and raised in as well as the region in which they live.  They 
automatically know all common laws and procedures of those areas, and they can 
attempt a Wisdom check to recall obscure points of law.  They can also attempt a 
similar ability check to recall commonly known laws for foreign lands, or even 
uncommon or obscure points of law in foreign lands with a check at a penalty of 
-3 to -6 (DM's discretion).

Ordainers also have a passion for punishment and for rooting out the truth, and 
they gain a special detect lie ability that they can use once per day, asking up 
to one question per level of experience and being able to determine whether the 
answer given is truthful.  In addition, they have a limited ability to compel 
criminals to comply with their demands for justice once per day, essentially 
duplicating the effect of a charm person spell.

Master of Terror:  Ordainers are unaffected by any type of fear.  In addition, 
an Ordainer is able to make use of any magical item that generates fear, even if 
not normally available to them by reason of their class, and such items work at 
enhanced effect.  As a result, saves vs. fear-causing items wielded by an 
Ordainer suffer a -2 penalty, and the Ordainer can elect to double the range, 
area of effect, or duration of fear caused by such an item.

An Ordainer can also generate an aura of fear once per day, affecting a 10' 
radius and lasting one round per level.  All creatures within the area of effect 
must save vs. spells or attempt to flee (70%) or attack the Ordainer in a 
panicked rage (30%); the DM can modify these chances based on the situation.  
Even creatures who make their saving throw will feel very ill at ease and will 
greatly desire to be somewhere else.  Ordainers often use this power when 
bullying less powerful individuals or when questioning subjects.

Priestly Powers:  As a standard Paladin, save that an Ordainer cannot turn or 
command undead (this is a condition of the Dead Truce).  In addition, Ordainers 
who can cast spells have access to the spheres of All, Charm, Combat, 
Divination, Law, and Protection.

Sense Goodness:  As a standard Paladin's Sense Evil.  In addition, an Ordainer 
has a 5% chance per level of experience to be able to determine the ethical 
alignment (i.e., lawful, neutral, chaotic) of any creature within the area of 
effect of his or her detection, regardless of whether they successfully Detect 
Good.  An Ordainer cannot detect the ethical alignment of intelligent items or 
places, but only creatures.

Special Hindrances:  Ordainers are far more concerned with the prosecution of 
true justice than fighting monsters or studying a particular race of creatures 
to find their combat weaknesses.  Thus, they do not gain a Chosen Foe; however, 
it should be noted that any criminals will suffer a penalty to reactions with an 
Ordainer equal to their normal reaction bonus for Charisma.  Ordainers rarely 
bother with attempting to befriend or impress people (beyond the intimidation 
they show in their Master of Terror ability), and as a result they lack the 
Charismatic Appeal of other Paladins.  They still gain their normal Charisma-
based reaction adjustment, and they can and do use this to considerable effect 
when threatening or (when necessary) cajoling others, but they simply are not 
interested in 'making nice'.

An Ordainer likewise has little patience for the soft, weak practice of Faith 
Healing or for any sort of healing for that matter.  In fact, an Ordainer's 
disdain for healing is such that he or she must save vs. spell any time he or 
she is subjected to healing effects, regardless of whether they are spells, 
magical items, or psionic powers.  If the save succeeds, the healing is negated.

As with all Paladins, the specific code of conduct required of an Ordainer 
depends on many outside factors, but the following is a thumbnail sketch of the 
'Ten Commandments' for Ordainers:

1.	Never retreat from combat unless allies have done so first (unless they 
	are other Ordainers) or unless commanded to do so by superiors in the 
	hierarchy of your faith or other acknowledged leader.
2.	Obey all laws--their individual rightness or wrongness makes little 
	difference.  An Ordainer should never knowingly disobey a law unless they 
	can find a legalistic loophole through it or unless that law would be 
	contravened by the need to locate, apprehend, and administer justice to a 
	criminal.
3.	Do not lie to others of the faith or law enforcement agencies, engage in 
	casual sex or other wanton immorality, or drink or eat to excess, as such 
	actions can distract from the pursuit and fulfillment of justice.
4.	Do not allow slights against yourself or your faith to pass unchallenged 
	and unavenged, inflicting vengeance many times over for any such insult.
5.	Spread the faith of your deity whenever possible.
6.	Always tithe at least 10% of income from any and all sources to your 
	church, and this money must be paid immediately.
7.	Never retain excessive wealth.  Ordainers may retain only enough wealth to 
	support themselves in a modest manner, pay his or her henchmen, men-at-
	arms, and servitors at a reasonable rate, and construct or maintain a 
	small castle or keep (funds can be set aside for this purpose).  All 
	excess funds must be donated to the Ordainer's church.
8.	Be relentless in pressing any advantage against a foe, never showing mercy 
	or kindness to a defeated enemy or releasing a lawbreaker from confinement 
	until justice has been served, nor allowing allies or companions to commit 
	such acts of weakness.  Crush your foes under your heel and grind them 
	into utter despair and submission, snuffing out all hope of escape from 
	your oppressive dominion.
9.	Depend on inner strength and do not become overly dependent upon magical 
	items, possessing no more than one suit of armor, one shield, four 
	weapons, and four other items.
10.	Employ henchmen only of Lawful Evil alignment or those who act in such a 
	manner when alignment is unknown.  Ordainers will cooperate with 
	characters of other alignments as long as it is does not interfere with 
	their higher goal of dispensing their particular brand of justice.  
	Attempt to show others the proper way to live through both word and deed, 
	realizing that most people simply cannot meet such dire standards.

Ordainers sometimes organize themselves into cadres or orders of knighthood that 
promote their philosophy, but even Ordainers who do not belong to such 
organizations must always obey the commands of a priest of their faith of higher 
level or from any Ordainer of higher level.  This obedience is expected without 
question or hesitation.  It should be noted that an Ordainer can likewise demand 
unquestioning obedience from their inferiors.  Any variance on the part of an 
underling from the orders of a superior requires an atonement on the part of 
that character before he or she is allowed to gain experience points; failure to 
complete atonement results in the character being 'frozen' at the level at which 
they committed the act of insubordination, unable to advance in level.  Any 
Ordainer who actually subverts the orders of a superior or turns against another 
Ordainer in any way (except in the case of two or more Ordainers going after the 
same criminal on behalf of different groups) is immediately cast out of the 
faith and sentenced to death, with the sentence to be carried out immediately by 
any member of the church or any Ordainer.  An Ordainer can also be called to 
account for an action against his or her alignment, even if magically 
controlled, as other Paladins can.  Any Ordainer who knowingly performs a 
chaotic act is instantly and permanently stripped of his or her powers and 
position, just as a Paladin who commits an evil act would be.

Required Proficiencies:  Intimidation, Tracking
Preferred Proficiencies:  Alertness, Ambush, Bureaucracy, Camouflage, Heraldry, 
Information Gathering, Languages (Modern), Local History, Observation, Reading 
Lips, Riding (Land-based), Rope Use, Set Snares, Torture, Trailing, Venom 
Handling